You’ve been cooped up with the kids long enough, mom and dad! Spring means it’s time to start venturing outside, in and around the NYC area, for fun ways to entertain and even educate your children.

We compiled a list of several of the best kids’ spring activities you can find in the boroughs (and few farther out) to help you exercise your child’s body and brain.

Best kids’ spring activities in NYC: Nature in bloom

New York Botanical Garden — Head to the Bronx to see the azalea gardens and hundreds of cherry trees coming into bloom. Don’t forget to check out the amazing annual indoor orchid show. The Everett Children’s Adventure Garden offers 12 acres of fun just for little ones. If you can’t make it to the Bronx, visit the city’s other beautiful botanical gardens. The ones in Brooklyn or Queens also have nature trails and special children’s programming.

Macy’s Annual Flower Show (click link for dates) — You don’t need to brave chilly weather or muddy paths to indulge in the beautiful blooms of spring in New York City. For two weeks every March/April, Macy’s Herald Square flagship store puts on an amazing indoor display of floral and plant life tied to together by a theme like fairy tales or space adventure. Best of all — it’s free.

Visit your local park — Every NYC borough offers a little slice of nature amid the concrete and steel jungle. In addition to greenery for play and chilling, New York City parks offer tons of programming for kids of every age. Go to the NYC Parks website, click the Kids tab and find some fun for the family.

Best kids’ spring activities in NYC: Animals (and more!)

Visit a zoo — Beat the summer crowds and heat at any of the four NYC zoos (Bronx, Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Queens) or the New York Aquarium by Coney Island in Brooklyn. Better yet see all of them or visit your favorite multiple times at a great discount by becoming a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Queens County Farm Museum — If your wee one loves animals, but the zoo can be a bit overwhelming, head over to these historic 47 acres in Floral Park, Queens — home of NYC’s last remaining working farm. You can roam the grounds, visit the petting zoo and feed the chickens, pigs, geese, goats and other creatures anytime, but the weekends are when the fun really happens. The spring brings hayride season (for a nominal fee) and events such as an Apple Blossom Children’s Carnival, Sheep Shearing Festival, Easter egg hunt and a season farmer’s market.

Best kids’ spring activities in NYC: Outdoor thrills

Adventures at Governors Island — Governors Island is just one big playground to begin with: great biking, walking trails, playgrounds and amazing water/downtown views. But now it has Adventures. Literally get lost in the challenging Amazen’ Maze. Play 18 holes of mini-golf. Scale one of three 25-foot outdoor climbing walls. Zipline at 21 mph down a 300-foot long cable while taking in sensational views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and downtown Manhattan. Check website for age/weight restrictions and hours.

Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventures — Little Tarzans (age 7 and up) and their parents will love this climbing park, with aerial courses for all abilities, and a 400-foot-long zipline that crosses the Bronx River. Check website for age/weight restrictions and hours.

Fly a kite — The spring winds and less-crowded parks and beaches make this the perfect time to let children test their aviation skills. Kite flying is allowed anywhere in Central Park but open areas like the Great Lawn and North Meadow are obviously the best. Any of the beaches in the NYC boroughs are also great. Also consider Liberty State Park in New Jersey, just across from the Battery, for spectacular views of the harbor; the enormous Freshkills Park in Staten Island or Long Meadow in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Best kids’ spring activities near NYC: Ice cream!

The Museum of Ice Cream — What kid, from 1 to 100, does love ice cream? This imaginative, multi-sensory experience features 13 installations across three floors in the heart of SoHo. You can slide down an epic three-story slide, take a celestial ride on a pink MOIC subway, dive into the largest Sprinkle Pool and, of course, sample its signature flavors and ice cream treats. Reserve tickets in advance, kids age 2 and under free.

Best kids’ spring activities near NYC: Indoor water parks

If the unpredictability of the spring weather makes you nervous, look into one of the many indoor water parks in our vicinity.

One of our faves is Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun, Penn., (that’s the Poconos, folks) It’s about a 90-minute drive from Manhattan.

If you want to stay in state, maybe head to the Monticello in the Catskills for The Kartrite, also 90 minutes. Opened in March 2019, it’s New York’s largest indoor water park at two acres. It features 15 water slides and coasters, a wave pool, lazy river and indoor beach.

See our full list of area indoor water parks and helpful tips for other locations, ways to save money and have more fun.

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You can also check out our friends at New York Family magazine for updated lists of seasonal events and Mommy Poppins NYC for other great suggestions for things for families and children to do in and around NYC this spring.

Photos: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Governors Island

Summer 2013 officially started today at 1:04 a.m., New York time, so we ask you to close your eyes and think of the perfect summer day.

Did you think about a trip to the beach? A camping trip where no one suffered bug bites? Maybe it was simply endless hours of climbing trees in the woods or playing ball with friends?

We all have different visions of the perfect summer day and that’s how it should be. However, we can all agree that summer holds a special place in our hearts, first as children and now as parents.

We asked members of our NYC Dads Group to tell us what they wanted to do most with their children this summer to create those memories. Here are their responses. Please add your thoughts and ideas to the comments section.

Togetherness
I imagine that most of us try to recreate those classic summer memories that we so cherish. After all, my kids will love swimming in a freezing cold river in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, right?

Maybe.

Probably not.

As my kids — ages 3 and 1 — get older, I realize that my experiences and memories are just that, mine. Trying to recreate what we enjoyed growing up is not the way to make memories for our kids.

Amazingly enough, I find the best way is to just let those moments happen. We need to allow them to make their own memories. You can do your best to create a perfect vacation, but the most important thing is being together and sharing time away from the normal routine.

