HOW TO BEAT THE BACK TO SCHOOL BLUES IN NYC
August is already slipping away. Kids and teens are getting bummed about going back to school and parents are dreading the coming winter. But summer isn’t over yet! Take advantage of the last few weeks of warmth and sunshine with these fun NYC activities.
Spend a day at the beach
You may not think of NYC as a great place for beach trips, but head out of Manhattan and you’ll find plenty of sandy escapes from the city. The most famous destination for city dwellers is Coney Island in Brooklyn, but there are other beaches nearby, like the Rockaways in Queens. And if you want to head farther out, there are plenty of relaxing summer getaways on Long Island.
Go on the Gossip Girl Sites Tour
Get a glimpse into what life is like for Manhattan’s elite on a guided tour of Gossip Girl filming locations. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Dylan’s, take advantage of fancy photo ops, and pretend you’re living in luxury like Serena and Blair.
Take in a museum or two
Get the kids’ minds working and ready to learn by visiting one or two of NYC’s many museums. There are the staples, like the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Museum of Modern Art. But there are plenty of lesser-known options too, like the New York Hall of Science, the New York Historical Society, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Brooklyn Museum, and the New York Transit Museum.
Explore Governors Island
A short ferry ride away from Lower Manhattan is Governors Island, a quaint summer oasis filled with history, hammocks, and bike paths. For almost 200 years, the island was an Army post, and for thirty years after that it served as a base for the Coast Guard. Now the entire island is open to the public during the summer months!
Visit the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park
In the summer, Central Park’s Wollman Rink is transformed into Victorian Gardens, an amusement park right in the heart of the city! Most of the rides are geared for kids ages 2 to 12, but older kids and adults can enjoy most of them as well.
Go forth and enjoy summer! It’s not quite September yet.