Midwinter Break Activities Around NYC 2023
Midwinter break for New York public schools is right around the corner! It’s the perfect chance to get out of the house and spend time as a family.
We’ve rounded up some of the best things to do during the kids’ week off of school. Take a visit to a museum, blow off some steam or create something new!
Psst… Looking for a last-minute Valentine’s Day plan? Here are 8 Super Romantic Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day in NYC!
Click on your location to jump to events near you!
Citywide
Play a Game of Laser Tag
Give your kids an afternoon to blow off steam with a few rounds of laser tag. It’s the perfect family activity for all ages, and there’s laser tag spots all over New York!
Visit an Indoor Play Space
Indoor play spaces offer comfortable and secure play areas for children to play in while they burn pent up energy, explore fun games and stimulating activities, and make new friends.
Every play space is unique, offering obstacles courses, games, and activities that will keep kids of all ages laughing and at play.
Bounce at a Trampoline Park
Your kids are probably bouncing off the walls by the time midwinter break rolls around, so a family trip to one of New York’s many trampoline parks. Turn your outing into a day of fun for the whole family.
Manhattan
Museum of Broadway
This mid-winter break, take a family trip to the first permanent museum documenting the history of Broadway and its influence on Manhattan and culture. The Museum of Broadway is the ultimate destination for theatre lovers of any age and it’s the perfect choice for a day out.
Sky Skate at Hudson Yards
Edge at Hudson Yards
Skate high above the city skyline at Edge at Hudson Yards’ Sky Skate! New York City’s highest skating rink, Sky Skate offers an exhilarating experience of skating above the skyscrapers and taking in breathtaking views.
BUMP! Bumper Car Experience
Standard Hotel
Take your mid-winter break to the next level with a visit to BUMP!, a nostalgic bumper car pop-up at the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District. Kids will want to ride these on-ice bumper cars again and again.
Governors Island Winter Village
Governors Island
Fun activities and winter vibes are still around at Governors Island Winter Village. Go ice skating as a family, sit by a fire pit, play lawn games and check out sled and bike rentals daily.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Drop in and create art inspired by the Met collection on this break from school! School break programs at the Met are recommended for families with children ages 3 to 11 years. All family programs are free with admission.
Kids Week
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Children of all ages can learn about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) through fun activities, exhibits, live animal shows, workshops, performances and more. Check out the full lineup of the week’s events on the museum’s website!
Jackie Robinson, All Star! Mid-Winter Break Drop In Activities
Jackie Robinson Museum
Learn all about Jackie Robinson through interactive and creative activities during your visit to the Jackie Robinson Museum. All programs are included with your regular museum admission.
GG & POP Design Experience
31 W 125th St. 2nd FL
This custom design lab creates fun toy prototypes for young creatives and adults looking for a unique experience.
Mid-Winter Mosaics
The Skyscraper Museum
Learn about the design and history of One Wall Street’s Red Room, one of New York’s most famous mosaic interiors. Kids can make a mosaic masterpiece of their own at this event!
Crew and Cargo
South Street Seaport Museum
This series of 45-minute activities will bring families onto the ship Wavertree to learn about the world of 19th century trans-Atlantic sailors.
Let’s Celebrate President’s Day!
New York Historical Society
Learn about the road to the presidency this President’s Day! Explore all the steps it takes to get from announcing your campaign to getting elected. As you learn about the process and some election trivia, you can make your own campaign buttons and tell the world what you’d do as president.
Brooklyn
Black Future Festival
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Spend your mid-winter break at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum for a week of reflection and future-forward fun. Cultural curator Adia Tamar Whitaker and the BCM present a week-long experience featuring dance, historical explorations, art projects, music and more.
The activities at Black Future Festival are inspired by the national celebration of people of the African Diaspora and Black History Month.
Sound Field Exhibition
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
At this exhibition, children and their caregivers can tap, pluck, press and play to create music unlike anything you’ve ever heard before! See how the different instruments in the exhibition come to life and create music as you interact with them.
February Break Discovery Days
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Families can enjoy a special edition of Discovery Programs inside the Steinhardt Conservatory at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In the blink of an eye, travel from the desert to the rainforest.
Investigate plants and objects using your senses, tackle a scavenger hunt as a family and maybe even pick out a plant of your own to take home.
Cosmic CAMP: A Space Adventure
CAMP Brooklyn
Have an out-of-this-world adventure this mid-winter break! Play interactive games, take part in physical challenges and explore crazy cosmic-themed locations. Participate in a live game show for a chance to win prizes.
