General advice:
"I think with teens it really depends on the teen. When I was a teen I really loved going to art museums, off broadway shows and for exotic ethnic food. Others teens visit NYC and want to go shopping and eat pizza. So you need to get a feel for them."
"In addition to the normal stuff, think outside the box and show them the city most tourists never see. Teens love to feel like they got the inside scoop."
Attractions, activities, and things to check out (in alphabetical order)
Accomplice The Show
Accomplice is a blend of walking tour, scavenger hunt and immersive, adventure theater.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Get a meal with your movie!
American Museum of Natural History
Visit the NYC institution dedicated to exploring human cultures, the natural world, and the known universe.
Artists & Fleas
What parents say: "My niece is 19 ... She also really likes Smorgasburg and Artists and Fleas."
Aquarium
The New York Aquarium is based on the beach at Coney Island and is dedicated to practicing conservation locally.
Beaches
Coney Island and Brighton Beach and the Rockaways offer fun events and activities for all ages.
PSP member recommendation: "Day trip to Fire Island or Robert Moses Beach."
Blossom Ice Cream
Rolled ice cream!
Blue Man Group
Catch a performance by the iconic ensemble.
Broadway Shows
Check out these resources for discounted tickets:
- A lot of shows have day-of rush tickets, but it's a bit of a gamble! Playbill.com usually has a list; here’s one from July, 2024
- TodayTix, which is also available as an app
- TKTS booth in Times Square, where you can get day-of tickets for half-price (though not every show)
What parents say: "If they want to see a Broadway show 'The Prom' is great for teens and a really fun show for everyone (but the baby). Teens are also wild about 'Be More Chill' (I didn't really love it but everyone under the age of 18 was SCREAMING with joy.)"
Brooklyn Bridge Piers
What parents say: "Great green space, ice cream, playground at Pier 6, and/or take the ferry to Governor's Island from Pier 6 and rent bikes there."
"They could walk the Brooklyn Bridge and then do a taste test of the pizza places on the Brooklyn side to determine which one they think is 'the best.'"
Brooklyn Flea Market
The flea market is located in Fort Greene and Dumbo on certain days. Check the website for details.
Brooklyn Museum
Check out the current exhibits and permanent collections at NYC's second-largest museum.
Brooklyn Robot Foundry
What parents say: "Maybe contact fun local activities (School of Rock, Brooklyn Robot Foundry) and ask if they'd let him visit for an hour or two for a fee?"
Bronx Zoo
Home to more than 700 species!
Botanic Garden
New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx or Brooklyn Botanic Garden right here in Prospect Park.
Bus tours
What parents say: "spot famous NYC sites from TV and movies."
Cat Cafe
Brooklyn Cat Cafe is a volunteer-run adoption center and community space.
Central Park
What parents say: "In Central Park the Conservatory Garden is beautiful and very unique. Enter at East 104th St. But it's not for lounging on a towel. They would probably like the scene in Sheeps Meadow too."
"Central Park, maybe have a caricature drawn"
"I would say definitely Central Park. Check out the artists on the streets - can get a fun portrait done. I have always wanted to do that. And walk around and see the street performers there. Check the website - there might be a free concert. There is also a little pond where you can rent RC boats. Museum of Natural History has a cool section with armor and weapons (yay!) and of course dinosaurs but he probably over that (Met has those too). The armor is pretty cool."
Chelsea Piers
What parents say: "If he likes golf, you can go to the Chelsea Piers and they have a driving range that overlooks the water which is pretty cool."
Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market is a food hall, shopping mall, office building and television production facility located in Chelsea.
Chinatown
What parents say: "Chinatown is interesting to walk through too. Find things to eat like black sesame ice cream or wasabi ice cream!"
Climbing gyms
Many local climbing gyms offer single-visit passes, like Vital in Williamsburg.
PSP members also recommend Brooklyn Boulders: "it's the largest climbing gym on eastern seaboard!
Take the A Train all the way north to The Cloisters, a medieval arm of the Metropolitan Museum. You will definitely not feel like you are in NYC anymore!
Compleat Strategist
What parents say: "Compleat Strategist near the Empire State if he likes games."
Coney Island
Read a review of Coney Island from a real tween!
Cyclones Game in Coney Island
Catch a baseball game!
DeKalb Market Hall
BIGGEST FOOD HALL IN NYC, showcasing 40 vendors who reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the borough.
