{"id":8589,"date":"2012-12-12T11:43:28","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T15:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=8589"},"modified":"2025-08-21T09:33:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:33:53","slug":"holiday-activities-families-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/8589\/holiday-activities-families-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Holiday Activities for a Family Getaway Near NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

You already have photos of your tots and tweens grinning under the twinkling LED lights in Rockefeller Center or in front of the Macy\u2019s window displays. This year, rally the family troops for a different day (or weekend) outing.<\/p>\n

From Dickens’s Christmas Carol in a 17th century church in Sleepy Hollow to tea parties at the Ritz in Boston, these eight holiday activities for families<\/strong> will jump-start the joyous wintry season. (Of course, all destinations are accessible without a car as you are never too young to lighten your carbon footprint.)<\/p>\n

1. The <\/strong>Boston Holiday<\/strong> Tea Party<\/strong>
\n\"Ritz

2. Arts & Crafts in the Bronx<\/strong>
\nRiverdale\u2019s garden gem Wave Hill is closer to home, but its tranquil winter landscape feels miles away. Upcoming events include the Family Art Project: Season’s Greetings (December 7) and Holiday Workshop Weekend (Dec 6 and 7) that are free with the garden\u2019s admission price (enjoy Target Free days on Tuesdays and Saturdays 9am-noon). Stroll the stunning grounds, peek inside the greenhouse, and pause for a hot chocolate at the caf\u00e9 before catching the free shuttle van to the #1 train.
\nHow to get there: <\/strong>Read oM’s in depth article on Wave Hill<\/a> for more information and specific directions from Grand Central to Riverdale. <\/em><\/p>\n

3. Celebrate the Holidays in Sleepy Hollow <\/strong>
\n\"Dickens\"

4. A Wild Holiday Trip to the Zoo<\/strong>
\nThough its famous holiday light show has gone to the wayside in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the Bronx Zoo is still a great place to rev up your family\u2019s Christmas spirit. Holiday weekends at the zoo feature ice carving and wild reindeer encounters, and more.
\nHow to get there: <\/strong>Take the #2 or #5 train to East Tremont Ave\/West Farms Square. At street level, walk straight (follow train uptown) on Boston Road 2.5 blocks to the Zoo\u2019s Asia gate entrance (Gate A). For more holiday events, visit bronxzoo.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Holiday Fun on the Farm<\/strong>
\n\"\"

6. Skating on the<\/strong> Harbor<\/strong>
\nPort Jefferson, Long Island is a picturesque village with a scenic harbor. The Dickens Festival takes places every December, featuring Dickens characters like Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge. If you miss the fest, the town\u2019s gorgeous ice-skating rink is open from November 28 to mid-March. Warm up at The Secret Garden Tea Room<\/a> for their Carols by Candlelight (December 13, 20, or 27), which includes sparkling cider, homemade soup, three tiers of freshly baked scones, savories, and petits fours.
\nHow to get there: <\/strong>The MTA Long Island Rail Road\u2019s one-day \u201cPort Jeff Village\u201d non-escorted package is the best way for families to get there. The package includes discounted round-trip rail tickets from Penn Station, two Lindy\u2019s Taxi stubs, which will get you from the station right into to town, and a \u201cLIRR Port Jeff Customer Coupon\u201d, which gives discounts at several local establishments. The package cost is $25 for adults, $10.00 for children 5-11.<\/em><\/p>\n

7. Make Time for Trolley Rides and Classic Holiday Movies<\/strong>
\n\"Shore

8. Educational Adventures at the New York Botanical Garden<\/strong>
\nOn display November 15-January 19, the New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show<\/a> is so spectacular that it has become a holiday tradition right up there with the Rockettes. Bright lights, model trains, a bar car for adults<\/a>, and meticulously accurate mini-replicas of 140 famous New York landmarks will put the rose back in those cold cherubic cheeks. Have a look at Gingerbread Adventures, featuring a giant ginger bread house festooned with sugary-treats that kids can step inside. 
\nHow to get there:<\/strong> Take the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station. Walk across Kazimiroff Boulevard to the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance. It takes 20 minutes from Grand Central Station. By subway, take the B, D, or 4 train to Bedford Park Blvd Station. From the station exit: Take the Bx 26 bus east to the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance. OR walk eight blocks down the hill on Bedford Park Blvd to the end (approximately 20 minutes). Turn left onto Kazimiroff Blvd and walk one block to the Mosholu Gate entrance. For more information on holiday events at the garden go to nybg.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lead photo: wundoroo<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You already have photos of your tots and tweens grinning under the twinkling LED lights in Rockefeller Center or in front of the Macy\u2019s window displays. This year, rally the family troops for a different day (or weekend) outing. From Dickens’s Christmas Carol in a 17th century church in Sleepy Hollow to tea parties at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":49074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[331,327,747,315,4,748],"tags":[143,157,120,110,259,378,194],"class_list":{"0":"post-8589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-massachussetts","8":"category-bronx-outer-boroughs-destination","9":"category-bus-2","10":"category-day-trips","11":"category-events","12":"category-train-2","13":"tag-bus","14":"tag-dessert","15":"tag-family-fun","16":"tag-historical-sites","17":"tag-holiday","18":"tag-ice-skating","19":"tag-tea"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":49074,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/15540702549_1ac2cdf637_b-e1415303125639-300x200.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}