Taking your teen to New York City
13 things to do with your teen in NYC
Taking your teen to New York City, heck taking kids to New York City can be intimidating, but there are so many fun things for teens to do. Don’t be afraid to have an adventure with teenagers in NYC. You may be surprised at how much they have matured right before your eyes.
We took our son while our daughter was at camp, and were rewarded with a long weekend with a young man who will be off to college before we know it. We packed it in, but had a great time finding cool things for teens in NYC.
Statue of Liberty 
Ryan, Gretchen & The Boy 
Ellis Island
Jump to:
1. Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
First stop for us and a must for teenagers in NYC for the first time. We traveled right as New York was opening up after Covid, so even the pedestal was closed to tourists, but it just getting to the island by ferry is memorable.
There is a great museum where you can see the original torch and learn more about the history.
I’ll be up front and say that I found the ticket buying system to be confusing. There is the group ticket where you can get multiple attractions on one ticket and save some $, but as NYC was just opening up and reservations were required for each attraction, I found it hard to reserve our visit time on the group ticket.
I didn’t want to risk anything so I skipped the group ticket and bought direct through Statue Cruises. We departed from Battery Park. It is easy to navigate from there on the metro. I’ll share more about our metro adventures.
I had never had time in my previous visits to NYC to stop at Ellis Island. It had been “all about Lady Liberty” but since we couldn’t get to the crown or pedestal, we took the time to stop at Ellis. I kept running scenes from the movie Hitch in my head!
On Ellis you can walk through the processing center from immigrants from 1892 – 1924. That means many of us may have ancestors who walk those very halls.
We did check to see if you could look up records and discovered a long wait after you register to use a computer for $10/30 minutes. We decided that was info we could look up at another time online and moved on
2. The Bull/Wall Street
Is it just me or are more and more teens interested in the stock market? I thought it was just my son, but the more moms I talk to I hear so many kids that are learning about investing early. That made visiting the famous Charging Bull statue on Wall Street a must stop and kid friendly thing to do in NYC. It is a short walk away from Battery Park so an easy stop before or after your Statue of Liberty visit.
Off topic a bit, but we have been using StockPile for buying stocks with our teens. Grandparents can give gift cards as well as the kids adding their own money. They only offer a limited number (aka safe and vetted) stocks and a parent must approve all transactions. I think it is a great way to learn the market.
World Trace Memorial Fountains 
Ladder 3 – 9/11 Museum
3. 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Every. American.
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I believe every American should make the pilgrimage to the 9/11 museum and especially a great place to go with teenager who wasn’t even born at the time. It will take your breath away and is certain to prompt a tear or two.
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This was my second visit so I kind of knew what to expect. I warned Ryan and The Boy that we should plan on 2.5 hours. Ryan didn’t think it would take that long. As we were close to rounding to hour 3 he realized he was mistaken.
Later we found a great spot for a good conversation. Hearing about 9/11 from a teen who wasn’t born when it occurred gives another perspective. ❤️❤️❤️ these kind of convos with teens!
The Oculus 
Inside the Oculus
4. The Oculus
If you aren’t familiar with this you are not alone. I had no clue what it was and since my last visit 7 years ago it seems a beautiful architectural icon has been built!
The building is officially a mall that is part of the World Trade Center area. A beautiful building that doesn’t overtake the memorial fountains. Simply walking through the building admiring it’s beauty is a free activity and thing to do in NYC with teens.
We ate at Eataly in the Oculus and it really was an amazing dinner. Highly recommend as a great spot for a break and a glass of wine.
The Oculus and One World 
One World Observatory
5. One World Observatory
The things we do for our kids….so if you keep reading my site you’ll quickly learn I’ve become more and more terrified of heights the older I get. I remember my father being afraid of heights and I as a teenager razed him and gave him a hard time….my how the tables have turned!
I have proclaimed that I have been to the top of enough tall buildings in my life, but alas I agreed to go up this one too. I will say it is an experience that compares to no other. The elevator ride is magnificent and once on the observatory floor you are greeted with another show before the curtains are lifted and you see the skyline before you.
Honestly, I think there was some definite thought on how this affects your mental position because for the first time I was terrified with fear. How did they do that?!?!
6. Brooklyn Bridge
We stayed at Mr. C’s in the Seaport area which is practically under the Brooklyn Bridge. I was not familiar with the area but we were very impressed with it’s charm.
One night my 16 year old son and I took to the bridge and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was fun to walk in the dark, but the wood slats of the pedestrian bridge can make anyone (me) who is afraid of heights a bit unnerved.
