Arcade

An indoor water park kept at about 84 degrees year-round, which makes February and August equally irrelevant. Body slides, tube slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a giant tipping bucket play structure cover everyone from toddlers to teens. Water park access is included with an overnight stay and this is the whole reason families book it. Beyond the water there is a MagiQuest wand game through the hotel hallways, an arcade, and a ropes course. It is not cheap but it is genuinely weatherproof and one stay usually kills two full days.

A walk through the entire history of video games from Pong to modern consoles, with a huge amount of it playable rather than behind glass. The recreated 1980s arcade is set to free play so kids can hammer the cabinets without feeding quarters. A living-room setup from each decade lets parents show kids exactly what they grew up on, which is the real draw here for millennial families. There is a giant playable Pong and a wall of consoles in chronological order. Older kids and teens who normally hate museums genuinely like this one.

The best indoor family destination in upstate New York, full stop, and worth a drive from anywhere in the state. It is enormous: a walk-through Sesame Street set, a full arcade with classic cabinets, a butterfly garden, a working carousel, a Berenstain Bears house and the National Toy Hall of Fame. The 2023 expansion added a whole neighbourhood of new play worlds and an indoor skyline bridge. Older kids and teens stay engaged through the video game history halls while toddlers have their own zones. Budget a full day and expect to still miss things.