While there are lots of wonderful children's books about New York City, our kids are lucky enough to live here. They don't need to read a book to find out what it's like to play in the street on a snowy day or run amok at the Plaza or visit the Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.

Yet there are times when flipping through a book about an iconic NYC experience can actually get local children excited for the real thing, like going to an art museum. Recently, Mommy Poppins founder Anna got her nine-year-old psyched for the Gutai exhibit at the Guggenheim by giving him Speeding Down the Spiral: An Artful Adventure, a picture book about visiting the museum that contained a catalog of its permanent collection. He pored over the images and couldn't wait to see the works of art in person.

There are other inspiring kids' books out there about exploring NYC's great art institutions. We're not talking about those general enjoy-the-museum stories that take place at fictitious culture spots. These 10 titles work as primers so your kids will be excited to spend a day at the museum, be it the Met, the Guggenheim or MoMA.

Memorial Day weekend is the talk of the town—and out of town, too. All of our sites have posts about the best things to do over the three-day holiday, whether you opt for a New York City staycation or decide to take a day trip to Connecticut, New Jersey or Long Island. Tri-state area beaches open for the season this weekend, and we've got the scoop on what to expect post-Hurricane Sandy at NYC, Connecticut and Jersey Shores. We also have some great suggestions for day trips, all less than two hours from the city by car. In other words, we've got your entire Memorial Day weekend covered!

Have you contributed to our IndieGoGo Mommy Poppins App campaign yet? We're in the process of creating an app for all of our sites so you'll have our carefully curated content at your fingertips when you're on the go. For as little as $2 you can ensure that the app will be free to all, and we're offering some cool rewards for more generous contributions. Speaking of apps, we're proud to be partnering with family activity app RedRover, which recently relaunched and now includes Mommy Poppins event picks.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

If it pours this weekend, some of our outdoor event picks may be canceled, rescheduled or move inside. We're doing our best to keep this post updated, but if it does rain on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, be sure to check the events' official websites before going to find out if anything has changed. Memorial Day weekend has arrived! Even though there are still a couple weeks of school and spring ahead, summer has unofficially begun. Lots of big attractions open for the season on Saturday like local beaches. We've got the detailed scoop on what has changed at NYC beaches and on the Jersey Shore since Hurricane Sandy.

Other big openings this holiday weekend include Governors Island, which kicks off with a huge family festival on Sunday; the Bronx Zoo's brand-new Dinosaur Safari ride; the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, which has been closed since Sandy; and a pair of amusement parks perfect for preschoolers: Victorian Gardens in Central Park and Fantasy Forest in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. And if it reaches 80 degrees, playground sprinklers should turn on.

While you have the entire summer to enjoy all of those attractions, there are some great things to do that only take place this Memorial Day weekend like the annual fair in Sunnyside Gardens Park, the final days of the Kings County Fair and the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts Cultural Street Fair. If you're thinking about planning a last-minute getaway, we rounded up five great family destinations less than two hours from NYC by car. Plus many nearby farms open for strawberry picking season. You can find more travel inspiration in our NYC Day and Weekend Trips Guide.

All of our best bets for Memorial Day weekend are below. Remember, there are additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide. Have a wonderful three-day holiday!