state - Pitstops for Kids

Summer in the Sierras: guide to rustic lodges

July 26, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

The term ‘mountain lodge’ can mean many things to traveling families. It can conjure up images ranging from five-star luxury to bare bones accommodation, swimming pools and children’s programs to communal meals and do-it-yourself maid service. We love it all, but when we truly want to escape civilization and immerse ourselves in nature, we book a week at one of the following family-owned and operated lodges in Plumas and Sierra counties, California.

With dozens of ice-blue mountain lakes, hundreds of miles of hiking trails (including the famous Pacific Crest Trail), and stunning scenery, this region of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California is rich with summer lodges. Amenities vary, but as a rule, you can expect to get a little dirty and have a lot of fun. All the lodges listed below provide comfortable cabins, lake or creekside access, showers and bathrooms, and electricity. Some serve meals, but to my knowledge (and trust me, I’ve tried), none offer reliable wi-fi. Instead, you’ll find crisp mountain air (at 6000 feet!), miles of wilderness in all directions, and every opportunity for family together-ness. And of course, all of them come Pit Stops for Kids approved–we’ve spent time at each and every one of them!

Gold Lake Lodge: Despite its name, this lodge doesn’t actually sit lakeside. Instead, guests walk a short trail to the shore of Gold Lake, which is just fine in our book, as Gold Lake is the largest of the area lakes, and therefore the most crowded in summer. (As it’s also the only lake in the area allowing motorized boats, this is the place to be if you’re towing your own craft.) The lodge itself is tucked in a forest adjacent to the lake, and features a two large free-standing buildings surrounded by small, individual cabins. The two buildings house the lodge recreational room (complete with board games, ping-pong, and a fireplace) and dining room. One of the only area lodges to include breakfast and dinner in their cabin rates, we recommend Gold Lake Lodge if prepared meals are a must. Cabins are comfortable but small. Expect heat, but no air conditioning (rarely needed) and bathrooms in most cabins. Our family’s only complaint: the central areas between cabins at Gold Lake Lodge can become dusty late in summer, causing more dirty laundry than strictly necessary! Rates: Cabins start at $235 for double occupancy (and includes breakfast, dinner, and lunch on the trail).

Packer Lake Lodge: Located directly lakeside at one of the area’s most stunning lakes, Packer Lake Lodge offers great swimming (with a floating swim platform) and rowboat and canoe rentals. We love that Packer Lake is small enough for kids to paddle around unaided (with life jackets, of course) and that the small size keeps day trippers to a minimum. The Packer Lake Lodge Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and offers kid-friendly fare as well as steaks, burgers, and the like. Rates: cabins with kitchen and bathroom start at $175 a night or $1100 a week. Rates do not include meals.

Elwell Lakes Lodge: Elwell Lakes Lodge is unique in that it’s not situated near any particular lake, but rather all of them, as the lodge is directly connected to the Lakes Basin Recreational Area’s network of hiking trails. We love that visitors can hit the trail right from their front door and be at any of half a dozen mountain lakes within minutes (or a few miles). Young kids can hike to the closer lakes, while older kids and teens will want to try to conquer the whole ‘loop’, stopping to jump into icy waters every mile or so. Elwell offers a large main recreational room and comfortable upper lobby with an old-fashioned wooden wrap-around deck with fabulous views. Take a book and an snack up there, find a rocking chair, and you’ll never want to come down! Cabins vary from very rustic tent cabins (with communal bathroom) to three-room cabins with multiple beds and in-suite bathrooms. The only caveat: meals are not served. At the time of our last visit, the lodge did organize a guest-wide potluck meal that was a lot of fun, and all cabins have kitchenettes and BBQs. Rates: Cabin rates start at $118 (or $750 per week).

Gray Eagle Lodge: This lodge is closest in proximity to the town of Graeagle, and is also, in our opinion, the best-appointed. Visitors will find a full-service restaurant, beautiful lodge buildings, and a scattering of cabins creekside. Like Elwell Lakes Lodge, trails can be found right on-site, and during July and August, kids will love Gray Eagle Lodge’s swimming hole and waterfall. Cabins range in size and pricing, but you can be sure there’s something for every sized family. Rates: Cabin rates start at $280 a night.

