Planning a trip to New York City with your kids? I’ve got you. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel, especially if you’re coming out of a tough season. But guess what? We did it. We tackled the Big Apple with my little one in tow, and dare I say, we had so much FUN.
From Central Park squirrel-chasing to subway wins (and near-misses), plus all the sugar-fueled joy at the Museum of Ice Cream, I’m sharing our exact itinerary, honest tips, and the best family-friendly spots that actually work. If you’re craving adventure, memory-making, and just a little peace of mind while navigating NYC with your crew...this post is for you. Grab all our recommendations for a trip to NYC with your kids.
How to Plan the Best Trip to NYC with Your Kids
Planning Our NYC Family Trip with ChatGPT
Before I booked a single thing, I turned to my favorite travel assistant—ChatGPT.
Yep, instead of spiraling down the Pinterest-black-hole or stressing over 42 open browser tabs, I asked ChatGPT to help me plan something actually fun and aligned with my 5-year-old son’s unique little personality. This is my #1 tip when it comes to planning the best trip to NYC with your kids. Here’s the exact prompt I used:
“I am looking to take my 5-year-old son on a mommy and me long weekend trip. We live in NC. He loves LEGOs, machines, engineering, dessert, and he is super creative. Give me 5 ideas of places within a 2-hour plane ride that we could do for a weekend.”
The suggestions were SO good, but once we landed on New York City, I went back in to refine our itinerary even more. I asked for fun, age-appropriate activities, restaurant recommendations that weren’t just “chicken nuggets and fries,” and , maybe most importantly, subway directions that made sense to my tired mom brain.
The best part? The more I talked to ChatGPT, the better it got.
Here are a couple real prompts I used to fine-tune our trip:
•“This is fun. What if we skip Legoland and did a cooking class or science fun Saturday instead?”
•“The NY Hall of Science has free entry on Fridays from 2–5, so let’s swap that to Friday and make Saturday our city day.”
You can tailor every detail to your kids’ ages, energy levels, and interests, plus factor in the time of year or even the weather.
The result? A trip that felt both spontaneous and stress-free. We had a plan, but still room to explore. It saved me hours of Googling, and gave us a trip I’ll remember forever.
Our Day-By-Day NYC Family Itinerary
Thursday Night: Astoria Adventures
We arrived Thursday evening and headed straight to Astoria, Queens, where we stayed with our cousin who was working late on Broadway. Even though he had a show, we were able to pop into his house, drop our bags, and immediately walk to dinner.
We walked to Trattoria Oro, a cozy Italian restaurant where we ended up being the only diners. The staff, speaking a warm mix of Spanish and Albanian, treated us like family. We enjoyed a delicious Italian meal—homemade pasta, pizza, and lots of laughter. I was super impressed with my son's behavior despite this being the first time we were somewhere nicer solo.
After dinner, we wandered over to Astoria Park. The park was alive: soccer games under the lights, teenagers skateboarding, families picnicking near the river, and an ice cream truck parked by the playground. Mason had the best time running around, playing tag with other kids, and just soaking in that magical NYC evening energy. We ended the night exhausted in the best way, ready for the big adventures ahead.
Friday: New York Hall of Science and Crazy Pizza Night
Friday morning started with a cozy breakfast with our cousin before heading to the New York Hall of Science. Pro tip: try to avoid visiting when there are large school groups! There were easily 10,000 kids there when we visited, but even with the chaos, we found quieter pockets.
Mason loved the bubble zone, we played mini golf at Rocket Park, and we even made a new friend to explore the museum with. They have a great café and outdoor playground, so we easily stayed until 1:30 PM before heading back to grab our luggage.
After the museum I made the classic NYC mistake and ordered an Uber instead of hopping on the subway—which turned a 20-minute trip into an hour-long crawl through traffic. Lesson learned: the subway is almost always faster!
That evening, we headed to Crazy Pizza, a fun, energetic spot with classic New York-style thin pizza and a pizza-throwing show! We went with a friend from NC who moved back to NYC and the kids had a great time with the iphone shows and pizza dough experience Afterward, we walked next door to Bambina Blue, an adorable gelato shop with a hidden courtyard where the kids could run around and the adults could catch up and enjoy our gelato in peace
It was one of those nights that felt pure magic—warm air, good friends, and kids laughing late into the night. We finally made it back to the hotel, curled up to watch *The Princess Diaries*, and passed out mid-movie, totally spent.
Saturday: Central Park, Cooking Donuts, and Ice Cream Museum Dreams
Saturday morning came early—maybe too early!—but we managed to rally for our donut-making class at Taste Buds Kitchen. It was pricey for the class but Mason loved getting to play chef in kitchen. The studio was immaculate and the best part was their staff provides everything pre-portioned and cleans up everything!! I will definitely book again when we come back. The other kids in the class were locals who come every weekend.
No trip to NYC with your kids is complete without a Central Park outing!
After our cooking class, we headed straight outside to Central Park and the Central Park Zoo. The rain barely held off but we got lucky. I hope I don't get attacked for this but the Central Park Zoo was quite disappointing. I would skip the zoo and just walk around the park. We climbed a giant rock and looked over a beautiful area of the park. That was more fun for both of us then the lack of animals out we could see at the zoo. Of course the gift shop was a hit like it is for every kid ever.
Later that afternoon, we made our way to the colorful, whimsical Museum of Ice Cream. I have been wanting to check out this spot as a content creator and lover of the color pink for YEARS. Even though the tickets say one hour, you can stay as long as you want—and we definitely did. We lasted over 2.5 hours. Unlimited ice cream, giant sprinkle pools, rainbow slides, new adventures in every room of this self-guided experience... Mason called it "the best experience ever."
We ended the day strolling on a sugar high through SoHo and grabbing a delicious meal at Jack’s Wife Freda, one of my favorite spots that somehow manages to be cool for adults and totally welcoming for kids. In full transparency Mason was hitting a wall so I handed him my phone and I ate in silence people watching haha.
Tips for Visiting New York City With Kids
- Use Public Transit: The subway is usually faster than a car. I used ChatGPT before we got on to pull up exact stops and directions to leave the subways station. What a lifesaver!
- Bring headphones for your kiddo, it helps with overstimulation and noise.
- Bring napkins and wipes EVERYWHERE as you will always be on the go. I didn't and it was a huge fail
- Stay Central: We stayed at the New York Hilton Midtown, which was perfectly located.
- Bring Snacks: There’s food everywhere, but your own snacks will save you between meals and with food on every corner it can be tempting for kids to want to buy everything.
- Hand Sanitizer Is Essential: Especially after touching playgrounds and subway poles.
- Plan for Downtime: Build in slow mornings or early evenings to recharge.
Final Thoughts: Why NYC is a Perfect Family Vacation
Our New York City family trip was everything I hoped it would be full of adventure, discovery, laughter, and joy. ChatGPT took so much of the stress out of planning, giving us the freedom to explore and truly enjoy every minute together.
From running and making new friends in Astoria Park, to giant bubbles at the science museum, to swimming in sprinkles at the Museum of Ice Cream, every memory we made was pure magic. We can't wait for our next adventure back in the city!
Full NYC Itinerary (SAVE + DOWNLOAD)
Breast cancer survivor, lover of style, beauty and all things pink! Inspiring you to thrive through adversity.