Central Park - How safe during the day with kids?

My husband and I came to New York last year but didn%26#39;t get the chance to see Central Park. We are coming back in October with our kids on a stopover and would like to take them to the Park but are unsure of how safe it will be during the day. Are there areas to avoid? Similarly, would love to hear any suggestions for places to visit with kids. We don%26#39;t have much time, about a day and a half.

Central Park - How safe during the day with kids?

I just returned from New York yesterday and spent the day in central Park the first day of my four day trip. From my experience, I would say it%26#39;s safe for children during the day. There were police or security everywhere we turned. There were tons of kids at the park that day with families and what I assume were class field trips. I will bring my 3 children there when I return in the fall and they are 8,5 and 3. Have a great time...it%26#39;s beautiful and I%26#39;ve only seen it in the winter. I should add though that I was at the south end of Central park durning ';the gates';.

Central Park - How safe during the day with kids?

The park is very safe. October is a beautiful time of year in NYC, when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing. There is the zoo and many playgrounds for the kids. There are many families in NYC and they are at the park, always busy, especially on the weekends. You can check the events at www.centralpark.org. There are always free events and tours going on. I think that you will very much enjoy it.

Central Park is very safe during the day. You can take your children to the Carousel or ice skating at Wollman Rink (it may be open in October). Its a beautiful park.

The park is very safe. But like everywhere, you should ensure your children are accompanied at all times. I have not found areas to avoid and I think the zoo would be fun for children. It was fun for me.

Central Park is wonderful! It%26#39;s my favorite part of the city. It will be especially nice in October. I have taken several of my friends%26#39; kids there, and they don%26#39;t ever want to leave. They have many great playgrounds. The central park website had a list of them and a description of each the last time I checked. Small kids I went with enjoyed the toy boats near the boathouse and climbing on the Alice in Wonderland statue. It%26#39;s a great spot of nature in a land of concrete. There are always a lot of families there. I think yours would enjoy it, also.

Also, the Children%26#39;s Museum of Manhattan is wonderful- www.cmom.org. They might like the Museum of Natural History, too. It is near the children%26#39;s museum and the park.

There is a TimeOut New York magazine for kids, also, that you might want to check out.

Thank you all so much for your advice - we can%26#39;t wait to return! It sounds like we will have a great time and we should try to make time to visit the zoo. However, my eldest daughter will have just turned into a teen and is mad on shopping (can%26#39;t think where she got that from!) so we will have to fit some time in on Fifth Avenue too.