Swingers NoMad
Located on 35 West 29th Street, Swingers NoMad is truly one of the most beautiful and unique golf courses I’ve ever been to (with the bonus of being indoors when it gets hot and humid outside!). Special family sessions for guests 5–21 years old are offered every Sunday before 6pm. At these sessions, children can enjoy multiple golf courses, delicious food and drinks on kids menus, and activity sheets. At the end of each game, there is also a giant wheel you can spin to win special prizes! Adult-only time slots are available as well, with offerings like delicious cocktails and great DJs. One of the other amazing perks of this place are its many packages for all types of social events. For younger guests, there is a birthday party set for kids (5–12 years old) and juniors (13–20), both of which include a round of crazy golf, unlimited soft drinks, street food and dessert, an area reserved for two hours, and a Swingers medal/visor. For adult groups, there is a variety of packages for social and business events. I highly recommend visiting Swingers NoMad if you’re looking for a unique mini golf experience right in the heart of NYC!
Family Sundays are every Sunday until 6pm, with family tickets starting at $18 for kids and $23 for adults. Crazy golf is recommended for ages 5+. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult (over 18). Under 21s must vacate the venue by 6pm. Swingers is still open for adults on Sundays! (The family event is in a separate part of the venue.)
The Beast Speedboat
The only speedboat attraction in Manhattan, The Beast is a jet-powered boat that flies along the Hudson at 45 mph and stops at the Statue of Liberty for a photo op you can’t miss! This ~45-minute ride is adrenaline packed, with music pumping, waves crashing, and many surprises from the crew. It’s like going on a roller coaster where you will get wet (perfect when riding on a hot summer day!). The crew is excellent and makes sure that everyone is safe in their seats with seatbelts. I would recommend taking off any sunglasses or hats, as they will most certainly fly away! As an added bonus, there’s a new cafe called BEAST’ro right next door at Pier 81, which offers great pizza, giant pretzels, hot dogs, ice cream, slushies, and so many other awesome treats! Another great feature of The Beast is that they offer group bookings, which are perfect for both kids’ birthday parties and summer camp groups.
The Beast departs from Pier 83 on West 42nd Street and 12th Avenue, with rides every hour from 11am–7pm (closed on Mondays). Riders must be 40” tall to ride, and kids must be able to sit in their seats without assistance. Tickets are $29 for adults and $22 for children 3–12 years old.
INTER NYC
If you have kids who love outer space, I highly recommend checking out INTER! INTER NYC is an interactive intergalactic adventure where kids can climb through cosmic terrain, wander alien worlds, and discover the mysteries of the universe. With over ten immersive exhibitions and zones, it is the perfect place for kids to let loose and explore the cosmos. Some of my favorite areas of the museum include Discover Biolumia, a luminous forest that responds to your movements, and Warp Wall, a wall that distorts. Guests can also enjoy a free treat (included with every ticket!) at Milky Ways, a new on-site shop that serves soft-swirled ice cream topped with many types of cereals. Located at 415 Broadway on Canal Street, this combination of playground and museum is a one-of-a-kind experience that every family should check out this summer!
Tickets start at $35 for adults, with children under 4 entering for free. Hours are variable, but time slots are often available 1–8pm. Though INTER is for all ages, children must be 4 or older to enter the Vortex Climbing area. You can use the code lkbc2025 for 10% off general admission tickets.
SPYGAMES
If you have ever dreamed about being a spy, SPYGAMES is the perfect place to fulfill that fantasy! Located on 928 8th Avenue, SPYGAMES is a museum that tests your spy capabilities through various challenges designed to uncover the type of spy you would be and how well you would do. Challenges crafted by intelligence experts test your ability to decode and encrypt messages and determine whether someone is lying. It’s not only mentally challenging—you also have to dodge lasers (way harder than it looks!). As you complete each challenge, your performance is recorded on a wristband, and at the end, you are told what kind of spy you’d be (cryptologist, hacker, etc.) and how well you performed. In addition to this interactive component, the museum includes spy artifacts, such as the Enigma machine used by the Germans during World War II and the telepresence robot that Edward Snowden used to communicate from Russia. If you are looking for a great test and a thrilling experience, SPY GAMES is the perfect place to go!
Tickets start at $29/person for teams of 2–5. For party sizes (16–30 people), tickets are $49/person.
East River Park
While New York City is known for having many amazing parks, a relatively unknown one that just reopened after Memorial Day is the East River Park. A new section of the park was built over the past four years to protect Lower Manhattan from flooding and coastal storms as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which is the country’s largest urban climate adaptation effort. Beyond the flood protection, the new portion of the park is an amazing recreational space. It has six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a spot for picnics and barbecuing (with fifteen grills!), water play sprinklers, a large lawn, and an area that allows you to explore nature, thanks to 600 newly planted trees and over 21,000 new shrubs, grasses, and perennials. Additional areas are set to open this August, including a new Corlears Hook Park Bridge that provides more access across the FDR. The project is set to finish by 2026 or 2027, but you should definitely check it out now!
There is limited access to the park via the Delancey Street footbridge. Once construction is completed by the end of 2026, the park will be accessible from the NYC Ferry and other waterfront areas.
All photos by Cecilia Cuddy