Iconic NYC no matter what time of year. The holidays bring the famous tree and ice-skating rink, but there's also a brand new mega LEGO store, FAO Schwarz and American Girl Place, where you can dine with your doll or schedule a hair or manicure appointment at the on-site salon. For a stellar view, visit Top of the Rock, and if you're an NBC fan, check out a tour. Don't miss the stunning Radio City Music Hall on Sixth Avenue, which offers one of our favorite behind-the-scenes tours in the city.

NYC's backyard in the center of the city, with some of the best playgrounds in town—we recommend Hecksher Playground, the Ancient Playground outside the Metropolitan Museum and Billy Johnson Playground, where the granite slides are big hits. Visit Belvedere Castle, the Zoo, or catch a show at the Swedish Marionette Cottage. Don't miss Conservatory Water, where you can watch mini sailboats float, or Strawberry Fields, the park's memorial to John Lennon.

A must-do for any visitor and native. Famously home to astounding fossils and dinosaur displays, animal dioramas, the life-size blue whale suspended in the Hall of Ocean Life and the recently renovated, and dazzling, Hall of Gems and Minerals.

This 85-acre park provides stellar, up-close views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, the East River and Downtown Manhattan. You'll find inventive playgrounds throughout the waterside park, a roller rink, athletic courts, lush plantings and open fields. Pier 6 is the place to be for a water play area, a giant "sandbox", climbing structures, Slide Mountain and Swing Valley. Fornino's Pizza is a great place to refuel and chill here.

You can ride a subway right to this beachside spot. Amusement Parks Luna Park and Deno's Wonder Wheel provide thrills, as does the famous Cyclone roller coaster. Stop by Nathan's for a famous hot dog, take a dip in the ocean if it's warm, and stroll down the boardwalk to visit the New York Aquarium and see live animal shows and a great shark exhibit. Don't miss Totonno's on Neptune Ave. for some of NYC's pizza!

Everyone should see it, and the New Year's Eve ball, at least once! Broadway theaters are close by, and touristy shopping destinations include M&M's World, LINE Friends and Hershey's Chocolate World.

Hop a ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island to see Lady Liberty up close and learn about America's immigration story.

Head to the Flatiron District to visit the new Harry Potter New York store, Italian food emporium Eataly, a primo LEGO store and the green space of Madison Square Park, home to open lawns, public art and a playground.

An incredible, free, elevated park built on defunct train tracks that spans nearly one-and-a-half miles from Gansevoort to 34th Street. At its base is the Whitney Museum of American Art—worth a visit itself—and it lets out at the luxury mall and neighborhood Hudson Yards. The park provides incredible views of the Hudson River and surrounding neighborhoods of Chelsea and beyond, is punctuated by temporary and permanent public art and features native plantings that shine no matter the season.

In a city filled with zoos, this is the big one! Top spots for kids are the Children's Zoo within the zoo, and Nature Trek, a kid-friendly version of the adult-size Tree Top Adventure here. And don't miss the Bug Carousel. Other must-sees are the Congo Gorilla Forest, Bird of Prey and Aquatic Birds, the African Plains, Baboon Reserve and World of Reptiles. Pay extra, and you can even go for a camel ride here!