Mention to your children that your trip to New York is going to include “cultural experiences” and you can bet that you’ll be met with eye rolling and some groans. Well, stand tough parents because once your offspring are immersed in the Big Apple’s cultural offerings you might be surprised by their reaction.
Melodious summer fun begins and ends in Manhattan. It’s music, music and more music at Central Park’s SummerStage. The series of free concerts gets underway on June 13th with a salute to gospel and soul. Artists including Mavis Staples and Stephanie McKay will kick off the summer series. The concerts end on August 17th with appearances by Latin superstar Victor Manuelle, Israeli pop star Yael Naim and various rock stars from around the world, including Africa and Brazil.
Also this summer the New York Philharmonic will set up shop in Central Park’s Great Lawn to begin its free park series beginning June 24th. That’s when Bramwell Tovey will conduct a performance of Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture,” Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4, Italian,” Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and selected marches from Sousa.
If your children are more interested in art than music head over to the River to River Festival. It is one of the city’s largest free arts festivals and hosts more than 500 events and performances from June through September at a variety of locations in downtown Manhattan. Mark your calendars for June 14th, which is Children’s Day. Kids of all ages will be VIP guests at the festival that day. Kid friendly activities include catch-and-release fishing and music from the Suzi Shelton Band at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City. There will also be Pirate sails aboard the schooner Pioneer from South Street Seaport and a fireworks show accompanied by the Brooklyn Philharmonic in the evening.
Finally, you can’t travel to the Big Apple without strolling through the New York Botanical Garden. The garden’s 250 acres and its 50 plant collections have something for everyone. In the case of kids the gardens have plenty of dirt. Through June 29th children can get their hands dirty with interactive experiments explaining how seeds travel by water. There’s also a hands-on exhibit featuring worms and an exciting composting project that allows kids to sift through compost and take something home for their own plants.
Planning a trip to New York? Check out these other Big Apple-related articles:
Summer Travel: Tourism Heats Up in New York
One More Reason to Visit New York City
Traveling to New York? Think Broadway
New York’s Must-See Attractions—The Empire State Building
New York’s Must-See Attractions—The Statue of Liberty
Little People in the Big Apple: Central Park Zoo and FAO Schwartz
Little People in the Big Apple: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Patriotic Travel Destinations—Taking A Cruise of New York
Where To Get Your Chocolate Fix In New York
Summer in New York: Superheroes Invade Gotham