I’ve been wanting to do this post for awhile… I LOVE going to breweries and beer gardens when the weather warms up and now that we’ve hit the upper 60s in NYC I think it’s time we have this conversation.
When we lived in Austin, TX I would take D to breweries/beer gardens almost every weekend. Most of them in the area allowed you to bring kids up until say 9pm or 10pm. This was a game changer for a single mom who didn’t want to fork over more of my hard earned cash to a babysitter just to hang with some friends.
When I moved to NYC I felt like the culture here really separated that kind of socializing of adults with kids, and adults without. But then I started looking around to see what the brewery/beer garden culture was in the area and was delighted to find that there are many breweries that are family friendly.
Before I go any further let me just say never drink and drive, especially with kids! We always take turns of who will be the DD, or if you take public transit, your all good 🙂
My favorite local spot in Queens is technically a beer garden, it’s called Bohemiam Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria.
We were there last weekend, the sun was out but it was still a bit chilly. They have a huge outdoor area where kids can run around and/or play with a ball and it’s right in the heart of Astoria. They offer a great assortment of beers and also have a solid menu.. (It never fails, even if I feed D before going somewhere she will always ask for something to eat if she sees they have food) I would suggest bringing some toys, board games or playing cards…which is out go-to when visiting these types of places. Just know you’ll be splitting your time between watching the kiddo and enjoy a brew.. good idea to go with friends who don’t mind sharing the burden.. it takes a village right?!?
Looks like Rockaway Brewing Company is also kid-friendly, they have two locations in Queens.
If you are in Brooklyn you can bring the kiddos along to the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg for the Small Batch Brewery Tour. Kids under 10 gt in free.
This weekend went to a brewery in Peekskill, (which is in Westchester County, or some of you New Yorkers might call it upstate) and it was by far the best family-friendly brewery I’ve seen in this area. First off, if you don’t own a car, you can get there by taking a Metro North Hudson line from Manhattan. It’s a scenic ride by the Hudson River, get off at the Peekskill stop. You’ll be blown away by this beautiful riverfront community that is quickly becoming a get away spot for city folks. There is a great playground right by the river and train stop that I recommend walking over too and spending an hour or two. There is usually an ice cream truck parked close by or you can walk over to the ice cream parlor by Taco Dive Bar.
We made our way to River Outpost Brewing. It is also on the river with spectacular views. These people knew they wanted to be family-friendly from the gecko and built an arcade area complete with a laser tag room and a 40,000 sq. foot aerial ropes course that is kick ass. D did the indoor course which has two levels. The lower level is great for beginners, when she went to the top level it was much more challenging but she had a blast.
That’s all good and great.. lets get to the beer! This place has some interesting names for their brews. I tried ‘Keep Calm and Lager on.’ Really great lager.
Check out this vlog I created with D to explain why we liked this place so much:
The best way to find out if a place is kid-friendly is to call ahead and simply ask! They may not advertise it on their website but will tell you over the phone if kids are allowed and until what time at night.
I will hopefully be checking out some more kid-friendly places that are also adult-friendly. Please check back in on my blog in the coming months!
Don’t forget to comment below if you know of some cool places we should check out.
Breweries are always a kid friendly option! Great suggestion!