Children's Museums in New York City

THE 10 BEST New York City Children's Museums

Children's Museums in New York City

Types of Attractions
Museums
Awards
Travellers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travellers across the globe.
Traveller rating
Neighbourhoods
Good for
10 results sorted by traveller favourites
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.

What travellers are saying

  • tosl
    Jersey City, NJ958 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great rotating exhibits and a new permanent display on the Presidents. There is a lot to see but this museum is next door to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park so it is often overlooked. Great for research and a good store.
    Written 9 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • sbenjamen
    Washington DC, DC366 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun, solid experience with two family members ages 14 & 17 who had the day off from school. We went on a Tuesday at noon. It was not crowded. Purchased tickets at the door. No waiting for entry. We were there for 1 1/2 hours. The tilted room, the clone table, the kaleidoscope, were so much fun we did those twice. I enjoyed all the optical illusions. It was fun seeing them all. I would go back with others. For those who are price conscious check the web for coupons. We had lots of fun and learned a few things on the way. After the museums we went around the corner on 14th and stopped in at Insomnia Cookies, which was a wow, and continued down 14th to hop on the hi-line. All in all a great day!
    Written 22 October 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Rachael M
    10 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    It was a fun experience for the kids who love slime. About an hours worth of entertainment and the opportunity to make your own slime.
    Written 10 May 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • lipschick
    Walkeringham, UK734 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Once again, the Tripadvisor rating description causes problems. Surely if 5 Blobs is excellent and 3 blobs is Average, then 4 blobs should be "Good" not "Very Good?"

    Anyway, 4 blobs, "Good". I wouldn't categorise as very good, but is was much better than "average". So deserves 4 blobs.

    Don't be under any illusions, this isn't really a museum, its really a children's play locations based across a number of floors, and there is nothing at all wrong with that, our toddler really liked it, which is all that matters to us.

    It's worth a visit, especially if you have toddlers, they will really enjoy it.
    Written 30 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Zipi
    68 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The children's museum is a very nice place.
    Gives the children a clever point of view about the arts.
    Written 30 November 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jemlnlx
    Bronx, NY5,679 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Recently visited the Museum's Holiday Display (2023).

    Although you need to make reservations online at all times, entrance to the display is free before a certain date in mid-November and $5 per person after that date.

    I visited on a Friday evening at around 6pm and it wasn't crowded.

    The display itself was quite impressive with lots of fine details only true New Yorkers would notice and appreciate. There are a few running trains throughout the display.

    There are lots of MTA-related items to purchase both in the display area and the main store area.

    It is something nice to do in the area to kill a few minutes. Don't plan on spending longer than 5-10 minutes maximum there. Luckily there are lots of shops in Grand Central, including the Holiday Fair, and it is a major transportation hub...so lots of other reasons to be there.

    I'm not sure the $5 admission fee is justified for what it actually is...maybe more like $2-3 would be more appropriate.
    Written 22 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Yulia
    4 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Much less impressive than the photos. A cool place to hang out for a bit. Different from what I expected based on the website descriptions. The whole "self-exploration" and "self-discovery" lingo is annoying. It is just a place where if you move your arms, the images on the walls will change a bit. When you use certain controls, the image of a flower on a wall will change. It is not much different from what you can do on your computer monitor, except it is larger scale. The garden is beautiful and that is about it, reminded me of Dale Chihuly's work. The infinity room is also just what you'd find in so many other places. As someone who is trained in mindfulness, I thought that the meditation room was too generic and not trauma-informed or disability-informed.
    Written 2 July 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • LeeDiMc
    Las Vegas, NV288 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    My 11-year-old son and I recently met a girlfriend and her 6-year-old daughter here and I was very happy that the museum held both of the children's attention for several hours. Although small, t has very cool interactive exhibits.
    Written 28 December 2014
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • mariedesjardins
    Prince George, Canada7,317 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I enjoyed checking out this unique exhibit while visiting New York in August. It was very fun, colourful, and innovative. The high-flying exhibit is suitable for visitors of all ages.
    Written 14 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
All New York City HotelsNew York City Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in New York City
All things to do in New York City
Day Trips in New York City
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars