N.Y. Museums Keep Families in Mind

The view was spectacular, the same one that astronauts get from the space shuttles. The kids craned their necks upward, watching the faraway Earth slowly turn, oceans giving way to mountains.

But we were in the middle of Manhattan. Specifically, we were in the American Museum of Natural History’s new, interactive Hall of Planet Earth, looking up at the 8-foot-wide globe that beams down satellite data.

“The goal here is to convey the excitement scientists feel studying the Earth,” explained the hall’s co-curator, Rosamond Kinzler, whose young son accompanied her on expeditions to gather some of the specimens. She looked around approvingly at parents and kids reaching out to touch giant rocks and using the banks of computers to learn about volcanoes and earthquakes.

This museum and others in New York--the city has about 150--are crammed with traveling families this summer.

“Family travel is a big and growing market for us,” said Nell Barrett, a spokesman for the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. She said New York has become one of the country’s top tourist draws, right behind Orlando and Las Vegas, attracting 34 million visitors last year. It’s the top destination for foreign travelers, many of whom arrive with kids too.

The increasing number of family travelers is why the city launched its special KidSider Tours this summer (and through September) to top cultural attractions, like the American Museum of Natural History, so that families can get a kid-friendly view without missing the high points.

Families can make a paper quilt at the Museum of American Folk Art, see a kid-size re-creation of an Upper West Side neighborhood from 100 years ago at the New- York Historical Society, watch a dance class at the Dance Theatre of Harlem or get whisked from dinosaurs to a rain forest at the Museum of Natural History.

(These programs aren’t offered every day. Visit the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site at https://www.nycvisit.com or CitySearch at https://www.newyork.citysearch.com for more KidSider tour information. Call the museum you want to visit to see if it is participating.)

When visiting New York, families won’t want to miss these places: The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, berthed on the Hudson River, where visitors can tour the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier as well as a Vietnam-era destroyer, the only missile submarine open to the public and the world’s ultimate spy plane. Telephone (212) 245-0072 or Internet https://www.intrepid-museum.com.)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses spectacular art from around the world, but kids will especially like the armor and swords and the Egyptian rooms, complete with the ancient Temple of Dendur reassembled as it appeared on the banks of the Nile. Tel. (212) 535-7710. Ask about special family programs at (212) 570-3930, Internet https://www.metmuseum.org.

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the world’s first kids’ museum, is celebrating its centennial this year with an exhibit called “Together in the City!” It shows visiting kids how people play, work and celebrate throughout New York, complete with an interactive subway ride, a pizza parlor where they can make their own pies and the chance to be a movie director. Tel. (718) 735-4400, Internet https://www.bchildmus.org.

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty is where families can replicate the immigrant family’s journey through the immigration center at Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Be prepared for long lines at the Statue of Liberty. Go first thing in the morning if you want to climb to the crown. Tel. (212) 363-3200, Internet https://www.nps.gov/stli.

The American Museum of Natural History is at the top of the must-see list for every family visiting New York. They usually come first to see the dinosaurs. But there’s much more--40 exhibition halls crammed with 32 million fossils, stuffed animals and cultural artifacts from around the world. It’s never been so much fun, because museum curators add more for kids to touch and explore. Take a virtual tour before you come by going to the hall’s Web site, linked to the museum’s site at https://www.amnh.org, or call (212) 769-5100.

Also on exhibit at this museum (through Oct. 11) is “The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition,” is the ideal antidote for a bored teen. It tells the epic story of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 doomed expedition through 150 pictures taken by the ship’s photographer and salvaged from the sinking ship. Tel. (212) 769-5200 for ticket reservations.

Call the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) NYC-VISIT (692-8474) to find out about hotels with special children’s amenities.

If you’re planning to hit several sites, consider a CityPass, which gives you half off admission to the American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum, Intrepid, Museum of Modern Art, Empire State Building and Top of the World Trade Center. The pass is good for nine days and costs $28 for adults and $21 for teens. Younger children are free at many of these places. Visit the Web site at https://www.citypass.net for links to hotels offering special family packages.

“Kids Eat New York,” by Sam Freund and Elizabeth Carpenter, a mom-and-son duo, offers reviews of 150-plus kid-friendly restaurants, including an index that will enable you to find a good place to eat close to museums. (The Little Bookworm, $11.95).

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.