Bronx Library Center

Opened in 2006, the 78,000-square-foot space is the New York Public Library's first LEED-certified (green) center: It's flooded with natural light, and the electric lights are programmed to dim when the sunlight's strongest. Also the largest public library in the Bronx, the BLC devotes nearly all of its second floor to tots and grade-schoolers. An array of programs is offered weekly, among them Baby & Me sessions (for babies under 18 months), Toddler Time readings (ages 18 months to 3 years) and Family Time crafts (ages 3 to 6)—all on Saturdays—plus picture-book time (Tue 4pm) and preschool stories (Thu 11am) for ages 2 to 5 and, for older kids, computer and math games (Mon 4pm), crafts, board games (Mon 4pm) and poetry writing workshops.