Child friendly museums this weekend

I am almost embarrassed to be asking here since I am am a born and raised local girl and should be answering questions not asking them! But we are trying to find stuff to do after a last minute cancelled trip to PA (lousy weather) I am looking to try and entertain my disappointed preschoolers. I am thinking doing some of the best stuff the city has to offer will help :).

On the agenda, Museum of Natural History since they have not been yet. My husband thinks tomorrow would be better but I think Sunday since it is Easter and may be less crowded. I know the weekend crowds can be crazy, especially in cold weather. Any thoughts on whether it will be better or worse at the museums and city restaurants Sunday due to the holiday?

Also considering the Hall of Science in Queens. Anyone been? Is there enough for a preschooler to enjoy there? Thanks!

Child friendly museums this weekend

Get thee to the ';email subscribe'; page of GoCityKids, post haste!!!

http://www.gocitykids.com/?area=197

Also, pick up a copy of Time Out For Kids.

http://www.tonykids.com/index.jsp

I find that Hall of Science is best with school groups, because they have instructors explaining stuff. But, on yuor won the kids can run around and try out some gadgets. Might be a little advanced for them.

What about the Manhattan Children%26#39;s Museum or the Brooklyn Children%26#39;s Museum?

With all schools being out and two major religious holidays going on, I say it%26#39;s really a crapshoot on which day will be less crowded at the Natural History. My only advice would be to go early. Face it, whichever day you pick, you%26#39;ll be surrounded by either the families not celebrating Easter if you go Sunday, or the families not celebrating the Sabbath of Passover if you go on Saturday - and tourists and everyone else on both days.

Good luck!

Child friendly museums this weekend

The Children%26#39;s Museum. It is on W. 83rd between Broadway and Amsterdam.

The children%26#39;s museum on the UWS is ideal for preschoolers but I think all the museums will be jam packed this weekend on both days. What about taking them to the circus?

Agree that gocitykids.com will have lots of smaller concerts etc. listed that won%26#39;t be so crowded. Look on their calendar.

IN THE SWEDISH COTTAGE - CENTRAL PARK

Cinderella Samba

A marionette production set in the lush landscape of Brazil finds Cinderella and her Prince in a Samba contest at the Carnival Ball. Reservations are required. [212.988.9093; http://www.cityparksfoundation.org]

Ages: 3-7

Daily except Mon 2/24/07-6/17/07

Time: Tue-Fri 10:30am %26amp; 12n; Sat %26amp; Sun 1pm

Cost: Adults $6; Children $5

Thanks all. Funny before kids I could think of a million things to do in the city on the fly. Now it is a whole new game when you have to consider how much two 4 year olds can handle in one day! I think we may hold off on the Hall of Science based on your review. We%26#39;ve been to the Children%26#39;s museum so I was thinking of others that are good for their age group. We actually think the one on LI is a little better, maybe because it seems more spacious. NH was my fave as a kid and they have the Butterfly exhibit there now which was a big hit at the Bronx Zoo last year. I was also thinking I should check to see if the Jewish Museum has anything going on for kids since it is spring break.

Since we are having a lazy morning today it looks like tomorrow wins good or bad. I can just hope that a lot of people will be celebrating Easter with their families instead of at the museum :)! That Cinderella puppet show in CP sounds fun too. I just wish the weather was cooperating more, they are predicting snow flurries today!

P.S. On the earlier bagel post, I agree you can never go wrong with an Ess-a-Bagel everything bagel with a schmear of scallion cream cheese or lox spread. Those bagels are huge though, forget about the diet. I also think Oasis on the service road of the LIE in Queens is up there with some of the best in terms of bagels but not exactly conveniently placed for tourists. Of course it does not have the charm of the old school bagel guys bantering back and forth behind the counter either!

I was going to suggest the Transit Museum in Brooklyn, the kids would love it, but I checked their website and it is closed Easter Sunday.

I mention it because it would be something to consider on a future trip, it was a lot of fun, for kids of all ages:

Here is the info:

http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/

Just a quick update. We actually wound up at the Hall of Science in Queens by default because traffic heading into the city was bad so we got off early to salvage the day. It was pretty crowded but managable. I agree that a lot of it is geared a little older than my 4 year olds but we still managed to find quite a bit that they enjoyed. I would definitely recommend it to grade schooler parents or anyone with kids that enjoy science. It is very interactive with which is probably why my kids liked it as much as they did even if the subject was a little advanced for them at times.

I think their favorite part was the preschool area which was probably the most crowded of course. They had a puppet show and we got to make a craft. I will say that I am not sure if this is typical of a Sunday there or only because it was Easter, but I%26#39;d say well over half of the people there today were ultra Orthodox. I don%26#39;t think I have heard that much yiddish in one place since my grandparents passed away. I can%26#39;t imagine how much more crowded it would be on a regular Sunday but I would probably avoid it. We will have to check out Natural History another time, preferably during the week. Also thanks for the transit museum reco. Looks like fun.