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Best Budget-Friendly Play Spaces for Toddlers in NYC

The Ability Center NYC – Marine Park, Brooklyn

Open Sundays through Fridays (usually closed Saturdays and Mondays); check the schedule before visiting.
$15 per 90-minute session
An indoor therapy spot, the practice-and-play gym here doubles as a budget-friendly play space when it's not being used by physical, occupational, and speech therapists for their clients. You'll find a clean, well-maintained play area with plenty of fun, sensory-friendly ways to play. Socks are required.

Chelsea Piers Toddler Gym – Chelsea, Manhattan

Visit the website for a complete schedule
$20 per session (ages 4 and under only)
This awesome indoor playground at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan includes space for sliding, climbing, and crawling through a big play structure, plus the ultimate kid-pleaser: a ball pit. The center also has manipulatives on the wall for sensory play, additional slides, soft playthings, and a tiny rock-climbing area.
 

Kanga's Indoor Playcenter – Long Island City, Queens

Open play seven days a week
$19.90 per child with one adult included (extra adults are $10 each)
This colorful indoor playground features tunnel slides and inflatable bouncy houses, as well as a padded toddler area that's separate from the rowdier places where older kids like to romp. The play space is designed for ages 11 and under.

Where Can Older Kids Burn Energy Indoors?

Bounce and Play – Astoria, Queens

Open play schedule varies; visit the calendar to book
$17 per child on weekdays; $20 per child on holidays or weekends
Bounce 'n Play is guaranteed fun. Play in a giant bounce house, run around the big gym, play games at the arcade, or go to the toddler area for some special little-kid time. Reservations are required during busy times; call ahead to confirm whether you need to book in advance: 718-777-7529.

Hapik – Sunset Park

Open Daily
$19.90 for toddler area
$9 kids' climbing on the first Wednesday of school months, excluding holidays (normally $34.90)
This bright and spacious climbing gym is a wildly popular new spot for NYC families. The only location within the five boroughs is at Industry City, but there are also Hapik locations in Yonkers and at American Dream. It's a climbing gym, not a traditional indoor play space, but there are options for kids of all ages. While the typical price of $34.90 per kids' climbing session would not qualify this spot for our "budget-friendly" list, the soft climbing experience for toddlers is just under $20/session, and several times a year there are opportunities for older kids to climb for only $9. Just be sure to book online in advance.

Kids Fun House – Ridgewood, Queens

Visit its website for current hours
$12-$16 on weekdays; $20 on weekends; each additional adult is $10
Older kids can romp in the multi-level maze, swoosh down the triple slide, and even play a few arcade games. There's a separate socks-only toddler area for little ones ages 6 months to 4 years with a tree to climb through, a playhouse, and a small slide. Adults can grab a seat and a snack at the cafe.

Kids 'N Shape – Howard Beach, Queens and Tottenville, Staten Island

Open play daily; visit the website for current hours
$15 per two-hour session; reservations required
With inflatables, obstacle courses, and even a zip line, kids of all ages have a blast at the two Kids 'N Shape locations in NYC. Book your play session online in advance. 
 

RELATED: 43 Things To Do on a Rainy Day in New York City

Kids can bounce off the walls—safely!—at Kids 'N Shape.

Kidz Fun Palace – Corona, Queens

Open daily
$15 per child and one adult; each additional adult is $10
This large indoor play space keeps kids running around all day. The indoor playground features a massive ball pit, a merry-go-round and toddler section for little ones, an obstacle course, an enclosed trampoline, and an arcade with machines for the little ones as well as for the older kids.

Best Affordable Play Spaces Inside NYC Museums

Bronx Children's Museum – South Bronx

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Tickets must be reserved online in advance for timed-entry sessions.
$8 per person for everyone over the age of 1.
This new space offers 13,000-plus-square-feet of educational play areas, including The Waterways exhibit with a sprawling water table that flows for 35 feet. There's also The Woods, where kids can meet live animal friends and interact with animal educators, and The Enchanted Garden, a sweet alcove with fun dress-up items plus comfy toadstools for kids and adults to sit back and take a break. The littlest visitors can enjoy The Nest, a comfy, safe, padded play area clear of big kids and fun to crawl and toddle about. 

Brooklyn Children's Museum – Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm
$15 per person
The Totally Tots exhibit at the Brooklyn Children's Museum is a treasure for babies and preschoolers. It features nine sensory play areas—enjoy water play, music, climbing structures, blocks, dress up, and more. Included with museum admission (which is FREE on Thursdays from 2-5 p.m.). Totally Tots is a bargain, given that you can play all day—though parents do have to pay admission in addition to children. Pro tip: NYC residents can snag FREE Brooklyn Children's Museum tickets for the family once a year by using a library card to book a Culture Pass online. Just plan to book ahead, as these passes are understandably popular.

Children's Museum of Manhattan – Upper West Side, Manhattan

Tuesdays through Sundays; reservations required
$16.75 per person; FREE for children under 1
Explore all of the museum's exhibits at your own pace. Each ticket includes all the exhibits—from classics like PlayWorks to the newer Superpowered Metropolis: Early Learning City—as well as special events, including story time, dance time, scavenger hunts, and art projects. Remember that unlike many of the dedicated play spaces on this list, parents pay an admission fee, too. NYC residents can snag FREE tickets for the family once a year by using a library card to book a Culture Pass online. 

81st Street Studio at the Met – Upper East Side, Manhattan

Open daily except Wednesdays
FREE
The only thing better than a budget-friendly drop-in play space is a FREE drop-in play space, and that's exactly what you'll find at the 81st Street Studio, the new art-and-play space housed on the ground level of the family-friendly Metropolitan Museum of Art. We were blown away by this spot, which caters to kids ages 3-11 with all kinds of creative play from art projects and music making, courtesy of a custom-designed instrument collection, to a block-building area, and plenty of books to read in a cozy corner. Visit as a jumping-off-point on your Met adventure, or grab a field guide to go and hit up NYC's ultimate playground, Central Park—if the weather cooperates. If you choose to head up to the museum, take note: kids always enter The Met for FREE, and admission to the museum is pay-what-you-wish for tri-state area adults.

RELATED: Best Play Cafes in Brooklyn and Queens for Kids and Families

The Bronx Children's Museum offers a bright, beautiful play space for kids up to age 10. Photo by Jody Mercier

Unless noted, photos courtesy of the venues

Originally published in 2017. Updated in 2026.