We are thinking about going to Manhattan for a summer vacation. My nine year old son thinks it sounds boring.

Question

Can anyone recommend from personal experience fun places for kids other than the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building? Thanks!

Answer 1

First of all, the suggestions above are great, I give them my stamp of approval. Let me give you some more...let me see, fun class trips I've taken or places I've visited in Manhattan (or the rest of New York City)

-Zoos (Bronx, Central Park, Queens)
-Aquarium (Coney Island)
-The rest of Coney Island!! (The Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel, the rest of Astroland amusement park, the original Nathan's hot dogs, the boardwalk)
-The Museum of Natural History...even though the name might sound stuffy and boring, there's plenty of great stuff there. Quite a bit of hands-on stuff, though not as much as some museums. Still, highly recommended.
-I don't know why I thought of this, but the Sony Wonder Technology Lab is fun! All hands-on, it's great!
-The New York Hall of Science is a great museum, also very interactive. I always loved that place.
-There's also a Nintendo store around Rockefeller Center. I stopped in there randomly just for fun one day. It was almost a kid-in-a-candy-store moment.
-If he likes baseball, take him to a game! We have two teams, after all, our beloved Mets and that other team, the Yankees. Both parks are amazing to see a game in, especially historic Yankee Stadium. Both will be replaced starting in 2009. There's also the Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees minor league teams.
-Ride the buses, ride the subways. They're quick, cheap, convenient, and clean. I happen to think they're also fun.

Bottom line, I always loved places where I got to actually interact with stuff and move around. This city is right up there with the most exciting places on the planet, it truly is. I've traveled to almost every corner of this country, and there's no place like home. Heck, last time I visited Disney, I was about 2. And I still have no desire to go back. New York is a different ballgame. I still have fun just walking around midtown during a lunch break or whenever I have time.

As somebody who has lived in New York my whole life so far, and as someone whose mindset seems like it was about the same as that of your son when I was his age (I always had to be doing something, always keep myself occupied, not bored), I can guarantee that he will not be bored in New York. There truly is something for everyone. There's a reason so many people come here.

Enjoy it, it's a wonderful town!

Answer 2

Pier 17. It's on the East River. It one of the most photographed places on TV. So when you come home you can say "Hey we were there." It has the street musicians, 200 year old ships,and all that stuff. Then you can take this cigarette boat that they have modified to accommodate like 30 people and they flat fly up the Hudson around the Statue and pair up with another boat and they race back to their prospective docks. IT AIN'T BORING. The guys driving could be a little friendlier but Hey. If it's not a clear day DO NOT go in the Empire state Building. This the last year for Yankee Stadium. Tour the Stadium It's great even if you don't like baseball. Grey line tours was a blast. Central Station is amazing. Toys R Us. Bubba Gump is a cool place to eat in Time Square. Just get there a little before 12 noon. Get his Pix made with the Naked Cowboy. He isn't naked. Heck he isn't even a cowboy! Hershey's candy store.He isn't going to be bored. There's something about being around 10 million people who mostly are very nice.

Answer 3

He thinks it will be boring because he is only nine years old and doesn't know better.

Most kids love NYC as there is so much to see and do. You just need to take him to the Natural History Museum instead of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kids love to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, visit Times Square at night, walk Chinatown, visit the NY Zoo, most of central park is a kids playground and go to a Yankee or Mets game. There are a dozen other things for kids to do and see.

You are a good parent, this trip will be so much better for your kid than one to Orlando. This will stay with him forever, it will stimulate his mind and body. My kids still talk about their first trip to NYC, it was something special to them.

Answer 4

OMG I went there this past month! it is AMAZING! Actually, I am from a very small town, so yeah.....but it is fun, the only thing is that you should have a guide or someone because it is a VERY big place and easy to get lost in....but DEF NOT boring! Oh, and maybe get a hotel in New Jersey, cheaper and only about a 10 minute drive from the city =]

Answer 5

possibly getting a job at 18 years of age devoid of any coaching or skills isn't the ultimate element of do. He`ll finally end up working for the minimum salary flipping burgers or something like that. He could desire to bypass to post-secondary college and get some coaching and coaching which will qualify him for greater paying jobs. And it particularly is something he in all probability gained`t be able to do on his very own devoid of your help. I advise which you sit down with him and consult with him his plans for the destiny. enable him understand that once he turns 18 years of age, he will could desire to earn his very own shop. And if he doesn`t prefer to bypass to college, then he`ll could desire to get a job and pay for his very own expenditures, which includes housing. you anticipate your son to do something he has in no way performed before, it particularly is help himself. And he can use a sprint help and advice from you approximately the thank you to do it nicely.

Answer 6

OMG!
Manhattan!
You're going to love it there.
I'm sure your son will too.
You just have to convince or drag him there and eventually he will like it in the end.
Go to the site below and plan out the trip to make the best of it.

Answer 7

9 is a tough age. Disney is their speed. Having raised children, if they wish to be bored, they will.

BTW Pierre says that New Yorkers are rude. It is true that New Yorkers tend to tell it like it is, however they are only rude to obnoxious morons. Sound familiar Pierre

Answer 8

FAO Schwartz on 5th Avenue - the world largest toy store.

Answer 9

Chinatown.

Answer 10

why would you go to a place like that? Rudest people in the world. I don't understand people I guess.