Sardine Lake Resort: Sardine Lake Resort is located in what I believe to be the most beautiful spot in the Sierra Nevada. (And yes, I know that’s saying a lot.) Situated right on the shores of Upper Sardine Lake, this resort only offers nine cabins, a plus for guests (if you can get a reservation). You can also rent rowboats by the day or half-day (the fishing is supposed to be the best in the area) and young families will want to walk the quarter mile to Sand Pond, where the water is shallow and warm with a nice sandy bottom and plenty of picnic areas. The views here are fantastic, as is the food (served daily at the Sardine Lake Lodge Dining Room). Even if you don’t stay here, I recommend stopping in for an evening meal to take in the view. Rates vary. Contact the resort directly at (530) 862-1196.

No matter where you choose to stay, I guarantee you’ll spend your days exploring some of the most beautiful mountains you’ll ever see, and your nights together as a family, playing cards and board games by the fire, reading, or just catching up on your rest! Most lodges book by the week (Gold Lake Lodge is an exception), and most fill up fast: plan ahead and book early!

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory

July 19, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

A great way to spend a rainy (or snowy, or sweltering) day with young kids while traveling in western Massachusetts is the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory. The conservatory (or as my toddler calls it, “Butterfly Farm”) is a huge greenhouse filled with trees, flowers, turtles, lizards, and of course, butterflies. One of its biggest selling points is the fact that the greenhouse is kept nice and warm year round. This can be especially appealing in winter, or on rainy days when parents are desperate to avoid being cooped up with babies and young toddlers.

Another bonus: the conservatory is always open! They operate 7 days a week, from 9 to 5 (9 to 6 in the summer), every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. This makes it a great option during school holidays and family visits (which often coincide with holiday closings and wintery weather).

This is a great option for toddlers. The paths that wander throughout the conservatory are easy for a new walker to navigate, and although the butterflies are the main attraction, there are all kinds of other critters on display. The staff are often willing to take animals (lizards, frogs, etc.) out of their cages to let kids get a closer look.

Date last visited: June 29, 2011

Distance from the interstate: Magic Wings is approximately 3 miles off Interstate 91, in South Deerfield.

Hours of operation:

9-5 during the spring, fall, and winter
9-6 during the summer
Every day of the year, except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day

Admission: Adults are $12, kids 3-17 are $8, and kids under 3 are free. Bring a student ID and get in for $8 until the age of 22!

Food services: Monarchs Restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday and has many kid-friendly options, including burgers, sandwiches (shaped like butterflies), mac and cheese, etc. You can also bring your own food and eat at the outdoor picnic tables, weather permitting. When going on this outing with napping kids, I found that the best option was to spend the morning at the conservatory, then let the kids eat lunch in the car on the drive home, getting back just in time for nap (of course, this only works if you’re not picky about car seat cleanliness…).

Contact info: (413) 665-2805

Directions: Magic Wings is located at 281 Greenfield Road, South Deerfield, MA. Detailed directions are found on the website.

Nantucket with kids: guide to beaches and biking

July 18, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

The island of Nantucket, Massachusetts is well-known as a summer playground for travelers of all ages, but with so much to do in the immediate vicinity of the harbor, the further reaches (only a few miles in any direction!) are often overlooked. Ferrying your car to the island is expensive, rentals even more so, but that’s ok: biking is more affordable, more fun, and easy to do on such a flat and manageably-sized piece of land.

Because biking is such a great mode of transportation on Nantucket, there are many rental outfits ready to provide you with bikes during your stay. On our most recent visit, we chose Young’s Bicycle Shop, located conveniently near the Steamship Authority dock one block from the harbor. Even more convenient? Young’s will deliver your bikes to your hotel or vacation home for a flat $10 fee. Bike rentals range from $20-50 per 24-hour period, depending on the bike type, and they carry everything from baby seats to ‘tag-alongs’ to trailers.

