The South Street Seaport Museum announces that admission is free for the rest of the summer to a new discovery room of maritime-themed art by the late Eric Carle, beloved creator of picture books for young children. Seaport Discovery: Exploring our Waters with Eric Carle is designed specifically for children aged 2-7 and their adults. Huge immersive murals will bring families into Carle's book A House for Hermit Crab and the cargo-ship adventures of 10 Little Rubber Ducks. Visitors will enjoy activities, like meeting a live hermit crab, driving ferries on a giant play-table, and learning about cargo ships through the eyes of a rubber duck- all while exploring Carle's use of color and pattern. After visiting the discovery room, families can explore the rest of the Seaport Museum's galleries for free and find out how the fleet of historic ships connect to Carle's art. Guided tours of lightship Ambrose, and self-guided tours of tall ship Wavertree, are also free for adults and kids, and tickets for sailing excursions on schooner Pioneer and harbor cruises on tugboat W.O. Decker from May to October are available for purchase.
Aug. 1 - 31, 10am-5pm, daily
WHERE: Children's Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd St., Upper West Side, NY
AGES:
3-8
WHAT: This August, join CMOM in an expedition across earth, water, fire, air, and outer space, learning about different life forms from our past, present, and wildest dreams. From submerging your imagination into magical oceanscapes, to bringing the heat with a lava dance obstacle course, to getting carried away with birds, balloons, and bubbles, your next summer adventure awaits at CMOM!
Creatures of the Earth | Monday – Sunday, August 1 – 7: Explore animals who live on and deep within the earth, from our past to those we see today!
Under Water Worlds | Monday – Sunday, August 8 – 14: Use your imagination to go under the sea and create an underwater world filled with magical living creatures.
Bring the Heat | Monday – Sunday, August 15 – 21: You can get warm and cozy or powerful and dramatic as CMOM brings in the heat with a lava dance obstacle course, stories by an imaginary campfire, and (not so real) fire-breathing dragons.
Up, Up in the Sky | Monday – Sunday, August 22 – 28: Learn about birds, air balloons, and bubbles during a week of fun where everything goes up, up, and away!
Beyond Time & Space | Monday – Wednesday, August 29 – 31: Make a dwarf planet of the dwarf planet, Pluto; allow your mind to travel into the future; imagine what life may be like on other planets; and design your very own UFO!
WANT TO GO?
$16; free for members.
212-721-1223.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Aug. 4 - Sep. 1, Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays-Saturdays, 9:30am, 10:45am, 12pm, 3:15pm, and 4:30pm
WHERE: Backyard at Hudson Yards, Public Square & Gardens, 20 Hudson Yards , Chelsea, NY
AGES:
Newborn-5
WHAT: Union Square Play in partnership with ByHear! will host children's (ages 0-5) play classes on the Public Square & Gardens. Immerse your child in a sensory play experience designed by Jennie Monness that will transport them to another world and activate all of their senses. It will also focus on supporting caregivers by giving them the confidence and knowledge to help encourage children to open up during play. Each class will start with a structured introduction and lead into light touch guidance to help foster creativity and get children into the flow.
WANT TO GO?
$39.75.
646-954-3155.
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WHEN: Aug. 7 - 28, 11:30am-12:30pm
WHERE: Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St., Soho, NY
AGES:
3 and older
WHAT: Children's Story Hour Meet the Authors. Every Sunday in August 11:30am-12:30pm.
WANT TO GO?
212-334-3324.
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WHEN: Aug. 12 - 21, See website for schedule
WHERE: Harlem Week, W 136 St., Harlem, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Inspiration, Impact, Legacy. Come out to this hybrid festival featuring live & virtual events. HARLEM WEEK is an annual celebration of the best of Harlem which works to promote its rich African-American, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, and European history, as well as arts, culture, religion, business, entertainment, and sports. HARLEM WEEK began in 1974 as HARLEM DAY, a one-day event of encouragement and fellowship in Harlem for New Yorkers and beyond. Given the huge success of the celebration, additional days were added to showcase the community's rich economic, political, and cultural history.
WANT TO GO?
212-862-8477.
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WHEN: Aug. 13 - 20, 7pm
WHERE: Rockefeller Park, 75 Battery Pl., New York, NY 10280, Downtown , NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Battery Dance celebrates the 41st anniversary of its free summer festival, which promotes the organization's mission of connecting the world through dance.
