Sunny Friday and Saturday, showers Sunday afternoon. Outdoors first.
Friday and Saturday are sunny with highs near 70. Sunday is partly sunny, high near 70, with a 40 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Monday, a school holiday, shows showers likely and a high near 70. Light winds, and no advisories listed when the National Weather Service forecast was issued on Wednesday morning, so check it again before you go.
Sunset 6:24pm. Full forecast (National Weather Service)
Two properly sunny days, one Sunday afternoon with opinions about rain, and a school holiday on Monday. Plan the outdoor stuff early and keep a museum in your back pocket.
Where: Governors Island. Ferries leave the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street, Manhattan, and on weekends from Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 and Red Hook.
Subway: Check the MTA trip planner for the stations near the ferry, and check elevator status first, because elevators do go out of service.
Saturday is sunny with a high near 70, and the island is a lovely place to be in that weather. The free guided tree tour is on the second Saturday at 11:45am from Soissons Landing, which suits children who like climbing on things and parents who like to learn the name of the thing being climbed. All passengers ride the ferry free on Saturdays and Sundays before 11am; after that adults pay $5 round trip and children 12 and under ride free. Indoor restrooms are in Building 110 near Soissons Landing, with trailer restrooms at Yankee Pier, South Battery and the west end of Liggett Terrace (weekends only). You can bring your own food and eat at the picnic tables.
Register for the tour through the Eventbrite link on the Governors Island page. The island is open 7am to 6pm in the fall, and stroller space on the ferries is limited and first come, first served, so a small stroller or a carrier helps. Sunday afternoon is the wet one, so go Saturday.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Prices vary, All ages
Pumpkin picking, a corn maze, carnival games, seasonal food and a Haunted Hotel experience, all on the Lakeside side of the park. Tickets are sold through the LeFrak Center website, so buy before you set off rather than discovering a price at the gate. Details and booking
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens $7 children, $9 adults, All ages
More than 60 live butterflies in an enclosed habitat. You spend 10 to 12 minutes inside the vivarium and about 25 minutes in total, which is roughly the attention span of everyone involved. Tickets are sold online through the museum's ticketing page. Details and booking
Sat, Oct 10 and Sun, Oct 11, family art project 10am to 1pm
Wave Hill, 4900 Independence Avenue, The Bronx Adults $10, children 6 and up $4, Families
Wave Hill marks Indigenous Peoples' Weekend from Saturday through Monday with nature programming and hands-on activities, including a family art project making corn husk dolls. Grounds are open 10am to 5:30pm Tuesday to Sunday, and Monday, Oct 12 is free for everyone. Check the Wave Hill page for the full program and whether the art project has a separate fee. Details and booking
Staten Island Children's Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island Included with museum admission, All ages
Science demonstrations and big visuals about space, aimed at children and tolerated by adults. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, so it also works as your Sunday plan if the showers arrive early. Details and booking
West 79th Street and West Drive, Central Park, Manhattan $10 children, $15 adults, under 2 free, Ages 3 to 7
A marionette version of a story you know, in a small cottage in Central Park. Shows run 40 to 45 minutes. Tickets must be bought in advance online, there are no walk-up tickets, and there is a no-refund, no-transfer policy, so check the date twice. Details and booking
Behind the New York Hall of Science, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens Check the market's site, Family friendly
A night market that describes itself as family friendly, which is true until 8pm and negotiable after that. Take the 7 train to 111th Street and walk south 4 blocks, since parking is very limited and the nearby lot charges $15. Check the market's site for admission before you go. Details and booking
New York Transit Museum Education Center, 99 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn $40 for one child and up to two adults, museum admission included, 18 months to 3 years
Story time, crafts and imaginative play for very small people who are very serious about trains. Not a drop-off program: each child needs an adult, and each adult needs a child. Register through the museum's website. Details and booking
Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, Manhattan Free, All ages
Admission to the whole museum is free on the second Sunday of the month, and the Whitney lists art workshops, tours, in-gallery activities and story times for families. Check its visit page to see whether you need to reserve a free timed ticket. This is your rain plan, so it should be a good one. Details and booking
New York Aquarium, Coney Island, Brooklyn Included free with aquarium admission, All ages
Marine themed magic shows, face painting, Wildlife Theater shows, games, and new this year the Sea of Illusions and Bubble Play. Buy aquarium tickets online at nyaquarium.com/tickets, and look at the Ascarium page for show times, which we could not confirm. Details and booking
Fri, Oct 9 and Sat, Oct 10, then Oct 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30 to 31, sessions 7:30 to 9pm and 9 to 10:30pm
Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Chapel Road and Gazebo Road, Staten Island $30, Ages not stated
A 90 minute nighttime walking tour of Snug Harbor's darkest history, led by the founder of Spooky Staten Island, with ghost hunting equipment. The listing does not give an age range and the sessions run late, so you know your children better than a web page does. The Halloween Special on Oct 31 runs 9 to 10:30pm only. Details and booking
Book ahead
Tip. Monday is a school holiday and the forecast says showers likely, so decide your indoor plan now. Wave Hill is free for everyone that day, the Aquarium is open for Ascarium, and the Queens Farm butterflies finish on Monday.
Free, one short email a week. Thursday, 7am: the weather call, one proper day out and the family events worth leaving the apartment for this weekend, checked with the organizer. Read the latest one first.
Thursday, 7am: the weather call for the weekend, made for you.
One proper day out: with the subway stop, the stroller verdict and where the restrooms are.
The family events worth it: each one checked with the organizer and linked, famous and lesser known side by side.
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