’TIS THE SEASON T O BE JOLLY
The temperatures may be dropping, but the fun is heating up in NYC
NOW through the holidays and beyond, New York City is coming alive with exhibits, pop-ups, immersive and classic holiday experiences.
Here’s a selection of some of the eclectic familyfriendly activities the city has to offer this season.
Museum of Ice Cream NYC
Get the scoop! After opening its first pop-up experience three years ago, ice-cream lovers can now permanently chill out at the new Soho flagship location of MOIC, opening Dec. 14 and bursting with imaginative, multi-sensory installations. Take a ride on the eyepopping pink, MTA-inspired “celestial subway”, pass through a hall of giant scoops, slide down three stories to a gigantic Queen Bee hive and try signature ice cream flavors like Impeach Mint, Nana Banana and Churro Churro. Then dive into a huge sprinkle pool. 558 Broadway; Museum OfIceCream.com. $39
Museum of Illusions
Tricks are the treat at this alluring, familyfriendly space where holograms, optical illusions, educational games and puzzles engage the senses and the mind. Explore exhibits like the Bottomless Pit and the Chair Illusion and take photos of yourself at 90 degrees in the Rotated Room. The fun literally never ends in the Infinity Room of mirrors.
77 Eighth Ave.; NewYork.MuseumOfIllusions.us. $19, children $15
The GIANT Room
Dream big here. All sorts of tools and equipment, including laser cutters, 3-D printers, electronics, programmable LEDs, building blocks and arts and crafts material will enable little makers to bring curiosity and imagination to reality. The Blank Canvas gets kids’ creative juices flowing as they’re tasked with creating a monthly exhibit for the outlet’s gallery. Workshops in storytelling, animation and character design are also available. 550 W. 28th St.; TheGiantRoom.com. $25
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
Let it snow! A winter wonderland awaits and promises fun and holiday magic for all. Meet with Santa from Dec. 14-22 for a selfie, and pick up a souvenir or snack at the
holiday shops with kiosks curated by The Lodge by Urbanspace. You can also skate the center attraction — a 17,000-square-foot ice rink. Beginning in January, bumper cars will go on the ice for extra sliding and spinning fun. The annual tree lighting and sing-along will be held Dec. 5 at 6 p.m.
40th to 42nd St. between Fifth and Sixth Ave.; BryantPark.org
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Take things down a notch at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, where the new “Survival of the Slowest” exhibit showcases a super-slow (and cute) sloth named Roger. Learn about nature’s slowest creatures, inlcuding the blood python and roughneck monitor, and find out how being so lethargic works in some creatures’ favor.
145 Brooklyn Ave.; BrooklynKids.org. $13.
Hello Panda Festival
Be brightened by the Chinese art of lanternmaking with more than 120 giant lantern exhibits all handcrafted by expert artisans. From Dec. 6 to Jan. 26, kids can delight in dinosaur, ocean creatures and safari animal illuminations. Additional highlights include cultural performances, a holiday marketplace and international vendors curated by the World’s Fare. You might even spot a lucky panda wandering around, such as those shown here.
Citifield, Queens; HelloPandaFest.com
Cost Plus World Market Hello Kitty Pop-Up
Hello Kitty is celebrating her milestone 45th anniversary with a brand new Chelsea pop-up devoted to the adoring kitty who advocates kindness and friendliness. Open now until Dec. 24, shoppers will find items unavailable elsewhere, along with classic merchandise — think Hello Kitty sodas, Hello Kitty-shaped noodles, pasta sauce, cookie jars, water bottles and coffee mugs. Character installations set the stage for Instagrammable selfies.
620 Sixth Ave.; WorldMarket.com
The Rink at Rockefeller Center
Lace up your skates and glide away at this iconic Manhattan landmark. Kids will be dazzled by the crowds and sparkling surroundings. Just 150 skaters are permitted at a time, so reserve early. Add-ons include breakfast with Santa at Rock Center Café.
Fifth Ave. at 49th and 50th St.; TheRinkAt RockCenter.com. $25-$33
New York Hall of Science
A favorite plaything comes to life here for a limited time thanks to Lego artist Nathan Sawaya, who’s exhibiting more than 100 curations made of Lego bricks. Over a million mini-blocks were used to create replicas of famed art pieces like Mi
made of Lego bricks. Over a million mini-blocks were used to create replicas of famed art pieces like Michaelangelo’s David, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. For dinosaur fans, Sawaya constructed a 20-foot T. Rex skeleton comprised of 80,000 bricks. There’s also Yellow — a fan favorite, lifesized statue of a man ripping his chest apart and yellow bricks pouring out. Youngsters can visit activity stations like Hidden Hands, and build an object inside a covered box using only their sense of touch. At Six Bricks, just six Duplo bricks are at your disposal to construct with, while at Lego Drag Race you can build a car and test it on a variety of ramps. 47-01 111th St., Corona; NYSCI.org. $20, children $15
LuminoCity Festival
Step into the light this holiday season at this dazzling new limited-engagement experience on Randall’s Island, opening Nov. 23. Spanning 12 acres, adventureseekers can climb an illuminated sky-high Castle in the Clouds and cruise back down a slide featuring interactive lighting elements. In the Frosted Forest, there are 12 technicolor trees with hanging, frosted and blinking LED icicles and snowflakes creating an iridescent meteor shower. For those with a sweet tooth, pass by Candy Station with its rainbow-colored field of candy, encased in multicolored changing lights. The blue and purple metallic Skating Unicorn stands 13 feet tall, and is covered in LED lights and blinking acrylic balls. Wander past a fluorescent mushroom forest and rainforest with litanimal sculptures at every turn. If your appetite sparks, munch on snacks from the festival’s food stalls including fried ice cream, cheesesteaks, mac ’n’ cheese, grilled cheese and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.
