Most visitors to New York City only explore Manhattan. But what do you do when you want to explore the other boroughs? Local mom Ranjana Armstrong shares what she recommends to do with kids in Brooklyn -- beyond just walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

04:25 - Talking with Ranjana about Nugget

11:05 - Neighborhoods in Brooklyn

18:58 - What to do in Brooklyn

28:00 - Coney Island/Aquarium

29:20 - When to go

31:20 - Where to stay/getting round

34:40 - Eating out

38:55 - Favorite Travel Gear

40:00 - Coming up next for Ranjana

42:20 - Next Week's Episode

ABOUT RANJANA ARMSTRONG

Ranjana Armstrong is the founder of Nugget, a global community for millennial parents to share and discover travel itineraries and ideas for unique family vacations. She's also the co-host and co-producer of two travel podcasts for families: Go With Nugget for Kids and Go With Nugget for Parents. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and 3 boys.

Follow Ranjana on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

TIPS FOR VISITING BROOKLYN, NEW YORK WITH KIDS

• Depending on how much time you have, you might want to stay in Manhattan and the go into Brooklyn for part of your trip.
• If you decide to stay in Brooklyn, most people stay in DUMBO.
• Brooklyn neighborhood breakdown:
  • Dumbo is a neighborhood that is on the waterfront and is located right next to the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. There are great cafes and creative places.
  • Brooklyn Heights is another neighborhood that on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a more residential area, but has some cute boutiques for shopping and a nice promenade to walk along the water.
  • Williamsburg is a little further north and used to be more of the hipster area. It still has some art scenes, funky shops and people with tattoos. There is also the Domino park that is great for kids.
• Things to do with kids in Brooklyn:
  • New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn that is a great place to take kids or even just go as adults if you are interested. It is a smaller Museum but still has a lot to offer. The museum is located in an old subway stop!
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park is a great place to hang out. It is located just on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. So if you are staying in Manhattan and want to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge you will come off right at the park. Also there is the largest outdoor bouldering area in north America. If you have any interest at all in rock climbing you should definitely check out The Cliffs.
  • Domino Park is another great area to spend the day with your kids. There is an area with great slides and a good Mexican taqueria right next to it that would be a great place to get lunch.
  • Whether you like museums or not, you should really think about checking out The Brooklyn Children's Museum. It is really well done and has a lot of interactive things to do with your kids.
  • You are really into the old school amusement park rides you should check out Coney Island. Just keep in mind that it is quite a trek to get there, so depending on where you are staying, make sure it is something that you really want to do.
  • You can also check out the New York Aquarium which is right next door to the amusement park.
• Depending on the time of year you plan on visiting you may want to look up what is going on in other areas including:
  • Dyker Heights has a lot of Christmas lights that you can see all the different kinds of decorations during the holidays.
  • In Park Slope there is a large Halloween parade where your kids can trick or treat and join the parade.
  • There are also some parks that offer movies in the park and festivals.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Ranjana loves to wear her Patagonia Nano Vest anywhere she goes. It's lightwieght and can fold up really small.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

What to do in NYC with kids Local Guide

Things to do in NYC kids ultimate vacation guide Podcast

The Pilot Restaurant

Tacocina

Smorgasburg

Berg'n

Habana Outpost

Shake Shack

Sweetgreen

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If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!