Children's Museum of Manhattan
212 West 83rd Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue)
Manhattan
(212) 721-1234

Summary: Five floors of exhibits using art, science, and nature to teach children about the creative process. Lots of hands-on activities.

The first thing you will notice when you walk into the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is the noise. The museum boasts that it is "bursting with unique exhibits and daily programs for family fun together" and the children we saw at play here clearly agree. They were busy pressing buttons, manipulating levers, and delightedly screaming to each other and their parents about what they had discovered. Some of the mechanical devices look like toys (in fact, some are toys), but their educational value is clear. The exhibits change from time to time, but the common goal of providing a colorful, interactive, fun experience (that just happens to promote learning) remains constant.

Don't miss the Time Warner Media Center located on the second floor. This will be most fun if a group of children go to see it together. A little television news station is set up here with two cameras, a news desk, a weather map, and plenty of televisions to see what is created. The cameras have some special effect controls that kids will love, and if a group of kids are industrious enough, they can create their own mock news show.

We found that kids were more interested in pressing buttons and making noise than reading or playing with more "literacy-focused" exhibits. The museum takes advantage of this in some instances, but not as well in others. Parents with toddlers (who are more of a captive audience) might try bringing their children to the reading room on the third floor. Parents can either read to their children there or sit in on one of the story hours.

Our Recommendations
CMOM says it is for children ages 2 through 10. In fact, although the museum has a wonderful array of activities for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners, in all probability, older kids will feel out of place here. Through the years, we've seen exhibits featuring Winne the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, Dr. Seuss, the Magic School Bus, and the like, which school-age children tend to dismiss as too babyish. (Note: in our opinion, the American Museum of Natural History remains the best place to bring the six and up crowd.)

Having said that, this museum is well worth the time and money. Young children can be here for a good portion of the day and still have plenty of things to do. Save the "fun floors" for last and maybe your kids will take in more of what the museum offers.

We recommend that you call the museum in advance so you'll know what to expect. For example, in the summer CMOM offers classes, and when they are held, certain places, such as the media center, are off limits to regular museum-goers. Moreover, we were advised that the weather has a large impact on the size of the crowd. On nice days, the museum is less crowded, but on snowy or rainy days the museum is full of children letting off the energy they usually expend at the park.

Logistics
For hours, admission fees, and other information about visiting the Children's Museum, we recommend a visit to the museum's web site.

To get to the CMOM by subway, take the 1 or the 9 train to 86th Street. Go south on Broadway to 83rd Street and make a left. The CMOM is less than a block away. By bus on the West Side, take the M7, M10, M11, M104 to West 83rd Street. Or take the cCross-town M79 or M86 to Broadway. If you are driving, you'll find detailed directions available on CMOM's web site.

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