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Long Island Museums and Iconic Landmarks for Bday Parties

1. Tackapausha Museum and Preserve – Massapequa

Best for Ages: 4-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Tackapausha Museum and Preserve celebrates the flora and fauna of Long Island. 
Party Highlights: Party guests get up close to some of the local wildlife that call Long Island home. Party hosts will guide your guests through exhibits and take some animals out for kids to touch. They may pet snakes, lizards, and even an owl. If you're having a birthday at Tackapausha, be prepared to bring your decorations and food. 

2. Cradle of Aviation Museum – Garden City

Best for Ages: 3-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Party among aircraft throughout history, from the earliest planes to modern space ships.
Party Highlights: Choose from either a space mission birthday theme or a sky-high birthday. Each includes a private party room, themed activities and games to choose from, and museum admission for all guests. Note that adults are included in the guest count. Food is also not included at a Cradle of Aviation Museum birthday party.

3. Nassau County Firefighters Museum – Garden City

Best for Ages: 4-8
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Learn how firefighters on Long Island battle fires, from first getting the call to extinguishing the flames. 
Party Highlights: Kids can explore the interactive exhibits at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum with the included admission. They will also complete a themed craft and get a firefighter hat. You can bring in tabletop decorations, but no balloons. Food is not included.

4. Long Island Children's Museum – Garden City

Best for Ages: 4-9
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: LICM is a top attraction for Long Island kids, which makes it an even cooler birthday party spot. 
Party Highlights: There are lots of activities to choose from, including making oobleck, sand art, painting, slime, and more. Party themes may also include the rotating exhibit. You are allowed to bring in decorations, including balloons, and if you're serving food, it must be sterno-free. Food and beverages are not included in a Long Island Children's Museum party.  

5. Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium – Centerport

Best for Ages: 6-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Planetarium parties are out of this world at the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium. Birthday party guests won't soon forget a party seemingly in space. 
Party Highlights: Taylor Swift fans can experience the ultimate birthday party with a private screening of Laser Taylor Swift. For non-Swifties, kids can catch a private screening of Stars. Multiple packages are available and can include pizza if you choose.

6. Children's Museum of the East End – Bridgehampton

Best for Ages: 4-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: CMEE puts imagination at the forefront of its interactive exhibits on its Hamtons-esque main street. 
Party Highlights: Kids can turn into pirates, cook up lunch at the diner, or play a round of musical mini-golf. There are party packages for every budget, but you must bring your own food. 

7. Long Island Aquarium – Riverhead

Best for Ages: 1-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Interactive exhibits include the salt marsh, which mimics Long Island's estuary ecosystem, where kids can get up close to crabs, whelks, and more.
Party Highlights: One of the great parts of a Long Island Aquarium birthday is that it's a party guests of all ages enjoy. Plus, there are so many ways to customize the party with interactive experiences, your child could have a birthday here every year, and it would never be the same. You can add on a sea lion selfie, a visit from the critter cart to get up close with animals, and even a penguin meet-and-greet.

LI Creative Playgrounds for Birthday Celebrations

8. Nana's Wonderland – Massapequa

Best for Ages: 1-4
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Nana's Wonderland's bright pastel color palette welcomes littles into a world of exploration, dress-up, and interactive fun.
Party Highlights: The giant ball pit is a clear highlight for partygoers. Small trampolines, a little carousel, a dress-up salon, and tiny claw machines await toddlers and preschoolers. There are weekday and weekend party packages available, with in-house themes or a more customized theme. 

9. LI Salty Kids Cove – Patchogue

Best for Ages: 1-4
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: This indoor party spot takes inspiration from Long Island's coastal communities, making it a unique party spot for toddlers.
Party Highlights: LI Salty Kids Cove brings the beach vibe indoors. Ride a tricycle around the indoor track, or check out one of the open-air houses. Add-ons include visits from popular princesses, superheroes, and cartoon characters. 

10. Xplore Family Fun Center – Commack, Port Jefferson Station

Best for Ages: 3-9
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Both of Xplore's locations offer exclusive activities hard to find elsewhere. 
Party Highlights: While you'll find your typical bounce houses, slides, multi-level climbing structures, and arcade at Xplore, it's the ropes course at Port Jefferson and the indoor glow karts at Commack that make this indoor party venue truly unique.

Active Adventure Birthday Venues on Long Island 

11. Adventure Park Long Island – Wheatley Heights

Best for Ages: 7-17
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Adventure through Long Island's native treetops and conquer ropes courses of varying difficulties.
Party Highlights: Traverse rope bridges, climb trees, and zoom along zip lines at Adventure Park Long Island. For children ages 7-9, it is recommended that either an adult or a guide join in the climb. There is no charge for non-climbers. 

12. Adventureland – Farmingdale

Best for Ages: 5-17
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Adventureland is Long Island's go-to spot for theme park thrills. Many kids dream of getting an invite, or even better, hosting a party here.
Party Highlights: Rides, rides, and more rides. Conquer the spinning coaster Turbulence, fly high on the swings, or, if thrills aren't your guest's thing, take a ride on the carousel. My son still talks about his Adventureland birthday party and asks for another one each year. 

13. Bayville Adventure Park – Bayville

Best for Ages: 6-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Bayville Adventure Park is known for transforming into the Bayville Scream Park during the fall months, but Bayville Adventure Park has much more to offer year-round.
Party Highlights: Bayville has multiple attractions available for you to choose from for your child's birthday party. There are multiple mazes, including a mirror maze, water balloon battle, bungee jump, and so much more. There are also plenty of add-ons to make your party even more unique. 

14. Splish Splash – Calverton

Best for Ages: 4-16
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Splish Splash is Long Island's only waterpark, making it an ultimate summer birthday party venue. 
Party Highlights: Plummet down water slides, jump the waves, float down the lazy river, and check out the new water playground for 2025. Party packages include all-day admission to the water park, pizza, ice cream cups, and small drinks. 

Culinary Birthday Party Ideas on Long Island

15. The Well Seasoned Chef – Garden City

Best for Ages: 5-16
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: The Well Seasoned Chef can create a custom menu to your child's liking. Dishes will always be age-appropriate to match skill levels. 
Party Highlights: Make pizza from scratch, decorate cupcakes, or make a more complicated dish. Each party includes a head chef, two assistants, birthday cake and ice cream, plus paper goods and an apron for kids to wear at the party.

16. What's Cooking? – Oyster Bay

Best for Ages: 5-10
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: What's Cooking delivers on themes, from Frozen to Star Wars to Taylor Swift. Customization is almost endless.
Party Highlights: Pick from themes like pajama party, with waffles, pizza making, or even cupcake wars, where kids battle to bake the best cupcake. There are lots of party and dish options, so for a complete list, check the website here. 

17. Celebrations in the Kitchen – Hicksville 

Best for Ages: 4-16
Why it's Only-on-Long Island: Celebrations in the Kitchen mainly focuses on baked dessert parties, so future bakers will be right at home.
Party Highlights: Donut baking, cookie baking, pizza making, and cake decorating are some of the fun party options. All parties are private and include paper goods.