Think Spring!

Our Rainy Day Fun posting was so popular with NYC families that we couldn’t help but give the
same treatment to the warm weather days that are in store. Here is our list of
10 great things to do in the springtime sun. —

1. We all know how many great parks the city has to
offer, but one often overlooked resource is that all of the parks have
online listings of their activity calendars. You’d be amazed by how much
family stuff (from fishing to checkers!) they program on a regular basis. For
example, Bryant Park has free
ping pong and Washington
Square Park features film viewings. The general parks department covers
most of what’s going on, but you should consider looking at specific parks
in your area, like Central
Park, Madison
Square Park, Brooklyn
Bridge Park, Alley Pond, and
others to see what they have going on. Also, you might want to check with
the City Parks Foundation
because they always have great stuff.

2. Perhaps considered a park’s best family-friendly
feature, playgrounds
abound in the city. Some of the most popular places for kids to play
include Union Square, Imagination Playground in Manhattan, Imagination
Playground in Prospect Park (which celebrates storytelling!), the Connie Gretz Secret Garden in Staten Island (part
of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden), Science Playground at the New York Hall of Science in
Queens, and Mullaly
South Playground in the Bronx.

3. For families that want to take a more relaxed
approach to going “out and about” in the city, a bus or boat tour is a
nice way to relax and see the sights. The Bronx Culture Trolley
is a great option (read: FREE!), giving families the freedom to hop on and
off at different stops along the route. The Ride takes passengers
through midtown Manhattan on a retrofitted motor coach as onboard actors mix
surprising facts about the city with onboard fun and hilarity. On the
water, Circle
Line sightseeing cruises offers 2-hour, 3-hour, and music cruises
throughout the day.

4. If you’d rather walk than sit or sail, sign up
for one of the city’s many walking tours. ManhattanWalks
provides guided tours in a few different neighborhoods; their Greenwich Village tour is filled with culture, history and the
Village’s vibrant bohemian street life. Sidewalks of NY Tours offers
photo and food tours, as well as a Kidz Fun Tour. Big Onion Walking Tours has some
unique offerings, including a Gangs of New York Tour and one of Historic
Harlem.

5. If classic tourism truly appeals to your group,
it’s a good idea to get in all your sightseeing before the tourists flock
to the island in the summertime. Major attractions worth seeing? The Empire State Building, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty,
Rockefeller Center, the South Street Seaport, etc.

6. For the sporty family, we suggest mini golf at Rocket Park or Staten Island GoKarts for some
friendly racing. The Flushing
Meadows Golf Center opens up for mini putters next week and the Figment
mini golf course at Governor’s Island opens for business May 27th.

7. For water enthusiasts, you don’t have to go
further than the Westside highway. A great non-profit, The Downtown Boathouse,
runs free kayaking starting May 14. With lockers, paddles, single and
double kayaks, and life vests (they even have SPF), families can begin the perfect
weekend ritual–with the city skyline in the background.

8. Spring sunshine also beckons bike riders by the
dozen. Hudson River Park has a wonderful bike
path that runs all the way from Battery Place up to W. 59th Street, where it connects with Riverside
Park South—where you can continue pedaling for another 50
blocks! Looking ahead, Governor’s Island opens on May 27th and from there on out,
families can take free one-hour bike rides around the scenic island. (And
for those of you who are teaching your kids how to ride this spring,
here’s a link to our story on teaching
biking basics.)

9. If you’re craving a relaxed day outdoors, check
out some of the city’s gardens where you can stop and smell the roses: The Cloisters Museum and
Gardens, the New York Botanical Garden,
the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Queens Botanical Garden, and Wave Hill, to name a few.

10. And while spring makes us all think of blooming
flowers, we also notice animals scampering about in the newly warm
weather. To see some critters on display, plan a trip to any of the five
boroughs: the Bronx Zoo, the Central
Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo,
the Staten Island Zoo, or
the Queens Zoo. And don’t forget
the New York Aquarium in Coney Island!

BONUS
TIP: We’ve got you covered for daytime spring activities, but what to do when
it gets dark? The balmy weather has us thinking two words: ice cream! In
addition to your great neighborhood scoop shops, here are some worth going out
of your way: the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 16 Handles (with frozen yogurt at 3
different locations in the city), Blue
Marble in Brooklyn, The
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and Il Laboratorio del Gelato.