How2Day: Winter Activities for Kids in New York City

Central Park is a winter wonderland for kids. winter in new york city image by Snezana Skundric from Fotolia.com
New York City attracts tourists throughout the year, and the winter features Christmas-themed shows, parades and lighted attractions not seen in other seasons. Most of the winter season attractions in New York City are kid-friendly. The winter season kicks off with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in midtown Manhattan, and continues with performances that your children will enjoy at the Lincoln Center and Radio City Music Hall.

Rockefeller Center is in midtown Manhattan, and during the winter, this area offers an outdoor ice skating rink. The Rockefeller Center ice rink accommodates up to 150 people, which is enough for a group outing, but the rink is never overwhelmed by massive crowds. Private lessons are provided upon request. The ice rink is open every day of the week during the winter months.

At the end of November, bring your kids to Rockefeller Plaza to see the annual lighting of its Christmas Tree, which stands over the Plaza's ice skating rink. Eateries at the Rockefeller Plaza include Ben & Jerry's and Au Bon Pain.

Many of Manhattan's famous department stores adorn their front windows with holiday-themed pageantry and decorations. It is free to bring your children to the department stores to see the scenery. Macy's, which was featured in the Hollywood movie "Miracle on 34th Street," pays tribute by showing scenes from the 1930s film classic; this store is in midtown Manhattan's Herald Square.

Other department stores that have window displays include Barney's New York on Madison Avenue, Bloomingdales' on 59th Street and Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue, which uses antiques in their decorations. The decoration themes for these three stores vary from year to year. The stores' holiday decorations are usually taken down after the second weekend of January.

The Nutcracker Ballet is a 19th-century ballet performed every year at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Manhattan's Lincoln Square. The show consists of colorful costumes, dancing fairies and music by famed Russian composer, Peter Tchaikovsky. The show runs from late November through early January. Children may also enjoy the snowflakes that fall from the rafters onto the stage and auditorium seats during the performance. The ballet is performed by dancers from the New York Ballet Company.

Situated in the borough of the Bronx, the Bronx Zoo is on the southern end of the Bronx Park. Formerly known as the Holiday Lights, the Bronx Zoo Wild Winterland offers the park's guests rides on Clydesdale horse-drawn carriage, ice-carved sculptures and live acoustic music.

Winterland occurs during the day, as opposed to the Holiday Lights, which was a nighttime attraction. Many of the wildlife exhibits are open during this time. The Bronx Zoo is accessible from Manhattan via the Bronx Park East rail transit station. The Winterland attraction occurs from early December through early January.

The beginning of the Chinese Lunar Year occurs in February, which is the cause for a month-long round of activities in New York City's Chinatown and Soho districts. Children will enjoy puppet theater and arts workshops at the Lunar New Year Family Festival, which is hosted at the Museum of Chinese in America and Children's Museum of Art; both of these museums are in Soho.

The Chinese New Year festivities also include parades, such as the Lion and Dragon Dance Parade in the Chinatown district, and the Lunar New Year's Parade and Celebration in Flushing, Queens. These parades feature colorful floats, live Chinese-influenced music and dancing entertainment.

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