Things to Do in Brooklyn With Kids: A Day Plan for Each Part
Brooklyn is too big for one day, so here's a plan for each part, with the famous places and a few that most visitors miss, and the hours, prices and subway stops checked.
The short answer
The best things to do in Brooklyn with kids are around Prospect Park (the zoo, the carousel, the Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum), at Brooklyn Children's Museum (ages 6 months to 10, free Thursdays 2pm to 5pm) and along the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Free picks include Weeksville Heritage Center and Domino Park, and the Transit Museum is the best rainy day option.
Checked October 5, 2026. Hours and prices change with the season, so each venue's own page is the one to trust on the day.
Brooklyn is bigger than most cities you've heard of and behaves like several of them, which is the main thing to know about things to do in Brooklyn with kids. A day that tries to cover the waterfront, the park and Coney Island will end with a child asleep in a stroller on the B/Q and a parent insisting it was only three more stops. So this guide splits Brooklyn into parts, with one sensible day for each, a mix of the places everyone knows and a few that most visitors miss, and the subway stops checked against the MTA's accessibility data.
Things to do in Brooklyn with kids: the quick version
- Best all-rounder: the Prospect Park end of Brooklyn, with the zoo, the carousel, the Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum within walking distance of each other.
- Best for little ones: Brooklyn Children's Museum, for ages 6 months to 10, free on Thursdays from 2pm to 5pm.
- Best free: Weeksville Heritage Center, Domino Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Central Library's Youth Wing.
- Best rainy day: the Children's Museum, the Transit Museum or the Central Library.
- Best on a good day: Brooklyn Bridge Park and Coney Island, which is mostly a summer plan, so check what's open.
Pick one part of Brooklyn per day. The borough looks small on the map and then you're standing at a bus stop in a wind that was not in the forecast.
Brooklyn Bridge Park, DUMBO and Downtown: a day by the water
The easiest Brooklyn day for visitors, because it's close to Manhattan and most of it is flat. Start indoors at the Transit Museum when it opens, then walk or ride to the waterfront in the afternoon, which is the right way round if the weather turns.
New York Transit Museum
A museum of historic transit vehicles, with family-focused exhibits, at 99 Schermerhorn Street, open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm. It's the best rainy day pick in this part of Brooklyn, with one honest catch: the main entrance means two flights of stairs, the wheelchair entrance is at Schermerhorn and Court Streets, and the museum discourages heavy strollers.
Practical
- Subway
- Borough Hall (2/3/4/5), accessible, about 0.1 to 0.2 mile; Jay St-MetroTech (A/C/F, R), accessible, about 0.2 mile
- Stroller
- Heavy strollers discouraged; unattended stroller parking at the rear; wheelchair entrance at Schermerhorn and Court Sts
- Cost
- Adults $15, children 2 to 17 $10
- Check first
- Hours (Wed to Sun 10am to 4pm) and the museum's access details
Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane's Carousel
The park runs 6am to 1am and has playgrounds at Pier 6 (the Water Lab), Pier 2 and Pier 5. Jane's Carousel, a restored 1922 Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, sits at the Empire Fulton Ferry end and operates year round. The Pier 1 restroom is listed in the city's data as open 6am to 1am and fully accessible.
The water here is the East River: it's for looking at, not for swimming, and the piers have railings for a reason. The walk to Pier 1 from the Transit Museum is about 0.9 mile in a straight line, so ride one stop or plan for a very slow march.
Practical
- Subway
- Borough Hall (2/3/4/5) and Fulton St (2/3, A/C) are listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.6 to 0.8 mile from the piers
- Restrooms
- Pier 1, 6am to 1am, fully accessible, per the city's data
- Cost
- Free to enter the park; carousel rides are ticketed
- Check first
- Carousel hours and prices on janescarousel.com, and Pier 6 Water Lab season
See also The subway-with-a-stroller guide lists the accessible stations and elevator locations →
Prospect Park, the Museum and the Garden: the big day
The best part of Brooklyn for a family, and the one where most of the choosing is about stamina. Prospect Park, the zoo, the carousel, the Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum and the Central Library are all in one neighborhood, with an accessible station (Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum on the 2/3, or Prospect Park on the B/Q/S) at each end. Don't try all of it. Two of them and lunch is a good day. Three is a hero's day, and the stroller will know.
Prospect Park Zoo
A small zoo, which is a compliment with a six year old: you can see all of it before the legs give up. Hours run 10am to 5pm on weekdays and to 5:30pm on weekends and holidays through October 31, then 10am to 4:30pm daily from November 1 to March, with last entry before closing. The zoo's ticket page lists adult $10.95, child 3 to 12 $7.95 and children 2 and under free.
The Prospect Park station is accessible and close by. The B only runs on weekdays.
Practical
- Subway
- Prospect Park (B/Q/S), listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.15 mile
- Cost
- Adult $10.95, child 3 to 12 $7.95, 2 and under free (ticket page)
- Time
- Two hours at a four-year-old's pace
- Check first
- Ticket prices on the zoo's site; the B runs weekdays only; Elevators go out of service: check the MTA status page first
Lefferts Historic House and the Prospect Park Carousel
The lesser-known pair, in the Children's Corner by the zoo. Lefferts Historic House has a working garden, hands-on and imaginative play activities and exhibits on Indigenous and African American history. The Prospect Park Alliance lists it open Saturday and Sunday and school holidays, noon to 5pm, September to November, and doesn't list an admission price.
