Things To Do With Kids in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the easiest borough to spend a whole day in without a car. Here's the list we work from.

Brooklyn Bridge Park & DUMBO

1. Pier 6 playgrounds — Slide Mountain, Water Lab, Swing Valley, Sandbox Village. The best free play day in the city.
2. Jane's Carousel — $4 a ride, inside a glass box on the water. Closed Tuesdays.
3. Pier 2 — roller rink, handball, basketball under cover when it drizzles.
4. Time Out Market rooftop — bathrooms, food that pleases everyone, skyline views.
5. Brooklyn Bridge walk — start on the Brooklyn side so the skyline stays in front of you.

Prospect Park & around

6. Prospect Park Zoo — small, walkable, perfect for under 6.
7. Lefferts Historic House and the Prospect Park Carousel ($3 a ride, open Thursday through Sunday and holidays).
8. Brooklyn Botanic Garden — Discovery Garden is built for kids; cherry blossoms in spring.
9. Brooklyn Museum — pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents, free for under 19.
10. Brooklyn Children's Museum, Crown Heights — the sensory room saves loud days.
11. Harmony Playground and the Vanderbilt Playground for sprinklers in summer.

Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

12. Domino Park — sugar refinery play structure, splash pad, taco stand.
13. McCarren Park playground and pool.
14. Transmitter Park — quiet, waterfront, sunset-friendly.
15. Space Club (Greenpoint) — sensory playground, no time limit, grip socks required.
16. Bushwick murals walk — a scavenger hunt disguised as a walk.

Coney Island & south Brooklyn

17. Luna Park — the kiddie rides at the west end are gentler and cheaper.
18. Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk — free sand, free people-watching.
19. New York Aquarium — Ocean Wonders shark building is the highlight.
20. Nathan's — the classic stop; go before 12 to skip the line.

Rainy-day Brooklyn

21. New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights — climb through real vintage subway cars.
22. Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch — huge children's wing at Grand Army Plaza.
23. Chelsea Piers Fieldhouse and open-play gyms in Gowanus.

Know before you go

• Pier 6 sprinklers and Domino's splash pad run roughly late June through Labor Day.
• Bring water shoes for the Water Lab — the surface gets hot.
• The B61/B62 buses beat the subway for short crosstown hops with a stroller.