City Guide: 10 Family Friendly Activities in Brooklyn, NY to Enjoy this Winter

While our family frequently enjoys attractions, museums, and performances in Manhattan, we’ve never ventured across the bridge to the borough of Brooklyn. This past month, we had the opportunity to spend the weekend exploring many cultural attractions in Brooklyn and learning about the city’s rich history.

Brooklyn was first established as a summer vacation destination for New Yorkers, offering seaside resorts and summer themed activities for New Yorkers hoping to beat the heat.  Today, Brooklyn is the third largest city in America, home to close to three million residents living in over 70 different neighborhoods. There are dozens of museums and cultural institutions, over 60 parks and playgrounds, the Barclay Center (home to the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets basketball teams), and seemingly countless dining and shopping options. It’s too big of a city to see everything in a weekend, but we’re sharing a few highlights of places the whole family will enjoy.  Note: We chose to focus our time in the sections of DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Prospect Park, and Brooklyn Heights, which is reflected in this guide. 

Staying Local: We stayed at the Marriott New York at the Brooklyn Bridge and had a wonderful stay. The hotel is centrally located to many popular spots and has great amenities, including a pool, full gym, dining, and attached parking garage. The destination fee includes wifi, food and drink credit, and passes to the ferry.  See good indexes of lodging options here.

Eating Local: There are hundreds of restaurants and bakeries and bars within walking distance of the places on this guide.  A few good indexes are listed here and here and here. 

10 Things to Do in Brooklyn During the Winter (and really, all year!)

1. Explore 20+ decommissioned subway cars at the New York Transit Museum. The museum, located inside a decommissioned subway station, celebrates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which opened in 1904 and is the largest transportation system in North America. There are exhibits featuring a timeline of the MTA with lots of artifacts and mementos from each decade, old buses guests can pretend to ride, turnstiles from various decades, and an entire level with almost two dozen decommissioned subway cars. Be sure to walk through the cars and note the changes in seat design, handlebars, and advertisements.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am-4pm- info on admission hours and fees here; Info on accessibility and logistics here; Dress warmly during the winter and wear comfy shoes for walking through all the subway cars (no heels!); Gift shop located near admissions; Plan on two hours to fully explore exhibits and subway cars.
   See our full feature here.
2. Learn more about your taste buds at the Museum of Food and Drink. The museum recently moved to the second floor of the Empire Stores Building, with beautiful views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Manhattan Bridge, the museum features interactive exhibits that encourage guests to learn about their five senses and association with food and drinks. There are taste tests, smell tests, and trivia tests.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open from 12pm-6pm Thursday through Sunday; Information on hours, admission fees, and parking here; Restrooms, a coat rack, and a small gift kiosk are located near the admission desk; Plan on 45 minutes to explore all the exhibits.

3. Solve a scientific mystery at The Environmental Education Center and ride the horses at Jane’s Carousel at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. While the center typically hosts school groups, it does have open public hours for families to enjoy hands-on activities around sustainability and geology. The Brooklyn Bridge Park also includes the nautical themed Main Street Playground and playscape, Pebble Beach, and tons of open spaces to enjoy sports, concerts, and picnicking. 
   Travel Tips: The center is open Thursday through Saturday afternoons and is located on Main Street; The carousel has seasonal hours (closed Monday-Wednesday) in the winter; children under 42” can share a ticket ($3 each) with an adult; Limited metered, 3 hour street parking and two paid parking lots inside the park; see all spaces of the Brooklyn Bridge Park here. 
4. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the most popular activities in Brooklyn, the just-over-one-mile pedestrian walkway connects Brooklyn and Manhattan. There are several markers and plaques throughout the path which honor people and important dates related to the bridge, including its designation as a National Historic Landmark. Be sure to look up to see the gothic revival suspension towers in the middle of the bridge and sweeping views of the East River leading down to the Statue of Liberty to the south and the Manhattan Bridge to the north.
   Travel Tips: Visitors can access the bridge on the Brooklyn side and via the Tillary Street and Boerum Place intersection or up a flight of stairs in the underpass on Washington Street/Cadman Plaza east and Prospect Street; Note it is super windy on the bridge any season; no facilities and very few benches to sit. 

