Visiting New York City With Kids: Unsolicited Advice from a Childless Tour Guide

By Adam Guy

I may not have kids of my own, BUT as a private tour guide, I have taken hundreds of kids of all ages, personality types, attention spans, and demeanors around. And I know how to help you help them have the best experience possible.

Your goal is to make smiles, not demonstrate a mastery of history. Your trip is about meaningful memories together, not checking off lists. Approach it with that in mind and you will fare better, even with the occasional kiddo meltdown.

I offer 11 pieces of advice to help your kids (and you!) enjoy a magical experience in the Big Apple. Some of the advice is more for younger kids than pre-teens or teens. You know your kids best. Embrace what works; dismiss what doesn’t:

1. Let the City Do the Work

This is the one piece of advice I give most often. Walking around NYC is dazzling. The

architecture. The energy. The lights. The endlessness. While there are great attractions all over, you do not need to rely on them to keep kids engaged. The pulse of the city is your best friend. Look around. Do some people watching. Spot the quirky things.  Take fun photos. Try that random bakery. Walk a lot. Take the subway. The city is its own attraction. No other city feels like it.  Let the city do the work.

2. Don’t Try to Do It All

This is the perfect piggyback to the first piece of advice. When planning your itinerary, don’t try to do too much. Even if you are early risers or night owls, my advice is simple – plan one thing for the morning, one thing for the afternoon and one thing at night. If you can squeeze one more thing in, great!  But you should leave room for the city moments – that walking around time, that rest time, that hang in the park time, that munch on a giant cookie time. 

Also, most of you have no idea where you are going. The subway is new to you. Don’t get that panicked feeling of having to rush everywhere to make that timed ticket or check that museum off your list. And you will get lost, so why not factor that in? A mad dash through the city can be fun, but you may not remember much. There is SO much to see and do in the city. Accept that you won’t accomplish it all.

3. Your Trip is Not School

I’m all for learning the history and stories of this amazing town. I’m a tour guide; it’s what I share with my guests. But you are also here on vacation; your kids are NOT IN SCHOOL. While learning is important, I recommend prioritizing the fun experience versus the “read every plaque” kind of adventure. If you are going to the Statue for Liberty, for example, you should learn about and discuss why she was built, why she mattered back then, and how her meaning evolved to today. Throw in a few fun facts like how tall she is and how large of a shoe she would wear… size 879. Kids love those gems. But getting them to feel curious or inspired is way more important than the “history textbook” approach.

4. Leave Room for Play

There are many experiences in the city that are just about fun. Yes, make room for one or two of those experiences. Your kids might need a break from walking or a place to burn some energy. Try SlooMoo Institute, Museum of Ice Cream, Spyscape, Complete Playground, Color Factory, FRIENDS Experience, Arte Museum, or Area 53 Adventure Park. They may not be authentically New York, but they are fun, will offer a break in the day and is something just for them.

If budget is a concern, go playground hopping in NYC parks, ride the Roosevelt Island tram, or turn NYC into games (more on that below).

5. Let Your Kids Help with Navigation.

Learning the subway (and riding it) is super fun for kids. All those lines, dots and colors on the subway map can feel daunting. Become a team – parent and kid – and learn it together. Soon they (and you!) will feel more confident about NYC. In my experience, the teens always learn it the fastest.  Let them lead. I also wrote a blog about the subway to help you in advance of your trip.

6. Play Games Using the City

There are so many ideas for engaging your kids with NYC using games. (I’m not talking about UNO or Monopoly!) Here’s a short list of ideas for you:

• Scavenger Hunt – Make a list of NYC things to spot (pigeon, skyscraper, taxi, historic plaque, mosaic art, dogs in shoes, etc.) There are loads of downloadable ones in the web. This is great for young kids.  Some museums have them available as well.

• Spot the Thing – Like a scavenger hunt, but more of an I Spy type game focused on one or two things during the trip. (Think like the car game Punch Buggy. Remember that?)  Anyone dressed in the distinct color of the Statue of Liberty. Building with gas lamps. Starbucks stores. Subway ads about dating apps. Black squirrels. Pick 3 or 4 things. Keep a tally. Winner gets a prize.

  
  

• Photo Contest – This is especially goof for pre-teens and teens. Maybe it’s best photo of the day gets to pick the spot for dinner or a special dessert to try.

• Photos with a Prop – bring a memento, stuffed animal, photo of a friend, or whatever fun thing would work, and snap photos of the object in and around iconic spots in the city.  That’s Mr. Fuzzywasit on the stairs in Grand Central and Mr. Fuzzywasit near the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square and Mr. Fuzzywasit at his first Broadway show.  (I think I just like the name Mr. Fuzzywasit.)

Brainstorm before you go, do some googling or ask your child’s teacher for ideas.

