FAMILY OUTING: NEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE

Explore the intriguing world of science with games, sports and hands-on activities at New York Hall of Science. NYSCI also hosts World Maker Faire in September where hundreds of young inventors demonstrate their innovative creations.

NYSCI’s Science Playground (open April-December) is the largest of its kind in North America, with 60,000 square feet of slides, seesaws, water play, and more. Kids of all ages and abilities can climb, build, and play as they explore basic scientific principles such as the science of space flight ($4, plus general admission). Courtesy NYSCI

Originally built in 1964 as a pavilion for the World’s Fair, the New York Hall of Science remains one of the nation’s foremost educational facilities due to its use of interactive technology and accessibility to children of all ages. Nestled in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NYSCI’s variety of both permanent and touring exhibitions take children on a journey through all areas of science and mathematics, ranging from microbes to the solar system.

Year-Round Features
NYSCI features more than 450 interactive exhibits that explore biology, chemistry, and physics. The center’s most popular exhibition, Sports Challenge, combines the fields of physics, physiology, and material science to explain the science behind your child’s favorite sport, including baseball, surfing, and drag racing. The exhibition also features an 8-foot-high rock-climbing wall, and a pitching area that uses a radar gun to calculate the speed and spin of the ball thrown. 

For younger children, there is the popular Bubble Table, where kids learn about the geometry of spherical shapes by making their own bubbles. Kids younger than 6 will love Preschool Place, where they learn how to build using foam bricks and explore the laws of gravity on the Ball Drop wall.

From late June-mid-November each year, families can head to the Science Farmers Market on Sundays for fresh local food and science-themed activities. Courtesy NYSCI

NYSCI’s programs are interactive and hands-on, often with a do-it-yourself theme. In that spirit, the center opened a Maker Space this spring where visitors can explore their creativity through crafting and building. “Making” activities include everything from sewing to circuitry, but the focus is on engineering-oriented themes.

If your little ones need a break from all the activities NYSCI offers, relax in the 3-D Theater, which hosts a variety of science-themed screenings throughout the day ($6; $5 seniors, students, and children, plus general admission).