Albany – activities for Family and Kids

Henry Hudson Planetarium

25 Quackenbush Square at Clinton and Broadway

East Downtown
518-434-5132

Saturday program at 11:30am, 12:30pm

Admission charged

A good place to start any orientation of the state capital is this center, which also boasts a special child-friendly planetarium tour of the night sky at the weekend.

Rubinstein Museum of Science and Technology

500 South Franklin Street

West Jefferson Street

315-425-9068

Open daily 10am-5pm

Admission charged

Syracuse’s former arms depot is now the home of  the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) which moved here recently and is now packed with lots of new attractions. From the Silverman Planetarium to the Drill Hall 225-seat omni theater and the old 1863 stables, all attractions are child-friendly.

New York State Museum

Empire State Plaza

Downtown

518-474-5877

Open daily 10am-5pm

Admission free, Carousel free, donations accepted.

The museum contains a full-size working carousel, which was installed in the new 25,000-square-foot Terrace Gallery. The carousel came from a New York State amusement park; now it is the centerpiece of a fourth-floor exhibit on popular entertainment. The carousel’s 36 horses, two deer and two donkeys have already entertained 300,000.  Discovery Place is a fun place designed for children.  The museum also has a shop, a cafe, and a bookstore.

Corning Preserve

Off Hamilton and Pruyn Streets

518-434-5132

Admission Free

An oasis of greenery in cement, this park is a pleasant oddity. Stranded on the banks of the Hudson right beside the highway, and just beyond the visitor center, the Corning Preserve boasts a hiking and a biking route, plus barbecue areas for picnics, and local art events.

Albany Aqua Ducks Tours

Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center

25 Quackenbush Square, Corner of Broadway and Clinton Ave.

518-462-3825

May-October. Monday-Friday 10:30am & 1:30pm; Saturday 10:15am; Sunday 10:30am.

Admission charged

Albany Aqua Ducks is an amphibious tour company operating in and around Albany, New York. It offers unique, educational and fun filled tours of Albany’s historic area while on land and a mariner’s view of the City’s skyline, The USS Slater, The Dutch Apple Cruise Ship and other sites that are visible from the water on the Hudson River.