5. Taste your way through the Time Out Market New York. While there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of dining options throughout Brooklyn, we suggest exploring the Time Out Market, a 21,000 square foot space in the Empire Stores warehouse in DUMBO. There are almost two dozen independent eateries for every palate- from bakeries and coffee shops to pizza and burgers to wine bars and beers. The fifth floor  and rooftop have beautiful views of the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan Bridge, as well as plenty of outside seating- open year round.
   Travel Tips: The market is typically open from 8am-10pm- info on hours here; there are four entrances (off Dock Street, off Water Street, through the lobby of Empire Stores, and on the waterfront side); Most restaurants have limited barside seating with several communal tables in the middle; a parking garage is located at 100 Jay Street; restrooms located on the main and fifth floors.
6. Visit with over 400 animals at the Prospect Park Zoo. Located inside Prospect Park, the zoo is home to over 100 species of animals, including alpacas, sheep, pandas, and emus, with both outdoor barns, gardens, and a Discovery Trail to an indoor, climate controlled animal halls for the smaller animals and birds The zoo also offers daily animal feedings and sea lion training sessions (plus tons of activities during the summer).
   Travel Tips:  Winter seasonal hours are 10am-4:30pm- get up to date info on hours and admission here; Bring the stroller for the toddler crew; The Sea Lion Store and Café sells sandwiches, snacks, and drinks and plenty of space to enjoy a meal (there’s also outdoor picnic tables); See the zoo map here; Plan on two hours to see all exhibits, more time for special programs.  
7. See several mummies and one of the largest collections of Egyptian art in the world at the Brooklyn Museum. Children will also enjoy walking through Visible Storage, the Dinner Party installation, and The Beaux-Art Court which offers of space to run around AND lots of cozy seats to relax and observe art from all angles. The museum has five floors of exhibits and tons of family friendly programming each week, like strollers tours, to help children (and adults!) better understand the exhibits and artwork.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am-6pm; “kids” ages 19 and younger receive free admission; check here for up to date information on hours and admission fees; There is a large, 24 hour parking lot (with reasonable fees!) located behind the museum; The Museum Café and the Museum Shop are located near admissions; Plan at least three hours to take a peak at all five floors of exhibits- plan on a full day visit if you really want to see all exhibits.
   See our full post here.

8. Learn about the enslaved people of Brooklyn at the Lefferts Historic House Museum. The 18th century farmhouse has several rooms, open to the public, filled with historic artifacts from the Leffert family and was moved from its original location four blocks south to the park in 1917. There is also a working garden (open during the summer) that was once used by local farmers to sell produce at the New York City market. The museum offers several family friendly programs and activities, such as
   Travel Tips:  The house and museum is free to visit and is open Thursday through Sunday from 12pm-5pm; the house is closest to the Ocean Avenue entrance to Prospect Park; no designated parking available (metered street parking only); plan on one hour to tour the house and museum exhibits.
9. Crawl through a rooftop NEST playscape at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The oldest children’s museum in America (it opened in 1899), the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has tons of daily programs and events that focus on visual arts, music, nature and science, and a variety of cultures and traditions. Exhibits, geared towards kids under age ten, include a massive AirMaze, a kid size replica city with several “shops”, a ColorLab Art Studio, and special designated space for the toddler crew.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am-5pm- info on hours and fees here; No designated parking lot for the museum;  Café offers snacks and drinks and plenty of tables and chairs for eating; Leave the stroller in the car- no one will want to sit; Plan on 90 minutes to explore all exhibits and more times for a special program.
10. Warm up in a desert conservatory at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Founded in 1910, the 52 acre garden includes dozens of gardens that thrive in warmer spring and summer seasons. In the winter, visitors can still walk the grounds and enjoy the rock garden, the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and the Water Garden. Warm up inside the Conservatory and tour the Desert Pavilion, Bonsai Museum, Tropical and Warm Temperature Pavilion, and Aquatic House. Note: We were fortunate enough to visit on the weekend when the famous Corspe Flwoer bloomed- the first time in seven years! Read more about it here.
    Travel Tips: The Garden’s winter seasonal hours are 10am-4:30pm and weekends are pay-what-you-wish-admission;  Get up to date information on hours and admission fees here; Parking for the Garden at 900 Washington Avenue and  plenty of metered street parking; The 900 Washington Avenue entrance is the most accessible entrance to the Conservatory; Dining options include the Coffee Bar opened during lunch hours for freshly made snacks ad drinks and the Yellow Magnolia Cafe is open during warmer months for full service meals and indoor and outdoor seating; the beautiful Terrain Gift Shop offers curated flowers, plants, gifts, and souvenirs; Check here for the calendar of special events and programs; See the Garden map here and plan on two hours to walk many of the trails and see the indoor exhibits.

Looking for other adventures in New York City? Check out our index of Manhattan posts here.

Disclaimer: We were given media passes to some of the attractions on this post. All opinions expressed are my own.