The carousel next door has 53 horses carved in 1912, a lion, a giraffe, a deer and two dragon-pulled chariots, and the Alliance calls it one of the only wheelchair accessible carousels in the nation. It runs Thursday to Sunday and holidays, noon to 5pm, until November 23.
Practical
- Subway
- Prospect Park (B/Q/S), listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.1 mile
- Cost
- No admission price listed for Lefferts; ask the Alliance on 718-965-8951. Carousel price not listed on its page
- Check first
- Seasonal hours: Lefferts Sat to Sun and school holidays; carousel until November 23
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
October hours are Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm (closed Mondays except October 12), and November runs 10am to 3:30pm. Adults are $22 at the box office, seniors and students 12 and over $16, and children under 12 are free. The Eastern Parkway entrance is temporarily closed, so use Flatbush Avenue or Washington Avenue. The Discovery Garden is the kids' bit, and it's listed under the garden's Kids & Families pages.
Practical
- Subway
- Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum (2/3), listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.2 mile
- Cost
- Adults $22 (box office), children under 12 free
- Check first
- Entrances (Eastern Pkwy is closed), and hours, which drop to 3:30pm in November
Brooklyn Museum
At 200 Eastern Parkway, open Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 6pm. The museum says strollers, except oversize and jogging ones, are allowed in most galleries, and to ask a Public Safety Officer about specific galleries. Its page doesn't give admission prices, so check before you go.
Practical
- Subway
- Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum (2/3), accessible, per the museum and the MTA
- Stroller
- Allowed in most galleries, not oversize or jogging strollers
- Check first
- Admission prices and First Saturdays dates on the museum's site
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
The building at Grand Army Plaza is the grown-up bit. For you, there's a Youth Wing with children's collections and regular storytimes, and the library says the building accommodates strollers and has public restrooms. It's open Monday to Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm, and the library also runs Culture Pass, which lets library cardholders reserve museum passes.
It's the free option in the neighborhood and a very good place to wait out a downpour.
Practical
- Subway
- Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum (2/3), listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.2 mile; Grand Army Plaza (2/3) is not accessible
- Stroller
- Building accommodates strollers; fully accessible, per the library
- Restrooms
- Public restrooms, per the library's page
- Cost
- Free
- Check first
- Storytime schedule in the library's events calendar
Crown Heights: the Children's Museum and Weeksville
A shorter day. The two are about 0.7 mile apart in a straight line, so plan a bus or a slow walk.
Brooklyn Children's Museum
The museum is at 145 Brooklyn Avenue, open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm (last entry 4:50pm), and it's for ages 6 months to 10 years. General admission is $15 per person. Admission is free every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm, courtesy of Amazon, through its Community Access Thursdays, which you can reserve online.
The museum's page doesn't cover strollers, restrooms or the subway, so check those before you go. The nearest accessible station is Crown Hts-Utica Av (3/4), about 0.7 mile.
Practical
- Subway
- Crown Hts-Utica Av (3/4), listed as accessible by the MTA, about 0.7 mile; Kingston Av (3) is closer, about 0.35 mile, but not accessible
- Cost
- $15 per person; free Thursdays 2pm to 5pm
- Check first
- Thursday free-hours reservation and hours (Wed to Sun 10am to 5pm)
Weeksville Heritage Center
A free heritage site at 158 Buffalo Avenue, with exhibitions, tours and the historic Hunterfly Road Houses, open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturday 11am to 5pm, and Weeksville is closed Sundays and Mondays.
Strollers are fine on the grounds but not in the houses, which are landmarked, have no ramps and take between one and three steps to enter. Tours cost extra and need booking 24 hours ahead. Dogs aren't allowed, except service animals.
Practical
- Subway
- A/C to Utica Av (accessible per the MTA, about 0.35 mile), or 3/4 to Crown Hts-Utica Av (accessible, about 0.4 mile)
- Stroller
- On the grounds only; not in the historic houses
- Cost
- Free; tours cost extra, book 24 hours ahead
- Check first
- Hours (closed Sun and Mon) and tour booking
Williamsburg: the sugar factory waterfront
Domino Park
A park on the East River built round the old Domino sugar refinery, with a playground that resembles parts of the factory (the Sugar Cane Cabin, the Sweetwater Silo and the Sugarcube Centrifuge). The park is open daily 6am to 11pm, the playground from sunrise to sunset, and restrooms are in the Refinery Building, listed in the city's data as open 6am to 11pm year round. There's a dog run too.
It's free.
