Strong National Museum of Play

Strong National Museum of Play®
One Manhattan Square
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: 585-263-2700
6 hours from NY City - Good Weekend Trip



Exhibits:

Reading Adventureland

Super Kids Market

Sesame Street

National Toy Hall of Fame

Field of Play

The Berenstain Bears

Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden

Elaine Wilson Carousel

Strong Express Train

The New York Botantical Gardens - Holiday Train Show

From the website...

November 21, 2009–January 10, 2010
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Get Your Tickets

Members Reserve Your Tickets

The holiday season is full of family traditions, and the Holiday Train Show is one of the most eagerly awaited.

Wrapped in the glow of twinkling lights, model trains and trolleys zip along over bridges and on winding tracks past scaled replicas of New York landmarks made by award-winning designer Paul Busse. Orange slices, cinnamon sticks, poppy pods, pine cones, and other plant parts are used to create the more than 140 architectural reproductions in the Garden's collection.

Highlights

• Stars of the show: Steam engines and streetcars, whimsical ladybugs and modern freight trains traverse under waterfalls, around mountains, and through tunnels.
• Annual favorites: Empire State Building, Little Red Lighthouse, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and more return to thrill visitors of all ages.

New This Year

• The original Pennsylvania Station (1910–1964), this year’s blockbuster addition
• Brooks Brothers flagship store, located at 346 Madison Avenue

Family Fun

• Gingerbread Adventures: Hands-on activities for kids, including decorating gingersnap cookies; discovering the Earthly treasures of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; and creating a field notebook in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
• The Little Engine That Could™: Puppet theater presentations in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall
• Thomas the Tank Engine™: An opportunity to meet and take pictures with the popular Thomas on the Garden grounds, January 2–10

Check at the Garden’s Gates for show times of specific activities.

Holiday Hours

Holiday Pricing
Adults $20
Seniors/Students $18
Children $10

Holiday Week (December 26 - January 3)
Adults $25
Seniors/Students $22
Children $15

Advance timed tickets are strongly advised.

Let's Pretend - Ship Ahoy & Other Activities

Brought to you by: Disney Family Fun

From the website...Ship Ahoy
Christen your vessel Lady Laundry Basket and set her on a carpet or blanket, and she'll be seaworthy for even the saltiest little one. Remember the laws of the deep: a white paper triangle taped to a cardboard tube means sailboat, a pair of wooden spoons or paper-and-tube paddles means rowboat, a stick with a string means fishing dory, and an eye patch always means pirate ship. Should any rescue missions bob up, you can inflate a pool ring and have your child toss it into the shark-infested waters.
Full Article>

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New York City Police Museum

New York City Police Museum
Location:100 Old Slip (between South and Water Sts)

Subway: 2, 3 to Wall St; 4, 5 to Bowling Green

Brought to you by: Time Out Kids

From the website...The NYPD’s tribute to 165 years of service features exhibits on its history and the tools of its trade, including vintage uniforms, squad cars and firearms. More notorious artifacts are also on view, including a gun used by one of Al Capone’s minions in the 1928 murder of Frankie Yale. Critics have accused the institution of whitewashing police brutality and other scandals, although visitors can participate in a simulated police gunfight and determine if the shooting was warranted.