The best kids' amusement parks near NYC

New York’s ultimate summer activity is a visit to Luna Park at Coney Island, the original amusement park. Hop on the iconic Cyclone and you'll rattle along traditional wooden roller coaster tracks, or whirl around Lynn's Trapeze. Little ones will love the Magic Bikes and the Brooklyn Barge, while older kids will get thrills fro the Coney Clipper and the Astro Tower. Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park next door is famous for the legendary Wonder Wheel, as well a number of kid-friendly rides.

Time Out Tip: Skip the midday crowds and hit the kiddie rides right at opening. When it’s time to eat, Paul’s Daughter can’t be beat for burgers, dogs and fried seafood.

Travel time: 2 hrs by car

Diggerland is the ultimate theme park for your little operators of heavy machinery. Located behind Sahara Sam's waterpark in Berlin, NJ, this is where you can operate and drive real backhoes, tractors, dumpers, excavators and skid-steer loaders. This is a one-of-a-kind family adventure! For the younger set, you'll find kid-friendly thrills such as a barrel train, some tube slides and an arcade, while the older kids might prefer the diggers and dump trucks.

Time Out Tip: Make a beeline for the big diggers first, then cool off at The Water Main splash park after lunch.

Travel time: 30 minutes by car, bus or ferry and shuttle

This amusement park has over 35 rides, including Dora’s Sky Railway, the Rugrats Reptar Go-Round, the world's steepest roller coaster, PAW Patrol Adventure Bay, a nine-story ropes course and so, so, so much more! Located inside the American Dream megamall, all this fun is so close to Manhattan.

Time Out Tip: Bring a change of clothes if you’re hitting up the splashtastic Slime Streak coaster.

Travel time: 1 hr 30 min by car

Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is brought to you by the letters F, U, N! The rides and attractions are aimed at kids ages two to tween—and anyone else nostalgic for a certain PBS show that infuses every inch of this 14-acre theme park. Not only are there rides like Blast Off, which launches kids and parents to Planet Elmo, and Monster Mix-Up, which takes little ones on a spin across the dance floor, there are shows and parades that let your tots come face-to-face with the favorite characters.

Time Out Tip: For the afternoon parade, stake out a spot on Main Street where the blue pavement meets the black pavement—characters tend to stop here to perform.

Travel time: 1 hr 45 mins by car

Quassy is the perfect amusement park for little kids, a family-friendly spot with a low-key feel on Lake Quassapaug. There are rides like kiddie bumper cars for tinier tots, and bumper cars for the bigger kids. The highlight is the Wooden Warrior, an old-school-style wooden roller coaster. You can take full advantage of the lake: Pick out a spot on the beach, go for a dip, set out on paddle boats or go for a 30-minute cruise on the Quassy Queen for a full day of summertime fun.

Time Out Tip: The Wooden Warrior coaster is the star, but younger kids love the classic carousel tucked by the lake.

Travel time: 1 hr 30 min by car

Six Flags Great Adventure is the Big Kahuna of the local amusement park scene! You can zip down a log flume, brave a swinging pirate ship, brave a 15-story Ferris wheel and even fly like Superman—not for the faint of heart.

Time Out Tip: Download the app to stay ahead of the wait times and make the most of your visit.

Travel time: 2 hrs 45 min by car

Three exciting piers and separate water park should be enough to keep you and the kids busy all summer long. Head to Mariner’s Pier to hop on the Wave Swinger, which propels you high in the sky for great views of the beach and boardwalk, or zip around on coasters, spinning teacup rides and smaller children’s rides. You can also hop aboard a haunted ghost ship (for kids ages 10 and up) if you’re keen to scream.

Time Out Tip: The three piers come alive at night, but lines are shorter for coasters before dinner.

Travel time: 3 hrs by car

Your kids will be all in for a trip to this park inspired by their favorite treats…after all, Hershey is as big as it gets when it comes to candy. Go for a spin on Carrousel, zip around on the Cocoa Cruiser, hold on for dear life with the sooperdooperLooper and Trailblazer and put the wee ones on the Dinosaur-Go-Round, Red Baron or Bizzy Bees for an afternoon of fun in the sun. There’s also a pretty sweet water park complete with life-size sandcastles, huge slides and East Coast Waterworks with seven slides, two crawl-tunnels and 600 interactive water toys. 

