The Best Carousels for Kids in NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland

Stop by one of these carousels in the New York area for kid-friendly fun all year round.

By NYMetroParents Staff March 22, 2021

There’s no better way to celebrate childhood than to go for a ride on a carousel in NYC. Outdoor carousels represent the epitome of summer, whether it’s at an amusement park, county fair, park, or zoo. There are many indoor carousels in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, and Rockland County for child-friendly fun year-round as well. Here, you’ll find details on each carousel in and near New York City, including its location, hours, price per ride, and a description. As always, please call to confirm the carousel is open before leaving the house to avoid disappointment.

Carousels in Manhattan
Carousels in Brooklyn
Carousels in Queens
Carousels in the Bronx
Carousels on Staten Island
Carousels on Long Island
Carousels in Westchester County
Carousels in Rockland County
Carousels in Bergen County, NJ
Carousels in Fairfield County, CT

Carousels in Manhattan

Friedsam Memorial Carousel (The Central Park Carousel)

Central Park (mid-park at 65th Street)
212-439-6900 x4
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Hours: April-October: daily, 10am-6pm. November-March: daily, 11am-5pm. (Hours are weather permitting.)
Price: $3 per ride (cash only)
Located in the heart of Central Park, this handcrafted carousel’s 57 horses run laps to vintage organ music. Note: Especially in the summer, there is often a long line to ride.

Le Carrousel

Bryant Park, West 40th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Midtown
212-768-4242
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Hours: March-May: daily, 11am-7pm; June-October: daily, 11am-8pm; November-December, Sunday-Thursday, 11am-7pm and Friday-Saturday, 11am-8pm (hours are weather permitting)
Price: $3 per ride; $20 for a 10-ride discount card
Hear the sounds of Paris and the French Cabaret as you ride one of the 14 prancing animals, including 10 horses, a deer, a rabbit, a frog, and a cat. This carousel, specially designed to complement the park’s French classical style, was created by artists at Fabricon Carousel Company that was based in Brooklyn.

Pier 62 Carousel

Hudson River Park, Pier 62, between West 22nd and 23rd streets, Chelsea
info@nycarousel.com
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Hours: March 30-Oct. 27: Hours vary, see website for details
Price: $4 per ride; $35 for a 10-Pack; free for parents assisting children shorter than 42 inches.
Ride on animals ranging from unicorns to raccoons, or pretend to be King Trident as you ride the oyster chariot. This carousel can accommodate children in wheelchairs. Restrooms located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers. Can be rented for birthday parties

SeaGlass Carousel

Photo courtesy Ride Entertainment

Battery Park (entrance at State and Water streets), Lower Manhattan
212-344-3491
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Hours: The SeaGlass Carousel is currently closed due to the pandemic. Call or check social media or the website for the latest information.
Price: $5
This aquatic-themed carousel is made entirely of glass and steel and features 30 sea creatures under color-changing LED lights, making you feel like you are in an underwater garden.

Totally Kid Carousel

Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive at 145th Street, Upper Manhattan
212-694-3633
Hours: May-September, see website for hours
Price: $1 per ride
This funky carousel, opened in 1997, was designed using children’s drawings of animals.

Carousels in Brooklyn

B&B Carousell

Photo courtesy Luna Park

1615 Riegelmann Boardwalk (in Luna Park), Coney Island
718-373-5862
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Hours: While Luna Park plans to open this year, 2021 details have not been announced yet.
Price: Details for 2021 have not been announced yet.

This historic carousel, built in 1906, features 50 wooden horses, has been completely restored and moved to the Steeplechase Plaza. See the website or call for updates.

Prospect Park Carousel

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Children's Corner, Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard, Prospect Heights
718-965-8951
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Hours: Currently closed due to the pandemic.
Price: 2021 pricing information not available yet.
Located next to Lefferts Historic House and the Prospect Park Zoo, this 100-year-old carousel was hand-carved by designer Charles Carmel and features 53 horses as well as two dragon-pulled chariots. It is wheelchair accessible.

Jane's Carousel

Photo courtesy Jane’s Carousel

Brooklyn Bridge Park at the East River, Dumbo
718-222-2502
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Hours: May-September: Wednesday-Monday, 11am-7pm. Tickets will be sold online. There is limited capacity.
Price: $2 per ride; $20 for 12 rides
Named after artist and Dumbo resident Jane Walentas, the 1922 structure was refurbished and reopened in 2011. There are 1,200 lights and the carousel is settled into a pavilion designed by award-winning architect Jean Nouvel.

Carousels in Queens

Flushing Meadows Carousel

Photo courtesy Ride Entertainment

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Fantasy Forest Amusement Park, 111th Street at 55th Avenue, Flushing
718-788-2676
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Hours: Fantasy Forest Amusement Park is currently closed, and 2021 information is not available yet. Call or check the website or social media for the latest information.
Price: 2021 admission prices have not been announced yet.
Moved to Queens from Coney Island for the 1964 World’s Fair, this classic carousel is located next to the Queens Zoo and about a 2-minute walk from the New York Hall of Science.

Forest Park Carousel

Northwest Entrance (Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive), Forest Park
718-788-2676
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Hours: Forest Park Carousel Amusement Village is currently closed, and 2021 details have not been announced yet. Visit the website for up-to-date information.
Price: 2021 admission prices have not been announced yet.
Created in 1890, this carousel is the only carousel that is also a designated New York City landmark. Take a spin on one of the 49 horses or ride in a chariot as you listen to vintage organ music.

