Top 10 family-friendly New York summer activities

Staten Island Ferry

This five-mile, 25-minute ride offers breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Lower Manhattan skyline and New York harbour – and it's free. The boat has indoor and outdoor seating on multiple levels and a snack bar. You have to disembark at Staten Island's Saint George Terminal, but you can return to Manhattan immediately by reboarding the same boat.
• nyc.gov

Alphabets, East Village

Alphabets is the place to come for joke gifts and fun toys with attitude. The remote control whoopee cushion you didn't know existed? It does, and it's here. Have you been searching for a waitress action figure or cupcake-flavoured toothpaste? Seek no further. You'll find the cute (rubber ducky whistles that quack) and the ridiculous (a headband that holds a basketball net on top of your head).
• 115 Avenue A, alphabetsnyc.com. Open daily midday-8pm

Big Gay Ice Cream, West Village

Big Gay Ice Cream elevates chocolate and vanilla ice-cream to premium heights. Adults and more adventurous youngsters will like combinations such as Salty Pimp (vanilla ice-cream, dulce de leche, sea salt and chocolate dip) or Mermaid (vanilla ice-cream, key lime curd, crushed graham crackers, and whipped cream). Most popular with kids is a chocolate or vanilla cup or cone topped with, appropriately, rainbow sprinkles.
• 61 Grove Street, biggayicecream.com Open Sun-Wed midday-10pm, Thurs-Sat midday-midnight

Lightship Frying Pan, Chelsea

This is no ordinary bar but a retired lightship parked on a barge on the Hudson river. Tables on the top deck have arguably the most magnificent view in NYC, a panoramic sweep from the Statue of Liberty to the George Washington bridge, but there's not a bad seat in the house. Place your order at the bar (steamed mussels and littlenecks, crab cakes, burgers, corn on the cob), take it back to your table, and glory in the surroundings. Bring a copy of Fireboat, The Heroic Adventures of the John J Harvey, by Maira Kalman, with you so your kids can read the inspiring story of the real fireboat next door – while looking at many of the buildings (including the Empire State) and scenes pictured in the book.
• pier66maritime.com. Open daily midday-midnight, closed Nov-April

The High Line, Lower West Side

Since opening in June 2009, the High Line has become one of New York's best-loved parks. Built on an elevated rail viaduct not used for transport since 1980, its design integrates old track beds with wild gardens and unique views of old and new New York. Kids will find an array of appealing features including the cement bleachers near the 16th Street entrance that, through a panoramic window, overlook 10th Avenue and its stream of yellow cabs. There are performers and artists along the route, which is about a mile long – the length of about 20 city blocks. "Curated" food trucks offer some of NYC's most hip and delicious eating opportunities.
• thehighline.org. Open daily 7am-11pm, various entrance points, including 14th Street, West 16th, West 18th and West 20 Streets and 23rd Street, free

Bryant Park, Midtown

Surrounded by skyscrapers on three sides, and the New York Public Library on the fourth, Bryant Park is idyllic. In summer, there's a pétanque court where children can learn the classic French game using child-sized boules, plus a carousel, a putting green, chess, backgammon and board games, ping-pong, bird-watching tours, jugglers, artists-in-residence, concerts and open-air movies. Between November and March, there's an ice-skating rink. Almost everything is free.
• Bryantpark.org. Open daily, hours vary, check website for details

Discovery Room, American Museum of Natural History, Upper West Side

The magnificent American Museum of Natural History is a must-see but is huge and almost always crowded. Really crowded. The Discovery Room provides a place to regroup. It's like a fun-filled classroom with plenty for children aged 5–12 to play with, examine and explore. Upstairs, older kids can handle a live Madagascar hissing cockroach and an albino leopard gecko (but not the Chilean rose hair tarantula, although staff will be happy to let you watch as they pull silk out of its spinneret). On Wednesday afternoons, the bearded dragon is given his weekly bath.
• Central Park West and 79th Street, amnh.org. Open daily 10am-5.45pm, admission adult $22, under-13 $12.50

Tiny Doll House, Upper East Side

A visit here will wow both girls and boys: the world reduced to a Lilliputian scale is mesmerising. Tiny etched glass hurricane lamps, Majolica asparagus dishes, Knole sofas, gilded pier mirrors and thousands of other miniature objects are all displayed in exquisitely designed dioramas – a library, a patisserie, a room decorated for Christmas, a nursery. The shop has many items children can afford.
• 314 East 78th Street, +1 212 744 3719 for opening hours, tinydollhouseny.com

Governors Island, Lower Manhattan

This 172-acre island, formerly a military base, is a five-minute ferry ride ($2 return) from Manhattan and off the radar for most visitors. New Yorkers love its breathtaking views and family-friendly fun (castle, fort, treehouse, mini-golf, art classes, a grove of 50 red hammocks, ball fields and children's play areas). Rent bikes or quadcycles from Bike and Roll, by the Parade Ground. Eating options include a Caribbean food truck and ice-cream stands.
• govisland.com. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm from 24 May to 28 September

Eating out along Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side

After doing the Natural History museum, skip its basement cafe. Only a couple of blocks away are casual, delicious, and inexpensive alternatives. Island Burger and Shakes serves more than 64 varieties of burger and grilled chicken sandwich, called churrascoses. And it's hard to find a better deal than the lunch specials at Oaxaca Taqueria, where two tacos or enchiladas with rice and beans, half a torta or a quesadilla with a salad or soup costs $7. If you've never tried elote, a corn cob grilled with cotija cheese and chilli powder, this is the place to try it. And if your kids want it without the chilli, they can. You can bring your own drinks.

Lots of young neighbourhood families are fans of the vegan Peacefood Cafe. Kids' favourites include brown rice with cashew cheese ($6) and baked soy nuggets ($7). You'll find Mediterranean panini ($11.95), soups, smoothies, juices, and homemade desserts.

The Little Bookroom Guide to New York City with Children by Michael Berman and Angela Hederman is published by The Little Bookroom (£13.99) and is out on 3 July. To order a copy for £8.99 with free UK p&p call 0330 333 6846 or visit guardianbookshop.co.uk