Nanny state: Heres where those in the know take the kids to unwind

Until daycare starts in September, my husband and I have been making things work with the help of our wonderful part-time nanny, who is too humble to be named.What she will happily name, however, are endless activities and little-known gems around the city to delight our 13-month-old son. Whereas mom and dad would happily take our little guy to Carl Schurz Park and call it a day, our nanny is always at the ready with suggestions from the Chelsea Waterside Park (featuring a 64-foot wooden slide in the shape of a Pipefish, a fish species that calls the park waters home) to starchitect David Rockwell’s Imagination Playground at Burling Slip to Japan Village in Brooklyn (please, Lord, let our son not develop an expensive sushi habit quite yet).

Today, she even brought a pamphlet of all the free, family-friendly activities going on at Lincoln Center this summer. It got me thinking: nannies really do know best.So I decided to tap some other caretaking pros for their top spots to entertain their charges in and around New York City.

All are epic, most are off the beaten path, and several spots are totally free.So go ahead, steal the credit (just be generous when birthdays and holiday tipping come along) and call yourself a superparent for the day. I took some of my first drunken sailor steps around these hallowed waters since the Reagan era, and my dad and his little brother Andrew played with toy boats at this bucolic sliver of CP in the Post-War Boom years.

Yet, nobody really talks about its magic.Well, secret’s out: “At the entrance of 5th ave & 72nd street you’ll find the amazing Conservatory Water,” a man-made pond where you can actually sail model boats, said Anthony Santiago, a “manny” at Brooklyn Manny and Nanny, which serves families nationwide.“In addition, the large space and small hills make a great place,” for kids to ride their bike or scooter.

It’s free to visit, and there’s a cafe on the grounds if you or your youngster is in...