You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy the Jewish Children's Museum. Although much less famous than that other Brooklyn Children's Museum (which happens to be located just a short walk away), the Jewish Children's Museum is the biggest institution of its kind in the U.S., and opened back in 2004. And yet my family and I had never been, a real shame (or shonda as we say in Yiddish).

Last month my kids and I finally made it to the museum and it was well worth the schlep. We originally intended to stay only an hour or so, but ended up spending almost four hours, there was just so much to see, do and try—including an indoor mini-golf course. Like a traditional children's museum, the displays are interactive and educational, the notable difference being that they all relate to Jewish history and culture in some way. And while there are certainly other places where you can learn about Jewish culture in NYC, the Jewish Children's Museum is the only spot that engages kids in such a fun, hands-on way.

Great playgrounds aren't the first thing you picture when you think about Midtown West. However, if you move away from Times Square and roam the side streets, you'll be surprised at how many parks and playgrounds you'll find.

Of course Midtown West's most famous green space is Bryant Park, and we could easily do an entire post on all of the cool things for kids there, from the carousel to the seasonal ice-skating rink. The one thing it doesn't have? A playground. As we conclude our month-long focus on Midtown West, we take a look at our top five outdoor romping spots in the area, from small local playgrounds to amenity-filled multiacre parks to a public plaza with an iconic Tom Otterness play structure. You can find all of our posts about the neighborhood in our Midtown West Kids Guide including our roundup of indoor places to play.

I'm one of those parents who likes to plan. You know the type: I buy a big wall calendar every December and take strange pleasure in filling it all up with birthdays, class schedules and my family's favorite annual events. There are certain New York City celebrations we love so much, my daughter and I try to go every year, like the interactive art-filled Figment on Governors Island, the massive Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and Street Games, the Parks Department's tribute to old-school pastimes.

Since we've enjoyed such a great response to our NYC Go Lists, which highlight the absolute best things to do with kids every month, I know I'm not the only mom out there who likes to plan ahead. And with festival season kicking into high gear this month, we figured it was a great time to round up our top 25 annual festivals for families, so we could put them on your radar. Every single pick on our list is either an event my family or one of our bloggers has been to personally with kids, or an annual favorite endorsed by our friends and readers. In other words, they're really worth your time and money—in fact in most cases they don't cost a penny.

You can find additional kid-friendly celebrations in our NYC Festivals Guide, including our list of the city's best annual parades.