Things to do in NYC with a 6 year old

[MUN]

I definitely want to check out Chinatown!! We'll be going at the end of Septmeber so not positive how the weather will be...hopefully we can catch it on a less smelly/dirty day lol

I like Chinatown in the morning. Be sure to check out Columbus Park which is typically full of activity that your young man might enjoy.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

All these suggestions are great, but I gotta say, when my son's were about that age and we first took them to NYC, the absolute show stopper for them was just the buildings themselves. So tall, so close to each other. They were stunned. "Dad! These buildings are bigger than DINOSAURS!" Likewise, food trucks were a new experience for them. Roasted Chestnuts. Hot dogs with everything. Sure. They liked the other restaurants too, but just the raw city was the star. And the crowds! They LOVED the crowds. We worked hard to mask our own caution about the crowds and let them just take in the wonder of so MANY people all moving at once. Of course, they knew they had to stay close to us, but they were enthralled by the masses. Oh, and the street performers. Musicians, "living statues," etc.

I guess what I'm saying is, your 6-year-old may well love the CITY, whether you do anything at all or not. Enjoy!

 

[eeyore29]

Regarding Ellen's Stardust Diner, it was fun, but it was VERY loud in there and we felt like sardines packed in really tight. My friend and I had to yell to talk to each other. Not much shoulder room. The food was good and the servers were great (at serving & performing). I would absolutely do it again, but I just wanted to let you know about the noise & close-quarters in case your son has any issues with either of those.

 

[lisadam]

I agree with all the above suggestions - I grew up in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan every day. As luck has it - I can see the ship terminal from my office window. I completely agree with the suggestion that just the City itself is a great attraction. Walk around Central Park - climb the rocks see the different statues - eat the street food... stand in the middle and wonder that this oasis is surrounded by all those buildings. While I love the zoo because it's adorable and in the middle of the City - if you have a nice zoo where you are from you can skip it unless you can't decide what else to do.

If you're comfortable - take a subway ride. Someone up-thread mentioned that the Staten Island Ferry is free. Go from one of the other locations down to the ferry. I suggest any time other than rush hour! You can't stay on when it gets to the Staten Island terminal... but it's easy to get off and run around to re-board. It's one of my favorite things to do for free.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just fair warning Ellen's is going through some "growing pains" but I'm sure that will all be over by next September. Still was fun when I went last month with a friend from out of town.

My nephew loves Sugar Factory. Seems to be a big hit with older kids due to the celebrities and younger ones like it because of the sweets.

If he is into Ninjas there is actually a pretty fun restaurant called Ninja. My nephew loved going there at that age. It is Japanese food and there are ninjas around the restaurant and hidden windows and doors and stuff so people seem to just appear from thin air. Food is good and some have fun little tricks that go with the serving. http://www.ninjanewyork.com/

Central Park is a good option. There is the Central Park Zoo which kids that age tend to like.

Museum of Natural History is pay what you wish just fyi. So if you don't want to pay the listed price you can pay whatever and get to enjoy most of the exhibits. It is a great museum and totally worth the listed price but if you need to save a little that is the way to go.

 

[deanimal]

We spent a few days in New York with a six year old boy and seven year olds girl back in March following an NCL cruise. One of their favourite things was going to Central Park and climbing around on the big rocks! There are also some great playgrounds in the park. If your son is a big Lego Fan, there's another store on 23rd street and 5th ave. It was about the same size as the Rockefeller Center store but way less crowded. The Lego store near Times Square was so busy I felt like I couldn't move and I spent the whole time worrying about losing one of the kids. The staff at the 23rd street store actually had the time to talk to my son and help him pick out a set and there were some great Lego models there too.

My kids saw the Lion King when it came through our city at age five and six and they enjoyed it without any problems sitting through it. That being said, a lot of the big family friendly shows tour around North America so check the websites since it would be a shame to waste precious hours in New York seeing a show that may be coming through your home town in a few months.

If it's rainy the Natural History Museum was probably my kids' favourite indoor sight. The top of the World Trade Center is pretty amazing too. If you do any of these big sights it saves a lot of time waiting in lines to buy your tickets online and print them out at your hotel or have the tickets sent to your phone. Even in the off season most places are pretty packed. I found that using my Disney touring skills of arriving at opening, checking maps online and figuring out where the most popular things are and going there first really helped in the big New York museums.