Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
“Mommy! Are those real rocket ships?”
Rounding the corner into the driveway of the New York Hall of Science, my preschooler lost her mind. You can’t climb the rockets, but yes, they are very tall, very real, and clearly, very exciting.
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You know you’re going to a museum about Broadway when you have to buy your ticket through Telecharge, and you pay a $4 service charge plus tax for the privilege! That said, I’ve wanted to go since I heard this was opening. I brought a friend who grew up in the area and is a huge Broadway fan, with stories going back decades. Should you visit the Museum of Broadway with kids? Read on.
The Museum of Broadway opened in November 2022, and it is on 45th Street, just off Times Square. It’s across the street from RISE, another newcomer to the tourist scene.
The Edward Hopper exhibit is only at the Whitney Museum in NYC through March 5, 2023. Don’t miss it! You still have a few weekends left. If you want to visit the Hopper at the Whitney with kids, here’s what you’ll find.
Don’t forget to pick up the lovely activity guide for kids to do at the exhibit. The book will keep them more interested, with opportunities to sketch and to look at the artwork with information aimed at their age level. We saw the booklets at the coat check, but I’m sure they have them elsewhere too.
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I admit to seeing the Pinocchio exhibit at MOMA before seeing the movie. I wish I did the reverse, but the exhibit really brought home how much work went into the movie-making and I think I watched it (in awe) the next night.
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We visited the Whitney Biennial shortly after it opened. It will be there through September 5, so there is time to go! Should you go to the Whitney Biennial with kids?
It’s nice to be able to travel again! We spent a weekend in Philadelphia. If you missed our series a while back about Philadelphia for families, check it out. There’s a lot you can cover in a day or two. Here are some ideas: Federal Donuts, the Constitution Museum, Reading Terminal Market, and the Museum of Illusions.
For weekend in Philadelphia breakfast, head to Federal Donuts. There are a bunch throughout the city.
We visited Storm King this summer, having visited it in 2013. Given the COVID situation, it was time for an updated blog post, visiting Storm King during the pandemic. Keep in mind that the situation is always changing, so please check the Storm King website before you go.
I had no idea that NYC had a dog museum. I found out because the Smithsonian Free Museum Day included this as an option, so I had to check it out. The AKC (American Kennel Club) Museum of the Dog “preserves, interprets and celebrates the role of dogs in society and educates the public about the human-canine bond through its collection of art and exhibits…”
Broadway is back! See our post about what that looks like. Even though Broadway is back, those affected by the theater are still trying to survive. We went for a drink at Beer Culture after the Lion King and the bartender told us that they’re at about 30% of volume. They’re hoping that with Broadway coming back, their business will improve as well.
Other industries are hurting as well, including costume designers. The Showstoppers: Spectacular Costumes from Stage and Screen show was created to raise money for those costume makers who were unable to work during the 18 month shutdown. The Costume Industry Coalition formed in May 2020 and started a recovery fund for its members, which includes 55 independent businesses and hundreds of artisans in and around NYC. These are the people who create the costumes for live and recorded shows. The exhibition designer, Thinc Designs, donated their efforts. Designers lost $26.6 million in gross revenue from the pandemic in 2020 (up to $35 million by now in 2021). The show was put together in 3.5 months, where a show like this would normally take two years. Here is our review: Showstoppers NYC.
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Should you go to the National World War II Museum with kids ?
New Orleans isn’t a city you generally think of when you think of World War II. But the city is home to the country’s official WWII museum. Why? Because the Higgins boats were made here. These boats were credited with winning the war (according to President Eisenhower), because without the boats that could land over ocean beaches, they’d have to rethink the entire war strategy. In September 1943, more than 92% of the U.S. Navy boats (12,964 of 14,072) were designed by Higgins Industries, and 8,865 were built in New Orleans. By the end of the war, about 20,000 boats were built in New Orleans at 7 Higgins plants.
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