Indoor and rain-proof family events in New York City this month

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

• Colombian Inspired Gold Foil Art

  Children's Museum of Manhattan, Upper West Side, Manhattan · $17 museum admission online
  Subway: 1 to 79 St or B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History

  In PlayWorks, kids tear and mold gold foil into small sculptures, inspired by Colombian gold craftsmanship. Runs through the weekend in 45 minute sessions. Organizer

• Street Art on the Move: Truck Design

  Children's Museum of Manhattan, Upper West Side, Manhattan · $17 museum admission online
  Subway: 1 to 79 St or B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History

  A Makerspace craft inspired by painted South American trucks: kids make a mini vehicle with animal scenes and landscapes. Two sessions a day Tuesday to Friday, afternoons over the weekend. The museum is built for ages 0 to 6. Organizer

• Storytime at The Met: Drip! Drop! Splash!

  10:15am, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St, then about a 10 minute walk west to Fifth Avenue

  A toddler storytime in the galleries with a second session at 11am. Free with museum admission, no registration listed. Organizer

• Stomp, Clap and Sing with Esther Crow

  10:30am, Central Library, Dweck Center, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn · Free
  Subway: 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza

  Singer Esther Crow performs original acoustic songs for babies and young children, some as duets with her handmade felt puppets. Free, at the Brooklyn Public Library's main branch. Organizer

• Banned Books Week Family Storytime

  11am, Spuyten Duyvil Library, Spuyten Duyvil, The Bronx · Free

  A family storytime built around books that have been banned or challenged. Tickets are first come, first served for up to 20 families, handed out from 10:30am. Organizer

• After School Art Explorers: Free Drop-In

  2:30pm, The Jewish Museum, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: 6 to 96 St

  A free drop-in art program for kids after school. Organizer

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• Family Story Time

  10:30am, Museum of Modern Art, Midtown, Manhattan
  Subway: E/M to 5 Av/53 St

  A 30 minute story time for kids in the Education Center. MoMA lists kids 16 and under as free admission. Organizer

Thursday, October 8, 2026

• Storytime at The Met: Drip! Drop! Splash!

  10:15am, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St, then about a 10 minute walk west to Fifth Avenue

  A toddler storytime in the galleries with a second session at 11am. Free with museum admission, no registration listed. Organizer

• Animal Encounters

  2:30pm, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
  Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Aves or 3 to Kingston Av

  A guided program with live animals led by museum staff. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Organizer

Saturday, October 10, 2026

• Whitney Museum Pop-Up Open Studio

  10:30am, Children's Museum of Manhattan, Upper West Side, Manhattan · $17 museum admission online
  Subway: 1 to 79 St or B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History

  Hands-on artmaking and a bilingual library in the museum's Inside Art space, run with the Whitney Museum. Organizer

• The Past and The Curious Live

  11am, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: 1 to 66 St-Lincoln Center

  Fun forgotten firsts from history with Mick Sullivan, in the David Rubenstein Atrium. Free, all ages. Organizer

• Drop-in Drawing at The Met Cloisters

  1pm, The Met Cloisters, Washington Heights, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: A to 190 St, then the M4 bus or a walk through Fort Tryon Park

  A drop-in drawing session for all ages among the medieval galleries uptown. Free with museum admission. Organizer

Sunday, October 11, 2026

• Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day

  Brooklyn Children's Museum, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
  Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Aves or 3 to Kingston Av

  Native artists share traditions through performances and activities across the museum all day. Organizer

• Free Second Sunday

  Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: A/C/E to 14 St or L to 8 Av

  Admission to the whole museum is free on the second Sunday of the month, and ages 25 and under are always free. Family programming on these days is not listed on the pages we checked. Organizer

• Bilingual Author Event with Luz Maria Mack

  10:30am, Children's Museum of Manhattan, Upper West Side, Manhattan · $17 museum admission online
  Subway: 1 to 79 St or B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History

  A bilingual author program for young children, with two sessions (10:30am and 11:30am). Organizer

• Dig & Create: Free Family Drop-In

  11:30am, The Jewish Museum, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: 6 to 96 St

  A free drop-in family art-making program at the museum. Organizer

• Family Afternoon: Drip! Drop! Splash!

  1pm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St, then about a 10 minute walk west to Fifth Avenue

  A Sunday afternoon of water-themed art activities for families at the Met's Fifth Avenue building. Free with museum admission. Organizer

Monday, October 12, 2026

• Schools Out Day Camp, Extended Hours

  4pm, Staten Island Children's Museum, St. George, Staten Island · $15 per camper
  Subway: Staten Island Ferry to St. George Terminal, then the S40 bus to Snug Harbor

  An after-school block of camp activities on a day the museum is open for Indigenous Peoples' and Italian Heritage Day. Costs $15 per camper. Organizer

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

• Storytime at The Met: Drip! Drop! Splash!

  10:15am, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St, then about a 10 minute walk west to Fifth Avenue

  A toddler storytime in the galleries with a second session at 11am. Free with museum admission, no registration listed. Organizer

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

• Paper Bag Haunted House

  3:30pm, Woodhaven Library, Woodhaven, Queens · Free

  Kids make a paper bag haunted house at the Woodhaven Library, a craft for ages 6 to 12. Organizer

Thursday, October 15, 2026

• Storytime at The Met: Drip! Drop! Splash!

