Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I have 3 kids ages 3 and under, and now that we live in W. Seneca we are enjoying all that Buffalo has to offer. We are going to go to the hamburg fairgrounds to see the holiday light display and planning do as many holiday type things as we can with the little ones.
Hubby wants to take them to NYC to see the tree at the Rockefeller center and the skating rink and all the holiday displays, and maybe go to Radio city to see the christmas show.
I realize we aren't THAT far from NYC anymore but it's still a hassle to get all the way over there and I'm not sure that it would be worth it in terms of what the little ones would get out of it. I'm sure they do have a lot more stuff for kids there. What is your opinion? And, I would appreciate any holiday or generally fun activity suggestions for me for around here... I'm sure they will be going haywire when it gets really cold and I have to keep them in more.
I grew up outside NYC and never saw the city at holidays until I was about 11; my aunt took me to Rockefeller Center and to the Radio City Show. It is hectic, easy to look at the Rockefeller Center tree, but if you want activities, kids the age of yours aren't going to appreciate them.
Most towns around here still have town trees; I live in Lancaster and we have one. There is also "Christmasville", lovely old animated figures are in the store windows -- a relic of a store downtown which is now gone: the old AM&A's (its now Bonton, but the AM&A's downtown was great for everything, yearround.) Try looking up the Lancaster Opera House: you might find a kid activity or program -- don't know about kids under 3.
You might decide to go cut your own tree -- much better than a trek to NYC for little kids. Look up Stigelmier (sp.) park in Cheektowaga -- lots of nature stuff there.
Try the Zoo for any Christmas activities.
You will be stressed going to NYC; there is lots to do here for Christmas things for kids.
Last edited by BuffaloTransplant; 11-07-2011 at 11:11 PM..
Reason: add link
I really can't say say if going to NYC will be worth it as I've never went.
The Festival of Lights in Hamburg is a good time, especially if you have little ones. You drive through a big display of lights then you can park & they have rides, reindeer & entertainment inside the buildings.
Something else thats fun to do on a cold, snowy winter day is to head down to Chestnut Ridge Park for some sled riding. They also have toboggan runs if you have a toboggan.
We stay pretty busy all winter long. My oldest daughter plays on the mini mite hockey team & snowboards. Her younger sister ice skates a few times a week and we'll take her snowboarding this year. We hit Chestnut Ridge when we don't feel like going to the resorts. Just keep them active & don't be afraid to go outside or everyone will get stir crazy.
So I have 3 kids ages 3 and under, and now that we live in W. Seneca we are enjoying all that Buffalo has to offer. We are going to go to the hamburg fairgrounds to see the holiday light display and planning do as many holiday type things as we can with the little ones.
Hubby wants to take them to NYC to see the tree at the Rockefeller center and the skating rink and all the holiday displays, and maybe go to Radio city to see the christmas show.
I realize we aren't THAT far from NYC anymore but it's still a hassle to get all the way over there and I'm not sure that it would be worth it in terms of what the little ones would get out of it. I'm sure they do have a lot more stuff for kids there. What is your opinion? And, I would appreciate any holiday or generally fun activity suggestions for me for around here... I'm sure they will be going haywire when it gets really cold and I have to keep them in more.
3 kids, all 3 and under might be a little bit much to handle in Manhattan. I would wait a couple of years until they get a little older. However I definitely do recommend it once they do get a little older, it is a nice experience going down there and visiting Rockafeller Center, seeing the Rockettes at Radio City and St. Patrick's Cathedral during Christmastime.
I agree with the above posters saying to wait until they are a little older.
We took our daughter there for an overnight stay just outside the city and took the train in for the day, she was 3 1/2 at the time...she doesn't remember any of it except for all the tall buildings and tons of people.
We even went to FAO and she doesn't even remember that, I would wait til they are at least 5 to get the most out of it.
If you have family that lives closer to NYC, it's a major help. I hadn't ventured east of Albany for my entire life until I started dating my wife. She grew up in a little town outside of Poughkeepsie, and a couple of times, we would go to stay with her parents, and take 1 day to go to the train station in Poughkeepsie early in the morning, and spend the day wandering aroudn Manhattan. I can't imagine doing that without having that place to go from and back to.
If you don't have the luxury of having family that close, I figure a way around it would be to book a hotel room that is close enough to one of the train stops, and then go from there if you'd like.
I agree with the above posters saying to wait until they are a little older.
We took our daughter there for an overnight stay just outside the city and took the train in for the day, she was 3 1/2 at the time...she doesn't remember any of it except for all the tall buildings and tons of people.
We even went to FAO and she doesn't even remember that, I would wait til they are at least 5 to get the most out of it.
A kid who didn't remember FAO? FAO Schwartz ? The greatest toy store in the world in Dec????
Nowadays kids are much MUCH more interested in the Nintendo Store near Rock Center than they are with Schwartz. The Amnerican Girl store was a big hit with my daughter when she was 8-10.
Other that that there is precious little for a family with small children to do in NYC that you can't do just about anywhere else such as the Walden Galleria.
I think that everyone from the area should go to NYC at least once, it is a good experience. I was just talking about a trip to NYC with my fiance, but during the winter we decided not to make the trip. I for one don't want to be driving through central new york during a snow storm.
The prices for hotels in the NYC area are pretty expensive, every time I have added it up we could fly to florida and stay on the beach for about the same as a NYC trip. Florida usually wins, last December we were sitting on Ft. Lauderdale beach.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
