New York City is definitely the city of lights. The streets are filled with the hustle and bustle of busy city life. For many families, a weekend with kids in New York City can seem overwhelming. I am here to tell you that it can be so much fun for families. If you only have 48 hours to visit, like we did, here are my must-see family recommendations.
My first recommendation would be to choose a hotel directly in Times Square. It is nearly impossible to drive around in the city so you should plan to park your car in the garage at the hotel and not see it for the next 48 hours. Staying in Times Square will make everything you want to see within either walking distance or a quick taxi ride away.
We stayed in a hotel that had a great view of the city streets which the kids loved. They would sit on the windowsill every morning and every night and just watch all of the action that was happening around them. To us adults, this may seem silly. But believe me, kids love this stuff!
We couldn’t wait to get out and see the sights. We spent a few hours before lunch just walking around and checking things out. I swear it is like the streets there are alive. It is almost magical.
We stopped to visit M&M World and Hershey Chocolate World of course. Be careful, because you could probably spend a weeks salary in these places with your kids. Set a limit of what they are allowed to spend before you go in or there could be a whole lot of tantrums going on!
My next recommendation would be The Tick Tock Diner. It is the cutest place and the kids loved it. There are 100s of clocks on the walls set for different time zones.
They have the classic diner fare that you would expect. Their milkshakes are to die for!
My last recommendation would be to visit the American Museum of Natural History. This is where The Night at the Museum movies were filmed.
They have lots of fun exhibits like the Scales of the Universe exhibit where you can see how much you would weigh on the moon.
There is a lot to see and do there.
My only complaint about the American Museum of Natural History was that it was crazy busy and jam-packed inside. Almost to the point that it was hard to really enjoy it. If you have an option to go on a weekday instead of a weekend I think that would be better. Also, maybe as soon as they open in the morning would be less busy.
If time allows, I would definitely recommend taking in a Broadway show. This can become super expensive for a family so do your research in advance to see if you can make it more affordable.
