Museums with free admission, libraries, nature centers, pools, free classes and shows across all five boroughs — every listing costs nothing to attend. 552 listings.
182 listings
A small free gallery on the third floor of the Arsenal, NYC Parks' headquarters inside Central Park near the zoo. Rotating shows often explore nature, parks and the city, making it an easy art stop during a Central Park outing.
A free Saturday visual arts program for New York City public high school students, held on Cooper Union's East Village campus. Teens take studio classes in drawing, painting, design and more, with portfolio courses for juniors and seniors heading to art school.
The Beaux-Arts train station where kids can spot constellations on the Main Concourse ceiling, test the Whispering Gallery and watch trains come and go. Official 90-minute guided tours explore hidden corners.
Harlem Stage opens its Gatehouse venue for a free Saturday of live children's music and performance by well-known kids' artists, paired with an outdoor book fair where families can pick up free books. During the school year the organization also runs student matinees with pre-show workshops and artist Q&As.
The children's room on the ground floor of the landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, stocked with picture books, chapter books, audiobooks and kid-only computers. It hosts story times, music and theater performances, and visits from authors and illustrators.
A public rooftop lawn on a restored pier with wide Hudson River views and family-friendly events like outdoor film screenings. Downstairs, the Market 57 food hall and educational spaces with a Discovery Tank round out a visit.
A public park built on an old elevated rail line, where families stroll through gardens, public art and overlooks above the West Side streets. Free docent-led tours and seasonal family programs run through the year.
A small Battery Park City museum about tall buildings, with models, photos and exhibits on how skyscrapers are designed and built. Great for kids fascinated by the city skyline and construction.
An indoor food and shopping arcade in a historic factory building, where families can graze on pizza, gelato and more. It hosts seasonal events such as Halloween trick-or-treating with free face painting.
126 listings
Bedford Library is a neighborhood branch where Bedford-Stuyvesant children can sit and read, check out books and media on a free card, and join regularly scheduled kids' programs. Programs for young children and school-age kids have included Story Play, Saturday Storytime, Kids Create and Sensory Playtime. The branch is also open Sunday afternoons, which is handy for weekend visits.
Little ones and school-age kids in Prospect Heights can browse the picture-book and early-reader shelves at Brooklyn Central Library, borrow games and use the computers after school. The weekly lineup has recently included Saturday Storytime, DIY Fridays and Read With a Therapy Dog. The building also has a separate Teen Center, and it stays open later than most branches.
A sprawling 19th-century landscape of hills, ponds and monuments where families can wander, spot birds and hunt for famous graves using a free mobile guide. Guided walking tours, two-hour historic trolley tours and events like the August Battle of Brooklyn re-enactment add to the history lesson.
Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center is a neighborhood branch where Greenpoint children can sit and read, check out books and media on a free card, and join regularly scheduled kids' programs. The weekly lineup has recently included Sensory Garden Hour, Read and Play, K-8 Homework Help and Sunset Storytime. The rebuilt branch doubles as an environmental education center with indoor and outdoor learning spaces, and it opens Sunday afternoons.
Macon Library gives Bedford-Stuyvesant families a free indoor stop with a kids' collection that runs from baby board books to middle-grade novels. The weekly lineup has recently included Macon Storytime, Saturday Storytime, DUPLO Lego Time and Arts and Crafts. The 1907 Carnegie building is one of Brooklyn's best-preserved and houses a center for African American heritage; it also opens Sunday afternoons.
The children's area at Adams Street Library stocks board books, picture books and chapter books for DUMBO kids, with computers and table space for after-school reading and homework. The weekly lineup has recently included Babies and Books lapsit and Toddler Time. Opened in a converted factory building a short walk from Brooklyn Bridge Park, it is the newest branch BPL has built in decades.
An 85-acre waterfront park along 1.3 miles of the East River, with big playgrounds at Pier 6, sports courts, lawns and pebbly beaches facing the Manhattan skyline. Hundreds of free programs a year include kids' nature education, bike lessons and outdoor movies.
Cortelyou Library gives Ditmas Park families a free indoor stop with a kids' collection that runs from baby board books to middle-grade novels. The weekly lineup has recently included Choo Choo Train Time, Toddler Time, Story Play and Kids Create.
At DeKalb Library, the youth collection covers everything from lap-sized board books to graphic novels, and the space doubles as a quiet after-school spot for Bushwick students. Programs for young children and school-age kids have included Story Play, Book Adventures and Kids Tech Time. Note that the elevator has been temporarily out of service.
113 listings
Little ones and school-age kids in Hunters Point can browse the picture-book and early-reader shelves at Hunters Point Library, borrow games and use the computers after school. Programs for young children and school-age kids have included Toddler Time, Family Fun and Crafternoon. The striking waterfront building sits next to Gantry Plaza State Park and opens on Sundays.
Little ones and school-age kids in Jamaica can browse the picture-book and early-reader shelves at Queens Central Library, borrow games and use the computers after school. The weekly lineup has recently included bilingual storytimes, STEM activities, crafts and video game hours. Its Children's Library Discovery Center mixes a kids' library with hands-on science and math exhibits, and the building opens on Sundays.
Briarwood Library is a neighborhood branch where Briarwood children can sit and read, check out books and media on a free card, and join regularly scheduled kids' programs. The weekly lineup has recently included Lego Club and Arts & Crafts.
