3 Days in NYC with Teens & Tweens: The Perfect NYC Itinerary for Older Kids
Planning a trip to New York City with teens or tweens? I’ve got the perfect 3-day itinerary for exploring NYC with older kids!
Every couple years my kids get to choose a destination for a birthday trip, and my oldest daughter chose New York City for her 13th birthday! I also had my 11-year-old son with me since we were combining their birthday this year!
We had almost 3 full days and 2 nights in NYC on this particular trip, and it was both my daughter and son’s first time there, so I wanted to hit the iconic New York sights. I really packed this itinerary, and it includes a lot of walking, so just be aware that you adjust accordingly if you feel like your kids aren’t up for 20K steps a day.
I really enjoyed this trip with older kids. I’ve taken my youngest to NYC at Christmas time when she was only 4 years old, and that was really a special experience. However, having older kids is such a different experience! You can stay out later, expect a lot more walking from them, they really appreciate what they’re seeing, and it’s easier to take public transportation without a stroller!
With all of that in mind, I’m going to share an overview of our NYC 3-day itinerary for families.
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Where to Stay in NYC with Teens and Tweens
There are so many options for family-friendly hotels in New York City! Since this was my daughter’s 13th birthday trip, I wanted to make our hotel a really special part of the trip.
If you’re looking for a luxury hotel in NYC that’s actually family-friendly, you’ll LOVE the Omni Berkshire Place!
DISCLOSURE: we paid a media rate (a discounted rate for journalists and content creators) for this stay. All opinions are my own.
There are several reasons I would recommend this hotel if you’re looking to splurge a little on your stay. The Midtown location within walking distance of Rockefeller Center, Summit One Vanderbilt, Broadway, and Central Park.
They offer complimentary luggage storage before check-in and after checkout, so we could make the most of every minute in the city. We arrived early on our first day, and though our room wasn’t quite ready yet, we were able to store our luggage in a safe place until we were ready to check in. And on our last day, we left our bags at the hotel until our evening flight.
They also left my daughter the sweetest birthday surprise! I let the hotel know we were celebrating, and they surprised my daughter with a small birthday cake waiting in our room along with a bottle of champagne for me.
in addition to the birthday surprise, they left thoughtful touches like evening turndown service for the kids of cookies and milk during our stay.
We really liked the restaurant on property, Berk’s Bar. By the end of a long day of walking we didn’t want to go far for dinner, and they had pizza, fries, and even kiddie cocktails for the kids.
I think what I enjoyed most about the hotel was that the staff truly made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. Everyone we interacted with was warm and helpful, so the Omni Berkshire Place truly felt like a haven from the bustling city.
If you’re planning a special family trip to New York City, this is definitely one to keep on your list.
What Area Should Families Stay In?
Quick overview:
Midtown: easiest for first-time visitors & those who prioritize Broadway shows.
Times Square: convenient but busy
Lower Manhattan: great if Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, etc. are priorities
Our 3-Day NYC Itinerary with Teens & Tweens
Day 1: Midtown Manhattan + Broadway
Check Into Your Hotel
We had nonstop flights from MKE to Newark (EWR), and arrived in Newark by 9:30 a.m. We took a Lyft from the airport to our hotel, and arrived in Midtown Manhattan by 10:15 a.m.!
Our room was, of course, not quite ready yet, but we stored our bags at the hotel, and used the restroom in the lobby to freshen up.
Grab a Classic NYC Slice at Joe’s Pizza
By the time we left the Omni after dropping off our bags we were starting to get hungry. We walked toward Times Square, and decided to grab some pizza for an early lunch.
We stopped at Joe’s Pizza near Times Square and Bryant Park. There are two storefronts right next to each other: one is for pizza by the slice, and the other one is pies only. We grabbed a full cheese pizza from Joes, and walked over to a small courtyard between Joe’s Pizza and Bryant Park (it’s right outside a Shake Shack) with tables and chairs. It was the perfect quiet and shaded spot to eat our lunch!
Experience Times Square
There’s nothing like seeing Times Square for the first time! It activates your senses with bright flashing lights, loud sweet performers, some…interesting smells.
Some kids will find it energizing, while some kids find it overstimulating. Know your kids and decide accordingly how much time you want to spend here wandering around and fighting the crowds.
We loved ducking into a few souvenir shops, and the kids convinced me to spend $10 on a Photo Booth with them inside a souvenir shop. We also had to check out the M&M store, and my daughter wanted to spend her babysitting money at American Eagle.
One thing we didn’t do that I kind of wish we had done was One Times Square, an open-air skywalk with cool views of Times Square.
