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Family Activities Around NYC: Bodies, Ducks, Boats, Skates, and More

American Museum of Natural History, a premier natural history museum with 40-plus exhibition halls. Here you can find Water: H2O = Life, and the tenth year of The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter. Highlights include the dinosaur and mammal fossil halls, the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, the Hall of Biodiversity, and the Hall of Human Origins. Don’t forget the new Space Show, Cosmic Collisions, at the Hayden Planetarium in the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. Central Park West at 79th St., 212-769-5100

For even more natural science, see the inner workings of our bodies as never before through authentic, preserved human body specimens in Bodies...The Exhibition. This exhibition has created a worldwide phenomenon, and features 22 whole body specimens, as well as more than 260 additional organ and partial body specimens. South Street Seaport Exhibition Centre, 11 Fulton St. at Front St., 1-800-9BODIES (DISCLAIMER: PREMIER CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE PROVENANCE OF THE HUMAN REMAINS IN THIS EXHIBIT.)

For the 2007-2008 season, Circle Line Downtown’s (866-925-4631; www.circlelinedowntown.com) harbor cruises include the one-hour narrated harbor cruise aboard the luxury yacht, Zephyr, and the Downtown Liberty Cruise one-hour experience aboard the famous legacy ferry Miss New York. Each cruise is an experience of getting just far enough away to create countless, everlasting moments. Call 866-9CLINE1 for reservations.

See New York from the top with CitySightsNY’s buses -- double-deckers that are top-seating-only, so everyone gets an unobstructed view of the attractions. Buses are furnished with state-of-the-art sound systems and urban storytellers who offer interesting facts about all of the city’s famous faces and places. Their hop-on, hop-off tickets are valid for 48 hours from when you get your boarding pass, and they offer options that include tickets to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island and Top of the Rock observation deck. 212-812-2700

NYC Ducks, NYC’s first-ever land-and-water visitor experience, features a new amphibious fleet designed to evoke the memory of famous ship, The Half Moon. The 1-hour route starts at the NYC Ducks Theater with an exhilarating multi-media experience, where you will experience the sights and sounds of Henry Hudson’s famous Atlantic Ocean voyage; then the Duck splashes into the Hudson River for an explorer’s-eye view of the New York skyline, returning finally to dry land and Times Square. Reservations required. 800-669-0051; www.nycducks.com

Take a step back in time by going on the Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour. Experience the behind-the-scenes magic of America’s most popular showplace, as expertly trained tour guides take you on a one-hour journey through the history of one of the country’s most magnificent national landmarks. They’ll even throw in a real-life Rockette for good measure. 50th St. & Sixth Ave., 212-247-4777

You can’t visit New York City without stopping by the world-famous Rink at Rockefeller Center before the close of its 71st year on Apr. 13. Admission for each skating session is: Fri.-Sun., $14 for adults and $8.50 for children under 11; Mon.-Thurs., $10 for adults and $7.50 for children under 11. Skate rental is $8. Or, watch the skaters wheel around below the famous statue of Prometheus for free. Fifth Ave. btw. 49th & 50th Sts., 212-332-7654

Not an art museum, not a science museum, and not a circus side show, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square showcases the oddities in life and delivers the ultimate in shockingly odd, true stories. The exhibits include Ripley’s collection of 24 shrunken heads that were the spoils of war for the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador; a 3,197-lb. meteorite that fell to earth in China during the Ming Dynasty in 1529; a collection of Olympic torches; and human and animal oddities. Discover the embodiment of one man’s endless fascination with our world and his belief that fact is stranger than fiction. 234 W. 42nd St. btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves., 212-398-3133

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