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Best Things To Do in NYC with Teens

1. Teen Nights at Local Museums

While most NYC museums are great destinations for teens, especially during FREE visiting hours, a few go out of their way to appeal to adolescents by hosting special teen nights—no adults or kid siblings allowed. These FREE gatherings are organized with input from teens and feature age-appropriate art projects, immersive multidisciplinary experiences, DJs, and dancing.

The Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design have annual teen nights. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney host more frequent teen activities, often organized by peers.

It's worth checking each museum's calendar since they all offer regular programs for teens, like sketching, open art studios, and movie nights—most are FREE.

2. Arts Connection

For teens who have an artistic bent, ArtsConnection offers a diverse array of programming specifically for teens, including opportunities to attend art and theater shows, meet artists and professionals, workshops, internships, and teen nights. All programs are FREE for NYC teens.

3. See Broadway Shows and Live Theater on the Cheap

If your teen wants Broadway tickets, high schoolers can apply for a Theatre Development Fund membership, which comes with access to deeply discounted seats for theater, music, and dance performances.

It's also worth knowing about the rush policy for Broadway shows, where kids with time on their hands can score last-minute seats.

4. Star in Theater for Teens, by Teens

If your teen is more interested in getting on stage than watching from the audience, check out the Firebird Youth Theater. Founded in 2013 by a committed group of talented NYC teens, the award-winning company presents one full-fledged, off-Broadway production a year, starring and directed by youngsters. Register now for several programs including play writing, acting workshops, and more.

5. Attend an All-Ages Open Mic Night

Little Island is a cool place to hang, and select summer Fridays are Teen Night, where big kids take over The Glade to showcase their talents.

For a wider audience consider letting your kid register for one of the shows at the venerable Nuyorican Poets Café. All are open to all ages, which means, of course, plenty of adult language but probably nothing that scares a teen. Note that the cafe is currently undergoing renovations, so programming has moved off-site to various venues in the Lower East Side.

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Fly through the air at Circus Academy New York. Photo by the author

6. Join the Circus

Teens don't need to actually join the circus to take trapeze, aerial, and trampoline classes at Circus Academy New York. The beginner flying trapeze classes are a great way to try something unique and thrilling. Circus Academy New York offers a full youth program for teens who want to delve a little more deeply into the world of acrobats, jugglers, and aerial artists. Classes are held at its outdoor location on the rooftop of Pier 40 in Manhattan and indoors in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

7. Chill at a YMCA Teen Center

Families already know the city's many YMCAs offer classes and programs for all ages. But did you know that approximately 30 local branches have Teen Centers where high schoolers can go to play pool, pingpong, video games, a variety of sports, make art, learn computer coding, get homework help and college application assistance, or hang out with their peers under the watchful eye of understanding adults? Well, it's true, and it's FREE, too. Contact your local branch to learn about specific Teen Center hours and offerings, as they vary by location. Registration usually has to be done in person with a parent or guardian present.

8. Play Old-School Video Games at an Arcade

Back when I was a teen, there were arcades all over the city where I could play Pac-Man. These days, there seem to be more gaming bars, and teens can't go to those. However, there are a few old-school video game havens that are great for minors, so tell them to skip Times Square's touristy Dave & Buster's and head down to Chinatown Fair. This longtime arcade bursts with teens who seem to love its slightly seedy vibe and games like Ultra Street Fighter, Dance Dance Revolution, and pop-a-shot.

9. Go Bowling and Beyond

There are a lot of bowling alleys in NYC that welcome teens. But the state-of-the-art Bowlero Chelsea Piers offers so much more, including pingpong and arcade games. Teens are welcome until 8pm when it becomes 21 and over. Warning: They'll most likely blow an entire month's allowance here.

10. Conquer Escape Rooms

Escape rooms offer the chance for teens to gather with their friends and embark on exciting and fun challenges. There are several escape rooms in NYC with different themed rooms, puzzles, and obstacles. At Beat the Bomb, where escape rooms are integrated with gaming technology, participants wear hazmat suits and try to defuse a bomb—and if they fail, they get blasted with paint.

11. Go Beyond the Stacks at the Library

Many branches in NYC's three library systems—the New York Public Library in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island; the Queens Library; and the Brooklyn Public Library—host FREE classes and programs just for teens regularly. They range from the casual, like movie screenings, clubs, and homework help, to big special events like NYPL's popular and FREE Anti-Prom every June, which always has a wild lit theme and edgy entertainment. Even if your teen hasn't been to the library in years, it's worth perusing the calendar of your local branch to see what it offers for adolescents. All three systems have teen-centric info pages on their respective websites.

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Meet new people, think, strategize, and...interact through board games! Photo courtesy of The Brooklyn Strategist

12. Go Analog at a Board Game Cafe

Want to make the teens ditch the screens altogether? Send them to a board game cafe.

The Brooklyn Strategist hosts workshops and drop-in open-play sessions for an hourly fee. Gamestoria boasts a full calendar of collaborative games, too. The Uncommons, in Greenwich Village, lets you choose from a vast on-site collection. Hex & Co now has a trio of locations.

There's also Brooklyn Game Lab, which offers after-school games, summer sessions, and Saturday Night hangouts, where middle and high school kids can play Dungeons & Dragons with a master.

13. Embark on an Adventure

Send your teens and their crew to Area 53 NYC. These action-packed entertainment centers are great for a group and offer tons of activities to choose from. With locations in Williamsburg and Dumbo, teens can tackle everything from ropes courses to laser tag, paintball, mazes, climbing walls, air hockey, and more.

14. Get Physical with Parkour and Ninja Warrior Classes

If your teen has ever wanted to try parkour, in which participants treat our city like one big obstacle course, The Movement Creative offers outdoor youth classes in Central Park and other NYC locations. Parkour is challenging, exhilarating, and a great way to burn off teen energy.

For more physical activities, similar to parkour, teens can try out ninja warrior classes at New York Ninja Academy, Brooklyn Ninja Academy, and Ferox Ninja Park.

15. Cruise a Serious Skate Park

Teens can hang out in any of NYC's myriad parks and maybe even a big-kid-friendly playground. But, for teens who like to Rollerblade or skateboard, NYC's many outdoor skate parks are a great option. They're all FREE and filled with teens and young adults—you rarely see anyone under 10 or over 30. Note that, officially, all public skate parks require a signed parental waiver, plus protective gear like helmets, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards for anyone under age 18. That said, we've seen many New York City teens skating without any of that, so make sure you go over your own rules with your kids before they head out.

16. Go Rock Climbing

If your kid would prefer to climb walls instead of hopping over them, consider sending them to one of these kid-friendly rock-climbing spots. Those that are particularly teen-friendly include Brooklyn Boulders Teen Academy and the summer teen program at Movement Gowanus (formerly The Cliffs). Brooklyn's newest rock-climbing gym The Brooklyn Bouldering Project also has a robust teen program.

17. Explore a New Neighborhood

Chinatown, the East Village, Dumbo, and more—NYC is filled with fascinating neighborhoods to explore. But if we have to pick the best area for teens to check out, it's Coney Island. Its warm-weather attractions are adolescent catnip—the beach, the thrilling amusement park rides, and the glorious junk food. But it's an intriguing destination even in the off-season, especially if you add the nearby Russian enclave of Brighton Beach to your itinerary. It's like taking a trip to another country for the price of a MetroCard swipe.

Originally published in March 2016. Raven Snook contributed additional reporting.