See a Broadway Show
We had a hard time deciding between this, Hamilton, and Six, but ended up deciding on Cursed Child because we all love Harry Potter, and it fit our schedule and budget.
As a HUGE Harry Potter fan who read the screenplay a few years ago and didn’t love it, I was honestly blown away by the show. The special effects were incredible, and the actors brought so much humor, emotion, and personality to the story. We absolutely loved it!
A few things to know before you go:
The show is about 3 hours with a 15-minute intermission
Arrive early for photo ops, merch, snacks + the restroom
You can order snacks to your seat via QR code before the show, and you get a free chocolate frog with your order!
Bring a sweater. The theater was COLD with the AC blasting.
Use the restroom beforehand because intermission lines are LONG
There are major spoilers from the Harry Potter series, especially Book 4! My son hadn’t read that far yet, so keep this in mind if your kids are still working through the books.
We paid $284 for 3 tickets through StubHub, but I used the $150 StubHub credit on my Chase Sapphire Reserve, bringing our out-of-pocket cost down to $134!
This ended up being one of the highlights of the entire trip. Even if you don’t necessarily feel like you are “theater people” I would highly recommend seeing a Broadway show if you’re visiting with teens and tweens. We all loved the show and kept talking about it the entire trip.
Day 2: Statue of Liberty + Lower Manhattan + Brooklyn Bridge
Take the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty
Our first stop on Day 2 was the Statue of Liberty. We used the subway to get to Lower Manhattan from our hotel in Midtown Manhattan. It was super easy! Use Google Maps to navigate the subway (it even tells you which stop you’re on and which stop to get off on).
You can tap to pay with a credit card or Apple Pay on your phone, so no need to get special tickets for the subway. This makes it even easier for parents! The MTA website says this, though:
“If this is your first time tapping a card or device on a reader, you can’t use it to pay for other riders on the same trip yet. Your bank must approve the transaction before any other fares are paid. Instead, use a separate payment method for everyone on your first trip.
Approval generally takes only a few minutes. You should be able to tap for up to four people on your next trip.”
So make sure you bring more than one card that can tap to pay, OR buy an OMNY card for the first ride of the trip.
Statue City Cruises is the official ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Book your tickets online in advance through Statue City Cruises. You’ll get a scheduled ticket time,, which is the time you enter the SECURITY line, not necessarily the exact time your ferry leaves.
A General Admission ticket lets you get off at both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Pedestal and crown access require different tickets. We just booked the General Admission because we had a lot of other things we wanted to do that day.
The ferry departs from Battery Park and your first stop will be Liberty Island. If you want views of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry, stand on the side facing the CITY when you first board in Battery Park. (When you come up the stairs it’s on your left side).
Once you arrive at Liberty Island there’s cafe with food, snacks, and coffee. There’s also a gift shop, restrooms, and water bottle filling stations. Walk around the island to get an up close look at the Statue of Liberty!
The Statue of Liberty Museum is included and absolutely worth a stop. We only spent about 30 minutes inside.
I would recommend checking the ferry schedule ahead of time so you can plan in advance how long you want to spend on Liberty Island.
We skipped Ellis Island this time because we had a packed 3-day NYC itinerary, but you could easily spend much longer here if you want to visit both islands.
Ride the SeaGlass Carousel
When you arrive back at Battery Park make a quick stop at the SeaGlass Carousel. It’s a beautiful carousel with large fiberglass fish and lighting that makes you feel like you’re under the sea.
My kids were ages 11 and 13 when we visited, so they weren’t interested in riding the carousel, but I know my youngest would have loved it! If we’re ever back in NYC with the whole family, I’m definitely taking her here!
At this point it will be lunch time. There are plenty of restaurant options in and around Battery Park to choose from!
Visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum
After lunch we walked over to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The Memorial stopped me in my tracks. Two square pools sit in the exact footprints of the Twin Towers with a chasm in the center of each pool. I recognized immediately that the pools symbolized loss and absence. I think it was the perfect choice to make the Memorial empty space rather than a monument or statue of some sort. It encapsulated the collective grief over that tragic day perfectly.
Around the Memorial are bronze plaques with the names of the victims. Even if you don’t do the 9/11 Museum, I think it’s still worth it to see the 9/11 Memorial, especially if you have young kids with you and you’re not sure if they’ll be able to handle the museum. You’re outside in a large plaza, so if little kids are having a hard time it’s not disruptive.
We also visited the 9/11 Museum. My kids were 11 and 13 at the time of our visit, so I felt they were at the perfect age to learn a little more about what happened. They also learn about it in school every year, so I knew they already had a baseline understanding.