Practical
- Subway
- Bedford Av (L) is accessible per the MTA, about 0.6 mile; Marcy Av (M/J/Z) is accessible, about 0.65 mile
- Restrooms
- Refinery Building, 6am to 11pm per the city's data
- Cost
- Free
- Check first
- Playground hours, sunrise to sunset
Coney Island: a beach-and-rides day, if the season is right
Coney Island is a summer plan with a few honest fall options. In October and November the aquarium is open daily and the amusement rides run on a limited schedule. Swim only when lifeguards are on duty (NYC Parks sets the season), and stay out of the water the rest of the time, rip currents or not.
New York Aquarium
At 602 Surf Avenue, the aquarium lists daily hours to 5pm through October 31 (last entry 4pm), then to 4:30pm from November 1 (last entry 3:30pm). Tickets are listed as date-specific, so buy ahead. I couldn't confirm prices from the aquarium's own pages, so I'm leaving them out.
The closest station, W 8 St-NY Aquarium (F/Q), is not accessible. The accessible one is Coney Island-Stillwell Av (D/F/N/Q), about 0.36 mile away.
Practical
- Subway
- Coney Island-Stillwell Av (D/F/N/Q), accessible per the MTA, about 0.36 mile; W 8 St-NY Aquarium (F/Q) is not accessible
- Cost
- Date-specific tickets; see the aquarium's ticket page
- Check first
- Hours and ticket dates; Elevators go out of service: check the MTA status page first
Luna Park and the Coney Island boardwalk
Luna Park, at 1000 Surf Avenue, charges by the ride or by an all-day wristband, and its hours depend on the day and the weather, so check the park calendar. There are restrooms in the park. The boardwalk is free, flat and a long way for four-year-old legs, though children's legs rarely give up before the ice cream.
Practical
- Subway
- Coney Island-Stillwell Av (D/F/N/Q), accessible per the MTA, about 0.25 mile
- Cost
- Pay per ride or all-day wristbands; see the park's site
- Check first
- The park calendar for open days; hours vary by day and weather
Getting around Brooklyn with kids
The B, Q and S around Prospect Park, the 2/3 at the Brooklyn Museum and the D/F/N/Q at Coney Island all have accessible stations, but not every station does, so check the MTA's accessibility list and elevator status before a stroller trip. Kids under 44 inches ride free with a paying adult, up to three per adult, per the MTA.
See also Our subway-with-a-stroller page lists every accessible station in Brooklyn →
See also Museums in NYC for kids, including which are pay what you wish →
See also The playground guide covers Brooklyn's parks with sprinklers and comfort stations →
Every place in this guide, on a map
11 places. The map loads only when you ask for it, from OpenStreetMap.
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Questions people ask
What are the best things to do in Brooklyn with kids?
Prospect Park and its neighbors: the Prospect Park Zoo, the carousel, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (children under 12 free) and the Brooklyn Museum. For little ones, the Brooklyn Children's Museum is for ages 6 months to 10, and Brooklyn Bridge Park and Domino Park are good free waterfront stops.
What is free to do in Brooklyn with kids?
Weeksville Heritage Center, Domino Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Central Library's Youth Wing are free. The Brooklyn Children's Museum is free on Thursdays from 2pm to 5pm (book online), and children under 12 are free at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
What is the best kids' museum in Brooklyn?
The Brooklyn Children's Museum, at 145 Brooklyn Avenue, is the obvious pick for ages 6 months to 10 ($15 per person, open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm). The New York Transit Museum (adults $15, children 2 to 17 $10) suits older children.
What can you do in Brooklyn with kids on a rainy day?
The Brooklyn Children's Museum, the New York Transit Museum, the Central Library's Youth Wing and the Brooklyn Museum are all indoors. The Central Library is free.
What are good things to do in Brooklyn with toddlers?
The Brooklyn Children's Museum takes children from 6 months, the Prospect Park Zoo is small enough for short legs, and the Prospect Park Carousel runs Thursday to Sunday until November 23. Domino Park's playground is open from sunrise to sunset.
Is Coney Island good for kids in the fall?
The New York Aquarium is open daily through the fall and winter, to 5pm until October 31 and to 4:30pm from November 1. Luna Park's hours vary by day and weather, so check its calendar, and don't swim unless lifeguards are on duty.
Which Brooklyn subway stations are accessible with a stroller?
Among the useful ones: Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum (2/3), Prospect Park (B/Q/S), Borough Hall (2/3/4/5), Jay St-MetroTech (A/C/F, R), Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Coney Island-Stillwell Av (D/F/N/Q). Elevators fail, so check the MTA's elevator status page first.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against 19 pages on Monday, October 5, 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
Show the sources
- NYC Transit Museum: visit
- Brooklyn Bridge Park: visit
- Jane's Carousel
- Prospect Park Zoo: plan your visit
- Prospect Park Zoo: tickets
- Prospect Park Alliance: Lefferts Historic House
- Prospect Park Alliance: Carousel
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden: hours and admission
- Brooklyn Museum: visit
- Brooklyn Public Library: Central Library
- Brooklyn Children's Museum: visit
- Weeksville Heritage Center: visit
- Domino Park
- New York Aquarium: plan your visit
- Luna Park in Coney Island
- MTA: accessible stations
- MTA: subway and bus fares
- MTA subway station data with ADA flags (data.ny.gov)
- NYC Open Data: Public Restrooms dataset
