I’ve lived in the NYC area for almost 18 years and it never ceases to amaze me how much of the city I still haven’t yet discovered. I wish I could spend days upon days roaming the streets but I’m happy to spend some of my weekends with my family there, especially showing my kids unique places that give New York its charm. Everyone has seen those hop-on-hop-off buses but I recently discovered a company named TopView Sightseeing that offers much more than that.
TopView Sightseeing offers a wide range of activities: its biggest attraction is the famous double-decker bus where you can hop off at any stop, explore the area, and then get back on to continue the tour. The buses have automatic narration and have several tours all over the city. TopView Sightseeing also offers a cruise around the Statue of Liberty, as well as bike rentals and bike tours. If you purchase a bus ticket for 2 days or more you get the cruise for free, plus a free entrance to the Museum of the City of NY. You can also customize the tours to fit your needs.
My family and I recently took the TopView Sighteeing bus tour and also sailed in New York York Harbor to see the Statue of Liberty. We began in Times Square and decided to take the Downtown tour, as it includes a lot of the Midtown landmarks as well. (There is also an Uptown & Harlem tour, a Brooklyn tour, a Bronx tour and a Night tour.)
We picked up our tickets at the TopView Sightseeing visitor center, across from the NY Public Library. There’s another location at Central Park but you can always purchase tickets directly from an agent – they’re everywhere in Times Square and at selected bus stops.
This is the view from the bus (we sat at the top front):
Cool ad for the movie Rampage – hard to notice when you’re walking:
The kids loved being able to listen with their very own headphones (that they got to keep). The narration was very interesting and included lots of facts and tidbits about the city. I especially loved learning about the different buildings, the famous and the not-so-famous, but just as interesting. In between the narration, there was an awesome soundtrack – all songs about New York, from Sinatra to Jay Z and everything in between.
We made our way down to the Garment District. We noticed this really cool huge button and needle sculpture – there’s no way we would have been able to notice it if we were walking.
Next, we passed by the Empire State Building:
The arch at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village:
When we got to downtown, we saw, among other landmarks, the Freedom Tower:
When we were downtown, we got off and made our way to the ferry. The ride was really fun!
After the cruise, we got back on the bus and finished the tour at Times Square. Everyone had a blast!
Tips: Bring sunblock and water, hold on to your ticket at all times and most importantly, don’t plan too much in advance – enjoy the tour and get off any stop that suits you at the moment. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll discover!
Visit topviewnyc.com to learn more and see the different packages.
I was not compensated or this post. I received complimentary tickets.
Here is another great NYC with Kids content to check out:
Gulliver’s Gate: A Magical Land of Miniatures in Times Square
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a freelance writer and has written for several blogs, such as The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for seventeen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 11, 9 and 5) and loves finding great products for her family.
NYC is so much fun, we’ve traveled there quite a few times as a couple and with the kids. We cruised out of there as well! We were there in March and visited the Statue of Liberty before sailing off to the Caribbean. There’s so much to see, guided tours certainly help maximize time!