20 Randall’s Island Park; LuminoCityFestival.com. $38; children $19
American Dream at Meadowlands
Everyone can experience the American Dream — at the Meadowlands, that is. The 3-million-square-foot complex opened last month, and is one of the largest next-generation malls in America. In addition to its shops, just over half the space is allocated for entertainment, including a Nickelodeon-themed amusement park featuring 25 rides, including roller coasters, plus gallons of slime and live entertainment on the Slime Stage. Check out the NHL-sized ice rink with three observation tiers, which offers open skating, figure skating, hockey tournaments and more. Additional attractions will open in stages this month and beyond, such as a ski-hill that can hold 500 people at once and a Dreamworks water park, the second largest globally and featuring Jonathan Adler-designed cabanas. Plans also include a luxury movie theatre, aquarium, Legoland and two 18hole golf courses, plus 450 retail and dining outlets due to open next March.
1 American Dream Way, East Rutherford, NJ; AmericanDream.com. Nickelodeon Universe: $49.99. Open skate day pass: $19
Spyscape
Young sleuths will be thrilled as they traverse this new interactive museum’s installations and learn how hackers, governments and corporations seek secret intelligence. Get up close with virtual cryptologists and test your coding, codebreaking, lying, lie-detection, strategy and observation skills, and undertake encryption, deception, special ops and surveillance challenges. Plus, find out how to protect your sensitive data at the hacking bar. 928 Eighth Ave.; Spyscape.com. $39, children $32
American Museum of Natural History
What did a baby T. Rex look like? Find out about this iconic dinosaur family at the “T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator” installation, which features life-size replicas (featuring skin and feathers), fossils and plaster casts. You can also enjoy interactive puzzles, survival challenges and virtual real
ity experiences that will bring dinosaurs to life for the whole family.
200 Central Park West; AMNH.org. $28, children $16.50
“Frozen 2” Enchanted Forest at Saks
Disney and Saks are teaming up to celebrate the release of the follow up to “Frozen” with a themed, instore experience. Saks will unveil movie-inspired holiday window displays on November 25, which will include a musical performance by Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa) featuring songs from the new film’s soundtrack. A glittering theatrical light show will light up the evening hours throughout the holiday season with dancers and characters from the film and a local choir. Inside, the immersive Enchanted Forest experience transports visitors to the imaginary world of “Frozen 2”. 611 Fifth Ave.; SaksFifthAvenue.com
Winter Lantern Festival
Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden will once again host this signature event of the China National Tourist Office, and it’s coming back bigger and brighter than its inaugural event last year. The festival will feature more than 1,000 hand-crafted Chinese lanterns plus diverse cuisines, cultural performances and LED installations with under-the-sea, wildlife and fairy tale themes as well as traditional Chinese
zodiac signs.
1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island; NYCWinterLanternFestival.com. $15-$23
Arcadia Earth Museum
Budding anthropologists and marine biologists will love this new immersive, large-scale, multi-sensory journey through undersea worlds and fantasy lands. Powered through virtual reality, art installations and projection mapping, young explorers will learn how even small lifestyle changes— such as the need to upcycle everyday objects
— have an impact on our planet’s future. The Rainbow Cave was commissioned in celebration of New York state’s recent ban on plastic bags and is made out of roughly 44, 000 salvaged plastic bags and upcycled fishing nets.
718 Broadway; Arcadia.earth. $33, children $27
Sloomoo Institute
It was only a matter of time before slime, the slippy, sensory play trend and social media craze, came to experiential life. This Soho pop-up opened in October for a limited six-month engagement, and will gladden the innerchild in all age groups. Roll up your sleeves and take a trip to Sloomoo Falls where, wearing a rain poncho, hood and electric goggles, you can get covered in slime. Cruise up to the Slime Bar for a DIY experience creating your own slime mixture, or, in the SlooTube studio, curate your own slime videos with professional lighting and cameras. A Slimer-In-Residence program brings in wellknown rising slime stars who demonstrate their craft and meet with fans. 475 Broadway; Sloomoo Institute.com. $38
Museum of Modern Art
After a $450 million expansion, the Museum of Modern Art reopened last month with kids and families in mind. You can find hands-on fun in the Heyman Family Art Lab, where interactive design activities inspired by nature, people, places, spaces, movement and shapes can lead to personal discoveries, as well as being a place for families to experiment, draw, read and create together using kidfriendly materials. In the Paula and James Crown Creativity Lab, take part in a workshop or conversation on subjects like hand-drawn mapmaking, weaving, music video making and more. Take a break in the Sculpture Garden, then browse the gift store which offers many creative gifts for kids.
11 W. 53rd St., MoMa.org; $25 (free for children under 16)