It was with trepidation that I booked our flights to NYC over Easter weekend. My eldest had wanted to return for some time, my youngest, however, is a fairly unpredictable, almost feral creature onboard trans-Atlantic flights. Nevertheless, life is for living, and New York is always a great idea!

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit NYC a few times, but, as we all know, a city break with kids is a very different proposition. New York, like London, is thankfully a destination which keeps on giving. This time we tried lots of new experiences, amongst the tried and tested ones, which quadrupled the joy this incredible city offers those visiting with children.

Central Park

Visiting New York in springtime is fantastic. A first for us at this time of year. The days are generally bright and crisp and the city looks incredibly pretty with the blossom coming into season. It’s everywhere! Just like a scene out of The Secret Life of Pets! The spring temperatures, avoiding the heat and humidity of summer and the bitter cold of winter, makes Central Park an amazing place to spend time. It’s also full of incredible playgrounds. 21 to be exact. Each one is unique in design and character. There is a playpark to suit all kids, within the most incredible surrounds of Central Park itself. A stone’s throw from the Met and many of the other museums, it’s also a fantastic escape from the intensity of the city, especially with small children in tow. It’s a great idea to stay in a hotel close-by to avoid the stress of navigating the hectic and narrow streets of other areas of Manhattan, such as Chelsea and Soho with prams or unpredictable threenagers!

Museums

New York is obviously home to some of the finest museums in the World. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum and the Guggenheim, to name but a few. All of which are true wonders, however, there is a new breed of museum in town! Let’s start with the best of these…

The Museum of Ice Cream

The Museum of Ice Cream was booked with the boys in mind, but I think I found my own heaven on Earth! A pink, sugar laden, wonderland topped off with a sprinkle filled pool. Move over Willy Wonka! It’s hard to pin down precisely what The Museum of ice Cream is, beyond sheer joy. It’s kind of an interactive art exhibit, meets a playground, meets the most incredible ice cream parlour imaginable. There is ice cream at every turn, a sprinkle room, a New York subway carriage, fairground games, candyfloss, cocktails and really lovely fun-loving staff! I just can’t do it justice! It smells, looks and is a fantasy land for everyone. You can’t fail to have care-free, all-out fun here. Thoughts of the Museum of Ice Cream have brightened many days since we got home. We’re all desperate to go back!

The Colour Factory – Interactive Art Museum

The Colour Factory is very similar to the Museum of Ice Cream in the sense that it’s an interactive art instillation, but celebrating colour not ice cream. Another fantastically imaginative idea brought to life. Too much fun to quantify and too many highlights to list them all, with fourteen incredible immersive art exhibits to work your way around. The concept is so clever and so well executed and also offered treats galore to the delight of us all!  Jelly beans, macaroons, toffees, ice cream! Not what I expected from an experience focused on colour. But that’s it. The creators have come up with something which surprises and delights and stimulates in equal measures. Drawing, a confetti room (a particular favourite of mine), a golden disco and a ridiculously cool ball pit finale, all made for another unforgettable afternoon. A typically cool, quirky, joyful New York delight for children and adults alike. Also, the complimentary digital photos are incredible and serve as a fantastic reminder of how much fun you can squeeze into a couple of hours!

The Sloomoo Institute

This is essentially the slime ‘museum’ of NYC. My youngest’s dreamland. Slime, slime and more slime. There is even an opportunity to be slimed with gallons of the stuff. My eldest enjoyed that! The Sloomoo takes you on a guided tour of all the different kinds of slime the world has to offer and even allows you to make your own. Fantastic for young children and slime enthusiasts. I’ve had innumerable requests from a wistful little boy to return here. We’ll almost certainly oblige.

Essentials!

FAO Schwartz

The famed FAO Schwartz toyshop is now located in Rockefeller Plaza and is actually better than its original carnation on Fifth Avenue. Everything you could dream of in a toyshop and more. If you didn’t get enough slime at Sloomoo, kids can make their own putty and dough and there is even a Jelly Cat Café. It can be busy as you can imagine, but thankfully there’s a Ralph’s Coffee van a few minutes away for a sugar and caffeine boost pre-or post- shopping. That was a lifesaver, when the jet lag caught us all out.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

Van Leeuwen ice crem parlours are dotted around the city, with one near to FAO Schwartz at Rockefeller centre. With an emphasis on simple ingredients and great flavours, it’s an exciting pit stop for everyone. Everything kids and adults need to indulge in their dream sundaes and ice cream fantasises.

This is just a few highlights of what the great Big Apple has to offer those travelling with children. There’s so much for everyone. Anyone thinking about visiting for the first time with small children should jump at the chance. There’s so much to entertain, delight and amaze. You just need a desire to have the most fun imaginable and the city will deliver!