Finding your way around the island is easy with so many well-marked bike and pedestrian paths. Trails stretch all the way from Madeket to ‘Sconset, Jetties Beach to Surfside, Cisco to Brant Point light, and where the trails don’t lead, biking on the streets is safe and easy. In town, it’s necessary to walk bikes over the cobblestones and on sidewalks to avoid pedestrians, but out of town, biking with the flow of traffic is hassle-free and often faster than fighting traffic in your car.

We could easily carry our beach equipment on the backs of our rented bikes and in backpacks, and as a result, biked nearly everywhere we went on the island. Nantucket boasts close to a dozen distinct beaches along its miles of coastline, each one with a different personality. Below is a run-down of our favorites for all activities, ages, and interests:

Jetties Beach is perfect for families of all ages. Close to town without being crowded, it’s easy to bike to, the calm water is shallow and warm (you can walk for what seems like miles along a submerged sand bar), and the sand is dotted with seashells. Also appreciated by families are its clean bathrooms, lifeguards, playground, and full restaurant, complete with beach store for all the essentials, like sand buckets, towels, and paddle board. We loved their ‘leave a book, take a book’ shelf, where Nate found great summer reading!

Surfside Beach is located directly opposite of the town of Nantucket on the island’s unprotected south shore. The lack of the harbor means large waves (which have a habit of breaking nearly on shore). Wide and sandy, Surfside is a great beach for a game of Frisbee or paddle ball, sunbathing, and playing in the surf. Be advised, however, that the depth of the water greatly increases just yards from shore as the sandy bottom drops out abruptly. Lifeguards are on duty during daytime hours, and a snack shack serves fare such as hot dogs, drinks, and ice cream. One of the island’s many bicycle paths deposits visitors directly into the Surfside parking area.

Madaket beaches are great for visitors seeking isolation, crashing waves, and sunsets. A long bike ride from town, the journey to Madeket is beautiful and can be accessed entirely by bike path. Located at the end of the island on the western tip, Madaket is comprised of solitary vacation homes and windswept beaches; don’t expect many more services than a port-a-potty and a bike rack. Bring your own picnic, however, and you might forget you’re on a busy vacation island in the middle of high season on Madaket! Expect big, crashing waves, wind, and
frequent fog!

‘Sconset beaches are located at the end of another long bike ride, this time to the eastern side of the island. The town of ‘Sconset (short for Siasconset) is far less commerical than the heart of the Nantucket harbor area, but unlike Madaket, some services, such as a small grocery store stocked with ice cream, drinks, snacks, and souvenirs, do exist near the beaches. You’re likely to encounter more company as well; the homes nestled near the shore are almost always occupied in the summer months. Come to ‘Sconset beaches for picturesque beauty (think sand dunes, shingled cottages, and well-kept gardens), the family-friendly atmosphere (there’s almost always a kite or two flying), and the smaller (but still existent) surf.

Children’s Beach is located in the center of the harbor area, just west of the wharfs. Easy to bike or walk to from town, Children’s Beach is always busy due to its protected (though limited) beach access, views of the harbor (kids love to boat watch), and playground right on the beach. With virtually no waves, kids can splash and play in the warm water to their hearts’ content, and parents are within strolling distance to downtown shops and restaurants.

Nantucket with kids: Shearwater Excursions Harbor Cruise

July 14, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

A great introduction to island boat cruises for families, Nantucket’s Ice Cream Harbor Cruise is operated by family-run Shearwater Excursions. Only one hour in length aboard the adorable Minke, the harbor cruise departs from Straight Wharf multiple times daily in the summer season, and true to its name, it includes ice cream! More importantly, it takes you past the harbor and around the coast to views like this:

We experienced the harbor cruise on a sunny Monday in June with Toby (age 6) and my nephew Homer (age 2). Both dug into their ice cream (brought in by Nantucket’s famed Juice Bar in each guest’s choice of flavor…and yes, adults get some, too) before we’d even left the dock, and were ready to focus on the sights of the harbor by the time we’d steered clear of the luxurious yachts and colorful fishing vessels and made our way along the coast. We were captained by Shearwater Excursions owner Captain Blair Perkins’ son Max (21), who’s been on the water with his family since age nine, and who was a wealth of information on the island, sailing, and, of all things, soccer…a family passion we shared.