So this summer, I’m gonna worry less about big plans and perfection and instead try to enjoy the simple joys of being together. Sharing time with those we love and care about – that’s the perfect summer day.

— Bryan Grossbauer (shown with his family), Red Wagon Stories, @bryangrossbauer

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Set the night on fire
This summer, I’m taking Jake to Philipsburg Manor for “A Night on Fire.” He’s going to stay up past his bedtime to see “A Different Spin to Sleepy Hollow,” a group that mixes comedy, fire and juggling into a choreographed routine. He can’t wait to see “four flame-wielding, fire-eating jugglers” performing a variety of acrobatic stunts.

If he has a great time, which I’m sure he will, I’m taking him back later in the summer for the “Pirates of the Hudson” festival where a crew of boisterous pirates will storm Sleepy Hollow for four days of fun and music.

— Jason Grant, Daddylogue

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Life, finally, is a beach
What I most want to do this summer with my 14-month-old daughter is spend time at the beach. I suffered from gynecomastia (male breast enlargement) from ages 11 through 29 when I had two surgeries to correct it. This condition caused by a hormonal imbalance that contributed to a deep depression. I refused to publicly expose my chest meaning I couldn’t go to the beach without feeling naked despite wearing a shirt.

Not helping matters was the fact that my back looked like a lawn in desperate need of mowing. Following a nervous breakdown, significant therapy, and two years of laser treatment, my depression has slowly abated and my back is finally hairless.

So this summer, I will experience the beach through two new sets of eyes – my daughter’s and my own.

— Lorne Jaffe (shown with his daughter, Sienna), Raising Sienna

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Blind them with science
One of our favorite places to hang out is the New York Hall of Science in Queens.  It’s got an amazing outdoor playground in the back with rope climbing, musical walls, a long slide, lots of water areas and climbing walls. They also time the entries for the playground so it’s never overcrowded.

The Hall also has a separate space-themed mini-golf area that is fun thought it costs extra. There’s also 3-D movies and, of course, lots of “please touch” science exhibits and demonstrations.

The Hall is close to the Queens Zoo (all on the former World Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows by Citi Field. It’s accessible by subway (the 7 train) and they have a big parking lot (paid, unless you are a deluxe family member). Admission is $11 for adults, $8 for kids (ages 2-17)

— Adam Gertsacov, DADapalooza, Digital Family Summit, @dadapalooza

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Make books come to life
This summer we are looking forward to staying in NYC and bringing some of our 3-year-old son’s favorite books to life.

He is obsessed with farms and animals so we will start with Urban Roosts, to learn about fun places where birds build their homes; then we are going to visit a roof top garden like in The Gardener; and we plan to make our own version of ABC NYC.

The options are endless in NYC and any other city!!

— Marty Forth, @marty4th

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Thrill ride into summer
Summer’s arrival in our house has nothing to do with calendars, temperatures or fireworks.

It starts with a steady ascent of anticipation, teases us with a quick dip then throws us a curve before plunging us into the thick of it with a rattling, headlong rush.

Summer comes on the Dragon Coaster.

Unlike many who grew up a short trip from this 84-year-old wood-beamed marvel, I have almost no childhood memories of the rollercoaster or the Playland amusement park that surrounds it in Rye, N.Y. That’s what makes our annual trip there as special to me as to my two children.

On our last ride during the past’s summer’s trip, we reached the peak of the Dragon Coaster just in time to see the sun setting behind the treetops in the west. It filled the sky, and us, with an orange Creamsicle glow — the kind you only truly know when you’re a kid during the summer.

— Kevin McKeever, Always Home and Uncool, @homeanduncool
(those are his kids, Li’l Diva and Excitable)

I just got home from the Bronx Zoo with my son, Jake, and we’re already looking forward to our next trip – our third of this spring.

“Isn’t that expensive?” you may ask.

My answer: Not if you get a membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

After our second time at the zoo this year, I started to feel the pinch in my wallet. After a little online research, we learned how a membership pays for itself after a few trips and provides a year’s worth of entertainment.

Get the best deal for the Bronx Zoo:

• Go to the Wildlife Conservation Society membership page.
• Chose the plan and price that best suits your family.

Some of the options include:

• Unlimited admission for two adults and all your kids (up to 18 years old) to not just the Bronx Zoo but also to the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn and the city zoos in Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens.
• Unlimited admission to certain attractions and rides
• Free parking (for an additional one-time add-on fee)
• A 10% discount on food and souvenirs
• Discounts on tickets to special events and attractions, such as the Bronx Zoo’s annual Holiday Lights

Imagine all the different adventures, fun and memories you could create with the kids for one price.

Say you get the membership this week. At-home parents could take their children for just a few hours on a weekday morning (better because it’s less crowded), see two or three of the myriad of exhibits the zoo has to offer, grab lunch at the concession stands (or pack your own and save) then still make it home for the kids’ mid-day nap. You had a great day, right?

Then, do the same thing again in a week … or two … or three. You’re a member now, so pull out your membership cards and bring the kids back to the Bronx Zoo at no additional charge.

See just a few new exhibits each time because, as we all know, a young child’s attention span can last for only so long, and after several visits, you’ve seen the entire zoo and maybe more. After or in between, visit the aquarium and other zoos – admission fee already paid.

That’s what Jake and I plan to do this summer, and we highly recommend that you consider it, too. You and your kids will love it.

Photo credits: Seal and polar bear – Always Home and Uncool. Bronx Zoo entry gate: Wikipedia