You've seen the lists with the same four museums on them. This one has 12 indoor places across the city, half of them free or cheap, with prices, hours and stroller rules from each venue's own page and an honest word on which suit which age.
The best rainy day things to do in NYC with kids beyond the big museums are the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, the Children's Museum of Manhattan (best for ages 0 to 6), MoMath, the Brooklyn Children's Museum (ages 6 months to 10, free Thursday 2 to 5pm) and the free National Museum of the American Indian and Bronx Museum of the Arts. Libraries are the cheapest dry option.
Checked October 5, 2026. Prices and hours are from each venue's own page and change, so the link on each one is the one to trust.
Rain in New York has a way of arriving at 10am on the one day you didn't bring the stroller cover. The usual answer is the Museum of Natural History, which is a fine answer, and also the one that a lot of other families have reached at the same moment. These are the rainy day things to do in NYC with kids that make a different plan: smaller museums, a couple of free ones, libraries, and one or two places that are properly indoors for the whole visit.
A rainy day with small children has three stages: optimism, the second bag of snacks, and the moment you discover how many subway steps you've been climbing. Choose a place with a restroom.
Most of these have a timed ticket or a limited-capacity day, and wet weather is when they fill up. Book ahead if the venue's page offers it.
Designed for ages 0 to 6, per its page, with older children enjoying select exhibits. It's in the Tisch Building at 212 West 83rd Street, open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. Admission is $17 online or $18 in person for anyone aged 1 to 18 and adults, $14 or $15 for seniors and visitors with disabilities, and free for under-1s.
The practical bit: a complimentary stroller and coat check is available, and strollers aren't allowed in exhibit areas, so leave yours at the desk. A fully accessible restroom is on the third floor, and an ambulatory accessible one is on the lower level. No timed-entry requirement is mentioned.
Practical
A hands-on math museum at 635 Sixth Avenue, which sounds like homework until you find out the exhibits are hands-on. It's open daily 10am to 5pm, closed only on Thanksgiving. Advance-purchase admission is $33 for adults and $22 for youth aged 2 to 17, with under-2s free. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
The page says complimentary admission days happen twice a month, and the museum closes at 2:30pm one day a month for a program called Math Encounters. Check the events calendar for both before you buy a ticket.
Practical
Free, indoors, fully accessible per the library, and at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Hours at the time of writing: Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm (until 8pm Tuesday and Wednesday), Sunday 1pm to 5pm. The Polonsky Exhibition of the library's treasures is free with timed tickets, and the Rose Main Reading Room has daily guided tours.
It's a hushed building, so it's better for ages seven and up than for a five-year-old with a megaphone voice. The library notes midtown renovation work that may cause temporary disruptions.
Practical
A small museum at 278 Spring Street, open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. Its site says it holds around 30,000 objects and artifacts, from the late 18th century to the present, and mentions a fire safety education tour run with the FDNY. The homepage doesn't list admission prices, so check the museum's own page for current rates. I'd budget about an hour.
Practical
Always free, no tickets, in the old Custom House at One Bowling Green, and open daily 10am to 5pm except December 25. The museum has an imagiNATIONS Activity Center for hands-on learning, and the ground floor and all exhibitions are accessible. It's a sensible stop before the ferry or a walk around the Battery.
Practical
A museum in a decommissioned subway station at 99 Schermerhorn Street, where children can walk through real old subway cars. It's open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm, and admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children aged 2 to 17 and seniors. Tickets have a 30-minute entry window and advance booking is recommended.
The unglamorous bit: the page says heavy strollers should stay at home because there are multiple flights of stairs, and there is no elevator. A wheelchair-accessible entrance is at Schermerhorn and Court Streets. The page I read also said none of the museum was climate controlled because of an air conditioning outage, so check the page for notices before you go. There is also a Gallery and Store at Grand Central (strollers aren't allowed in it) for a short, free visit.
Practical
Hands-on cultural and science programs for ages 6 months to 10 years, at 145 Brooklyn Avenue. It's open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm (last entry 4:50pm), closed Monday and Tuesday except a special opening on Monday, October 12. General admission is $15 per person, and the page lists free Community Access Thursdays from 2pm to 5pm.
The page doesn't mention timed tickets, a stroller policy or restrooms, so I'd check those before you go with a toddler.
Practical
Free, fully accessible and at Grand Army Plaza, with a Youth Wing for children. Hours at the time of writing: Monday to Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm. The library has been renovating in phases, so check for closed areas. It's a good place to sit down and let a wet child dry out without anyone looking at the clock.
Practical
A museum of film, television and games at 36-01 35th Avenue. The hours posted for 2026 are Thursday 2pm to 6pm, Friday 2pm to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm, with a Monday opening on October 12 from 12pm to 6pm. Admission is $20 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, $10 for ages 3 to 17, and free for under-3s. The page lists free museum hours every Thursday from 2pm to 6pm.
The posted hours are Thursday to Sunday only, so don't plan this one for a Tuesday. The page also mentions free lobby and courtyard access during open hours.
Practical
A big science museum at 47-01 111th Street in Queens. The visit page I read carried hours of Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm), general admission of $22 for adults and $19 for children, students and seniors, and $6 add-ons for the Rocket Park, theater and science playground. The page labels some of this as 2025, so confirm current prices before you go.
Strollers are permitted throughout the building, and all public restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The page lists free entry on Fridays from 2pm to 5pm with same-day reservations opening at 10am. Rocket Park is outdoors, so don't count it as a rain activity. Parking is $15 per car during museum hours.
Practical
Always free, at 1040 Grand Concourse, open Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 6pm. The page lists public areas, galleries and restrooms as wheelchair accessible, with complimentary wheelchairs in the lobby. It closes on federal holidays and during exhibition changeovers, so check the page before you go.
Good for children who can look at large things and say what they think of them.
Practical
At 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building M, on the Snug Harbor grounds. The page lists hours of Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, a special opening on Monday, October 12, and admission of $10 for adults and children, with under-1s free. The Snack Zone Cafe is open 11am to 1pm Wednesday to Friday, and there are vending machines and picnic tables.
The free Staten Island Ferry gets you to St. George, and from there it's a bus or a short drive. The page says to check its directions and wayfinding map, so I would.
Practical
See also Free things to do in NYC with kids →
See also The NYC subway with a stroller →
See also This week's indoor events in The New York Almanac →
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For young children, the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Children's Museum. For ages 5 and up, MoMath, the New York Transit Museum and the Museum of the Moving Image. For free options, the National Museum of the American Indian and the Bronx Museum of the Arts.
The National Museum of the American Indian and the Bronx Museum of the Arts are always free. The New York Public Library's main building and the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library are free too.
Yes. Its page says it's designed for ages 0 to 6, with a complimentary stroller and coat check, though strollers aren't allowed in the exhibit areas.
The museum's page says heavy strollers should stay at home because of multiple flights of stairs and no elevator. Strollers are also not permitted in its Grand Central Gallery and Store.
The Brooklyn Children's Museum lists free Community Access Thursdays from 2pm to 5pm, and the Museum of the Moving Image lists free hours on Thursdays from 2pm to 6pm. NYSCI lists free Friday afternoons with reservations, but confirm the current policy first.
Pick an indoor anchor near your subway stop, book timed tickets ahead if offered, and have a free backup such as a library or the National Museum of the American Indian.
Facts checked against 13 pages on Monday, October 5, 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
