How To Have A Tonne Of Fun In New York Without Breaking The Bank!

5 Things That Are Crazy Cheap For Kids In New York!

A visit to New York can be an amazing adventure for any family.  With a wonderland of sights that can make you feel like you’re on a giant movie set, New York is full of great places to discover.

New York doesn’t have to be the holiday destination that breaks the bank.  With a little bit of forethought, planning and searching for cheap deals you can have a great time with your kids and still have a few dollars left over.

To get you started here’s 5 things that are crazy cheap when you’re in New York with kids:

1. Pizza!  Yes, the humble pizza is amazingly cheap on the streets of New York.  On dozens of street corners you’ll find small shops selling pizza by the slice.  You can easily find 2 pieces of pizza and a can of soft drink for $3.  Yep 3 bucks!  And not tiny pizza slices either; these are giant pieces of pepperoni pizza!
2. Central Park.  Central Park is a huge open space where you can play and explore for hours without seeing it all.  If your kids are older they might enjoy picking out parts of the park that have featured in popular movies.  If they are smaller there are countless areas to run and play as well as water play areas.  Ice cream vendors are everywhere and the view of the city is gorgeous from many angles.  Locals and tourists frequent Central Park and on any given day you’ll see people sunbaking, playing Frisbee or just reading a book on a park bench.  Remember your walking shoes!
3. Staten Island Ferry.  The Staten Island Ferry service passes by the Statue of Liberty for great photo opportunities.  Leaving every 30 minutes (20 minutes in peak times) the ferry is absolutely free!  You can travel all the way to Staten Island then spend some time exploring, or just hop the next ferry to come right back.  The ferry service is billed as the greatest free attraction on the Eastern Seaboard – it’s not one you want to miss.
4. American Museum of Natural History.  The museum is free to visit at designated times and at all other times the admission price is a suggestion only.  You can suggest a small amount if you like!  The Museum of Natural History will stir memories from ‘Night At The Museum’ as you move from room to room.  There will be squeals as the kids see the little Indians, the animals and all the other characters from the movies.  There are generally extra exhibitions here that are an extra charge.  You can receive a discount if you purchase more than one of these extra sessions but be warned.  You might spend all your time here rushing from one paid exhibit to another as the times run very close together and they are all on different floors!
5. FAO Schwarz toy store.  If you have kids that are happy to look and won’t nag you to buy them something then a visit to FAO Schwarz is a fabulous way to spend a few hours in New York.  You’ll be greeted by the real life tin soldiers at the door and you can then enjoy exploring the multiple levels of toys.  The Lego section has characters made of Lego; think Statue of Liberty and life-size Darth Vader.  There are doll houses every little girl will yearn for and the piano from the movie ‘Big’ that you can actually walk on.  After you’ve spent hours here with funny hats and cuddly toys you can purchase a small treat from FAO Schweetz downstairs.  There are all kinds of lollies here – if you aren’t careful you’ll spend another hour looking at giant gummy lollies and oversized boxes of M&M’s!

Inexpensive holiday packages make a visit to New York even more appealing and the reasonably priced outings don’t stop there.  The subway is cheap and easy to ride and there are plenty more free or reasonably priced outings than the five we’ve mentioned here.  Do a little planning before you go and your wallet will reap the benefits.