The Museum itself suggests ages 10 and up because there are intense and even graphic imagery and artifacts. The historical exhibition especially was sobering. They play real news clips and phone call recordings, and they show real photos and videos taken on that day. It’s hard to process it even as an adult.
My 13-year-old handled it so well. My 11-year-old did, too, but at one point it got a little heavy for him and he asked if we could leave.
I’m glad we got to experience that museum together, especially since my younger kids were not with us on this trip. If you have teens and tweens, I think this would be a good addition to your itinerary. If you have younger kids with you, maybe just stick to the Memorial.
Explore Chinatown
Our last stop for the day was the Brooklyn Bridge, but we decided to make a pitstop in Chinatown for ice cream.
We grabbed fish-shaped ice cream cones from Taiyaki NYC. This Japanese dessert fills fish-shaped waffle cones with soft serve ice cream, filling, and toppings. You can try the Signature Taiyaki Presets or build your own. I chose The Classic, which has vanilla ice cream, custard taiyaki cone, chocolate drizzle, crushed Oreos, and a wafer stick. There are other presets that include fun flavors like matcha, ube (purple yam), strawberry, and mango.
We walked over to Columbus Park to eat our ice cream cones, but this is where I have to put a disclaimer. I think this is when I was pickpocketed. I was distracted (I broke the cardinal rule of walking through a crowded tourist area), trying to keep my cone from melting, and my GoPro was stolen from my purse.
It was a crossbody purse and zipped up, but unfortunately, the GoPro was attached to a selfie stick telescoping pole which was poking out of the corner of my purse, so I’m sure someone grabbed it out of my bag while I was distracted and walking through a crowded area.
This could happen anywhere, so I”m not saying to avoid Chinatown, but just be sure to keep your wits about you in crowded tourist areas anywhere in NYC!
Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge Around Sunset
As I mentioned, the Brooklyn Bridge was one of our last stops of the day. I wanted to get some great views of the city from the Bridge, then hopefully walk over to Pier 35 for sunset, because they didn’t look that far apart on the map.
What I didn’t realize is that the Brooklyn Bridge is 1.1 miles long. And we walked the entire thing. After already walking over 20k steps that day.
It was a silly mistake to make, and I was actually kind of disappointed. We had planned to visit the Brooklyn Bridge, then hang out at Pier 35 near the Manhattan Bridge to watch the sunset. However, by the time we got to the end of the Brooklyn Bridge, my kids looked at me and said they just could not walk anymore.
I checked the Health app on my phone, and sure enough, we had walked 24K steps by that point. There was no way we were walking all the way back across the bridge to get to Pier 35. We ended up taking the subway home at that point, and missed out on the amazing sunset spot I had planned.
If I could do it over, I would walk part of the way across the Bridge and get a few photos, or just get photos OF the bridge from the Manhattan Bridge area. No crossing bridges necessary, UNLESS you have more time and want to spend an entire day or half day in Brooklyn.
But don’t make the same mistake I did! Do not cross the 1.1-mile long Brooklyn Bridge after a full day of walking in NYC!
Instead, if you had more time you could plan to spend a few hours in Brooklyn and in the DUMBO area if you do want to cross the entire bridge on foot.
Walk to Pier 35
My grand plan was to watch the sun set from Pier 35, a free waterfront park with views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges with large outdoor porch swings where you can sit and enjoy the view.
Unfortunately, we lost steam and skipped this part of the itinerary, but if you avoid my mistake of crossing the entire Brooklyn Bridge, you could definitely incorporate this into your day.
Dinner
That night we got dinner at the restaurant in our hotel, Berk’s Bar at the Omni Berkshire Place. We had pizza, fries, and kiddie cocktails!
Day 3: Iconic NYC + Observation Deck
Breakfast at Ess-a-Bagel
On our last morning we packed up, checked out of our room at the Omni, and left our bags with the bell hop.
Our first stop was Ess-a-Bagel, an iconic bagel shop in NYC. There was SO much cream cheese on the bagel. It was delicious but so filling. I definitely could have gotten away with splitting a bagel with one of the kids!
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
We knew we wanted to do one observation deck while we were in NYC, and after showing my daughter videos of each of the major options, she chose SUMMIT One Vanderbilt . It ended up being one of our favorite things we did in NYC!
SUMMIT One is not just an observation deck, but rather a 3-floor immersive experience with mirrored rooms, art installations, incredible NYC views, glass boxes suspended over the city, and an open-air terrace. I think that’s why it’s so appealing for teens and tweens. There’s that Insta-worthy factor - fun and interactive experiences that photograph well!
