Midtown West Kids Neighborhood Guide

Great playgrounds aren't the first thing you picture when you think about Midtown West. However, if you move away from Times Square and roam the side streets, you'll be surprised at how many parks and playgrounds you'll find.

Of course Midtown West's most famous green space is Bryant Park, and we could easily do an entire post on all of the cool things for kids there, from the carousel to the seasonal ice-skating rink. The one thing it doesn't have? A playground. As we conclude our month-long focus on Midtown West, we take a look at our top five outdoor romping spots in the area, from small local playgrounds to amenity-filled multiacre parks to a public plaza with an iconic Tom Otterness play structure. You can find all of our posts about the neighborhood in our Midtown West Kids Guide including our roundup of indoor places to play.

Our spring culture coverage continues with a look at the most promising family shows opening this season. Reading the papers, you might think the only great productions for kids are on Broadway. But while Matilda (it's dark!) and Cinderella (it's light!) command the media spotlight and cost big bucks, there are many wonderfully creative children's theater performances off Broadway and beyond.

The selection this spring is particularly intriguing and there are options for all age groups, including a few shows that are perfect for first-time theatergoers. The New Victory has a pair of plotless spectacles, one acrobatic, the other urban dance, and Making Books Sing and TADA! Youth Theater are adapting popular kids' books by Eileen Spinelli and Ezra Jack Keats. Plus the New York Children's Theater Festival returns for its second year on the Upper West Side, and the tenth annual International Toy Theater Festival takes place in Brooklyn. The one thing all of these shows have in common? You can take the kids to see them without dipping into their college fund—most are $20 or under and one is even FREE.

While there are a ton of family-friendly NYC boat tours, there are, surprisingly, only a handful of companies that have cruises that cater specifically to kids. Both the Circle Line, which launched its Kids' Cruise series in 2012, and Kiddie Cruises offer regularly scheduled seasonal boat trips in New York Harbor that feature kids' entertainment and activities in addition to stunning views. And a few other companies offer boats for charter, in case you're in the market for a private party on the high seas (a.k.a. the Hudson River).

The pay-per-kid party packages include all of the usual fun like face painting, live music and magicians, plus a couple of extra bells and whistles. All you need to do is book in advance, climb the gangplank with your crew and bring along a cake.