Little ones and school-age kids in Elmhurst can browse the picture-book and early-reader shelves at Elmhurst Library, borrow games and use the computers after school. Recurring kids' programs lately have included Mother Goose Time infants, PreK & Kindergarten Storytime, Wacky Adventures STEAM for school-age and Tween Time.
At Flushing Library, the youth collection covers everything from lap-sized board books to graphic novels, and the space doubles as a quiet after-school spot for Flushing students. Programs for young children and school-age kids have included storytime & craft events and hands-on crafts. This is one of the busiest branches in the Queens system, with large collections in several languages, and it opens Sundays.
At Hillcrest Library, the youth collection covers everything from lap-sized board books to graphic novels, and the space doubles as a quiet after-school spot for Hillcrest students. The weekly lineup has recently included Toddler Time, Toddler Play Time, Family Storytime and Crafternoon.
Over 12,000 acres of water, salt marsh and upland habitat in Jamaica Bay that form one of the Northeast's largest bird habitats. Families walk the pond trails from the visitor center to spot egrets, ospreys and migrating shorebirds.
The children's area at Langston Hughes Library stocks board books, picture books and chapter books for Corona kids, with computers and table space for after-school reading and homework. Current calendar offerings for kids include Storytime in Spanish, After-School Storytime and Craft and STEM & crafts. The branch is home to a well-known Black heritage reference center.
McGoldrick Library gives Flushing families a free indoor stop with a kids' collection that runs from baby board books to middle-grade novels. The weekly lineup has recently included Toddler Storytime, Picture Book Time, Game Time and Toddler Fun Time.
80 listings
Teens drop in to use 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers and electronics gear, get hands-on help with robotics team builds, and join workshops in coding, fabrication and engineering. Membership is free and grants walk-in access during open hours.
Free youth tennis instruction on public park courts, with coaches teaching strokes, footwork and match play. Rackets are provided for beginners.
Crotona Park in Crotona Park has a big Olympic-size outdoor pool. Kids can splash and swim for free during the summer season, and NYC Parks often runs free Learn to Swim sessions at outdoor pools. Bring a padlock and swimwear.
The Bronx's only public beach, a crescent of sand on Long Island Sound inside Pelham Bay Park, with a playground, promenade and a seasonal nature center.
The city's largest park at nearly 2,800 acres, with Orchard Beach, salt marshes, forests, rocky shoreline on Hunter and Twin Islands, and a seasonal nature center. Families come for beach days, hiking and wildlife spotting.
A historic Bronx center with a gym, game room with billiard tables, and youth programs. Young members can play pickup games, join sports clinics, and take part in arts and enrichment programs offered each season.
A South Bronx center with an indoor pool, gym, and youth media classes. Kids and teens with a Parks youth membership use the gym and activity rooms, and staff run after-school, sports, and arts programming for school-age children.
Barretto Point Park in Hunts Point has a lap pool built into a barge moored on the East River. Kids can splash and swim for free during the summer season, and NYC Parks often runs free Learn to Swim sessions at outdoor pools. Bring a padlock and swimwear.
A 1,146-acre Bronx park with forests, a lake, freshwater marsh, a historic house and miles of trails including the John Muir Trail. Kids can join ranger programs at the nature center and hike to the old Croton Aqueduct structures.
51 listings
A historic military site at the Staten Island foot of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, with a visitor center, fort ruins and views across the Narrows. Kids can explore old batteries and watch ships pass under the bridge.
The hub of Staten Island's 2,800-acre Greenbelt, with nature exhibits and trailheads into LaTourette Park's woods and wetlands. Families join guided hikes and nature programs or head out on the Blue Trail.
A 193-acre Staten Island park with a chain of lakes, rowboat rentals in season, woodland trails and a playground, right next to the Staten Island Zoo.
A North Shore center beside Faber Park and its outdoor pool. Kids and teens with a Parks youth membership use the gym and activity rooms, and staff run after-school, sports, and arts programming for school-age children.
A former landfill on Staten Island being transformed into a park nearly three times the size of Central Park. North Park, Schmul Park and the New Springville Greenway are open, and families can explore the interior grasslands and creeks on scheduled tours and programs.
Lyons Pool in Tompkinsville has a big Olympic-size outdoor pool. Kids can splash and swim for free during the summer season, and NYC Parks often runs free Learn to Swim sessions at outdoor pools. Bring a padlock and swimwear.
A South Shore Staten Island park that combines a Raritan Bay beach with woods, a freshwater pond, playgrounds and trails, making it an easy mix of beach and nature day.
A 260-acre state preserve of ponds, wetlands, sandy barrens and woodland on Staten Island's west shore. The interpretive center has wildlife specimens and runs free nature walks, pond studies, bird walks and Tot Time for little ones.
Faber Pool and Park in Port Richmond has a large outdoor pool. Kids can splash and swim for free during the summer season, and NYC Parks often runs free Learn to Swim sessions at outdoor pools. Bring a padlock and swimwear.
27 museums in this guide are free to enter, including The Skyscraper Museum, MoMA PS1, 81st Street Studio at The Met.
8 free classes and programs meet on a regular schedule, such as NYC FIRST STEM Center @ Andrew Freedman Home, Powerhouse Arts Crafternoons, Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse.
552 listings: Manhattan (182), Brooklyn (126), Queens (113), the Bronx (80), Staten Island (51).