2014 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in Westchester County | Kids Out and About Westchester <

2014 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in Westchester County

Westchester County's Favorite Family Fun Spots: 2014 winners!

The best places to take Westchester County kids! Of course, there is LOTS more to do in our area! Get great ideas here on KidsOutAndAbout!

KidsOutAndAbout has a weekly e-newsletter!

Here is a sample of our most recent newsletter, full of scintillating wit & penetrating insight, and of course, tons to do with kids in our area. If you don't already receive it, sign up here:

 

1.    WeeZee

WeeZee The Science of Play is a gym for kids in Chappaqua with over 200 different activities such as cybersports, games, rock climbing, ziplining, a rain room, a GaGa Pit, karate and more. At WeeZee, you and your child will experience a 16,000 square foot sensory world of highly engaging, interactive, and imaginative sensory experiences in a safe, supervised environment. They have over 200 different elements designed to strengthen the central nervous system in a way that improves academic performance, athletic coordination and social connections in children of ALL ages and abilities.

2.    Muscoot Farm

Muscoot Farm was originally a "Gentleman's Farm" founded by Ferdinand T. Hopkins in 1880 and operated as a dairy farm until Westchester County acquired the property in the late 1960s. Today, Muscoot Farm is a Westchester County Park that strives to preserve and interpret its agrarian past. Visitors may stroll through the original barns, visit with the animals, participate in educational programs or hike the many miles of trails. There is something for everyone on Muscoot’s 777 acres!

 

3.   Bear Mountain State Park

Bear Mountain State Park is situated in rugged mountains rising from the west bank of the Hudson River. The park features a large play field, shaded picnic groves, lake and river fishing access, a swimming pool, Trailside Museums and Zoo, hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails.

 

4. Hudson River Museum

The oldest and largest museum in Westchester, the Hudson River Museum is home to art galleries; Glenview, the historic 1876 river home; the Andrus Planetarium; and Hudson Riverama, an environmental teaching gallery.

 

5.    Greenburgh Nature Center

Greenburgh Nature Center is a 33-acre nature preserve with trails, a pond and gardens. More than 70,000 visitors come to the GNC each year. The property is a significant wildlife habitat refuge, both for indigenous species and for the hundreds of species of migratory birds that use it as a resting place on their spring and fall travels. The property includes 30 acres of woodland, two significant wetland sites, and an old orchard succession site, which is used as a nesting area for Eastern box turtles.

 

6.   Rye Playland

Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York. Playland is Metro New York's great family amusement park! From the famous Dragon Coaster to rides like the SuperFlight Coaster, Music Express and Double Shot -Rye Playland offers the best in family fun. There are more than 50 major and Kiddyland rides and attractions; a beach, pool, and pier on Long Island Sound; lake boating, entertainment, fireworks, lots of great food, and much more.

 

7.    Teatown Lake Reservation

Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit, environmental organization with a nature preserve and education center located in Lower Hudson Valley. Teatown Lake Reservation’s mission is to conserve open space and to educate the regional community.

 

8.    Broadway Training Center of Westchester

Our mission is to inspire, nurture, challenge, amaze, educate and empower artists and audiences. Programs available for K-12 and adults. No experience necessary!

 

9.    Gymnastics City

Gymnastics City: 35 YEARS IN BUSINESS!!! We offer Gymnastics Classes, Mommy & Me (Ages 18 months - 3 yrs), Pre-School Classes (Ages 3-5), Cheer/ Tumbling Classes (7+), Birthday Parties, SUMMER CAMPS!!

 

10.    Grand Prix New York

Grand Prix New York provides the ultimate indoor go kart racing & bowling experience in Mount Kisco, NY. Gaming pavilion, art garage, bouncy castle, and more!

 

11.    Bounce U - Elmsford

Kids flip for our unbelievably cool bounce stadiums (imagine the ultimate children's playground experience in a safe, indoor setting), but they also can't get enough of the games, the food, and sharing the spotlight with family and friends.

 

12.    The Little Gym of Scarsdale

The Little Gym is an experiential learning and physical development center offering children's physical activities in Scarsdale. Non-competitive gymnastics and sports classes, fantastic birthday parties, parents' night outs, and lots more!

 

13. The Play Group Theatre

 The Play Group Theater (PGT) is a nonprofit, educational theater organization in White Plains dedicated to providing process-oriented theater training for Westchester’s children and teens.

 

14. Wave Hill

Wave Hill's  mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

 

15. Andrus Planetarium

The Andrus Planetarium of the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers is the only public planetarium in Westchester County. It features star shows every weekend.

 

16.    My Local Library

Of course, our local library system is not really ONE place, it is MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication.