Time Out Tip: Hotel guests get early park access, so you can ride Candymonium before the gates open to everyone else.

Travel time: 45 min by car

Kids can pretend to be prehistoric explorers at this outdoor expedition, where they’ll tramp through the verdant New Jersey Meadowlands alongside animatronic dinosaurs including Stegosaurus and Triceratops. The theme park features 32 life-sized dinosaurs in total, built with sensors and facial-recognition technology that makes them move as visitors draw near. Daring kids will get a thrill from hearing a 15-foot-tall T.Rex roar in response to their excited shouts, but there are also activities geared towards the younger set; little ones can play Raptor Feud, a dino-centric quiz show covering geology and archeology facts.

Time Out Tip: Morning shows fill fast, so get there early and grab a seat in the front row. Bring water for the animatronic trail, which is mostly outside and can get hot.

Travel time: 1 hr 45 min by car

With its mix of roller coasters, carousels, swings and ten acres of greenery, Adventureland feels like a Midwest county fair. Catering mostly to Long Island families seeking a mellow good time, Adventureland offers a veritable smorgasbord of colorful rides such as the Hip Hop and the Little Dipper log flume—perfect for kids to twirl their hearts out. Little ones will dig the spinning cars, Pirate Island, Helicopters, Viking Voyage and the Sports Tower.

Time Out Tip: Cool off on the Adventure Falls log flume, but bring a poncho if you don’t want to get soaked.

Travel time: 2 hrs by car

With more than 100 rides and attractions, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania pack two-in-one thrills. The park is always introducing new additions to its already impressive collection of family rides. Especially daring tykes can brave The Possessed, a U-shaped coaster that shoots riders up a 184-foot helix at 70mph before they freefall in reverse as the coaster speeds up the opposite track. Little ones have lots to keep them occupied, too: Planet Snoopy offers attractions such as the Flying Ace, a gently swaying swing-set ride, and a giant, inflatable Snoopy moonbounce.

Time Out Tip: Kids love Planet Snoopy in the morning; older thrill seekers can hit Steel Force first thing. The water park is included with admission and offers a solid midday break.

Travel time: 1 hr 30 min by car

Hope, New Jersey’s Land of Make Believe & Pirate’s Cove amusement park is just a short drive from NYC, making it a perfect pick for warm-weather weekends—the younger set will find plenty to do, including jumpy frog rides, a swaying tugboat ride, a splash park area with a fort and a 1000-gallon dump bucket, a lazy river ride with single or double tubes, a shallow wave pool with a pirate ship that has slides and spray showers and some fun water slides.

Time Out Tip: The pirate-themed water area opens later in the morning, so hit the rides first, then change into swimsuits for slides and the lazy river.

Travel time: 3 hrs by car

Youngsters who aren’t quite big enough for twisty roller coasters will love Dutch Wonderland, a tame amusement park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, boasting over 30 rides, a water play area, walk-around characters and live entertainment. Families can make their way through themed attractions like the Panda Party ride, dino-themed Prehistoric Path and on-water Gondola Cruise, many of which are appropriate even for little ones. Kids can join Princess Brooke on a Bon Voyage Balloon Chase this season—an attraction that takes rides 20 feet above ground in eight hot air balloons.

Time Out tip: Catch daily theater shows and storytimes when the tots need some time to rest their feet.

The Flushing Meadows Carousel in Queens becomes a hot attraction for families when this low-key amusement park opens in the spring. Kids can enjoy five other attractions, including a kid-friendly roller coaster; Fantasy Frog Hopper, a ride that flies to the top of a tower and bounces its way back to the ground; Queens Himalaya, a hilly mini-coaster that speeds up and down as you go; Corona Choo Choo, a western-style train for little engineers; and the Queens Motor Speedway, a racecar whip ride. Win prizes at classic carnival games, like swinging on the hi-striker, ring toss and mini basketball toss.

Time Out Tip: Hit the Corona Cobra coaster early, then take a spin on the Queens historic carousel before it gets busy around noon.