Located at the Swedish Cottage, the children’s Marionette Theatre holds daily shows during the summer months and is even open during the school year. Favorites such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Gulliver’s Travel’s are often performed here.

The Theatre became a permanent fixture at the Swedish Cottage in the 1970′s and since then, has been restored by the Central Park Conservancy. Now under the direction of the City Parks Foundation, the Marionette Theatre one of the most enjoyable children’s attractions in the Park.

Reservations are necessary, and ticket prices are $8.00 for an adult ticket, and $5.00 for a child’s ticket. The Theatre is located at 79th street and West Drive.

Children’s Activities

Many attractions in Central Park were created especially with kids in mind. Below are some Park locations that are perfectly suited for families with young children.

Tisch Children’s Zoo

Located within the main Central Park Zoo, the Tisch Children’s Zoo features a petting zoo, Acorn Theatre, and the “Enchanted Forest”, a complete habitat that is home to birds, turtles, and frogs.
Belvedere Castle’s “Woods and Water Exhibit”

Designed for kids, this exhibit teaches visitors about the flora and fauna of Central Park.
Central Park Carousel

Open April through November, this very popular children’s attraction is a traditional merry-go-round, complete with the sound of organ music and vendor cart treats nearby.
Boat Rides on the Lake

Renting a rowboat from the Loeb Boathouse has been a fun, family activity in Central Park since the 19th century and remains a great choice in the spring and summer months. On these trips around the Lake, visitors can spot Mute Swans and ducks, in addition to the occasional Heron or Egret.
Storytelling

Younger children might enjoy the storytelling that takes place each summer at the site of the Hans Christian Anderson Statue, located near 72nd Street and 5th Avenue.
Ice Skating at Wollman Rink

Wollam Rink, the most popular outdoor skating rink in the city, is open weekdays and weekends during winter months. Youth skating and hockey programs are also offered at the Rink, and skaters can warm themselves with hot drinks from the nearby café.
Swimming at Lasker Pool

Offering free admission, Lasker Pool is a favorite summertime family attraction at Central Park.
Fishing at the Meer

Catch and release fishing is offered at the Meer through the Dana Discovery Center. The Discovery Center lends visitors bamboo fishing poles, perfect for catching bass, catfish, bluegill sunfish, grass carp, rock perch, and golden shiners in the calm waters of the Meer

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Visitors to the park can enjoy concerts presented by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, Summerstage at Rumsey Playfield and the concert series at Naumberg Bandshell. Good Morning America also brings acts to Central Park with its free Summer Concert Series every Friday morning. There are also a number of free events including the Harlem Meer Performance

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Shakespeare in the Park is an annual production that is held at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. It is produced by the Public Theatre, and attendance is free, provided that guests wait in line for tickets on the day of the performance.

Shakespeare in the Park runs for eight weeks, and its popularity ensures that nearly 1,500 people attend each performance. The 2011 Shakespeare in the Park series runs from June 6th to July 31st, at which time the company will perform the Shakespearian comedies, All’s Well that Ends Well and Measure for Measure.

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Harry Hawk of Harry’s at Water Taxi Beach
O this sun-blasted summer afternoon, the deserted Long Island City beach complex that’s home to Harry’s feels like the backyard of a fraternity house after a weekend-long binge. Flies buzz under the flapping orange dining tent; the bar smells of old beer. Harry is dressed in suspenders and chef’s clogs, and he presents the components of his seven-course bonanza all at once. The first thing we sample is a pile of grilled asparagus, which aren’t high-quality (the Greenmarket’s too expensive) and seem to have gone limp in the 100-degree heat. Ditto the grilled corn, which is flavored with enough cayenne to choke a horse. Harry’s buttermilk onion rings are excellent (they’re sweet

, generously cut, and not too greasy), and I spend most of my time eating them, instead of the dry, fishy salmon burger, served on a piece of desiccated toast.

The main course—chunks of salty-sweet, char-grilled lamb cured for several hours in brown sugar, salt, and cumin—is excellent, and worth the entire $20 price of admission. The strawberries with sour cream are unimpressive, and Harry’s biscuits would be okay provided I hadn’t pounded down all those onion rings. The second dessert course is a single Klondike bar whipped milkshake style and spiked with amber Dogfish Head ale. It tastes like a White Russian mixed with chocolate truffles. It’s a touch of cheap-eats genius, albeit one served in plastic Champagne flutes.

