American Museum of Natural History and the Rose Center for Earth and Space Central Park W at 79th St. Sun-Thurs 10am-5.45pm, Fri & Sat 10am-8.45pm; $10, students $7.50, children $6; IMAX films, the Hayden Planetarium and certain special exhibits cost extra; tel 212/769-5100, www.amnh.org
The planetarium is sure to sate most kids intergalactic desires, and the dinosaurs are also a sure-fire attraction.

Children's Museum of the Arts 182 Lafayette St (between Broome and Grand sts). Wed noon-7pm, Thurs-Sun noon-5pm; $5, under 1 free; tel 212/274-0986.
Art gallery of works by or for children. Children are encouraged to look at different types of art and then create their own, with paints, clay, plaster of Paris and any other simple medium.

Children's Museum of Manhattan 212 W 83rd St (between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave). Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; $6, under 1 free; tel 212/721-1234, www.cmom.org .
A terrific participatory museum, with exhibit space over five floors; not to be missed is "Seuss!" - a whimsical area with decor inspired by the Dr. Seuss books, where kids can (literally) cook up some green eggs and ham. For ages 1-12, and highly recommended.

Fire Museum 278 Spring St (between Hudson and Varick sts). Tues-Sun 10am-4pm; $4, students $2, under 12 $1; tel 212/691-1303.
More popular than ever now, this unspectacular but pleasing homage to New York City's firefighters, and indeed firepeople everywhere, has fire engines from yesteryear, helmets, dog-eared photos and a host of other motley objects.

Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum W 46th St and 12th Ave at Pier 86. April-Sept Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm; Oct -March Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, last admission 1 hour prior to closing; $12, children 12-17 $9, children 6-11 $6, children 3-5 $2, under 2 free; tel 212/245-0072, www.intrepidmuseum.org .
The world's fastest spy plane, a guided missile submarine, and other modern and vintage air and sea craft are all here; not recommended for kids under five years.

Museum of the City of New York 1220 5th Ave (103rd St). Wed-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm, Tues 10am-2pm for pre-registered tour groups only; suggested donation $7, students $4, families $12; tel 212/534-1672, www.mcny.org .
The New York Toy Stories is a super way to bring young ones back to simpler times, before video games, when wooden toys, rubber balls, and board games were just about the only options in the late 1800s. For girls (and grownups) there is a worthwhile and surprising group of dollhouses.

National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution) 1 Bowling Green (at Battery Park). Daily 10am-5pm, Thurs until 8pm; free; tel 212/514-3700, www.si.edu/nmai .
Kids will enjoy looking at the ancient dolls and feathered headdresses and the replicas of a reservation home and schoolroom. Programs often include theater troupes, performance artists, dancers and films.

Central Park
Year-round, Central Park provides sure-fire entertainment for children. In the summer it becomes one giant playground, with activities ranging from storytelling to rollerblading to rowboating. The following are merely a few of the highlights.

The Carousel 64th St mid-park.
For just $1, children can take a spin on the country's largest hand-carved horses.

Central Park Wildlife Conservation Center (Zoo), 5th Ave at 64th St.
A small but enjoyable zoo, with sea lions, polar bears, monkeys and the Tisch Children's zoo.

Hans Christian Andersen statue 72nd St on the East Side (next to the Boat Pond).
A forty-or-so-year tradition of storytelling sessions; Wed & Sat 11am-noon, June to Sept.

Loeb Boathouse 72nd St mid-park.
Rent a rowboat on the Central Park lake and enjoy the views or take a gondola ride in the evening. Bike rentals available too.

Wollman Rink 62nd St mid-park tel 212/396-1010.
Roller/in-line skating during the summer and ice-skating during the winter. Skate rental and instruction available.

Sights and entertainment
Bronx Zoo (formally, the International Wildlife Conservation Park) Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Rd. March-Oct Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm; Nov-Feb daily 10am-4.30pm; $9, kids $5, free on Weds, rides and some exhibits are an additional charge; tel 718/367-1010, www.wcs.org .
The largest urban zoo in America has more than 4000 species of animals, reptiles and birds on display, many in huge simulated natural habitats. A children's section allows kids to climb around on large exhibits, including a giant spider web, and pet some of the tamer animals.

New York Aquarium W 8th St and Surf Ave, Coney Island, Brooklyn (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm; $9.75; tel 718/265-FISH).
The aquarium is largely a series of darkened halls containing creatures from the deep, but open-air shows of whales and dolphins are held several times daily, as are the shark, sea otter and walrus feedings. Call for daily show/program info.

Skyride 350 5th Ave (at 34th St) in the Empire State Building. Daily 10am-10pm; $13.50, 4-12 $10.50; combination ticket to Skyride and observatory $17 and $10; tel 212/279-9777.
The Skyride, in the Empire State Building, is a big-screen thrill ride through the most well-known sights in the city, complete with tilting seats and surround sound. Bring a strong stomach; it may be too much for small children.

Shops: toys, books and clothes
 

Books of Wonder 16 W 18th St (between 5th and 6th aves) tel 212/989-3270.
Excellent kids' bookstore, with a great story-hour on Sun at 11.45am, and author appearances Sat in the spring and fall.

F.A.O. Schwarz 767 5th Ave (at 58th St) tel 212/644-9400.
Showpiece of a nationwide chain sporting three huge floors of everything a child could want. Fans of Barbie will want to check out the Barbie store, in the back of F.A.O. Schwarz, with its own Madison Ave entrance.

New Victory Theater 209 W 42nd St tel 646/223-3020.
There is always a rich mix of affordable theater, music, dance, storytelling, film and puppetry, in addition to pre-performance workshops and post-performance participation. Everything about this theater is child-oriented, including the duration of performances (60-90 minutes). Closed during the summer.

Thirteenth Street Repertory Company 50 W 13th St (between 5th and 6th aves) tel 212/675-6677. Sat & Sun 1pm and 3pm, year-round; $7.
Forty-five-minute original musicals - such as "Rumplewho?" - specifically created for "little humans." Reservations needed, as these are very popular shows.

Penny Whistle Toys 1283 Madison Ave (at 91st St) tel 212/369-3868; also 448 Columbus Ave (at 81st St) tel 212/873-9090.
Wonderful shop selling a fun, imaginative range of toys that deliberately eschews guns and war accessories, including replicas of old-fashioned toys rarely seen these days. Highly recommended.

Red Caboose 23 W 45th St (between 5th and 6th aves); lower level - follow the flashing railroad sign in back of lobby tel 212/575-0155.
A unique shop specializing in models, particularly trains and train sets.

Tannen's Magic Studio 24 W 25th St (between Broadway and 6th Ave) tel 212/929-4500.
Kids will never forget a visit to the largest magic shop in the world, with nearly 8000 props and magic sets. The staff consists of magicians who perform free shows throughout the day.

Theater, puppet shows, circuses and others
The following is a highly selective roundup of miscellaneous activities, particularly cultural ones that might be of interest to young children.

Barnum & Bailey Circus Madison Square Garden tel 212/465-6741.
This large touring circus is usually in New York between the end of March and the beginning of May.

Big Apple Circus Lincoln Center tel 212/546-2656.
Small circus that performs in a tent in Damrosch Park next to the Met, from late Oct to early Jan. Tickets $10-45.