Best Indoor Play
THE ART FARM 419 East 91st St.
212-410-3117
Founded in 2002, this innovative play space offers creative classes all year-around, as well as special camps in the fall and summer. There are classes on cooking, animal care and, of course, art. They offer drop-in open playtimes for youngsters ages 6 months and up from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, “Fun Fridays” for children 18 months and up, and regular storytimes. One satisfied customer calls it a “magical gem of a safe haven for your child to grow.”
ELLIOT’S GYMNASTICS 131 West 86th St.
917-517-8721
Kids can frolic, play and learn in this spacious indoor gymnasium that offers scheduled classes along with open play from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. daily. Their gymnastics and movement classes for newborns to pre-teens are designed to make kids feel more confident in their bodies. Elliot’s also offers “Mooski Music” classes, art classes in various mediums, as well as a community art project where kids can make murals with finger paints and sponges. Playtime is free for kids enrolled in classes.
CITY TREEHOUSE 129A West 20th St.
212-255-2050
Young ones can play, learn about dance and take “Rock-A-Baby” or “Tots and Tutus” classes, or attend sleepover parties at this award-winning play space in a cheerful and intimate environment supervised by friendly staffers. Satisfied parent Isabel says: “We’ve been coming here since my daughter was one and-a-half. We’ve brought friends and family alike ... the water table is my daughter’s favorite.”