This spring, the family theater scene is finally back in full bloom! There are page-to-stage (or screen-to-stage) adaptations of preschooler favorites (Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, The Pout-Pout Fish, PAW Patrol Live!); inventive theatricalizations of beloved grade-schooler books (Dog Man: The Musical, Charlotte's Web); and powerful productions aimed at adolescents (Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Step Afrika!'s history-inspired Stono).

Best of all, most of these 15 family-friendly shows have tickets starting at $25 or less, so you can take the whole family for less than the price of one ticket to our favorite Broadway shows!

Central Park, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park—even if you only just arrived in NYC, we probably don't need to tell you these are all must-see green spaces, but they're also popular and crowded. Fortunately for us, according to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, 14 percent of the city is parkland. That's more than 30,000 acres! So, if you're looking to find a new-to-you outdoor destination to explore, we've got 10 off-the-beaten-path parks worth putting on your NYC family bucket list.

Find more spots to explore in the great outdoors with our Guide to Parks and Playgrounds in NYC.

In-person performances are back and you don't need to dig into your 401(k) to give your kids a memorable live theater experience in NYC. This winter, there are lots of family-friendly productions that cost a sliver of what you'd pay to see one of our favorite Broadway productions.

There are wonderful winter theater options for kids of all ages from toddlers to teens, including shows aimed specifically at the preschool set (Sesame Street Live, Blippi: The Musical); stage adaptations of popular picture books (Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends); and eye-popping spectacles for the whole family (the aerial arts-filled The Little Prince, Flip Circus). Bonus: Some of our winter theater picks are also being streamed to at-home audiences.

Best of all, most of these 15 family-friendly winter theater shows have tickets starting at $25 or less, so you can take the whole family for less than the price of one Broadway seat!

New York City really knows how to light it up for the holidays. Aside from all the residential light displays and tree lightings, holiday lantern shows and seasonal Christmas lights sparkle across the city. From the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's new Lightscape display to the Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo, the city sure does shine during the Christmas season. This year, there's even a duo of outdoor holiday lantern shows in Queens and on Staten Island, offering the perfect festive destination for Christmas 2021.

So, read on for all the details you need to get your glow on this holiday season and bookmark our Christmas Fun Guide for more seasonal happenings.

By now you've probably heard that Broadway is back! But what about theater for young audiences? Because children under age 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, many beloved theater series for families, including BAMkids, Just Kidding at Symphony Space, La MaMa Kids, Central Park's Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and Lincoln Center Kids, are still on pause. Even the New Victory Theater is reopening with a show for high schoolers. However, if your family is craving the communal magic of in-person theater, there are some fabulous fall theater shows aimed at tweens and teens, plus an eye-popping Winnie the Pooh puppet show for the sippy-cup set.

You don't need to dig into your 401K to give your kids a memorable live theater experience in NYC. This winter, there are a slew of family-friendly shows for all ages that cost a sliver of what you'd pay to see a Broadway production.

There are wonderful options for kids of all ages from toddlers to teens, including shows aimed specifically at the preschool set (Taste the Clouds, Gustafer Yellowgold, Sesame Street Live!); stage adaptations of popular picture books (Dog Man, Pete the Cat, She Persisted); a production specifically created for children on the autism spectrum (SUDS); and eye-popping spectacles for the whole family (Thunderbird American Indian Dancers in Concert, Drumfolk).

Best of all, most of these 27 shows are priced at $25 and under, so you can take the whole family for less than the price of one Broadway ticket.

'Tis the season to get the gang all dressed up to see some holiday shows. While there are plenty of extravaganzas to splurge on, like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and all those beautiful Nutcrackers, if you've got young children you may not want to blow all of your bucks on theater tickets.

That's why our roundup of Christmas-season family theater includes a range of productions, from inexpensive, low-key offerings perfect for fidgety preschoolers, to over-the-top spectacles that are worth the investment.

From live stage adaptations of classics such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Christmas Carol, to seasonal musicals based on popular picture books, to amazing circus feats and offbeat experiences, here are our top 18 holiday shows for NYC families for the 2019 holiday season.

If you're looking to see America's melting pot reputation in action, take a family trip to the Lower East Side. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the neighborhood's tenements housed waves of immigrants from a variety of backgrounds, notably Germans, Italians, and Eastern European Jews. Although this Manhattan neighborhood has undergone a major transformation in recent years, with spots for knishes and cannoli being replaced by craft cocktail bars and boutique hotels, there are still remnants of its multicultural history that are great fun to discover with kids.

The Tenement Museum and the Museum at Eldridge Street both offer engaging peeks at the area's past, along with frequent family programming. Sara D. Roosevelt Park hosts celebrations for Asian holidays in honor of the nearby Chinatown community. The neighborhood's restaurants reflect the area's diversity with dim sum houses, delicious delis, pizzerias and the oldest candy store in NYC all vying for your appetite.

Of course there are cool, new kid-friendly attractions, too, including a pair of cat cafés, the New Museum, which offers FREE admission for children under age 19, and much more. Stretching from Houston Street to Canal Street and East Broadway between the Bowery and the East River, the Lower East Side is small enough for families to explore on foot in one day, and boasts lots of places to play, both indoors and out. Read on for 40 places to explore in this culturally rich, uniquely New York neighborhood.