Best large-family activities

Hang out in the alley
If you’re irresistibly drawn to the gutter, take heart that 21st-century bowling alleys offer more than lanes: Williamsburg’s new 16-lane Brooklyn Bowl has a cool retro vibe, an onsite music venue, great grub from the folks behind Blue Ribbon and beers from Kelso, Sixpoint and next-door Brooklyn Brewery (but note that it’s adults-only except Saturdays from noon to 6pm). Leisure Time Bowl is a good daytime all-ages alternative (it’s 21-plus after 8pm), with 26 lanes and a new fast-food bistro. 61 Wythe Ave between North 11th and 12th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-963-3369)

Get back to the garden
The New York Botanical Garden isn’t just for the warmer months. Take a bracing walk and admire winter-flowering plants such as the gold-and-purple Bird-of-Paradise or the spiky crimson Powder Puff. The holiday centerpiece is the Holiday Train Show (Nov 21–Jan 10) in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, when more than a dozen model railway trains traverse an incredibly detailed New York City landscape, including such landmarks as the old Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and the original Penn Station, made entirely of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, bark and berries. Bronx River Pkwy (at Fordham Rd), Bronx (718-817-8700)

Join the flea circus
The Brooklyn Flea doesn’t take a winter vacation. It continues its dual weekend residency in Fort Greene (Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Ave between Clermont and Vanderbilt Aves) on Saturdays and Dumbo (Water St at New Dock St) on Sundays through November 22. Then on December 5, 50 Flea vendors set up shop in a vacant storefront in Dumbo (81 Front St at Washington St) so you can continue to browse antiques, vintage clothing and handmade items on Saturdays and Sundays through March. Bribe any less enthusiastic rummagers in your group with the prospect of the view from Brooklyn Bridge Park and pancakes at family fave Bubby’s.

Discover your roots
With the family assembled, it’s the perfect time. If your ancestors were among the 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, see how they or families like them lived at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The Museum of Chinese in America, which tracks the experience of Chinese-Americans from the 1850s to the present, and El Museo del Barrio, which focuses on the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans in the U.S., are slicker and more accessible after major revamps.

Get hot and steamy
Think spas are for solo relaxation? Sweat it out en famille at Six Flags-esque modern bathhouse Spa Castle (131-10 Eleventh Ave at 131st St, College Point, Queens (718-939-6300, nyspacastle.com), which welcomes children of all ages. The squeaky clean facilities—dozens of hot tubs, including a huge all-year-round outdoor oasis, and multiple sauna rooms comprising so-called healing materials such as gold, LED lights or mineral salt—are a great antidote to pre-holiday stress. A Bathhouse Cure starts at $35 weekdays/$45 weekends ($20/$25 for children between two years old and three feet tall). Treatments cost extra.

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