Child-friendly score: 7 (they have a children's area)
Discounted/free times: Friday from 6-8 p.m. is pay what you wish. It is free for Cool Culture Pass Members.
Money saved for going free: $25
Things to remember: Keep curious children away from buttons they can normally push.
My 4-year-old pushed the wheelchair access button for the theater in the middle of the show, while I was sitting two feet away and helping other children, and two museums workers rushed to inform us that was not acceptable--they looked at me like we'd done it on purpose for the entire time the doors were open. It was a very long 30-seconds.
Instead of going right when you get there, go to the children's floor last because they will love it. Also, if you don't want to fork out the $7-9 coat check--as per my two second glance, they have little open cubbies to put your non-valuables. It's where we put our empty pocketed coats.
They have a section for those that were in the orphanage and it plays recordings of dear orphans expressing a desire for a mommy and daddy and it just about melts your heart!
The New York Historical Society Museum has a movie that plays every thirty minutes (in the theater I mentioned earlier). We missed it due to hunger and the need to get home because it was snowing, but the kind woman that gave us our tickets told us that it was kid appropriate. She said there is a small section about 9/11, but nothing that could worry sensitive souls--like my kidlets.
They had a room of sculptures that looked like they would start talking and moving about the moment you looked away. I couldn't help thinking that someday, if I have sculptures around my house, I would love some of those smiling, family gathering ones.
This is the reason you want to go the children's floor last, not only do they have an exciting scavenger hunt sometimes, they have this area where you put what you want to be and it labels a picture it takes of you and displays it for a few minutes to other museum patrons. My son looks shocked that he is the president of tomorrow. :)
The traditional rabbit fingers hat, compliments of R.
