How to sightsee NYC with a toddler

This past week I've had family visiting from the UK, and if you know anything about my family is that they have boundless levels of energy. So acting as their tour guide this week we’ve had to be ready to go with our young son in tow. He, however does not like shopping, will only nap at home and does not like to sit still for a period of time…basically a typical active toddler.

I’m not from the US originally and I’m sure many of you can give me some amazing tips of places to go but this has been our schedule this week with mostly great spots and successes with a few fails too!

South Street SeaPort
Just a short walk from the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Wall Street and Century 21 for shopping, is South Street Seaport. This neighboring district to the financial area features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan, and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market and some quaint shops in a quiet area. It is perfect for toddlers as just when they reach their breaking point in the stroller is the fantastic Imagination Playground. 

Designed by famed architect David Rockwell, this playground is an interactive, transformable space that prompts children to manipulate their environment and create a play space of their own with sand, water and loose parts. Expect a playground that is different (don’t expect swings or jungle gyms) and stands out from other playgrounds with giant foam blocks, mats, wagons, fabric, and crates at their fingertips, children have the potential to build and explore endless possibilities.

Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty
Years ago on my first trip to NY, we discovered that the Staten Island Ferry is a free alternative to seeing the Statue without paying tourist dollars. So one cloudy day this week, we revisited and hopped on the Ferry across to see the Statue. My son loves any form of transport and going on trains and buses are some of his favorite activities, so when he got to go on a boat he was in his element! He loved running around and looking out the window on the short trip across. I’d love to tell you what we discovered on the other side but it started raining then so we just turned around and came back. 

Soho
We also decided to visit Soho one day and walked through Chinatown en route. My niece had seen on SnapChat a place called Black Tap, where the milkshakes are to die for, so we decided to go there. Again our son loved looking at the wriggling eels and windows as we meandered through Chinatown and Little Italy, but by the time we got to Black Tap and had to queue he was already getting a little antsy. Fortunately we were some of the first in line as they only opened an hour later and even though we would take the toddler off, and entertained him as much as we could, by the time we got in 90 minutes later he was not enjoying his time. It's also worth noting there are no highchairs and you have to fold the stoller down, which is understandable for a 15 seater restaurant with cult-like status. We ordered the cookie-dough milkshake but had to leave as it arrived, but my sister and niece said the wait was well worth it. A fail for toddlers but a highlight for any teenager.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York has some amazing museums, so be sure to check with your local library to see if they offer free tickets. We visited the Met one day and got to enjoy their daily story time which is free from 10.30am – 11.00am (check their website here, for details). Once this was done, we got to walk around for a little bit, and when we knew time was wearing thin we went outside to the 'Ancient Playground', next door to the Met, which despite its name is definitely not ancient it just happens to be inspired by the museums collection of Egyptian Art. Inside the playground one will find bucket and regular swings, climbing structures and tunnels (unless you are 4 feet or shorter, expect fraught nerves as they run through these tunnels and out of sight, or be prepared to run after them hunched down). There are also connecting cement bridges, a sandbox and some of the cleanest restrooms in New York City. Some of the local schools use this area as a playground during lunch so expect it to be a bit busy as school-aged kids let off some steam.

Meatpacking
We were very lucky, as it was a beautiful sunny day, so we went up on to the Highline. It was great to get our son out of the stroller and go for a walk and he loved it. Once we had walked enough we stopped by the Sugar Factory, which has ample high chairs, but don’t feed your kid one spoon of their delicious ice cream as I believe it had so much sugar my son skipped his nap for that day....we loved it though!

5th Avenue Shopping
This was a great day for my sister and niece as they pounded the sidewalks taking photos and shopping. My son was in a great mood and loved shouting 'bus', 'taxi' and seeing the different sights as we dashed from store to store. When we felt he had enough I left them and took him to the Central Park Zoo. This is a great zoo and is the perfect size for a toddler. We got to see sleeping bears, pandas, lemurs and a bunch of other sleeping animals (apparently it was naptime at the zoo) and had a picnic lunch watching the Sea Lions. It’s the perfect size for a young toddler and just the right amount of fun before we headed home.

I'm really sad as they leave tomorrow but are already planning their next trip back so I'm sure to have some more spots to show them next time!

If we have missed anything let us know as next week I have my best friend visiting with her toddler!