WANT TO GO?
646-765-4773.
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WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 18, 7:30pm
WHERE: Theater at St. Jean, 150 E 76 Street, Upper East Side, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Follow Kitri and Basilio in their quest for love, laugh with the foppish Gamache and enjoy the vivacity of Spain, its music and colorful toreadors and gypsies in Chiara Ajkun's ballet extraordinaire.
WANT TO GO?
$60.
248-756-0781.
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WHEN: Aug. 19 - Dec. 16, Fridays, 4pm
WHERE: Open Squash, 25 West 39th St, 5th Floor, Clinton, NY
AGES:
5-17
WHAT: Squash is for everyone ! Come and give this exhilarating, fitness-accelerating, strategy-sharpening racket game a try. Get on court with the super-friendly, talented coaches and discover what is often referred to "the chess of athletics". Financial aid available to support tuition costs.
WANT TO GO?
914-315-4070.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Aug. 20 - 21, 11am-5pm
WHERE: Colonels Row on Governors Island, Ferries depart from 10 South Street, Manhattan and Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Governors Island, NY
AGES:
5 and older
WHAT: Beam Center is excited to host their annual Inventgenuity Festival on Governors Island for the second year in a row. The Festival includes a series of 45-minute guided workshops, drop-in activities, performances, and the official Grand Opening of Tree Chuang with artist Xinan Ran. This will also mark the close of the season with an End of Summer Celebration! Young people (ages 6 and up) are invited to embrace their creativity and participate in this lineup of activities, including: Cyanotype Portraits, Environmentally Triggered Rube Goldberg, Machines, Circle Rules Football, The Big Little Camp Project, and more! All workshops are free but donations are encouraged. Advance registration is required.
WANT TO GO?
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20, 2pm
WHERE: The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave. , Chelsea, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: The Sarasota Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater with a triple bill featuring two ballets by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere by Jessica Lang, including Ashton's 1956 pi ce d occasion Birthday Offering and the once-lost Ashton ballet, Varii Capricci, returning to New York for the first time since its 1983 world premiere.
WANT TO GO?
Tickets start at $10.
212-691-9740.
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WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20, 10:30-11:45am
WHERE: The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Pl., Downtown, NY
AGES:
5-17
WHAT: Starting at the watersheds in upstate New York, the group will follow the flow through streams, tunnels, dams, and reservoirs to learn how these gravity systems deliver clean and safe drinking water to the city. Then, inspired by the water supply system, the group will play Water Works, a fun card game where the objective is to be the first to build a completely leak-free pipeline.
WANT TO GO?
212-945-6324.
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WHEN: Aug. 20 - 21, 11am-5pm
WHERE: Governors Island, King Ave., New York Harbor, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: FAD Market is excited to return to Governors Island for a monthly residency on the third weekend of each month from May through October. Taking place along the tree-lined King Ave, nestled between historic early 20th century buildings, this idyllic market setting is steps away from Yankee Pier, where the Brooklyn ferries dock, and Liggett Terrace, where the food trucks rally. Featuring a rotating lineup of over 30 of the city's emerging makers, designers, artists, and small businesses, the markets will feature handcrafted jewelry, art, apparel, bath and body care, tableware, home furnishings, artisanal packaged food, and more. Come for the one-of-a-kind goods, stay for a cocktail and a game of p tanque (a lawn throwing game similar to bocce and boules) with our neighbors, Carreau Club. Take a short ferry ride and make a day of it!
WANT TO GO?
917-775-4636.
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WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20, 7pm
WHERE: BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St., Tribeca, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: The Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation has announced the launch of its 20th anniversary celebration, It Was All a Dream: A Musical commemorating twenty years of dance, education, and services to local youth and Brooklyn community members. It Was All a Dream is a moving story and dance drama inspired by the enduring challenges, unrelenting hope, faith and optimism that has fueled the growth of Asase Yaa from its humble beginnings as a grass roots dance company to a sustainable multi-faceted foundation and cultural arts organization. It is designed to motivate and encourage young artists, families, and our larger community to always dream. And to realize with love, devotion and perseverance that it is possible to fulfill artistic and communal goals and dreams for the advancement of culture and community. The musical is directed and choreographed by Yao Ababio, Founder and Artistic Director, and executive produced by Kofi Osei Williams, Executive Director. The 90-minute performance will showcase a cast of 30 dancers and drummers who take the audience through an electric and enlightening journey through indigenous African culture, dance, music, and songs that have influenced the evolution of Asase Yaa over the past twenty years.