Carousels in the Bronx

Bug Carousel

Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Blvd. (at Fordham Road)
718-220-5100
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Hours: Open year round, but hours change seasonally. March 27-Nov. 6: Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-5:30pm.
Price: $6 per ride plus general zoo admission: Ticket prices after March 26: $39.95; $34.95 seniors; $29.95 children ages 3-12; free for children younger than 2. Free general admission for all on Wednesdays.
This carousel is composed entirely of bugs and butterflies and is located next to the Butterfly Garden, where you can see live butterflies in flight and flowers in bloom. This carousel is accessible to manual wheelchairs.

Carousels on Staten Island

Carousel for All Children

Photo courtesy Staten Island Greenbelt Conservancy

Willowbrook Park, Eton Place at Richmond Avenue
718-477-0605
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Hours: May through Columbus Day: 2021 hours have not been announced yet.
Price: 2021 prices have not been announced yet.
Choose your steed from the 51 hand-carved and colorfully painted animals that adorn this Victorian-style wooden merry-go-round, located next to the duck pond. The carousel is accessible for those with physical challenges.

Carousels on Long Island

Greenport Antique Carousel

Photo courtesy Village of Greenport

Jess Owen Carousel House, Mitchell Park, Greenport
631-477-0248
Hours: While the carousel is currently closed, the Village of Greenport intends to open the carousel this season; details to be announced.
Price: 2021 rates have not been announced yet.
Greenport’s carousel sits in a lovely glass house with a view of the water. It is 100 years old and features hand-painted horses.

Heckscher Carousel

Hempstead Lake State Park, Lakeside Drive, West Hempstead
516-766-1029
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Hours: Heckscher Carousel is currently closed; information for 2021 hasn’t been announced yet.
Price: $2 per ride
Built in 1916 and nestled in Hempstead Lake State Park, this classic, hand-carved wooden carousel featuring 36 jumping horses and two chariots turns to recorded music.

Historic Nunley's Carousel

Museum Row, Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Garden City
516-572-4111
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Hours: Nunley’s Carousel is currently closed; it hopes to reopen soon.
Price: $2 per ride
Bells chime as you ride around on this hand-carved, 102-year-old carousel featuring 41 horses and one lion. Located indoors, but there are beautiful picnic grounds nearby. The tools used to build the carousel are on display in the Cradle of Aviation Museum next door. The Long Island Children's Museum is also nearby.

Merry-Go-Round at Adventureland

Photo courtesy Adventureland

2245 Broad Hollow Road (Route 110), Farmingdale
631-694-6868
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Hours: April 10-June 22: Saturday-Sunday, 11:30am-8pm; June 23-Sept. 6, Monday-Friday, 11am-10pm, Saturday-Sunday, 11:30am-10:30pm
Price: $24.99 ages 25 and older; $39.99 ages 2-24; free for children younger than 2; everyone entering the park is required to have their own paid admission ticket.
Opened in 1962, Adventureland offers rides, attractions, and games, including this low-key, round-a-bout ride that is great for young kids.

Carousels in Westchester County

Playland's Grand Carousel and Kiddy Carousel

Exit 19 off I-95, Rye
914-813-7000
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Hours: Specific days and hours vary, check the website for a full schedule
Price: $30; $20 for children shorter than 48 inches; $10 for non-resident spectators (no rides); free for children younger than 2 and resident spectators (no rides). Westchester residents receive a $5 discount.
Playland's Grand Carousel, constructed in 1915, features 66 horses with jewel-studded harnesses and three handicap-accessible chariots, all of which circle a rare Gavioli band organ. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall; kids shorter than 42 inches must ride with an adult. Playland's Grand Carousel was closed for renovations in 2019; it hasn’t been announced yet if it will be open for the 2021 season.
Little ones between 36 and 55 inches tall can choose to ride the Kiddy Carousel, one of many rides in the park’s Kiddyland section meant for the youngest set of thrill-seekers.

Carousels in Rockland County

Bear Mountain State Park Carousel

Route 9W North, Bear Mountain
845-786-2731
Hours: Bear Mountain’s carousel is currently closed; plans for 2021 have not been announced yet.
Price: $2 per ride
Built in 2001, the carousel is located on the southwest side of the baseball field. The 42-seat ride features detailed portrayals of local animals such as turkeys, deer, bobcats, rabbits, and black bears.

Palisades Center Mall Carousel

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Exit 12 off Route 303, West Nyack
845-353-2595
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Hours: Saturday-Sunday, 11am-7pm
Price: $3
The 1907 antique and restored carousel, a double-decker Venetian model by Bertazzon, is located in the food court next to the Ferris wheel.

Carousels in Bergen County, NJ

Millennium Carousel at the Bergen County Zoo

Van Saun County Park, 216 Forest Ave., Paramus
201-262-3771
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Hours: The carousel is closed, but the zoo plans to reopen it in April.
Price: $1.50 per ride plus zoo admission: $8 ($4 for county residents); $5 children ages 3-14 ($2 for county residents); free for children younger than 3. Tickets must be purchased at the zoo's train station.
Watch animals all day at the zoo and then ride their likeness.

Carousels in Fairfield County, CT

Beardsley Zoo Carousel

1875 Noble Ave., Bridgeport
203-394-6565
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Hours: The carousel is currently closed. Plans for 2021 have not been announced yet.
Price: Carousel details for 2021 have not been announced yet.
This carousel features colorful versions of the animals you visit at the zoo.

Danbury Fair Mall Carousel

7 Backus Ave., Danbury
203-207-0305
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Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11am-7pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-8pm; Sunday, 11am-6pm
Price: $3 per ride
Located in the food court on the mall’s upper level, this double-decker carousel features rows of wooden horses that move up and down to traditional carnival music. The mall is built on the former site of the Danbury Fair (last held in 1981), and the carousel is a replica of that fair’s carousel.