Stores and Restaurants:

Toys R Us Times Square A trip here is like visiting an amusement park. From the 60-feet Ferris wheel to the life-sized T-Rex dinosaur, there's plenty to keep your kids occupied for a while. Little ones will enjoy the train table and gigantic Barbie dollhouse.

Barnes & Noble A wonderful spot for reading new books and playing with toys. Several locations offer children's events such as storytime too.

Scholastic Store Sadly this store closed in January 2015

The Shops at Columbus Circle You can run around the large space, snack on delicious desserts at Bouchon Bakery, wander around the stores or eat/shop at Whole Foods Market.

The Apple Store Check out the latest Apple products, play computer games and even attend free workshops for kids.

IKEA Cheap! Ferry! Fun! Free! (unless you buy something) Kids love exploring the store and playing in the staged areas. And kids' meals in the restaurant are seriously cheap (and even free on Tuesdays).

Someplace Special in the Bronx. Great place for kids' haircuts and a warm spot to play in the winter. Open Sundays and Mondays only.

The Moxie Spot Unfortunately, Moxie spot closed in December 2014.

World Financial Center has lots of great restaurants and stores. Plus, they offer free arts programming for kids and adults. Can't beat that!

Books of Wonder Excellent place and educational at the same time. They have wonderful books, great staff, and lots of special events such as storytime and author signings. It's so cozy, warm and welcoming.

Play Spaces:

Unfortunately Wiggles & Giggles Playhouse no longer offers open play hours.

New York Public Library for parents and children alike. There are tons of family programs in addition to the free rentals of books, movies and CDs to keep us entertained.

City Treehouse This super-fun play space in Chelsea features a two-story treehouse, along with several water features for interactive play.

ACT Indoor Playstation A large gym with slides, balls and safe places to crawl for kids under 5. Plus, the open sessions are only $6 per child!

Astoria's awesome Kids Playhouse is one of the cheapest play spaces in NYC. It's spacious, clean and full of different activities to occupy kids of all ages. It's also a popular spot for birthday parties.

Museums and Cultural Programs:

The Discovery Room at American Museum of Natural History where the kids can touch and play with everything in the room, and get a behind-the-scenes look at science. They also have storytime for preschool age children.

Brooklyn Children's Museum My kids never want to leave with all the different things to discover at this museum! One of our favorites is the pizza parlor. There's also a special area just for kids under 5, with lots of interactive fun.

The Skyscraper Museum and Museum of American Finance are fun and a bit off the beaten track so they are usually less crowded than other popular museums.

Another favorite is the New York Transit Museum—my three sons are huge train fans and have spent hours exploring the vintage subway cars.

Guggenheim Our four-year-old son was just amazed with the structure and the art. We also really enjoyed all the kiddie activities they organized on Family Day!

Egyptian Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art One of our favorite spots at the Met. Mummies, tombs, fancy jewelry and a little bit of open space.

Madame Tussauds Check out your family's favorite celebrities at Times Square's wax museum.

New York Hall of Science A great place to hang out all day. We also love the outdoor playground in the summer.

New York Chinese Cultural Center This fabulous institution offers great family activities and events.

Dweck Center at Brooklyn Public Library for free public programs such as dance performances and children's theater.

FDNY Fire Zone Kids can climb on a fire truck, try on gear and learn all about fire safety from a real fireman at this hands-on exhibit.

The Forbes Galleries on Fifth Avenue at 12th Street. Malcolm Forbes' personal collection of 12,000 toy soldiers is enough to make kids go bonkers. And best of all? Admission is free!

The Children's Museum of the Arts is always great for indoor fun, especially the Ball Pond.

The YMCA offers many classes for kids such as swimming, dance and karate. Our family membership allows the adults and children to remain active with all the classes offered, as well as the gym. There are many locations throughout the city.

For more indoor fun, check out our Indoor Activity Guide.