Stop to enjoy the moment. Snap a pic with your teen who may now tower over you in height!
By the way, when I was in NYC we got an absolutely beautiful pencil drawing of the Brooklyn Bridge from an artist on the street. Check out my tips for trip souvenirs here.
7. Washington Square Park (aka NYU campus)
When traveling with teens in NYC it is never a bad idea to sneak in a college campus walkthrough. Even though our son has two more years of high school we have been walking through campuses every chance we get.
Washington Square Park’s iconic arch is surrounded by a park brimming with life. From the chess boards and their pondering players to kids playing in the fountain, college kids are intermingled with banners for NYU gracing the buildings on the surrounding blocks.
8. Times Square
I mean, are you even allowed a trip to NYC without a stop in Times Square? Our teenage son was all for it and walked around in a daze absorbing all the sights, sounds, and smells. Don’t we all walk around Times Square with the same sense of awe? Definitely a fun thing to do with teenagers.
He did say he has no desire to ever be there for New Year’s Eve. Somehow our city born boy is getting more country as he grows. Is he related to me?!?!? (City girl through and through!)
9. Central Park
There are so many places to explore in Central Park, so this trip we took the metro even further up to the Upper West Side and walked around the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.
This is a more remote area of the park and it is nice to see actual New Yorkers living in actual New York, and not just the tourist attractions.
10. The High Line
We were in NYC over Father’s Day and wanted to treat Ryan to a nice brunch. STK Rooftop fit the bill. We found it surprisingly hard to find a good spot for a good glass of wine, but I’m blaming that on the reopening from Covid.
The High Line is steps away and a great spot for locals to get in their morning steps and enjoy a view of the river.
I have been told by so many people that I MUST go to the High Line and it is a fun place in NYC. Is it just me or does that make you want to do it less?? A MUST rarely lives up to the hype.
Picasso artwork 
Moma 
The Starry Night – van Gogh
11. MOMA
Ryan (husband) is a designer so of course an art museum was top of his NYC list. When I visited MOMA 7 years ago I picked up SEVERAL Christmas and birthday gifts for him at the gift store.
He was anxious to check out all the art and the gift store. We weren’t sure how much time to plan for here, so FYI we ended up spending about 2 and a half hours.
12. Roosevelt Island Tram
Ok am I the only one who just heard about Roosevelt Island Tram in the last few years. I seriously had no idea that this really cool and CHEAP mode of transportation was around.
For just the regular price of a metro trip you can take the tram to or from the island. We took the subway tunnel to the island before taking the tram back to Manhattan.
We have friends who took the ferry one direction and that would be a fun trip too!
We didn’t spend as much time on the island as I would have preferred, but I recommend checking it out. There are a handful of restaurants and a park in memory of FDR so it may be a nice place to sit for a break with a beautiful view of the city.
The Vessel 
The Vessel Interior
13. Hudson Yards/The Vessel/The Edge
Haven’t we done enough?!? Apparently not yet. They guys decided they hadn’t scared me enough with heights, so they booked visits for The Vessel and The Edge.
The Vessel is an alien looking thing that has become a prime spot for Instagram pics. As we were ascending the many varied stairs my 16-year-old informed me that the attraction had only recently reopened after a number of suicides. Um…..
So, after that news I will say I was more uneasy at the top of the Vessel than I had been at the top of One World Observatory. However, The Boy (my 16-year-old son) loved the sight and we had a great time walking its many stairs.
After we had time for dinner at Little Spain. Again, I feel like things we still just opening up after Covid, but this proved to be a fun and pretty convenient experience. You order everything through your phone and even pay your bill that way.
It is tapas and the set up really allowed you to pace your meal. You can take as short or as long as you want. We had a couple hours to kill so we enjoyed our meal (and the AC!)
As I’ve shared I’m not excited to go to the top of another tall building, especially one with a protruding balcony and glass floor. I let the boys do The Edge on their own.
It is the highest open air observation deck in the Western Hemisphere and one of the top teen things to do in NYC, in Ryan’s opinion.
They had a great time and my husband even snapped a pic of The Boy laying on the glass….with the street view below. Oh, dear Lord a mama’s heart can only take so much. Am I right?
That summarizes the “what we did” portion of our New York adventure with our first born. Again, if you get the chance to take one kid away on a trip I would recommend it. You will be rewarded with an amazing experience and one on one time that you just can’t get at home!
One on one trips with parents don’t end in your teenage years! Check out a trip I took with my mom, just the 2 of us, right before Covid hit, here!!
This trip to NYC was a long way from where we started. I’ve
I have more to cover on NYC so stay tuned for more details!