  10:15am, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St, then about a 10 minute walk west to Fifth Avenue

  A toddler storytime in the galleries with a second session at 11am. Free with museum admission, no registration listed. Organizer

Saturday, October 17, 2026

• Dia de Muertos Family Celebration

  10am, El Museo del Barrio, East Harlem, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: 6 to 103 St

  Art-making, live music and community altars honoring loved ones who have died. Free. Organizer

• Halloween Family Day

  10am, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens · Free
  Subway: 7 to Court Sq, or E/M/G to Court Sq

  Free, all-ages Halloween activities led by artists, including pumpkin carving, costume making and spooky short films, with gallery access. Organizer

• Pumpkin Carving Workshop

  10:30am, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens
  Subway: 7 to Court Sq, or E/M/G to Court Sq

  A detailed pumpkin carving workshop with artist Danielle De Jesus. Registration is required and pumpkins are included while supplies last. Organizer

• Terrific Tales from Ancient Traditions

  11am, Bay Terrace Library, Bayside, Queens · Free

  An interactive storytelling program for kids ages 5 to 8 and their families at the Bay Terrace branch. Organizer

• Family Halloween Carnival

  2:30pm, East Flushing Library, Flushing, Queens · Free

  Games and creative crafts for kids and families at the East Flushing branch of Queens Public Library. Organizer

Sunday, October 18, 2026

• Upcycled Fabric Pumpkins

  10:30am, Greenbelt Nature Center, Greenbelt, Staten Island

  A craft session making fall pumpkins from repurposed fabric at the Greenbelt Nature Center. Check the Parks page for any fee or sign-up. Organizer

• Access Family Program: Dressing for the Job, Intrepid Style

  11am, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
  Subway: A/C/E to 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal, then the M42 bus west

  A children's session on why gear is built for safety and survival, part of the museum's Access Family Program series. Check the Intrepid page for eligibility and registration. Organizer

• CMS Kids: Building Blocks of Music

  11am, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, Manhattan
  Subway: 1 to 66 St-Lincoln Center

  A relaxed, interactive concert for young children and their families from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Three shows through the day. Organizer

• CMS Kids: Building Blocks of Music

  1pm, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, Manhattan
  Subway: 1 to 66 St-Lincoln Center

  A relaxed, interactive concert for young children and their families from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Three shows through the day. Organizer

• How Did They Do That? Tapestry Weaving

  1pm, The Met Cloisters, Washington Heights, Manhattan · Free with museum admission
  Subway: A to 190 St, then the M4 bus or a walk through Fort Tryon Park

  A family-friendly look at how medieval tapestries were made, at the Cloisters. Free with museum admission. Organizer

• CMS Kids: Building Blocks of Music

  3pm, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, Manhattan
  Subway: 1 to 66 St-Lincoln Center

  A relaxed, interactive concert for young children and their families from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Three shows through the day. Organizer

Monday, October 19, 2026

• Halloween Craft and Movie

  3:30pm, Coney Island Library, Coney Island, Brooklyn · Free

  Kids and teens watch Hocus Pocus and make paper Halloween lanterns at the Coney Island Library. Organizer

• Mummy Fashion Show

  4pm, South Jamaica Library, Jamaica, Queens · Free

  Families wrap each other up in a mummy dressing competition. Open to the whole family, according to the library. Organizer

Friday, October 23, 2026

• Library Lab: Spooky Science

  3:30pm, Brooklyn Heights Library, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn · Free
  Subway: 2/3/4/5 to Borough Hall

  A monthly Library Lab session with Halloween-themed science experiments for school-age kids. No registration needed. Organizer

Saturday, October 24, 2026

• Community Joy/Justice Day

  1pm, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Concourse, The Bronx · Free
  Subway: B/D or 4 to 167 St

  An artist-led community day at the Bronx Museum, which has free admission for everyone. Organizer

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

• Rock or Treat: Halloween Around the World!

  4pm, Crown Heights Library, Crown Heights, Brooklyn · Free
  Subway: 2/5 to Winthrop St

  Brian Barrentine's dance-along, sing-along Halloween musical for kids, described by the library as the city's only one of its kind. Organizer

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

• Ranger Tot Time

  11am, Inwood Hill Nature Center, Inwood, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: 1 to 215 St or A to Inwood-207 St

  A morning of kid-friendly activities with the Urban Park Rangers at the Inwood Hill Nature Center, aimed at toddlers and preschoolers. Organizer

Friday, October 30, 2026

• Family Halloween Themed Activities

  4pm, Hamilton Fish Recreation Center, Lower East Side, Manhattan · Free
  Subway: F to 2 Av

  Halloween activities with prizes, free candy and popcorn at the Hamilton Fish Recreation Center. It is indoors, so rain does not matter. Organizer

• WBO Haunted House

  6pm, Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, Williamsbridge, The Bronx · Free

  An evening haunted house at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center. The listing is short, so check the Parks page for age guidance before bringing little ones. Organizer

Saturday, October 31, 2026

• Halloween Celebration

  11am, American Museum of Natural History, Upper West Side, Manhattan
  Subway: B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History

  A costume-friendly day under the Blue Whale with live music, crafts, face painting and a trick-or-treat parade. Check amnh.org for the event ticket price, as the museum's pages list it differently; masks are asked to stay home. Organizer

• BAMboo! Halloween

  2pm, BAM Brooklyn Academy of Music, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
  Subway: 2/3/4/5/B/D/N/Q/R/W to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr

  A Halloween afternoon with carnival games, arts and crafts, and candy giveaways. Organizer