7. Don’t Just Visit Attractions

The “attractions” are great. Kids love visiting the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Yes, do them. But leave room to explore, and maybe even get lost a bit in New York’s neighborhoods like the Flatiron District, SoHo, or Upper West Side. Each of them has their own personality, vibes, shops, architecture, and characters. You can often wander from one to the next and feel the shift, which is incredible. Kids will respond to this as much as they will the Museum of Ice Cream. Ok, so you might have to stop for a scoop of ice cream as you wander, but that’s part of the experience, too!

8. Ask Your Kids a Lot of Questions. 

This may be easier for me to do with kids than you. I get it. I’m NOT mom or dad. But the most effective thing I do on tours with kids is ask them stuff along the way. I mean thoughtful, creative, exploratory and/or silly questions about where you are and what you are doing. Here’s what I mean:

• If you could live in any of those buildings, which one would you choose and why?

• How do you think all those people from Ireland and Italy and China felt when they first set foot in this massive city?

• If you were designing New York’s next great pizza, which toppings would you put on it?

• Do you think Aunt Julia could survive living here?

• Where do you think all the rats live?

• If you lived here, in which of the neighborhoods that we’ve explored would you want to live?

• If our family life was turned into a Broadway musical, what would it be called?

• How do you think our hometown would be different if we had a big subway system?

• If you had to open a bakery in NYC, what would you bake and what would you name it?

• If you came here without us and maybe with just a friend, what would you do differently?

This doesn’t work with every kid, but usually some type of question will get them chatting. Kids want to be heard. Kids want to feel like part of the equation. (Says the non-parent. I know. I know.)

9. Challenge Kids to Help with Planning.

If you want your kids to feel excited about your trip, make them a part of the planning process. Task them with this:  Bring me three MUST DO, three WOULD LIKE TO, and THREE WISH LIST places you want to visit or activities you want to do. 

I’m not just talking about attractions either. Maybe your child is into Anime. Have them find a great Anime store (or three) in NYC that you can visit. Maybe they love movies. What in NYC can you visit related to those movies?  Your teen daughter sees this crazy bakery that sells Sour Patch Kid donut holes, and she urgently must try one. Have her add it to the list.

You may not be able to do them all based on time, budget or availability, but at least they will feel a part of the experience and not feel like they are just being dragged around by mom and dad.

10. See a Broadway Show.

Broadway shows may come to your city, but there’s nothing like seeing a Broadway show in New York City. For one, most of the theaters in NYC are smaller than the one in your hometown. The average Broadway house has 1,231 seats with the largest having 1,933 seats and the smallest having 597. 

I say this but also recognize there are limited shows for kids. The Lion King and Aladdin are still the best big shows for kids under 9 years old. That said, I wouldn’t take a child aged 5 or under to these as they are much longer than you think. New Victory Theater is a children’s theater in Times Square that serves up great, small, and short productions for toddlers.

Wicked is a staple for the 9-12 year old crowd. I’m also a big fan of The Play That Goes Wrong, which is great when you have pre-teens and teens with discerning tastes. Once they reach 12 or 13, most shows are fine content-wise. But double check first. The Book of Mormon has some pretty racy stuff that will lead to some eye-opening post show conversations with mom and dad.

I recognize that seeing a show might be a budget buster for some.  If you still want a taste of Broadway without draining your bank account, give Gayle’s Broadway Rose or Ellen’s Stardust Diner a try. They are both singing server style restaurants and are a load of musical fun!

11. Stop and Smell the Bagels

This tip circles back to a bit of #1 and #2. Be present in the city. Take time to observe together. Take time to point cool stuff out to kids. Make jokes. Tell stories. Be silly. Take lots of photos. Stop at unusual places. Don’t rush. And sure, have a delicious NYC bagel while you’re at it.

There you have it -- unsolicited advice from a childless tour guide to help parents while visiting New York City with kids!

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What qualifies me to give this kind of advice? I have taken hundreds of kids around New York City and have the experience to know what works with all kinds of kids. You should know that I was also a camp counselor and nursery school assistant in my distant past. I have that playful “good with kids” gene that hasn’t gone away.  I also try hard to unlock whatever that thing is that will help kids connect with New York City and me -- jokes, stories, questions, nerdy stuff, Taylor Swift stuff, wow stuff, school stuff, think-y stuff, physical humor stuff… whatever works.

I Know A Guy NYC Tours offers private, personal, and fun adventures around the city for small groups, including lots of families with kiddos. Many have enjoyed the experience. See what they had to say!  

Check out what tours are like by following I Know A Guy NYC Tours Facebook or Instagram. You’ll completely get the vibe.

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Thanks for reading this blog! If you would like to chat about your upcoming trip and possible tour ideas, please contact me at aguy@iknowaguy.nyc. I'm quite friendly!

© All photos by Adam Guy