• Pier 25

  West St. at N. Moore St.

  This 125,000-square-foot pier is all about one sweet little family-friendly word: variety. A nonprofit (and cheaper) alternative to Chelsea Piers that’s affiliated with the Manhattan Youth Organization, it features a large playground (complete with a mini-rock-climbing wall) for little ones, a huge skateboard-ramp area as well as sand volleyball courts for teens and a patch of green where youth soccer leagues of all ages can play. (It’s probably the miniature-golf course, which has a whimsical Fred Fintstone caveman vibe, that really packs ’em in.) As for adults, there’s a quiet spot with sunbathing recliners at the end where parents can hang out and watch the Hudson River sunset while their children run around and tire themselves out. Prices for volleyball will be $5 on Saturday afternoons for community play; otherwise private court time will range from $30 to $100 an hour depending on the time of day. Mini-golf will be $5 for adults and $4 for kids under 14. Much of the outdoor stuff will reopen on April 15.

From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine