One of the all-time best kids' books is celebrating it's 150th anniversary, and there are tons of family-friendly events popping up around NYC to mark the special occasion. If your little ones have read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland before bedtime or seen the Disney animated film (one of our favorite kids' movies), they've surely fallen in love with the whimsical tale. The book has now been around for a century and a half, so salute the story by visiting honorary exhibits at local museums for children, catching a kid-friendly play or throwing your own version of the Mad Hatter's tea party!
1. Peruse the impressive collection of artifacts in the "Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland" exhibit at The Morgan Library and Museum. Kids will love seeing Carroll's personal puppet theater and reading copies of the original manuscript! Open Tuesday through Sunday until October 11.
2. Catch free screenings at Sony Wonder Technology Lab, where they'll be showing the 1951 animated flick as well as the 2010 live-action version. To round out their Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 150th Anniversary Celebration, SWTL is offering a stop-motion animation workshop where kids can bring the story's characters to life ($6).
3. Watch the story unfold onstage when the Literally Alive theater troupe performs Alice in Wonderland at Players Theatre. Their fall production takes families down the rabbit hole in an hourlong, musical adaptation of the classic tale. Come to a pre-show family workshop one hour before the performance to make a special art project. Oct 11–Nov 15; Saturdays at 11am and 3pm, Sundays at 11am. $32–$52. Ages 3 and up.
4. Why not celebrate your little one's "un-birthday" and have tea just like the Mad Hatter at one of three Alice's Tea Cup locations in NYC? The Wee Tea includes a pot of tea or other beverage, a scone, an entree from the Menu for the Small, and a White Rabbit dark chocolate mouse for dessert.
5. Get crafty at the Museums of Mathematics' Wonderland Creative Crafts workshop. Families will make themed keepsakes like looking glasses, card collars and more. Register at creativecrafts.momath.org. Oct 3 at 10:30am and 1pm. Free with museum admission. Ages 12 and under.
6. Check out the "Alice Live!" exhibition (running Oct 2 through Jan 16) at the NYPL for the Performing Arts, which delves into live performances of Carroll's story from past to present. For an extra bonus, come by on October 6 or 13 at 2:30pm for screenings of the 1903 and 1915 versions of the film. Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium, free.
7. Go visit the bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park! It was dedicated to the children of NYC in 1959, featuring larger-than-life figures from the book. Youngsters can climb on the structure and read engraved verses of the poem "Jabberwocky," written by Lewis Carroll. East side at 75th St, enter at Fifth Ave and 76th St.