The tour takes passengers past the busy harbor and Children’s Beach to the Brant Point Light and Jetties Beach, then back around through open water (during which the kids were invited to steer, much to Toby’s excitement). It was the perfect length for young kids, a beautiful day to be out on the water, and we learned a lot about the island we’d been playing on for the past few days.

If you have early risers, be sure to book one of Shearwater’s Morning Coffee Cruises, which instead of ice cream, serves coffee, muffins, and juice boxes for the kids. A great way to start the day for anyone, this sort of activity is gold for parents who wonder what on earth to do with the kids who wake up early in a (late-sleeping) town like Nantucket!

Tip: Older kids may prefer Shearwater Excusions’ Seal Cruise or Whale Watch!

Date last visited: June 2011

Cost: $30 per person

Hours and cruise times: Cruises depart daily at 10 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm, 2:15 pm, 4 pm, and 5:15 pm. (The early and late ones fill up fastest!)

Website: www.explorenantucket.com

Reservations: Make reservations by calling (508) 228-7037.

Directions: The Minke is docked at slip #1011 on Straight Wharf. It’s easy to find at the end of Main Street.

Liberty Park, New Jersey

July 13, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

A main gateway to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ offers much more than a boat ride to the harbor. With over one thousand wooded acres, it offers amazing views of Manhattan, and it’s waterside, so fishing, crabbing, and kayaking are popular. Visitors can easily hop on a ferry to the statue or Ellis Island, but upon return, the Central Railroad Terminal of New Jersey museum offers more insight into what early immigrants went through to become Americans.

Seasonal Tip (submitted by reader Amanda Vazquez): The 4th Annual City of Water Day Festival is a free day-long event celebrating the potential of the NY-NJ harbor and waterways hosted by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. This year’s festival will take place on Saturday, July 16 on both Governors Island and at Liberty State Park. The celebration will include dragon boat puppet creations; touch tanks with sea stars, clams, whelks, hermit crabs, and horseshoe crabs; a reptile show with turtles, snakes and more. Festival goers will also have the opportunity to kayak, sail and fish. This free event includes free ferry rides between event locations in New York and New Jersey; a flotilla of kayakers and other human-powered boaters; special children’s activities; a Waterfront Activity Fair; food; live music; and more!

Park Hours: 6 am to 10 pm daily

Cost: No admission cost; parking is $7 a day.

Directions: Liberty Park is located at 1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, NJ.

Summer in the Berkshires: Tanglewood Amphitheater

July 11, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

An afternoon or evening spent enjoying live music in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater at Tanglewood is a great addition to any family vacation in western Massachusetts. Tanglewood is located in the picturesque town of Lenox in the heart of the Berkshires. On a recent visit, we packed our cooler with sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit salad, and strawberry shortcake and picnicked the night away while listening to “A Prairie Home Companion”.

Tanglewood hosts all kinds of events, and is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It is also one of the few truly kid-friendly music venues I’ve been to. The lawn is huge, with plenty of room for energetic kids. The atmosphere is relaxed, and no one seems to mind if their picnic gets interrupted by the occasional soccer ball or wondering toddler. Show times are conducive to young kids too–“A Prairie Home Companion” started at 5:45 and ended with a sing-along at around 7:30/8:00.

Tip: To get the most out of your visit, show up early. We arrived at 4:00 for a 5:45 show, and had plenty of time to eat and explore before the show started. In anticipation of bedtime, we brought pajamas, and ended a blissful evening with a quiet ride home, complete with two sleeping kids in the back seat.

Date last visited: July 2, 2011

Distance from the interstate: Tanglewood is about 10 miles off of I-90/Massachusetts Turnpike.

Hours of operation: Tanglewood is a seasonal venue and operates from June through September. Check out show times and dates on the Tanglewood website.