A few things to know before you go:
Book tickets online in advance. We booked ours about a week or so ahead of time, and there were still plenty of time slots available. I think the main reason to book further in advance would be if you want a popular time slot such as right before sunset.
Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll have to put booties over your shoes before entering because of the mirrored floors, so I’d skip the heels.
Wear shorts or pants! There are mirrored floors throughout the experience, so dresses and skirts probably aren’t your best choice.
The balloon room (Air: Affinity) is chaotic at first. Move away from the entrance and find a quieter corner to enjoy it.
Take your time in Air: Transcendence. Air: Transcendence is the mirrored room you start out in. It’s almost blinding at first, and really crowded. Once you adjust to ALL the mirrors, it’s gorgeous and you can get some amazing photos with the Empire State Building in the background.
Get your photo in Air: Transcendence 2: Upstairs, you’ll see Transcendence from another perspective. It’s much less crowded, and there are so many amazing spots to get a photo, so don’t stress if it’s too crowded to get a photo in the first Transcendence room.
Don’t skip Après! Aprés is the Nordic-style cafe. I grabbed a latte, the kids got hot chocolate, and we sat for a while enjoying the views before heading out to the open-air terrace.
Plan about 2 hours total.
If you’re visiting NYC with teens or tweens and want an observation deck that feels like an EXPERIENCE instead of just a view, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is such a fun choice.
Explore More of Midtown Manhattan
After Summit One Vanderbilt we had a few hours to kill before our flight out. We decided to walk along Fifth Avenue and duck into some shops. Here are some places you can visit if you’re just wandering around Midtown Manhattan:
Rockefeller Center
Fifth Avenue
Grand Central Terminal
Bryant Park
New York Public Library
Central Park
We finished our trip with a stroll through Central Park. First we grabbed hot dogs from a street vendor and enjoyed our late lunch on a bench with a view of the city.
Then we wandered through the park, stopping at Bethesda Terrace and strolling along the Mall and the Literary Walk.
Grab One Last NYC Meal + Head to the Airport
We once again took a Lyft to the airport. This time we were flying out of JFK, since we were starting the second leg of our trip which was my son’s portion of the Birthday Trip. We were flying to Denmark!
If you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card holder like I am, enjoy the Chase Sapphire Lounge at JFK while you wait for your flight! The kids loved ordering chicken tenders and fries, and I had an amazing pasta dish and tiny brownies.
It was also nice to have a clean, spacious restroom where I could change into my comfortable clothes for our flight and wash off my makeup.
Check out what the current sign up bonus is for this card! It’s one of my favorite travel credit cards!
How Much Does 3 Days in NYC with Kids Cost?
There’s no way around it: New York City is expensive! Here’s a quick breakdown of our costs in NYC:
Hotel: we paid a media rate for our stay at the Omni Berkshire Place. Standard rooms vary widely from around $300/night to $600/night or even more depending on the time of year and days of the week. For similar dates in July of 2027 I’m seeing $354/night for a standard room.
Food: $462.77- close to $50 per person per day (and that’s sticking to street food and grab-and-go food!)
Attractions: $463.76
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: $160.06
Statue City Cruises: $69
9/11 Museum: $90
Broadway Show: $134
Photo Booth: $10.70
Transportation: $240.76
Flights: $1686
Obviously flights and hotels are the biggest costs here. This is why I try to book flights on points as often as I can!
Is 3 Days Enough in NYC with Teens and Tweens?
I think 3 days was the perfect amount of time to spend in NYC with teens and tweens! It hits all the highlights but still leaves plenty of activities to go back for if you enjoy your time there.
Final Thoughts: Visiting NYC with Older Kids
I had so much fun on this trip to New York City with my older kids! It’s the perfect destination for a milestone birthday trip because there are SO many exciting things to do with both kids and teens, and there’s a variety of options to find something for everyone.
My 11 and 13 year old were the perfect age for this trip. We did so much walking and I barely heard them complain (except for at the Brooklyn Bridge when we realized we had hit 24K steps already that day). They were able to appreciate the big sights like the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway show, and the 9/11 Museum.
There were no strollers or car seats to deal with, and the kids enjoyed having quiet time in the hotel room when we got back, which meant I also had a chance to relax, go through my photos and videos for that day, and even get some work done.
NYC is an amazing destination to visit with teens and tweens - really kids of all ages!
Here’s my post about visiting NYC at Christmas with Kids!
And my next goal is to visit NYC in the fall or spring. It’s almost like visiting a different city depending on the time of year you visit!
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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
