There's a small park in Orange County with a big secret: fairies. Loads of them. The Oso Creek Trail in Mission Viejo, aka The Oso Creek Fairy Trail, offers a delightful way for young kids to explore nature and reinforce a belief in magic. The picturesque hiking trail is one of the most popular destinations in south Orange County thanks to countless "fairy sightings" reported by families with small kids.

Snow sports are a great way to get outdoors with the whole family in the winter, and you don’t need to drop a bundle flying out west to enjoy skiing and snowboarding. Pennsylvania is home to 21 great ski resorts from the Poconos to the Alleghenies, perfect for a day trip or a weeklong family ski vacation.

Best of all, with great deals, programs to help first timers learn to ski, and free skiing for 4th and 5th graders, PA skiing can be as affordable as it is fun. Read on to find out about all the ski and snowboard offers at Pennsylvania resorts perfect for any age or ability, and with great amenities and activities off the slopes too.

Virtual Reality: it may sound like a phrase describing the half-awake state in which most parenting takes place, but in fact it's something way cooler. VR to our kids is putting on a pair of goggles and going somewhere entirely different, to experience things that aren't remotely happening. And that type of adventure is the trade of a seemingly uneventful little space in Glendale and Anaheim called The VOID, whose newest VR experience lets visitors enter the world of Ralph Breaks the Internet. 

The idea of teaching kids how to ski sounds great—until you tally up the cost. While it's possible to just let little ones sled or play in the snow for less, there's good news for anyone with a hankering to ski and a fifth-grader at home: The 5th Graders Ski Free Program has returned to the ski resort nearest you—Mountain High in Wrightwood. 

Hang out with my 5-year-old long enough, and she'll inevitably ask for a Nutella sandwich. The creamy, chocolatey spread is practically its own food group in her eyes, so the arrival of a Nutella Cafe in the Union Square neighborhood was cause for a sugar-high induced happy dance.

It took us two trips—thanks to the down-the-block line on our first visit—to get inside the sweet new eatery. Read on to find out if it deserves a spot on our list of must-try sweet spots for New York City kids.

As the temperature drops and the days grow shorter, it becomes all too easy to simply hunker down and stay inside.  But Philadelphia offers a number of alluring public spaces to help you shake off those winter doldrums, helping to get you and the kids off the couch and out into the fresh air.  The recently opened Cherry Street Pier is one of the more intriguing options and makes a great destination for a quick and easy excursion for the whole family.

Cherry Street Pier is the latest product of Philadelphia’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the Delaware River Waterfront.  The nearby Spruce Street Harbor Park is already a popular summer destination, offering food, games, and a floating beach—and even sand and deck chairs.  In the winter, visitors flock by the thousands to WinterFest, coming to skate at the BlueCross River Rink or simply grab a hot chocolate and soak up some holiday charm.  The Cherry Street pier is a more modest, though perhaps a bit bolder, initiative, and it's definitely worth a wintertime visit. Read on to learn more about this latest outdoor Philly space that I recently visited with my own family.

Lincoln Center, the grand performing arts mecca on Manhattan's Upper West Side, may seem out of reach to many. Prices for the fancy, high-culture shows are beyond most family budgets, but that shouldn't keep you away. From watching the iconic fountain dance to rooting out hidden gem performances that cost little-to-nothing, Lincoln Center is a rich cultural destination you don't need to be rich to enjoy. Here are our top 15 FREE or low-cost things to do with kids at Lincoln Center.

Each of the past five years, I've planned to bring my Polar Express-obsessed boys to a Christmas-themed train ride down the Cape or Rhode Island. But packed sports schedules and school calendars have caused me to lose steam on the idea of even a slightly far-flung locomotive journey. Luckily, I found out about a new, Polar Express-themed adventure that's right in Boston, lasts all of 20 minutes, costs just $6, and packs real charm and excitement into almost all of that time. New this year, the Museum of Science is running the Polar Express 4-D Experience in its specialty theater space through January 6, 2019. As a bonus: All Aboard! Trains at Science Park, featuring model trains and interactive train tables, is on exhibit, too. Do your kids have trains on the brain? Here's what to expect with a train-themed visit to MOS.