FREE Family Day Ideas in NYC

I think one of the best reasons to live in our area on Long Island is how easy it is to get into the city. My dad commuted every day for 30 years so the last thing he wanted to do was to go back into Manhattan on the weekend. My husband does almost the same commute but thankfully he loves taking the girls into the Big Apple and we try to go often. It's so much easier now that the girls are slightly older and I don't have to worry about strollers, meltdowns and crabby kids missing their naps and I look forward to our little "backyard mini-vacations". There is ONE thing that usually stops us - the cost. But you CAN go for the day without spending a mortgage payment and here's one day we spent as a family without spending a dime.

We walked the entire day. Not once did we hail a cab or take a subway. We walked from Penn Station to Rockefeller Center and took pictures along the way. Our first stop was people watching at the ice skating rink and after the walk, it was nice to find a place to sit and just relax.

I cried when they closed the enormous Fao Schwarz near Central Park. But did you know they reopened in a new location in Rockefeller Center? No matter how old you get you still can spend hours playing in FAO. There really is so much entertainment there - we watched a magic act, looked at all the latest toys and of course, our visit wouldn't be complete without our "Big" moment on the piano.

It's hard to believe, but I worked over a decade across the street from this iconic building and never once stepped inside. 

My daughter is an art-fanatic and I'm ashamed to say I've never taken her to MoMA. Wondering how we went for free? Did you know that our local libraries have a free museum pass program? I woke up THAT MORNING, went online and signed up for a free pass to MoMA while drinking coffee lying in my bed. The entire process was online. All I had to do was go to the library and pick up the pass before we jumped on the LIRR. We got free tickets which were considered member tickets so BONUS, we didn't have to wait on any lines to get in. The entrance line snaked around the lobby but we felt like rock stars when we bypassed the line and walked right in. Also, if we wanted to buy anything in the museum (which we didn't - that's why the day was free) we got 10% OFF! Another freebie MUST - one of the floors offered free audio tours. DEFINITELY get the headphones - kids love anything electronic and you learn so much more about the art than just walking around and reading the plaques. Click HERE for a list of all the local libraries to check out their museum pass program.

Like I said, we did a ton of walking (at the end of the day I went well over 20,000 steps on my Fitbit) and we walked down 5th Avenue all the way to Central Park. I was only half-shocked to see how much my girls enjoyed window shopping and pointing out all the famous stores they heard of. My youngest daughter is obsessed with Gucci so how could we go to NYC and not go in! The staff was wonderful and gave her a tour of the store, making sure to show her the newest Gucci slides that she's obsessed with. Did we buy anything? Not a thing and the staff was wonderful to us.

More NYC Free Fun Ideas

• Walk Through Central Park

• Free Bronx Zoo Day 

• Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge and Explore Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO

• Walk The High Line

• Walk Around Grand Central Terminal

• South Street Seaport

Traveling Tip on the LIRR 

Family Fare: You can travel with your kids economically on the LIRR by purchasing Family Fare tickets. We had NO IDEA about this until one super nice conductor on the LIRR told us we overpaid for tickets. She went on to rock our world by explaining Family Fare and now I'm gonna rock your world too. Up to four children (ages 5-11) ride off-peak trains for $1.00 each way when accompanied by a full fare-paying adult. Children under 5 years of age ride free.