The Best Family Fun In The Big Apple

If you plan a vacation to New York City during the summer months, festivals may keep you entertained most of your visit! Young and old alike can enjoy the petting zoos, pony rides, and good deals on merchandise offered during the festivals.

To have the most comfort during your vacation, remember to wear the appropriate shoes and use sunscreen. Check the weather so you'll be able to dress for the environment you'll be in, keep your money in a safe place while you're out and about, and buy only what you can carry without it becoming a burden. Keep yourself and your little one hydrated and be sure to plan on bathroom stops.

Keeping children or teens entertained during your vacation could be a chore in itself if you fail to plan things into your day that they will enjoy. Compromise is the key to a happy vacation in New York City with your family. There's something for everyone, so it shouldn't be a problem to accommodate everyone's desires in some shape or form.

To make sure you stay safely within your budget, set limits on spending and enjoy many of the free opportunities for fun that the Big Apple offers. The following is a list of ideas:
1. Battery Park Conservancy (free daily events)
2. Central Park (ice skating in winter, free weekend workshops other times-get a calendar of events for your best bet on fun)
3. Central Park-North Medow Recreation Center (free field day kits)
4. Central Park-Belvedere Castle (Discovery kits-also get a calendar of events)
5. The Downtown Boathouse (free kayaking, must know how to swim)
6. Brooklyn Museum Tourism Council (free trolley on weekends from 12 noon to 5 pm)
7. Staten Island Ferry (free ride to see the Statue of Liberty)

Other places to visit which are low-cost include the zoos in Queens, Central Park, Prospect Park, and the Bronx. The prices range from 50 cents for children under 12 to $11 per adult. Another wonderful place of fun that has a free entrance is the Sony Wonder Technology Lab. It has hands-on things for the kids to do.

Schiller's Liquor Bar (yes, believe it or not) on Rivington Street was voted best kid-friendly restaurant. You're welcome to bring your own child-friendly food, which helps if you have a child on a special diet or who has allergies. You can choose from the kids menu; and the furniture is built for rowdy kids. The little ones get special treatment and a free dessert (for those under 5 years of age).

Other restaurants with kid-friendly menus include Big Nick's Burger and Pizza Joint, Good Enough to Eat, Tavern on the Green, Serendipity 3, and Dinosaur BBQ.

There are, of course, playgrounds in the parks, and museums and toy stores galore in New York City!
Just to make those protective moms feel safer, there are pediatric doctors at Walker Street, Chatham Square, Broadway, Park Row, Hudson Street, Reade Street, Canal Street, Bowery, Mott, and Elizabeth. It never hurts to be prepared, right?

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