Winter Adventures with Kids in New York

Featured

Poughkeepsie, NY

Walkway Over the Hudson

Walk 212 feet above the Hudson River on the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. Free. Works from toddler age.

• Hiking
• Ages 2+
• ~1h
• Free

Featured

Tupper Lake, NY

The Wild Center

Natural history museum with a treetop Wild Walk and live animal exhibits. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip.

• Nature
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Paid

Albany, NY

Albany Institute of History & Art

Small Albany museum with two ancient Egyptian mummies, Hudson River School landscapes and drop-in family art workshops on weekends.

• Museum
• Ages 4+
• ~2h
• Paid

Albany, NY

New York State Museum

Free Albany museum with a full-size mastodon, New York habitat dioramas and a working 1890s carousel running rides on the top floor.

• Museum
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Free

Beacon, NY

Dia Beacon

Vast daylit factory in Beacon filled with room-size contemporary art including Richard Serra steel spirals kids walk inside.

• Museum
• Ages 5+
• ~2h
• Paid

Buffalo, NY

Buffalo Museum of Science

Buffalo science museum with dinosaur skeletons, a mummy, live animal encounters, and a rooftop observatory for night sky viewing.

• Science
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Paid

Buffalo, NY

Explore & More Children's Museum

Four floors of Buffalo-themed play at Canalside with a working model Erie Canal, a mini grocery, a climbing tower and a toddler zone.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 1+
• ~3h
• Paid

Caroga Lake, NY

Kane Mountain Fire Tower

Quick and easy fire tower hike perfect for young or beginner hikers. Free. Best from about age 4. About an hour. Dogs welcome.

• Hiking
• Ages 4+
• ~1h
• Free

Cooperstown, NY

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Three floors of baseball history in Cooperstown with the Plaque Gallery, game-worn jerseys, and a team-by-team locker room.

• Museum
• Ages 5+
• ~3h
• Paid

Corning, NY

Corning Museum of Glass

Finger Lakes museum with live molten glassblowing shows, make-your-own-glass sessions, and 3500 years of glass artifacts.

• Museum
• Ages 4+
• ~4h
• Paid

Corona, NY

New York Hall of Science

Queens hands-on science museum with a build-and-test design lab, a room-size interactive ecosystem, and a preschool zone.

• Science
• Ages 2+
• ~4h
• Paid

Garden City, NY

Cradle of Aviation Museum

Long Island aviation and space museum with seventy-plus aircraft, a real Apollo Lunar Module, flight simulators and a dome theater.

• Museum
• Ages 3+
• ~3h
• Paid

Garden City, NY

Long Island Children's Museum

Fourteen hands-on galleries in Garden City with bubbles, a climbing structure, a sound studio, and a toddler-only Tot Spot.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 1+
• ~3h
• Paid

Howes Cave, NY

Howe Caverns

Guided cave tours 156 feet underground with an underground boat ride. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. About two hours.

• Nature
• Ages 3+
• ~2h
• Paid

Ithaca, NY

Museum of the Earth

Ithaca fossil museum walking kids forward through geologic time past a hanging whale skeleton and a mastodon found in the Finger Lakes.

• Museum
• Ages 3+
• ~2h
• Paid

Ithaca, NY

Sciencenter

Ithaca hands-on science museum with a walk-in kaleidoscope, a two-story ball machine, live animals and a soft corner for the under-fives.

• Science
• Ages 1+
• ~3h
• Paid

Lake Placid, NY

Adirondak Loj and Wilderness Campground

Bunkrooms, cabins, lean-tos and tent sites at the High Peaks trailhead on Heart Lake, run by the Adirondack Mountain Club

• Lodging
• Ages 3+
• Overnight
• Paid

Lake Placid, NY

Cobble Hill Trail

Quick family hike with a big High Peaks view just outside Lake Placid village. Free. Best from about age 3. About an hour.

• Hiking
• Ages 3+
• ~1h
• Free

Niagara Falls, NY

Aquarium of Niagara

Aquarium steps from Niagara Falls with penguins, daily sea lion training sessions, Great Lakes tanks and a shark and ray touch pool.

• Aquarium
• Ages 1+
• ~2h
• Paid

Poughkeepsie, NY

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

Hands-on children's museum on the Poughkeepsie waterfront with circuits, bubbles, water tables, and a climbing structure.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 1+
• ~2h
• Paid

Rochester, NY

Rochester Museum & Science Center

Rochester science museum with three hands-on floors plus the Strasenburgh Planetarium's dome star shows and full-dome films next door.

• Science
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Paid

Rochester, NY

The Strong National Museum of Play

Enormous Rochester museum of play with a Sesame Street set, classic arcade, butterfly garden, carousel, and Toy Hall of Fame.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 1+
• ~6h
• Paid

Salamanca, NY

Allegany State Park

Largest state park in New York with beaches, boulder fields, and 80+ miles of trails. Paid entry. Works from toddler age.

• Hiking
• Ages 2+
• ~5h
• Paid

Saratoga Springs, NY

Children's Museum at Saratoga

Small Saratoga Springs children's museum with a pretend-play diner, a fire truck and a toddler area set aside for crawlers and new walkers.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 1+
• ~2h
• Paid

Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Spa State Park

Natural mineral springs, historic pools, and forest trails in Saratoga Springs. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip.

• Hiking
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Paid

Schenectady, NY

miSci Museum of Innovation and Science

Schenectady science museum with hands-on electricity exhibits, General Electric history and a planetarium running daily star shows.

• Science
• Ages 3+
• ~2h
• Paid

Syracuse, NY

Museum of Science & Technology (MOST)

Syracuse science museum with four floors of hands-on exhibits, a simulated cave crawl, a toddler area and a domed IMAX theater.

• Science
• Ages 2+
• ~3h
• Paid

Syracuse, NY

WonderWorks Syracuse

Indoor science-and-illusion attraction at Destiny USA in Syracuse with a hurricane simulator, ropes course, and laser tag.

• Indoor Play
• Ages 4+
• ~3h
• Paid

Wilmington, NY

High Falls Gorge

Walkway-accessible waterfalls through an ancient Ausable River gorge. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. About an hour.

• Nature
• Ages 2+
• ~1h
• Paid