There’s no shortage of activities in New York, but many of them are very expensive. When traveling with children, you often have to make choices based on your budget and your desires.
Pushing open the door of a NYC-style toy store means entering a world of excess, and it’s free! Whether you’re in Times Square (M&M’s, Disney Store), Rockfeller Center (Nintendo NY, LEGO World, FAO Schwarz) or near the Flatiron Building (Harry Potter Store), here are 6 stores to visit without hesitation.
M&M’s World New York
It’s impossible to miss this must-see New York tourist attraction: on Broadway, in the heart of Times Square, the outside facades of M&M’s World New York are covered withgiant screens showing M&M’s animations 24 hours a day.
Opened at the end of 2006, this 2300m² store, spread over three floors, is entirely dedicated to the famous little chocolate-covered peanuts in every color. You’ll find M&M’s in a variety of flavors and colors (cherry, almond, puffed rice, coconut… in red, blue, green, pink…) as well as by-products and a printer that lets you personalize the candy with an image or text of your choice. In short, it’s all there to make you fall in love… but beware of the price tag, which could turn out to be steep 😅
➜ M&Ms gourmand or not, the wall of 72 candy-filled tubes is worth a look!
Good to Know
- M&M’s World New York is located on the corner of 48th Street & Broadway, right in the middle of Times Square.
- The store is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm (times subject to change, please check).
Disney Store
Also in Times Square, the New York Disney Store occupies 1858m2 spread over 3 floors. Opened in 2010 following the closure of World Of Disney NYC, which occupied 3716m2 on5th Avenue, the store offers costumes, figurines, plush toys, board games, comics and other Disney-branded products. From Winnie-the-Pooh to Star Wars, Disney Princess, Pixar (Finding Dory, Coco, Soul), Marvels’s Avengers and classics like Buzz Lightyear and The Lion King, we’ve got it all!
➜ The interior decor is just like Disney, fairytale-like and colorful. On the second floor, it’s hard to resist the magnificent princess castle. In terms of purchases, there’s something for every budget. We’ve fallen for the Statue of Liberty version of Minnie 🙂
Good to Know
- The Disney Store Times Square is located in the heart of Times Square, at 1540 Broadway.
- The store is open every day from 9am to 9pm.
Nintendo NY
Opened in 2001 as “The Pokemon Center”, the store first changed its name to “Nintendo World” during renovations in 2005. After further renovations in 2016, it reopens under the name“Nintendo New York“.
Located in Rockefeller Center, this 1000m² store, spread over two floors, offers a wide variety of video games and Nintendo merchandise, including exclusive clothing, hardware and accessories. There’s a section dedicated to Pokémon, but also kiosks where you can try out various Nintendo Switch games, a giant screen for playing Wii and a video game museum showcasing old Nintendo game systems and peripherals. A true brand showcase, the store regularly organizes tournaments, screenings and events to launch new games.
➜ For video game fans, Ninteno NY is a store not to be missed! For the rest of us, the store isn’t worth the detour on its own, but when you’re in the Rockfeller Center area, it can be seen at the same time as the LEGO Store and FAO Schwarz.
Good to Know
- The Nintendo NY store is located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, on 48th Street, between5th and 6th Avenues.
- The store is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 8pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 9pm and Sundays from 11am to 6pm.
FAO Schwarz New York
In 1862, Frederick August Otto Schwarz, a German immigrant, founded FAO Schwarz in Baltimore. In 1870, he opened his first store in New York, between 8th and 9th Streets. The store moved several times before settling on5th Avenue. With over 4600m² spread over three floors, FAO Schwarz is now one of the largest toy stores in the world (behind Hamleys in London). There’s even a 550m² candy stand and a café.
Bought by the Toys’R’Us chain in 2009, the store closed in 2015 following the group’s bankruptcy and the exhorbitant rise in rents on5th Avenue. Bought out by a new group in 2018, the chain reopens in Rockefeller Center. Even though this store is three times smaller, it remains a true New York institution!
We go to FAO Schwarz for the multitude of toys on offer, but also for its gigantic plush toys, the floor piano you can walk on, the doll adoption stand ($130) and the various workshops where you can create and personalize plush toys, Barbie dolls ($75) or remote-controlled racing cars ($50).
➜ When you’ve been lucky enough to know the old FAO Schwarz store on5th Avenue, this new location is rather disappointing. Nevertheless, it’s a must-see when visiting New York with children!
Good to Know
- FAO Schwarz is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
- The store is open every day from 10am to 7pm.
LEGO Store
Opening in 2021, the LEGO Store Fifth Avenue is located at the foot of Rockefeller Center. It’s the second LEGO store in New York (the other is near the Flatiron Building) and by far the most experiential.
As in all LEGO Stores, there’s a huge “Pick a Brick” wall and giant creations linked to the city where the store is located: Statue of Liberty, giant yellow cab, Empire State Building, etc. With its 880,000 bricks, the “Tree of Discovery” is impressive to say the least.
The LEGO Store Fifth Avenue offers 3 unique customization workshops:
- the Mosaic Maker transforms your photo into a pixelated version using LEGO bricks;
- the mini-figurine factory lets you create a personalized figurine from LEGO bricks;
- The Lego Brick Lab combines a physical LEGO construction with innovative digital technologies that transform the construction into a virtual element that can be animated on a touch screen.
➜ While customization workshops are more for the true brand buff, a LEGO Store is always a safe bet, and this one is no exception. As far as purchases are concerned, it’s not necessarily better to buy on the spot.
Good to Know
- The LEGO Store Fifth Avenue is located at 6365th Avenue.
- The store is open Monday to Thursday from 11am to 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 8pm, and closed on Sundays.
- The Lego Brick Lab is a paid activity ($15 for a child ticket including one adult) that must be booked in advance.
Harry Potter Store
Just a stone’s throw from the Flatiron Building, between Broadway and5th Avenue, the Harry Potter Store is a two-storey, 1,800m² store entirely dedicated to the wizarding world. Opening in 2021, it will be the franchise’s largest merchandising outlet.
With 15 different themed rooms and seasonal installations, the Harry Potter Store is more than just a store – it’s an immersive experience in its own right!
From the very first steps in the store, everything is done to transport us to Hogwarts: brick walls to remind us of the Chemin de Traverse, a replica of Fumseck, Dumbledore’s phoenix, hanging from the ceiling, a Ministry of Magic telephone booth, a magic door leading to Dumbledore’s office… The decorations are spectacular, and you’ll feel like you’re there.
In addition to the classics (baguettes, clothing, choco Grenouilles, etc.), which can often be personalized, the store offers exclusive items and a House of MinaLima space that is unique in the United States. And why not round off your visit with a taste of the famous Butterbeer that wizards rave about?
➜ For Harry Potter fans, a visit to the Harry Potter Store is an experience not to be missed. If you want to take the experience a step further, see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway! Regrettably, the two virtual reality experiences initially offered in the store’s basement, “Chaos at Hogwarts” and “Wizards Take Flight”, are no longer available. Despite their price ($34), they were certainly an experience to be had. When we visited, it was impossible to get tickets in 5 days!
Good to Know
- The Harry Potter Store is located at 935 Broadway.
- The store is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm, and Sunday, 9am to 7pm.
- It’s advisable to register for the virtual queue system via a QR code, but we got in without doing so.