DUMBO & the Brooklyn Bridge
What parents say: "Just walked the bridge and had Juliana's pizza with visitors. It was a cold day, and we got there when it opened, so no lines. There's a shake shack down the block as well, and Jacques Torres chocolate."
"Walk around DUMBO. Your kids can run around- visitors love the view and being right on the water. Stop by Jacques Torres for a treat."
Dylan's Candy Bar
Fun Wonka-style candy shop.
Economy Candy
NYC's oldest retail candy shop.
Escape room
Beat the Bomb is one in Brooklyn.
Food:
- Farmers Market at Grand Army Plaza
- "Real NYC pizza! (look for Original Ray's pizza!!)"
- Don Antonio in Midtown: "really great Neapolitan pizza"
- "Take them to Puglia's for Italian food, Ferrara for cannoli, dim sum in Chinatown, Indian food and window shopping in Jackson Heights."
- Momofuku Noodle Bar is an amazing ramen (and more) bar in the East Village or at Columbus Circle (2 locations). Belly up to the bar if you can’t get a reservation
- Get Ethiopian food at Meskerem in Greenwich Village (near NYU)
- Momofuku Milk Bar (various locations): "For sweets. Get the birthday cake truffles and the crack pie. You can thank me later."
Fire Museum
One of the nation’s most prominent collections of fire related art, artifacts, gear, and apparatus from the late 18th century to the present.
Forbidden Planet
What parents say: "Forbidden Planet if he likes comics."
Freedom Tower (aka One World Observatory)
What parents say: My nephew just turned 15 [and we] did the Freedom Tower with him - the observation deck - and it's an incredible view and a neat experience. My girls are 3 and 6 so we steered clear of the 9/11 Museum, which I think is only recommended for kids over 12. AMNH is always good and Ellis/Liberty Island is on our list. Have fun!
The former home of Henry Clay Frick on the Upper East Side. The museum features Frick’s stunning art collection, which includes Rembrandts and Vermeers.
Governor's Island & South Street Seaport
What parents say: "Free ferry leaves from Pier 6. You can rent bikes on the island. There is also an outdoor trapeze school there. Think you have to sign up ahead of time."
"You can always go down to South Street Seaport and take a boat ride out to Governor's island and back. You can get off at Govs island or just go back and forth. OR the SI Ferry, goes right by the Statue of Liberty. That's a fun ride."
Note: this activity is SEASONAL. It closed winter months and opens sometime in May.
Grand Central
Explore the shops, grab a snack, or take a self-guided audio tour of the station.
High Line
What parents say: "High Line! Only been once but I'd say the earlier the better."
Ice skating
What parents say: "Ice Skating at either Rockefeller Center or Central Park for sure."
Intrepid
What parents say: "My nephew just turned 15 and has always liked the Intrepid. It's pricey but you can get a 20% off coupon from smartsave.com. They have a newish pavilion that houses one of the space shuttles, which is really cool, as well as a submarine you can climb into and a ton of other stuff."
Japan Village
Experience Japanese culture, community, and cuisine.
Jazz
What parents say: Take them to a jazz club at night (many are perfectly happy to have children and teens attend as long as they don't sit at the bar)."
Jekyll & Hyde Club
Enjoy continuous live entertainment and spooky special effects. The creatures and memorabilia come to life and interact with you while you enjoy your meal.
Koreatown
Walk around K-town and grab BBQ and dessert.
Lincoln Center
Catch a music, dance, or theater performance.
Little Island
Little Island is a new public park, located in Hudson River Park and featuring rolling hills, winding pathways, and programming that includes music, dance, theater, poetry, comedy and arts workshops for all ages.
Little Italy
What parents say: "Walking around Little Italy esp at night is fun."
Lego Store
What parents say: "Big lego store at Rockefeller Center if he is still into Lego."
Luna Park
Home of the Cyclone and Thunderbolt roller coasters, attractions, dining, shops, and more
The Math Museum
MoMath, the National Museum of Mathematics, highlights the role of mathematics in illuminating the patterns and structures all around us.
The Met
What parents say: "The Met has good family tours if they like art."
Museum of Arts and Design
What parents say: "If they are open to culturey things consider the Museum of Art & Design."
