Top NYC Suburban Family-Friendly Museums, New York, New York

As much as my family loves heading into New York City, if we’re not up for the commute or large crowds, it’s nice to know there are museums in the suburbs to visit instead. There is culture outside of the city, people! It may not be as big and fabulous, but there are some very worthwhile options. For all those winter, rainy and vacation days, here are NYC’s suburbs’ most popular museums in Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Home to Westchester’s only planetarium, the Hudson River Museum is a fun option for families who need an indoor retreat on a bad weather day, but especially during school breaks as they have their popular SOSI (“school’s out, stars are in”) program. Located in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades, the museum’s permanent and traveling exhibitions focus on 19th-21st century art, history and science. There is a family art project series, a terrific interactive science section and of course the planetarium. Note the planetarium tickets are in addition to admission. Make sure to stop by the Glenview Mansion, a 19th century estate adjacent to the museum and with a massive dollhouse inside which even the boys will be drawn to. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).