Admission or ticket prices: If traveling with kids, I strongly recommend getting lawn seats (as opposed to the covered seats in the Koussevitzky Music Shed), which are $21. Kids under 2 are free. An unexpected plus: onsite parking is convenient and free!

Food services: Boxed dinners and picnics can be purchased online ahead of time, and there are two eateries on site (the Tanglewood Café and Grill) but the best (and probably least expensive) way to eat at Tanglewood is to bring your own picnic. People come armed with coolers, lawn chairs, blankets, and even candles for a more romantic dinner.

Contact: (617) 266-1200 or (888) 266-1200

Directions: Tanglewood is located at 297 West Street, Lenox, MA. Full directions can be found on their website.

NYC with kids: making sense of subways, taxis, and trains

July 10, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

During our four days in New York City this past June, we relied exclusively on subway trains, taxi cabs, and our own feet to get us where we needed to go. Despite being accustomed to using public transportation in other cities, I will admit we found the NYC subway system to be overwhelming with kids…at first. By the time we were ready to leave, we (almost) felt we had it figured out, but to help other traveling families get a head start, below are my tips for navigating this busy, crowded, and exciting city.

1. Get a good map. Because multiple subway lines go similar directions (but deposit you in different destinations) and the first subway station you see may not be the one you need (that one may only be a block away!), it’s imperative to have a map detailing both subway lines and stations.

2. Follow the colors. More than one New York resident advised us to disregard the color system assigned to subway lines, instead focusing only on the subway number. We tried this…and ended up in the opposite direction of our intended destination more than once! I have a feeling this advice is more of the advanced variety, and we needed a beginner course. What we found worked better for us: relying on color to direct us to the station we needed, then number to direct us to the right train.

3. Ask, and then ask again. New Yorkers all seem to have their own way of navigating the subway system. They know the routes they take frequently, but seem as confused as we were when asked about other destinations. I wish I’d taken a photo of the moment we stopped to ask three beat cops standing on a street corner how to get from Union Square to East 50th on the subway, and all three of them scratched their heads and got out their iPhones to look it up. So certainly ask fellow subway passengers their advice, but once at the next juncture of your journey, ask again. The conflicting advice can be confusing, but like pieces of a puzzle, they usually fit together.

4. When navigating confusing routes, such as cross-town journeys that require transfers to up or downtown journeys, consider taking a cab. For our family of five (and we had six people with us while in New York), piling into cabs was sometimes cheaper than subway tickets, especially when our destination was close enough to keep the fare low. Other times, it’s simply worth the time savings to take cabs.

5. Last but not least, just get out there and GO. The only way to really get the hang of the subway system is to get on one (or two, or three, depending on how many wrong trains you take). And when in doubt, walk! (We often took a train up or downtown, then walked the cross-town distance to simplify matters!)

The details:

1. Subway and bus fare is $2.25 per person. It’s easy to purchase pre-paid subway cards, then refill them when necessary (and this is certainly the quickest way to go about it).

2. Our cab fares throughout Manhattan cost between $6-$15 a trip. Keep in mind, however, that NYC cabs only fit four passengers. If you have a larger group, you’ll need to take two cabs wherever you’re going. We opted for cabs a few times, bur relied much more heavily on the subway.

3. Whether taking subways or taxis, we planned on a budget of $50-60 per day for NYC transportation, and found that amount to be realistic for our group of six people.

4. A great way to travel between cities on the Eastern Seaboard is via Amtrak. After leaving NYC, we took the Amtrak train to Boston (from NYC’s Penn Station), and found it to be a very easy and relaxing way to travel. The four hour journey was comfortable, food services were available on the train, and the scenery was fantastic. Fare was low for daytime passage as well (it’s Amtrak’s sleeper cars that give me and my wallet a heart attack).

A word about airport transportation:

Before arriving in NYC, I was told by several sources (including the NY Transit Authority) that cab fare from LaGuardia to Manhattan would be $45 per cab (not including tip), so I considered opting for one of the various town car and limo services that offer rides from both airports (and Newark) to Manhattan hotels; the cheapest I found for our group size was $130 (be sure the price you’re quoted includes toll fare and tip). I’m very glad I did not use a limo service (due to a mis-communication) because our cab fare was only $25 per cab from LaGuardia to midtown Manhattan, definitely saving us money.