Museum of Illusions
Exhibits to deceive the eye including kaleidoscopes and holograms as well as tilted and reverse rooms. A good option for a short and mind-blowing museum visit, and especially fun for young kids.
Museum of the City of New York
Learn about the distinct character and history of NYC.
Museum of the Moving Image
Media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios.
New York Public Library
What parents say: "Get a picture taken with the 'lions' on the public library"
New York Transit Museum: Located in Brooklyn, this museum showcases the history of the subway system.
NYU campus
What parents say: "Wander around NYU."
Pier 25
What parents say: "Pier 25 in tribeca – mini golf, skate park, playground (if 12 yo’s still do that I don’t know), ice cream, and a block up the street wait for the free kayaking and kayak for 20 minutes. I’ve done this with my 4 y.o and my 16 y.o niece and everyone was happy."
"The playground at Pier 25 that has a fun water feature & mini golf (along the Hudson River on West St @ N. Moore)."
Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium at AMNH blends scientific scholarship with public outreach.
Prospect Park
What parents say: "Rent bikes and bike the loop in Prospect Park."
"Get a geocaching app on your phone and geocache Prospect Park."
RiseNY
RiseNY includes a film, galleries, and a soaring ride that suspends you 30 feet in the air.
Roosevelt Island Tram
Take the tram from Manhattan and then do a lap around the island.
School of Rock
What parents say: "Maybe contact fun local activities (School of Rock, Brooklyn Robot Foundry) and ask if they'd let him visit for an hour or two for a fee?"
Shopping
What parents say: "My niece is 19 and since about 17 has been obsessed with consignment store shopping in Brooklyn. We hit the places on 5th Ave and also go over to Williamsburg."
"Take them shopping at Brooklyn Industries."
Serendipity
"Serendipity for giant sundaes."
Skateboarding
What parents say: "Skateboarding park under Manhattan Bridge, Manhattan side, or the one at Chelsea Piers."
Smorgasburg
What parents say: "Smorgasburg (the all food market) on Saturday."
"My niece is 19 ... She also really likes Smorgasburg and Artists and Fleas."
Sports
What parents say: "A Cyclones, Mets, Nets or Yankees sports game."
SPYSCAPE
This high-tech museum in Manhattan showcases extraordinary gadgets with stories and experiences that bring them to life.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
New observation deck by Grand Central.
Superhero Supply Co.
What parents say: "She can be 'De-villain-ized'; ask the staff to show her the secret back room (if you don't know, this is a Dave Eggger's shop that supports literacy, on 5th Ave)."
Tannen's Magic Shop
Tannen's Magic Shop is the oldest operating magic shop in New York City.
On the Lower East Side, this museum shows what it was like to live in NYC in the early 1900s. Educational and fascinating.
What parents say: "The Tenement Museum is absolutely fantastic and is not the museum most tourists flock to. There are lots of tours to choose from, including one that centers around foods from the LES. Seeing the old tenements has been interesting for even the most museum skeptic of teens who has come to visit us. Bonus: so much good food and shopping to check out after the museum.
Theater
PSP parents recommend: Taking teens to "A light, funny bit of theater."
"See if you can get tickets for something at the Victory Theater."
Top of the Rock
What parents say: "Top of the Rock is fun as well as Empire State building. TOR is easier usually bc of crowds at ESB."
Uncommons
What parents say: "If the weather is crummy or they need a down day, they could check out the Uncommons, a board game cafe near Washington Square Park."
Water Taxi
Take the Water Taxi from Dumbo to Manhattan.
Washington Square Park
What parents say: "Washington Square Park in the village. Good people watching and I think kids skateboard and stuff."
The Whitney
What parents say: "My teen and her friends love to go to The Whitney because it's so beautiful - lots of cool outdoor space and many wild exhibits. Also, it's great for selfies... School IDs get teens in for free at lots of NYC museums, so tell them to bring their school IDs if they have them."
Recommendations by Area:
BROOKLYN + LOWER MANHATTAN
Start in Brooklyn in the DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood. Take the F train to York Street (or take a cab to Water & Washington Streets in DUMBO).
Start right there at the most-instagrammed photo spot with the best view of the bridges. Eat at Time Out Market — massive food hall with great views upstairs. Walk along the river around to Brooklyn Bridge Park (when you are looking at the water, turn left), past the carousel and gorgeous views of Manhattan around to Brooklyn Bridge Park with more gorgeous views. You can take a ferry from there to Manhattan if you like, or you can eat old-school wood-fired pizza at Grimaldi's (there can be a line).
