Believe it or not, we’ve been riding the waves of this pandemic for about a year now. But, we’ve come a long way! Many of our favorite family-friendly indoor and outdoor spots in Connecticut, including museums, zoos, indoor play spaces, and entertainment places (including the Maritime Aquarium's cool new 4D theater), have progressively reopened with enhanced safety protocols, so kids can enjoy a special outing while staying safe.

Read on to see which of our favorite Connecticut winter day trip spots are open for family fun right now, and be sure to contact each business directly in case policies have changed. Most spots require advanced ticketing and mask wearing and enforce hand sanitizing and washing and capacity restrictions; but kids have gotten used to these measures and will just be excited for to bust out of their own four walls to see some cool art, visit animals, and jump and swing around.

We are open! Or at least, working on it... All regions of Illinois are now in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan—almost all businesses, restaurants, and even indoor play spaces are allowed to open, with limited capacity. It can be a little tricky to know what has opened already, what is about to, and what the rules are. So we prepared a list of all the fabulous places that are now open in Chicago where you can take your kids. We've also tracked what safety measures these places are taking, and anything else families need to know before visiting (like if a destination requires or recommends buying tickets or making reservations online before you go).

We've all learned how quickly things can change (and in Chicago there's always the possibility of places closing because of extreme cold or snow), so please double-check before bundling kids up and loading them in the car.

Some people swear by their favorite Instant Pot recipes. Or their Grandma’s Crock Pot recipes. Me, I love sheet pan dinners. Not only do they require minimal prep (basically, put on your favorite podcast and spend a few minutes chopping), these easy weeknight dinners take no (or minimal) effort once they're in the oven. And the best part? Line your baking tray well, and there is zero cleanup. Let me say that again: Zero. Cleanup.

Find more yummy (and quick) things to make with or for kids in our Easy Recipes Guide.

We're open! Kind of. By now we've all heard and mourned the news of Rodeo officially deciding to shut down this year, which raises all sorts of questions about other openings and subsequent closures, especially as businesses open their doors and then have to backtrack. To help mitigate that, we've rounded up everything we can find that's open in Houston right now, from playgrounds to museums to entertainment and more, to help take the guesswork out of where to go and what to do.

We've all learned how much things can change without notice, of course, so please double check before loading the car. But one thing we can't stress enough: these businesses need our help! If you can safely support them, we know they will be forever grateful.

For many of us, spending time outdoors every day—especially now, when many indoor activities are limited—is key to maintaining some sense of normalcy. There are times, though, when a neighborhood walk just won’t cut it. That's when you can head out for one of these winter hikes at one of the many parks and preserves in Westchester and the Hudson Valley.

The best part? Not only will you find hikes that work for toddlers up through teens, but many of these sites also offer other outdoor activities to try as well, whether it’s a winter zoo visit, an outdoor picnic, or even heading to an on-site playground if you’re up for it. Here, we’ve rounded up nine local, parent-tested options we love.

Looking for even more cold-weather activities? Check out our Winter Fun Guide.

While many things are opening up in LA, a visit to a crowded fair or festival isn't happening any time soon. (In fact, just this week it was announced that the LA County Fair is cancelled for the second year in a row!) However, if one of the things your family misses about a county fair is the food, we've got a solution. At Fair Foodie Fest you can get that triple-fried carnival food without ever leaving the safety of your car.

Missing the giant turkey legs you get at Disneyland? Feeling a little nostalgia for a funnel cake that's larger than a small child? Chomp right into your favorites at the Fair Foodie Fest at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, weekends throughout February. Read on for the scoop on how this food fest from the car works, what's on the menu, and if the food and experience are worth the drive.

Books have long been a key to happiness for me, and I've rarely said no to adding another tome to our collection when my kids have asked. A good book can transport you to another time and place and help you see the world through another's eyes—and it's that point that brings together this list of 30+ children's books to celebrate Black History Month.

To offer you a glimpse into my world, I'm a white mother, married to a Black man, raising three Black kids in the middle of Harlem. Many of the children's books on this list are in our own personal library, well-loved and worn from years of reading. Others are on the list because we're not quite ready for the tough topics they cover, and a few are aspirational picks we have yet to add.

When it comes to must-do museums for families, the nationally renowned Museum of Science and Boston Children's Museum dominate travel brochures and websites (and deservedly so). But since its 2018 renovation and expansion, the Discovery Museum of Acton is where my own kids want to go when a day calls for an outing that flexes our brains along with our bodies. With an indoor museum space devoted to interactive play and an outdoor "Discovery Woods" area full of nature-based play structures, the Discovery Museum is truly the sort of place where kids don't realize they're learning while they're having fun. 

Because it has carefully enacted safety policies to stay open for longer than most museums throughout the pandemic, the Discovery Museum is a good choice for your next day trip with kids. Don't miss these museum highlights when you visit, and be sure to check out our Boston Museum Guide for more enriching family outings.