Jewish Children’s Museum
Stop by the Jewish Children’s Museum to watch as Jewish history comes to life right in front of your eyes. Explore Jewish life through the museum’s hands-on exhibitions. Check out toys from the toybrary. Play a round of Six Holes of Life mini golf as a family.
Queens
New York Hall of Science
The New York Hall of Science is open during midwinter break! Make your way through the Hall and learn about different areas of science. Young visitors can explore and build in the Preschool Place. Visitors of all ages will enjoy the educational exhibits located throughout the museum.
Garden STEAM Team
Queens Botanical Garden
In this drop-off break program, kids will have the chance to make art with botanic materials and learn about the contributions of Black scientists in honor of Black History Month. Learn new things while connecting with other Garden STEAM Team members!
Museum of the Moving Image
A trip to the Museum of the Moving Image is a great choice for movie lovers young and old. Learn about the groundbreaking work of Jim Henson or about the work that goes into creating a stop motion film. Watch screenings of great films snubbed at the Oscars, classic silent films, family-friendly animated films and more.
Drop-In Family Workshop: Adventures in Sculpture
Queens Museum
With these drop-in activities at Queens Museum, families will learn about how art can be changed and transformed using a variety of materials in new and different ways.
Bronx
Mid Winter Extravaganza Winter Olympics
Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center
Come one, come all to the Winter Olympics-themed celebration at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center. Open the week with an Open Ceremony.
Take part in NYC Parks versions of sports throughout the week, including curling, bob sledding and ice skating. End the week with Olympics trivia, crafts and a screening of The Mighty Ducks.
Rooted in Plants: Celebrate Black History Month
New York Botanical Garden
Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the ways that the people of the African Diaspora have contributed to our understanding of plants. Investigate seeds native to Africa and create a plant maze light box, all while discovering stories about Black STEM professionals from yesterday and today.
Bronx Children’s Museum
Visit the Bronx Children’s Museum in its brand new home! Explore what makes the Bronx so special, visit a mini replica of a local neighborhood and learn about the animals that live nearby.
Long Island
Programming at the Flanders Youth Center
Flanders Youth Center
The Southampton Youth Bureau has a lineup of mid-winter break activities at the Flanders Youth Center.
Stop in for hands-on science fun with the Long Island Science Center, a live action game night and video game tournament or a chocolate making class, followed by dinner and a movie. Be sure to check out the center’s website for the full schedule.
Nature Week at the Center for Science
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning
The Center for Science is hosting Nature Week at its Dinosaurs! Exhibit. Children can enjoy creating nature-themed arts and craft projects that they’ll be able to keep and take home. Each ticket for entry to the museum includes entry to the exhibit and participation in nature crafts.
Black History: Build-A-Boat Workshop
The Whaling Museum and Education Center
Learn about African American whalers who built and worked on ships in the 19th century. Make your own miniature wooden vessels out of different materials in this workshop.
MakerSpace
Long Island Science Center
MakerSpace is open for midwinter break! Drop in for a new experiment or project to try every day of break.
President’s Week
Garvies Point Museum & Preserve
Come to the Garvies Point Musuem for a new activity every day of break. Explore the winter world with all five senses, learn about animals and the tracks they leave behind and take part in a winter scavenger hunt.
February Recess Workshops
Vanderbilt Museum
Children in grades K-3 can keep learning while on break at the Vanderbilt Museum’s February recess workshops! Create mixed-media portraits and explore how flowers get their energy to grow.
Rockland/Bergen
Animal Kingdom Exhibit
Newark Museum of Art
Learn about the wonders of the animal kingdom from the comfort of an art museum! The Animal Kingdom exhibition at the Newark Museum of Art teaches visitors about the different animals that inhabit the land, air and sea and how we as humans impact them through a series of immersive and interactive experiences.
Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails
Liberty Science Center
Kids can learn, play and solve problems with Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends in this exhibition at the Liberty Science Center. Visitors can practice counting objects, comparing sizes and learning colors while immersing themselves in the world of the beloved television series.
American Dream
Have a day of fun for the whole family at the American Dream mall. Explore attractions like the Dream Wheel, SeaLife Aquarium, escape room and more.
Washington’s Birthday Celebration
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
Spend Washington’s Birthday learning about the important role African American soldiers played in the American Revolution. Enlist in the Continental Army and see blacksmith and medical demonstrations throughout the day!
