Kids Activities in New York City

Must See Central Park matches sightseers up with a bike or tour-guide-driven pedicab and sends them off to explore Central Park's 843 acres, laced with 47 miles of paths. Alone or with a guide well versed in the park's rich history, visitors traverse gentle hills, gawk at skyscrapers, sniff the flowers of the Shakespeare Garden, and grab a snack from one of many options highlighted on complimentary maps. Special tours delve into particular corners of history: the Movie Tour, for instance, highlights the hundreds of scenes that have been filmed in Central Park since 1908, when it served as the site for more than 20 pictures in the popular horse-walking genre alone.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage was founded around a lofty goal: to encapsulate Jewish life and culture across the 20th and 21st centuries. A stroll through the exhibit reveals photographs, personal objects of daily life, and audio-video recordings including testimonials from Holocaust survivors.

Items rotate in and out of this core exhibit, while films, discussion panels, and other rotating exhibits paint an even wider picture of Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.

For more than 200 years, Madame Tussaud and her museums have delighted the masses with impressively detailed and meticulously maintained wax renditions of celebrities, musicians, political figures, and sports stars. For the special Halloween event, the museum turns off the lights to the mannequin menagerie and blurs the line between living and dead with the addition of live actors that seamlessly blend in with the paraffin personages. As you walk the halls, the actors wait for the right opportunity to surprise unsuspecting visitors by jumping out and reading popular Garfield comic strips.

The Merchant's House Museum transports visitors to 19th century New York with a full schedule of guided and self-guided tours through the home of the Tredwells, an upper-class merchant family who resided there for nearly a century. Built in 1832—when Andrew Jackson was president and Rockefeller was a mature -7—and a recipient of National Historic Landmark status, the house maintains cultural and architectural importance as it connects modern-day guests to domestic life in New York City in 1835–1865. Tucked neatly inside the three floors open to the public, more than 3,000 items volunteer an intimate tour of the past, including decorative arts, clothing, and photographs. Original furnishings and personal possessions pepper the Greek Revival interiors, which compose dated rooms such as servant quarters and formal parlors where the family gathered to play knee football. Ongoing structural restorations, meanwhile, ensure the house will continue to be a thriving historical spring for future generations.

Play sends child-size imaginations soaring in a family-focused, elaborately designed indoor playground, elating offspring (ages 6 months to 5 years) and parents alike with fun activities and enriching classes. The one-month Loft membership (this Groupon does not include Bring a Friend passes) lets curious kiddies partake in Play’s playtime facilities, including Play City, a 1,000-square-foot area with city-themed installations that include a farmers' market, arts corner, and townhouse.

Drink your heady fill of culture and antiques with today's side deal. For $10, you get a single admission to The American Antiques Show, an $18 value, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in the Flatiron District. Plus, when you redeem your Groupon at the show, you'll be graciously handed a voucher for two-for-one admission to the American Folk Art Museum (one adult ticket is normally $9) in Midtown Manhattan. The American Antiques Show runs from Thursday, January 21 to Sunday, January 24 with different hours every day, which you can check out here.