A Day at the Children's Museum of Manhattan

I previously wrote about children's museums in Connecticut and in Philadelphia, but on Saturday my wife and I took our two year old daughter to one in our own backyard, the Children's Museum of Manhattan.  It is typically open 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. but on Saturdays it has extended hours until 7 p.m.  The admission price of $11 is a very good value considering there are 5 floors of fun attractions to keep both the little ones and the grown-ups amused.

If public transportation isn't an option, be warned that parking is horrendous, as can be expected.  We couldn't get in to the recommended discounted garage, and there was no street parking to be found, of course, so we ended up parking in a pricey garage right across the street.  That was the only negative of an otherwise very positive day.

We grabbed a bite to eat first.  There are a lot of great family friendly places around there.  We chose Caesar's Palace Pizza.  Usually, I despise Manhattan pizza since it never comes close to the pizza of the outer boroughs, but this one was pretty good.

We then went to the museum and got our money's worth by spending half the day there.  My wife and I ended up more exhausted than our little girl, who was a bundle of energy and happiness throughout our visit.  Here's a picture of her saving a baby jaguar with one of her heroes, Diego.

It was part of an entire floor dedicated to Go, Diego, Go and Dora the Explorer.  Kids can cross bridges, peer through telescopes, pull ropes to make giant butterflies move overhead, zoom down slides, interact with a bunch of displays, push buttons to hear music, gaze at themselves in mirrored walls, and more.

Other floors included other engaging exhibits: EatSleepPlay (which was praised by First Lady Michelle Obama for its interactive exercises to promote good health); PlayWorks, with firetrucks, a hungry dragon, giant building blocks, tunnels and slides, and other activities; and America's Parade, a visual celebration of 85 years of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  There was storytelling and a sing-a-long.  The outdoor City Splash exhibit was closed for the season, but there was still plenty to do to keep us occupied for hours.

If you're in the Big Apple and looking for something entertaining and educational to do with your babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and other young'uns, check out the Children's Museum of Manhattan.