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is also a fun way to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and the views are great.
Once you get to the Manhattan side, you can go for a long walk through City Hall Park and over to the World Trade Center site — the memorial fountains are gorgeous, and there is a mall/transpo hub called The Oculus, which is a phenomenal building. There is also an Eataly there. Across the West Side Highway is Brookfield Place with Le District (basically a French Eataly) and Hudson Eats, two food halls that are fun to wander around. There are fancy stores in there, and often pop-up art exhibits (or a little ice rink in the winter).
You could also go up to theOne World Trade Center Observatory (can purchase timed tickets in advance). If you walk downtown on Broadway from the Oculus/OneWTC, you will pass through the Canyon of Heroes, where the original tickertape parades were, and past Wall Street — fun to look at the New York Stock Exchange — and past the statue of the Bull.
When you get to the tip of the Island you are in Battery Park, and you could check out the Seaglass Carousel (fun for all ages!). You could take the (FREE!) Staten Island Ferry across and back — it's a cheap and easy way to see the Statue of Liberty from the water, without doing the whole day tour of the Statue and Ellis Island. (But that's another option if you want to devote at least half a day to it.)
From Battery Park, you can walk along Hudson River Park all the way up along the west side (water will be on your left as you walk north). Lots of cool piers and parks. You can even walk all the way up to…
LITTLE ISLAND, HIGH LINE + HUDSON YARDS
For a nice day: On the west side, go first to Little Island, a newly redesigned pier of parks and pretty views at 12th Street and the West Side Highway. From there, walk across the highway and check out the new-ish location of the Whitney Museum.
If you’re not into the art, check out the High Line, an elevated park on the old elevated railway tracks on the west side. It starts right there at 12th Street, and you can walk from 12th Street to 34th Street. Along the way, check out the Chelsea Market around 16th Street, which is fun to walk through and has tons of food options and fun shops.
At the 34th Street end of the High Line, you end up at the new Hudson Yards, the most massive development project in NY in ages. You can go up to the Edge, which is the highest outdoor observation deck in the city. In the Hudson Yards mall, stop at the lovely restaurant on the 4th floor called queensyard, with a view of Vessel, for fancy drinks and snacks.
SOHO, WASHINGTON SQUARE + UNION SQUARE
SOHO is an artsy neighborhood with cool stores. It also borders Little Italy, where you can’t really go wrong. From there, walk north just a bit further….
Teenagers love to walk around NYU/Washington Square Park. If the weather is nice, there will be musicians and other performers out. Consider taking a walking tour of Greenwich Village.
From there, walk up Broadway to Union Square, another park where lots of protests happen and people gather. There is a subway station there with connections to lines all over town. While you’re up there, go to Fish’s Eddy at 19th & Broadway in Manhattan.
MIDTOWN
Back in midtown, the NBC Studios Tour inside 30 Rock is always a big hit, especially if it’s a week when SNL is happening. You get to see the SNL sets, the Today Show, Jimmy Fallon, etc.
There is also an NBC Store at ground level, which most teenagers love, featuring merchandise for Friends, The Office, and other classics. On the plaza, you can see inside the Today Show studios. (Go weekday mornings for the real chaos.)
And if it’s near Christmas time, that is where the tree is, as well as an ice skating rink.
Go to Magnolia Bakery on 6th Avenue for banana cream pudding.
UPPER WEST SIDE / CENTRAL PARK / THE MET
Wander up from the Shops at Columbus Circle (59th & Broadway) along Broadway to Columbus Avenue. Turn right on 81st Street, walk past (or into) the Hayden Planetarium and the American Museum of Natural History, and then into Central Park.
When you go into the Park at 81st Street, straight ahead of you is the Delacorte Theater, where they have Shakespeare in the Park for free in the summer. To the right just before the Delacorte, walk up the hill and around from the Delacorte through the Shakespeare Garden to Belvedere Castle for terrific views.
Come down the other side of the castle and walk around the Turtle Pond. If you keep walking through the park straight across, you will come out on the Upper East Side at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
More ideas from PSP parents:
Join the Tween Group to see if any parents have shared events that are going on in the 'hood - and feel free to ask!
Check out if any places that offer classes for tweens/teens have one-day workshops.