WANT TO GO?
$30-$300.
646-765-4773.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20, 10:30am-12:30pm
WHERE: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
AGES:
9 and older
WHAT: Join Watson Adventures on a unique murder mystery scavenger hunt for kids 10 and up! A killer is on the loose at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it's up to you to stop him! The killer has created a scavenger hunt that, when completed, reveals his name, the weapon he used and where he hid the body in the museum. You'll get a list of suspects, weapons and hiding places that are all in the museum. By following the trail of clues and answering tricky questions, you'll provide the police with the evidence they need to catch and convict the killer. Can you figure out whodunit? Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
WANT TO GO?
$27.50-$39 (includes museum admission).
877-946-4868.
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WHEN: Aug. 20 - 21, 12-5pm
WHERE: Howard Bennett Playground, 32 W 136th St., Harlem, NY
AGES:
5-12
WHAT: Kids between ages 5 to 12 years and their family members enjoy storytelling, children’s entertainment (performances showcasing tap dancers, dance troupes, step shows, hip hop, theater, poetry, vocalists, etc.), arts & crafts, double dutch competitions, face painting, technology information, information on health services, and more.
WANT TO GO?
212-862-8477.
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WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20, 12-5pm
WHERE: Pier I in Riverside Park South, West 70th Street, Upper West Side, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Music and kites fill the air at this festival for all ages! Kite kits are provided free for children (while supplies last), or bring your own favorite kite from home. Enjoy music, local vendors, and a play:groundNYC pop up!
WANT TO GO?
212-870-3089.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 21, 7pm, pre-screening program; 8:30pm or sundown, films begin
WHERE: East River Plaza, 517 E 117th St., Garage Rooftop, 4th Floor, East Harlem, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: The 20th Annual ImageNation Outdoors Festival presents this new classic! Come out for giveaways and a DJ before this special screening of Encanto! In this animated feature, a Colombian teenage girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers. Outdoor Seating & Drive-in options.
WANT TO GO?
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 21, 1-3pm
WHERE: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, Upper West Side, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Discover how the third U.S. president and author of the Declaration of Independence rationalized his commitment to freedom, while enslaving more than 600 people of African descent.
WANT TO GO?
FREE with Museum Admission.
212-873-3400.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 21, 11am
WHERE: Rockefeller Center Plaza, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown, NY
AGES:
3-5, 5-8, Adult
WHAT: The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family concert series performs songs created by the most iconic musicians in rock history. The Rock and Roll Playhouse band offers its core audience of families with children age ten and under games, movement, stories and an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and explore their creativity. The Rock and Roll Playhouse is an early and often first introduction to a child's lifelong journey with live music and rock and roll.
WANT TO GO?
212-588-8601.
Click Here for More Information
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 21, 6pm
WHERE: Randall's Island Park, 10 Central Rd. , Randall's Island, NY
AGES: All
WHAT: Bring a picnic and take your family out for a movie and a night of outdoor fun. Event starts at 6pm Movie (Zootopia) starts at 8pm.
WANT TO GO?
212-860-1899.
Click Here for More Information
Looking for more events in your area? Search our comprehensive events calendar.
There’s a lot to do this weekend with your family, whether you're planning a day trip that's close to New York City or are looking for the best things to do with kids in Manhattan this weekend. After all, weekends are the best because you get to spend time with your kids, so make the most of your time together and check out our picks for the best kid-friendly activities in Manhattan! From storytimes and concerts to museum exhibits, crafts activities, seasonal events, and more, you're sure to find something to do that keeps everyone happy and having fun. Look no further for ideas and plan your weekend in New York City with our guide that highlights the best family-friendly (virtual and in-person) events happening in and around your neighborhood, including family fun in Central Park, the Lower East Side, the Upper West Side, Harlem, Midtown, the Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, Battery Park, Bryant Park, Tribeca, the Bronx, and Lower Manhattan. You can also find weekend fun in ourBrooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland—and check out our Manhattan calendar for hundreds of things to do each month!
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