New York for The Family Explorers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Steel, steam, and a harbour that never sleeps.
A weekend the children will remember and the parents will survive. Short walks between real highlights, a boat or a tram instead of a museum queue, dinners at six, and room to run.
Friday: Carousel, burgers and Times Square
- Central Park Carousel and Heckscher Playground
The 1908 carousel and one of the park's biggest playgrounds nearby; let the children ride and climb off the journey.
- Shake Shack Madison Square Park
The original Shake Shack kiosk in Madison Square Park, burgers and shakes with a playground opposite; order early and eat on the benches.
- Times Square at night
Neon, giant screens and a pavement crowded with costumed characters; a short, loud walk the children will remember.
Saturday: Dinosaurs and a zoo
- American Museum of Natural History
Dinosaur skeletons on the fourth floor, the blue whale in the Hall of Ocean Life and a planetarium; go straight to the dinosaurs at opening.
- Central Park Zoo
A small zoo with sea lions, penguins and a snow leopard, easy for short legs; the sea lion feeding is a highlight.
- Sarabeth's Central Park South
A brunchy restaurant with a children's menu and a dessert list; the pancakes and the roast chicken are family favourites.
Sunday: An aircraft carrier and a carousel
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
A WWII carrier with a flight deck of aircraft, a submarine and the Space Shuttle Enterprise; children love the cockpits and the simulators.
- Jane's Carousel and Brooklyn Bridge Park
A restored 1922 carousel in a glass pavilion, with the bridge overhead and a water play area at Pier 6 close by.
- Juliana's Pizza
A coal-oven pizzeria under the Brooklyn Bridge, with big pies and a family room; order a margherita to share.
Monday: A ferry ride and a harbour museum
- Staten Island Ferry
Free and orange: twenty-five minutes across the harbour with the Statue of Liberty out the window; stay on board and ride back.
- National Museum of the American Indian
A free museum in the Custom House with a rotunda and a children's gallery; a quiet rest for small legs.
- Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place
Lunch stalls beside the Winter Garden's palm trees, with burgers, noodles and ice cream; let everyone choose their own before the airport.