 

17.    Jumpin' Jeepers

Located in Mahopac, NY, Jumpin' Jeepers is a family favorite for many Fairfield County kids, especially those who live in the northwesterly parts of the county. It is a clean, developmentally appropriate and eco-friendly indoor children's playspace. A two-level play structure, a castle bounce house, ‘Jeepers Junction’ for imaginative play, ‘Tot Lot’ for the youngest explorers. Jeepers Café provides a selection of all natural and organic snacks are available for that perfect healthy ‘pick me up’ for children and adults. Gluten-, dairy-, and nut-free snacks are available. Special programs for kids with special needs.

 

18.    LEGOLAND Discovery Center

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester in Yonkers – Westchester’s first LEGO® attraction for kids! Only a year after they opened they are one of the most unique fun things to do in Westchester, LEGOLAND Discovery Center offers a great family day out. Take part in children’s activities with the Master Model Builder, kids birthday parties, MINILAND, New York’s top attractions made from LEGO, soft play area, rides, 4D cinema and more!

 

19.    Hudson Highlands Nature Museum

Established in 1959, the Museum has grown into a leading provider of nature education experiences in the Hudson Valley. Its mission is to develop responsible caretakers of the natural world through its special focus on environmental education. It uses its living collections of native animals, natural habitats and trails to present a wide variety of programs for people of all ages at its two locations.

 

20.    Hilltop Hanover Farm

Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center is a working crop farm and environmental education facility located in Yorktown Heights, NY. Formerly a dairy farm, and with roots dating back to the 1600’s, today Hilltop Hanover acts as a regional education hub offering programs on healthy and sustainable food production, skills for small-scale suburban and urban farmers, and sustainable living practices for local communities.


2014 Winners in Special Categories

In the second part of our survey, we asked readers to select their favorites in six categories. Here were their choices.

Favorite Place to Have Fun INSIDE

KOAAFavoriteSealsm.jpg

LEGOLAND Discovery Center

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester in Yonkers – Westchester’s first LEGO® attraction for kids! Only a year after they opened they are one of the most unique fun things to do in Westchester, LEGOLAND Discovery Center offers a great family day out. Take part in children’s activities with the Master Model Builder, kids birthday parties, MINILAND, New York’s top attractions made from LEGO, soft play area, rides, 4D cinema and more!

 

Favorite Place to Have Fun OUTSIDE

KOAAFavoriteSealsm.jpg

Rye Playland

Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York. Playland is Metro New York's great family amusement park! From the famous Dragon Coaster to rides like the SuperFlight Coaster, Music Express and Double Shot -Rye Playland offers the best in family fun. There are more than 50 major and Kiddyland rides and attractions; a beach, pool, and pier on Long Island Sound; lake boating, entertainment, fireworks, lots of great food, and much more.

 

Favorite Kid-Friendly Museum

KOAAFavoriteSealsm.jpg

American Museum of Natural History

Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, the AMNH comprises 27 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls, in addition to a planetarium and a library. The museum collections contain over 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts.



Favorite Performing Arts

KOAAFavoriteSealsm.jpg

Tarrytown Music Hall

The Music Hall is one of the busiest theaters in the region, offering the best in music, theater, dance, and film, and is a cultural destination, attracting well over 85,000 people including 25,000 children on an annual basis from all over the tri-state area.

 

Favorite Kid-Friendly Farm

Muscoot Farm

Muscoot Farm was originally a "Gentleman's Farm" founded by Ferdinand T. Hopkins in 1880 and operated as a dairy farm until Westchester County acquired the property in the late 1960s. Today, Muscoot Farm is a Westchester County Park that strives to preserve and interpret its agrarian past. Visitors may stroll through the original barns, visit with the animals, participate in educational programs or hike the many miles of trails. There is something for everyone on Muscoot’s 777 acres!

Favorite Nature Center

Greenburgh Nature Center

Greenburgh Nature Center is a 33-acre nature preserve with trails, a pond and gardens. More than 70,000 visitors come to the GNC each year. The property is a significant wildlife habitat refuge, both for indigenous species and for the hundreds of species of migratory birds that use it as a resting place on their spring and fall travels. The property includes 30 acres of woodland, two significant wetland sites, and an old orchard succession site, which is used as a nesting area for Eastern box turtles.

 

Favorite  Sports Team

KOAAFavoriteSealsm.jpg

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Bronx borough of New York City that competes in Major League Baseball.

 

Favorite  Arts Education Center

 

KidzArt of the Hudson Valley

 At KidzArt, ages 2- adult HAVE FUN, learn to draw and experience creativity building exercises. Our mobile program is complimented with 3-D projects, new and varied art mediums and our unique multi-cultural curriculum.

Favorite Sports Education Center

Gymnastics City

Gymnastics City: 32 YEARS IN BUSINESS!!! We offer Gymnastics Classes, Mommy & Me (Ages 18 months - 3 yrs), Pre-School Classes (Ages 3-5), Cheer/ Tumbling Classes (7+), Birthday Parties, SUMMER CAMPS!!

© 2014, KidsOutAndAbout.com. This information may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of KidsOutAndAbout.com.

Tags