New York City with kids: what to do in Central Park

July 7, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Central Park is not only an iconic stop in New York City, it’s a welcome respite from the noise, crowds, and outright stimulation of city touring. During our three days in New York, we ducked into this leafy green sanctuary more than a few times, and discovered something new with each trip.

Since it can be hard to get your bearings while in the park, a good place to start (before you leave!) is this Central Park informational site for top attractions and maps. Once in the park, below are our favorite stops with kids:

Heckscher Playground. This play space near the Columbus Circle entrance to the park (8th Avenue) features water play areas, climbing structures, sand, turf, and swings, and is framed by a generous outcropping of the large granite boulders seen throughout the park. Within minutes of setting foot inside, Calvin had joined in impromptu soccer game on the turf circles at the center of the park, Toby had made a friend in the sand box, and Nate was scaling a boulder. Needless to say, it was an hour or more before we left. (Note: this park does close at dusk.)

Tip: For an easy meal before or after leaving Heckscher, a great hot dog stand with sausage dogs, veggie dogs, and beef dogs (with all the toppings) is located near the 8th Ave. entrance).

Captaining sailboats on Conservatory Water. located near the East Side of the middle of the park, the Conservatory Water features a model boat house where kids can captain their own vessels (for $11 per half hour). I was afraid they would be hard to operate, but all three boys (ages 6-12) manned theirs easily, and had a great time adjusting the sails and speed to navigate the pond. A nice cafe is on-site, and there’s plenty of shade and seating. An Alice in Wonderland play space is nearby.

Central Park Zoo. Located on the East Side of the park between 63rd and 65th streets, this zoo is not meant to be an entire day’s activity. Instead, it serves as a nice detour while walking along 5th Avenue or a morning’s distraction while other members of your party may be in the Met or other museums. Toby loved it, and the way the zoo fits into its part surrounds made it a pleasant retreat. Cost: $12 for adults, $7 for ages 3-12. Open from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Find out more at Central Park Zoo.

Museums near the park. On the East Side, you’ve got the Met and the Guggenheim. I’ve never taken my kids to the latter, but the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art, located at 1000 5th Avenue) is a great introduction to the greats (especially the impressionists). It also has a full floor of Egyptian art and artifacts that draw kids’ attention immediately. On the West Side, a stop at the American Museum of Natural History is a must. Located at 79th and Central Park West, it warrants at least a half-day of your time (we did it in the morning and paired it with a full afternoon in the park). Keep in mind that temporary exhibits are extra, but with so much to see, you may not have time for them anyway. (We did watch a planetarium show, and it was excellent…a perk of using our CityPASS tickets for this location.)

Tip: if your kids are fans of Night at the Museum, have them look to find the T-rex fossil skeleton and the naughty monkey from the movie. But note: the army, mountain men, and Native American diaramas do not exist. (This is, as a museum docent told me quite hautily, a NATURAL history museum.)

Food near the park. Worth noting are the delicious food options just a few blocks out of the park. On the West Side, you won’t be disappointed in Cafe Lalo, located four blocks from the park on 201 W. 83rd. A bustling, airy, and fun restaurant featuring brunch (all day) from all over the world, this is a great spot to grab lunch after visiting the Museum of Natural History. It also has a full bakery counter!

Dylan’s Candy Bar is located on the East Side on 1011 3rd, and offers three floors of candy, ice cream, and snacks. We found this place while seeking out Serendipity 3 (located on 225 E. 60th one block away), which is considered the ice cream and dessert hot spot of the city. (And they have a Kidscore of 99. Learn more about Kidscore.) When we went, the wait time was over an hour, and I’m assured it’s worth the wait. We were on a schedule, however, so we detoured to Dylan’s, where we (quite willingly) spent a small fortune on triple-scoop make-your-own sundaes.

