Ridgewood

Get Out and Drop In! Best Queens Play Spaces and Gyms for Kids

Submitted by Kelly O on Wed, 02/13/2019 - 9:15am

From Queens' formerly industrial waterfront to deep in the borough, family-friendly spots and amenities are on the upswing. There are wide-open spaces to run with abandon, playgrounds aplenty, and indoor play spaces with open play hours are strong in number: In fact, Queens has more indoor play zones than Manhattan and is gaining on Brooklyn.

We found 20+ indoor romping locations in the borough that offer drop-in sessions open to the public (no membership required). Bonus: All of these spots host birthday parties, too, and most are much more affordable than their Manhattan competitors.

Indoor Play Spots for NYC Toddlers with Weekend Hours

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Fri, 01/18/2019 - 8:50am

Indoor play spots are an essential resource for NYC families with young children (and limited square feet) as temperatures begin a steady decline into winter. Unfortunately, so many of the city's indoor play spots are limited to weekday hours. That's great for caregivers Monday through Friday, but mom and dad are left out in the cold, scrambling to fill up those chilly fall, rainy spring or snowy winter weekends with their preschoolers in other ways.

Luckily, we've uncovered over two dozen fantastic play spaces that get it, and are keeping weekend, drop-in play hours for kids, no membership required. All include playthings sized just right for the little ones, including for babies in many instances. They are stroller-friendly and equipped with changing stations, making them no-fuss options for the toddler squad.

19 Indoor Party Spots with Mega Playgrounds for NYC Kids' Birthdays

Submitted by Maureen Wilkey on Mon, 11/05/2018 - 2:15pm

For parents of winter babies, we feel your pain when it comes to birthday party options. While summer baby parents have both indoor and outdoor options (the park! the pool!), those of us with children born in colder months (or even fall and early spring), need to find a space where kids can run off all that pizza-and-cake energy. Enter: mega play spaces.

From bounce houses and trampolines to arcade-packed game spaces, these wide-open spaces give all pint-sized guests a chance to run free. Check out our top picks below—and start booking now.

Free NYC Halloween Parades for Kids

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Sun, 10/07/2018 - 3:00pm

Everyone loves a parade, but there's nothing quite like a neighborhood Halloween parade. While families with older kids may venture out to the iconic Village Halloween Parade on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, it can be pretty scary—it's always insanely crowded and loud, and many of the costumes are risque, gory, or in poor taste. If your children aren't up for that big Hallow-baloo, there are plenty of smaller, kid-friendly NYC neighborhood parades in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, including the Ragamuffin Parade in Bay Ridge, the mega Jackson Heights parade, the famed Park Slope march, and a G-rated Village parade for little ones.

We've rounded up community-driven Halloween processions for families to watch or march in, most of which are FREE. If you don't live in a great trick-or-treating area, these parades are a wonderful way to hunt for candy in another neighborhood. Find even more seasonal happenings in our Halloween Fun Guide.

Laser Bounce Opens Indoor Amusement Park and Arcade in Queens

Submitted by Sydney Ng on Fri, 03/23/2018 - 11:08am

With the popularity of Netflix’s Stranger Things and nerd-comeback, I’m excited to see a resurgence in my childhood favorite hangout: the arcade. There are plenty across NYC, serving up everything from skee-ball to racing games, but we’re happy to introduce Queens’ latest addition.

Laser Bounce joined The Shops at Atlas Park, in Glendale, in February 2018. This is the second Laser Bounce location in the area; the original is located in Levittown, Long Island.

5 Must-Try Laser Tag and Paintball Arenas for NYC Kids

Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on Sun, 08/13/2017 - 10:00am

Are your big kids bored of bowling? Not quite ready for the zip line? Consider laser tag or paintball, both fun party options and action-fueled activities you can find right here in NYC.

For the uninitiated, laser tag is a high-energy game of tag meets hide-and-seek that’s played with infrared laser guns in a darkened arena. Paintball pelts participants with small dye pellets. The object of both games: Get to your opponents before they get to you out by strategically shooting, running, and hiding from cover to cover. Don't worry, the laser guns emit harmless, invisible rays that register a "kill" by lighting up a spot on your adversaries' vests and paintball pellets might sting for a few seconds, but there's no long-lasting effects.

Check out one of these five fast and furious laser tag and paintball spots.

The Best Playgrounds in Queens

Submitted by Sydney Ng on Thu, 05/25/2017 - 3:45pm

Although every pocket and corner of Queens has a neighborhood playground (we frequent Playground Thirty-Five multiple times a week), we’ve taken the time to scout the cream of the crop for NYC kids. From Astoria to the Rockaways, with rope spider webs to kid-sized Ferris wheels, these parks offer clean, safe equipment with innovative and fun details that go beyond the metallic jungle gyms of the past.

Looking to make more of a splash? Check out our roundup on top water playgrounds in Queens, or find more playgrounds across the five boroughs in our NYC Parks & Playgrounds guide.

Queens Sensory Gyms for Kids with Disabilities

Submitted by Fiona Taylor on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 11:00am

Sensory gyms are a great resource for children with special needs or a developmental delay or concern. The specialized play equipment entertains as it provides treatment, and it's often a supportive environment for families, too. While there are many activities parents and children can do at home, a sensory gym offers equipment not usually available in a New York City apartment. Some facilities even offer time with trained therapists.

Queens doesn't have as many sensory gyms as Manhattan or Brooklyn, so it can be difficult to find quality classes or even an indoor play space where kids can play safely with other youngsters. It does, however, have a growing number of well-equipped gyms run by experienced therapists; we rounded up six for you below.

Play Retro Video Games at NYC Museums and Family Arcades

Submitted by Andy Fenwick on Mon, 03/20/2017 - 2:00pm

Does it bother you that your kids don't know all four of the ghosts in Pac-Man (say it with me: Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde), or all the characters in Mortal Combat, or what the game Asteroids even is? We're here for you. We've found a handful of old-fashioned family-friendly arcades around NYC, some straddling the line between retro and cutting-edge video games.

Of course, you can also find arcade games at Chuck E. Cheese's and Dave & Buster's. Check out our roundup of more birthday-oriented video game spots with laser tag and cheesy pizza for more of these game fun zones. You can also find small arcades at many of the city's bowling alleys.

But consider one of the retro spots below if you're in the market for some parental nostalgia and old-school family fun.

Pop-Up Collaborative Art Studio Opens for Kids in Queens

Submitted by Rachel Sokol on Wed, 03/08/2017 - 10:30am

Inside a 4,000-square-foot studio at the Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale, Queens, Frank Kiernan, a father of two, recently opened a pop-up printmaking workshop for kids. An extension of his professional printing business, LittlePulp, preview workshops were held recently for kids as young as 4. Each 2.5-hour session led by Kiernan and assistants focused on collaborative art, teamwork and, of course, printmaking. Read on to learn more, and if you're looking for more Queens kids' play spaces, we've rounded up the top ones.