Free things to do with kids in New York
New York may have more free things to do with kids than any city in America: world-class parks, a free ferry, a free farm, a playground on every few blocks, and big museums that are pay-what-you-wish for residents. Everything here is free to enter.
Top picks: the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty, the playgrounds of Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park, Heckscher and the Conservatory Garden in Central Park, the Long Meadow in Prospect Park, the animals at Queens County Farm, the High Line and Little Island; and among libraries, the children's floor at the new NYPL branch is the best free indoor spot in the city. The Natural History Museum, the Met and the Cloisters are pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents, and so is the Bronx Zoo on Wednesdays.
- 40 places
- 40 free
- 39 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
40 places
Travel times from Midtown, by subway or car
NYPL Stavros Niarchos Library children's floor
5.0Manhattan · 5 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/D/F/M to 42 St–Bryant Park or 7 to 5 Av; right outside the station
Central Park: Heckscher Playground
5.0Manhattan · 10 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A/C/B/D/1 to 59 St–Columbus Circle, then a 5-minute walk
Central Park: the Ramble, Belvedere Castle and Turtle Pond
5.0Manhattan · 15 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/C to 81 St or 1 to 79 St, then a 10-minute walk; don't drive
Central Park: Conservatory Water model boats and the Alice statue
5.0Manhattan · 15 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 6 to 77 St, enter at Fifth Ave and 72 St, then a 5-minute walk
Hudson River Park (around Pier 25)
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 1 to Franklin St or A/C/E to Canal St, then an 8-minute walk
Little Island
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A/C/E/L to 14 St–8 Av, then a 10-minute walk to Pier 55
Central Park: Ancient Playground (Egyptian theme)
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 4/5/6 to 86 St, then a 10-minute walk (north side of the Met)
Domino Park
5.0Brooklyn · 20 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway J/M/Z to Marcy Av or L to Bedford Av, then a 10-minute walk; NYC Ferry to North Williamsburg
Battery Park City: Rockefeller Park and Teardrop Park
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 1/2/3 to Chambers St, then an 8-minute walk
Riverside Park: Hippo Playground and the riverside path
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 1 to 86 St or 96 St, then an 8-minute walk
Imagination Playground (blue blocks)
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 2/3/4/5/A/C/J/Z to Fulton St, then an 8-minute walk (South Street Seaport)
Staten Island Ferry (free Statue of Liberty views)
5.0Manhattan · 20 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 1 to South Ferry or R/W to Whitehall St; the terminal is right outside
Brooklyn Bridge Park piers
5.0Brooklyn · 25 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A/C to High St or F to York St, then an 8-minute walk; NYC Ferry to DUMBO
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
5.0Queens · 30 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 7 to Mets–Willets Point or 111 St; paid lots if you drive
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 playgrounds
5.0Brooklyn · 30 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 2/3/4/5 to Borough Hall, then a 12-minute walk; NYC Ferry to Pier 6
Brooklyn Central Library youth wing
5.0Brooklyn · 30 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 2/3 to Eastern Pkwy–Brooklyn Museum; right outside the station
Prospect Park: Long Meadow and the Audubon Center
5.0Brooklyn · 35 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza or B/Q to Prospect Park, then a 5-minute walk
Liberty State Park
5.0Jersey City · 35 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Liberty State Park station; free parking if you drive
Prospect Park: Harmony Playground
5.0Brooklyn · 35 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway F/G to 7 Av or 15 St–Prospect Park, then a 5-minute walk
Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk
5.0Brooklyn · 50 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway D/F/N/Q to the last stop, Coney Island–Stillwell Av, then a 5-minute walk
Queens County Farm Museum
5.0Queens · 55 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Driving is easiest, with a free lot; or subway E/F to Kew Gardens and the Q46 bus
Manhattan Beach (Brooklyn)
5.0Brooklyn · 60 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/Q to Brighton Beach and transfer to the B1 bus; paid lot in summer if you drive
Muscoot Farm
5.0Katonah · 75 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: About 65 minutes by car, free lot
Bryant Park Winter Village and free skating rink
4.0Manhattan · 5 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/D/F/M to 42 St–Bryant Park or 7 to 5 Av; right outside the station
The High Line
4.0Manhattan · 15 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A/C/E/L to 14 St–8 Av; the Gansevoort St entrance has an elevator
Jefferson Market Library (Gothic clock tower)
4.0Manhattan · 15 min away
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A/C/E/B/D/F/M to W 4 St, then a 3-minute walk
Hunters Point Library (skyline views)
4.0Queens · 15 min away
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 7 to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Av, then a 5-minute walk; NYC Ferry to Hunters Point South
Macy's Thanksgiving balloon inflation
4.0Manhattan · 15 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/C to 81 St or 1 to 79 St; the afternoon before Thanksgiving, entrance at 72 St and Columbus
Brookfield Place Winter Garden
4.0Manhattan · 20 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway E to World Trade Center or 1 to WTC Cortlandt, connected by underground passage
Central Park: Conservatory Garden
4.0Manhattan · 25 min away
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 6 to 103 St or 2/3 to 110 St, then an 8-minute walk (Fifth Ave and 105 St entrance)
Astoria Park and its giant pool
4.0Queens · 30 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway N/W to Astoria Blvd, then a 10-minute walk
Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters
4.0Manhattan · 35 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A to 190 St; take the elevator out of the station and you are in the park
Queens Library, Flushing branch
4.0Queens · 35 min away
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 7 to the last stop, Flushing–Main St, then a 2-minute walk
Bronx Library Center
4.0Bronx · 35 min away
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway B/D to Kingsbridge Rd, then a 3-minute walk
Inwood Hill Park old-growth forest
4.0Manhattan · 40 min away
2.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Getting there: Subway A to Inwood–207 St, then a 10-minute walk
Van Cortlandt Park
4.0Bronx · 45 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 1 to the last stop, Van Cortlandt Park–242 St; the park is right outside
Alley Pond Park and Environmental Center
4.0Queens · 50 min away
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Driving is easiest, with a free lot at the environmental center; Q27/Q46 buses
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
4.0Queens · 60 min away
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A to Broad Channel, then a 15-minute walk; free lot if you drive
Orchard Beach (Bronx)
4.0Bronx · 60 min away
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway 6 to Pelham Bay Park and transfer to the Bx12 bus; paid lot in summer if you drive
Rockaway Beach
4.0Queens · 70 min away
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Getting there: Subway A to Beach 90 St or Beach 98 St; in summer NYC Ferry runs direct from Wall St (about 1 hour)
💡 Good to know
- Culture Pass from the NYPL, Brooklyn and Queens libraries gets free reservations at dozens of museums and gardens.
- Kids under 44 inches ride subways and buses free, the Staten Island Ferry is free for everyone, and so is the Governors Island ferry on weekend mornings.