Tip: we considered renting bicycles in the park, until we noticed all the signage alerting visitors of their many restrictions. Bikes aren’t allowed on most park paths, and since we weren’t interested in riding on the main thoroughfares, we opted to rent them to ride over the Brooklyn Bridge instead (offered by NYC’s Bike and Roll and NY Water Taxi). Horse-drawn carriage rides are also easily secured in the park, but be advised that these rides cost from $20-50, and almost all carriages accommodate four or fewer people.

New York City with kids: Times Square and Rockefeller Center

July 6, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

There’s lots to do in the vicinity of Times Square and Rockefeller Center with kids, and the nice part is, you can easily walk from point to point. Start out in the afternoon to visit the Rockefeller shops before they close (which is surprisingly early) and save the Times Square portion of this pit stop for evening, as this is its time to shine. (I liken visiting Times Square in the day to visiting the county fair before dark…fun, but not in its full glory.)

Rockefeller Center:

Adults will enjoying seeing the plaza where NBC’s Today Show is produced, and 30 Rockefeller, the site of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock (not to mention the Rainbow Room), but kids love this area, too. In winter, they can skate of course, but in summer, there’s still much to see. Our kids spent much more time and cash than we’d budgeted at the Lego Store (on 50th), home of the tallest ‘pick a brick wall’ in the world, where kids can view a miniature version of the center they’re standing in and create their own Lego people at various stations. Nintendo World (10 Rockefeller) is just around the corner, housing two floors and 10,000 square feet of gaming heaven (including lots of opportunities to try out new games). We didn’t even buy a thing here; just considered it an attraction!

The observation deck at Top of the Rock is a great place to view the city (especially if you have a CityPASS, as it’s included), though I recommend visiting the iconic Empire State Building as well (more on that below), and nearby, St. Patrick’s Cathedral (on 50th) is breathtakingly beautiful and often open to the public (just remind kids to use their quiet, respectful voices).

It’s possible to walk from this area to the Empire State Building (350 5th Ave), but while the views are fabulous at night, this stop is best as your first of the day. Why? Crowd control. Wait times later in the day and at night can stretch for literally hours, and it can get very stuffy and hot in that building while waiting. We recommend visiting the Empire State Building early in the morning (it opens at 8 am) to avoid lines! (If you really want a night-time view, try Top of the Rock; it’s always less crowded.) And bring your own quarters if you think your kids will want to use the view-finders at the top; there are no change machines! This is a great attraction to use your CityPASS, as you get to skip the ticketing line. (Note: help boost the Empire State Building’s Kidscore if you find it kid-friendly! Learn more about Kidscore.)

Times Square:

If you’re fortunate enough to take in a matinee Broadway show (Disney’s The Lion King and Wicked are highly recommended by my kids), you’ll already be in Times Square as you exit, but if not, plan to explore Rockefeller Center then make your way here (only a few blocks). After staring slack-jawed at the brightly lit marquees surrounding the square, start at Discovery Times Square, the Discovery Channel Center at 226 W. 44th, as it closes first (at 8 pm). This center features limited time exhibits that are part show, part museum artifact, and completely engaging. Right now, it’s featuring the Harry Potter Exhibit, which we naturally had to check out. It took us about an hour to go through it, and we weren’t disappointed. The exhibit takes visitors through many props, costumes, and displays used in the movies, from Hagrid’s cabin to OWLS tests, the Weasley twins’ stash of joke shop contraband, and Professor Umbridge’s office, complete with kitten plates and all things pink. We saw all the main characters’ wands and robes, firebolts and Nimbus 2000s, and tried our hand at throwing a Quaffle. At the gift shop, the boys stocked up on Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. The cost of admission is steep at $19 for kids and $25 for adults, but is well worth it if you have true Harry Potter fans in your midst.

Tip: We saved money off admission price to this by including it in our ala cart Go Select passes from Smart Destinations. And we skipped the ticket line!