Verdict: One star for the lamb and another for the Klondike shake. No stars for the vegetable sides, the dry salmon burger, and the greasy venue.

Total cost: $13.78

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Shinnecock East County Park, Southampton, New York
TRAVEL TIME: Two hours via the Long Island Expressway
Drive out to the tip of the barrier island below Southampton, where an outer-beach permit ($40 if you’re not a Suffolk County resident) lets you pull a four-wheel-drive vehicle right onto the sand. Sleep under the stars ($30; no tents), wade in the ocean or the bay, and wake up early to cast a line in the surf for striped bass.

Little Captain Island, Greenwich, Connecticut
TRAVEL TIME: Forty-five minutes via I-95, or 50 minutes on Metro-North, then a twenty-minute ferry ride
Last year, the prohibition on non–Greenwich residents riding the ferries to Little Captain Island ended, opening the tree-shaded trails and sandy beaches to everyone. Stop by one of two Greenwich civic centers to buy $5-per-person beach passes (203-622-7817), then splash away in the gentle Long Island Sound or squish through the mudflats at low tide. There’s an abundance of picnicking grounds in the interior. Weekend ferries leave from town every hour from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Island Beach State Park, Seaside Park, New Jersey
TRAVEL TIME: One hour, 50 minutes via the Garden State Parkway
Load up a car with Frisbees, firewood, and stuff for s’mores, and barrel down the Jersey shore to the undeveloped barrier island just south of Seaside Heights ($10 per vehicle on weekends). Stretch out wherever: There are more than ten miles of beach. Stroll across the island to the bird blinds on Barnegat Bay to see ospreys and herons, or take a hike on one of the eight nature trails. Build a bonfire before dusk (when the park closes) and roast those marshmallows.

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No one is suggesting that delay equals defeat. In fact, the Senate’s top Democrat promised a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks. But Obama has been pushing hard for quick passage of legislation he can sign to expand coverage to all Americans and control ruinous medical costs. And he’s counting on fast action while his first-year popularity holds.

Republican foes have stepped up their attacks in hopes of weakening if not killing the historic changes in the way America provides and pays for health care. But they’re not the source of the immediate problem. Divisions within the ranks of Obama’s fellow Democrats have stalled the legislation.

While confirming there will be no Senate vote before Congress goes home in early August, the chamber’s Democratic leaders spoke optimistically of wrapping up a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks.

That offered no reassurance to Democrats in the House, many of whom are reluctant to vote on a $540-billion tax increase to help pay for the overhaul unless senators also stick their necks out before an election year. Exiting a contentious leadership meeting, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, called for canceling the August recess if a bill isn’t passed.

No one is suggesting that delay equals defeat. In fact, the Senate’s top Democrat promised a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks. But Obama has been pushing hard for quick passage of legislation he can sign to expand coverage to all Americans and control ruinous medical costs. And he’s counting on fast action while his first-year popularity holds.

Republican foes have stepped up their attacks in hopes of weakening if not killing the historic changes in the way America provides and pays for health care. But they’re not the source of the immediate problem. Divisions within the ranks of Obama’s fellow Democrats have stalled the legislation.

While confirming there will be no Senate vote before Congress goes home in early August, the chamber’s Democratic leaders spoke optimistically of wrapping up a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks.

That offered no reassurance to Democrats in the House, many of whom are reluctant to vote on a $540-billion tax increase to help pay for the overhaul unless senators also stick their necks out before an election year. Exiting a contentious leadership meeting, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, called for canceling the August recess if a bill isn’t passed.

No one is suggesting that delay equals defeat. In fact, the Senate’s top Democrat promised a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks. But Obama has been pushing hard for quick passage of legislation he can sign to expand coverage to all Americans and control ruinous medical costs. And he’s counting on fast action while his first-year popularity holds.

Republican foes have stepped up their attacks in hopes of weakening if not killing the historic changes in the way America provides and pays for health care. But they’re not the source of the immediate problem. Divisions within the ranks of Obama’s fellow Democrats have stalled the legislation.

While confirming there will be no Senate vote before Congress goes home in early August, the chamber’s Democratic leaders spoke optimistically of wrapping up a bipartisan bill in the next two weeks.

That offered no reassurance to Democrats in the House, many of whom are reluctant to vote on a $540-billion tax increase to help pay for the overhaul unless senators also stick their necks out before an election year. Exiting a contentious leadership meeting, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, called for canceling the August recess if a bill isn’t passed.