Growing up on the East Coast, I was lucky enough to go on more than one field trip to the Statue of Liberty. But I hadn’t made taking my kids a priority. On trips back East to visit family, we’d done Philadelphia and all its landmarks, but we never ventured into New York.

The Statue of Liberty didn’t seem like enough of a draw. There was too much you couldn’t do.

When visiting a city like New York, deciding what to do can be overwhelming. With almost 500 square miles of city, the Big Apple is intimidating, and it can be easy to stick to the tried and true favorite kid-friendly activities, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Children’s Museum and Zoo, etc.

Granted, those places must experienced—but NYC offers a plethora of kid-friendly activities in addition to these usual suspects.

New York City is what made me fall in love with the East Coast. I still remember my first visit to the city as a young girl from San Diego. Everything seemed so foreign and exciting! The theatre, Little Italy, the skyscrapers, the NY accent, the sophisticated shops of 5th Avenue, and the unique smells. It was all seared in my memory forever.

As parents, my husband and I love to bring our children to the city.

October is my favorite month of year in New York City. It’s still warm enough to enjoy outdoor activities with the kids and the trees in Central Park are always spectacular. This year, there are a few special events happening around the city that are great for kids.

The American Museum of Natural History has a new show at the Planetarium through December 31st called Journey to the Stars.

One of our favorite family activities is picking fruit! It is fun for any age and we all enjoy the rewards of our work. As strawberry and blueberry picking comes to an end, we look forward to the apple and pumpkin picking in fall. Silverman’s Farm in Easton, Connecticut is one of our old haunts. They have tractor rides, apple picking, and an animal farm. We let each of our children hold their own basket and fill it with as many apples as they can find. Silvermans also has a pumpkin patch, so it’s a perfect spot for pre-Halloween fun!

Natasha Schlesinger is the founder of Artmuse, Artkids, and ArtXplorers. She lives in New York City and is an expert in teaching children to appreciate art. Here are seven of …

For many New Yorkers, the summer is their least favorite season with children because the city is hot, humid, and empty. Many of our daughter’s friends evacuate NYC …

It’s been a long winter in New York City this year with plenty of snowy, windy days. My four-year-old daughter, Charlotte, keeps asking me when spring is coming. I’ve told her many times that spring officially begun on March 20th …

Raising our two girls—currently 1 and 3 years old—in New York City has certain advantages. We take weekly visits to the Museum of Natural History and utilize it …