Kids will also love a visit to Toys R Us (i.e. kid heaven) on 1415 Broadway. I resisted, thinking we could visit a Toys R Us in any city in the U.S., but I’m glad the kids coaxed me in: the indoor, three-story ferris wheel won Toby’s heart (even if he did end up in a pink Barbie compartment) and the older boys went crazy for the huge Lego section, animatronic dinosaur, and life-sized Star Wars figures on the third floor.

After you’ve dragged them out, the rainbow ‘wall of color’ in the My M&M’s Candy Store is worthy of a visit, but don’t plan to buy any unless $12 a pound seems reasonable to you. This store is otherwise filled with retail junk, but all the bright colors and fun gizmos kept my kids entertained. It’s also fun to give the M&M mood machine a try; when you stand on it, it will determine your personal M&M color based on your mood.

Getting there: A cab ride from any part of Manhattan will probably cost between $7-$12, and via subway, you’ll want to get off on the 42nd Street/Times Square station. Both Rockefeller Center and Times Square are within walking distance of most locations in midtown, including our hotel, Affinia 50.

New York City with kids: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

July 5, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

While visiting NYC with kids, the Statue of Liberty is a must-do. We found, however, that Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum is an even more interesting stop, so be sure to do both. You’ll want to start your trip planning with a visit to the Statue Cruises website, where you can purchase your ferry tickets (you can also purchase them at the New York Visitor’s Center at 234 W. 42nd).

Because the limitations of these tickets are confusing, I’ll explain further. What your ferry tickets will do for you: get you to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (and into the free Ellis Island sights and museum). What it will not get you into: the Statue of Liberty (unless you upgrade online). When picking up your ticket, you can ask for a free pedestal access upgrade (gets you into the pedestal) but they are first come, first served (and they were gone when we got there at 11 am). If you want to try for one of the crown tickets (climbing the stairs inside), they are not offered every day, and are an additional cost. Ask when you reserve. Since the statue is a national monument, you can find out more at the national park site, or you can ensure your pedestal ticket by reserving online through Statue Cruises.

Once on the ferry, you have the option of stopping at both or either monuments. Because we didn’t have pedestal tickets, we opted to stay on-board at the statue (snapping some great shots) and got off at Ellis Island only. The free historic site and museum here is extremely well done, and you’ll want to dedicate at least an hour and a half to two hours to it. We ate lunch at the museum café first (there’s a nice outdoor seating area overlooking the greenery and water), then ducked into the theater to catch the 45 minute documentary on the history of the island. This movie gave a great overview, and was age appropriate for all but Toby (age 6), who got restless at about the half-hour mark. Younger kids may want to opt out with a parent, but I’m glad we went: it really put the monument in context for the older kids.

After viewing the movie, there are three floors of the main building (processing headquarters for millions of immigrants over the span of decades) to tour. It was interesting to see the Great Hall, the medical examination rooms where millions endured ‘six second physicals’ that determined their mental and psychological status, and the sleeping quarters of the immigrants, but most fascinating were their stories: in every room, their memoirs, letters home, and photos are preserved, depicting a sobering history of the trials they faced.

Tip: If your goal is only to see the statue up close, not to stop, a better option would be the free Staten Island Ferry or the New York Water Taxi (which actually slows near the statue to give passengers time to snap some shots). You can board both in the Battery near the Statue Cruises terminal.

Getting there: All ferries depart from Battery Park (easy to find via Subway if you take a downtown train to the end of the line at South Ferry, though Rector Street will also work). Once in Battery Park, you’ll want to go to Castle Clinton National Monument, where you can buy (or pick up) your Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry tickets.

Cost: The monuments are free, but ferry tickets cost $13 for adults, and $5 for kids 4-12. (Under 4 is free.) You can reserve tickets online ahead of time, or buy them at the booth.

Tip: CityPass allows you to skip the ticketing line and get right in line for the ferry, a big time saver (keeping in mind that you’ll still have to ask for pedestal tickets on the day of your cruise, should you want them). If you use Go Card USA: Discount Attraction Passes from Smart Destinations, head past the battery monument (Castle Clinton) to the Bike and Roll booth (blue sign) to pick up your tickets.

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Website: www.statuecruises.com