Weekly Wrap Up: Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Used Kids' Books and Fun in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

8/18/11 - By Raven Snook

We were so happy to wake up to (almost) blue skies today. Although rain may return tomorrow, we're looking at a gorgeous (and not-too-hot) weekend. Let's hope the weather holds out for the final few weeks of summer break. There's so much we haven't done yet—we haven't even gotten to all of the activities on our Hot List.

That's because we've been busy running all over Van Cortlandt Park, researching film classes and browsing used book stores that sell kid lit. Plus we're still working on our upcoming sister sites in Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando, now tentatively scheduled to debut in September. To make sure you're notified when they launch, sign up for the newsletters now.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

New York City

Our resident novelist scoured the city for the best places to buy used children's books.

Next, we hit the Bronx to try out all of the fun things to do in Van Cortlandt Park.

We were blown away by the stripped-down circus show Traces. The reviews have been so spectacular, it just extended through the end of the year.

Looking for an end-of-summer weekend getaway? Pennsylvania Dutch Country has a lot to offer families.

Our weekly links roundup included info on the new mandatory sex ed classes at NYC public schools and tips for buying backpacks.

We're sprucing up our Classes Guide. Our latest class roundup was all about filmmaking programs for kids.

Best things to do this weekend include Harlem Week's Children's Festival, the FlyNYC kite fest in Riverside Park South and Jam on Dumbo’s Summer Family Musical Festival.
 

New Jersey

Across the Hudson, we spent an amazing day at the Johnson’s Corner Farm, which has animals and much more.

We rounded up end-of-summer fairs and festivals, including Asbury Park's New Jersey Friends of Clearwater Festival and the Maywood Summertime Family Festival, both this weekend.

Things to do this weekend include the Family Woodland Walk at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens and the Sussex County Sunflower Maze at Liberty Farm.


Long Island

Over on the isle, we spotlighted awesome places to go camping.

Weekend highlights include Turtle Hatch Day in Cold Spring Harbor and the Bridgehampton Country Fair.


Connecticut

In CT, we continued our day trips series with profiles of Farmington River Tubing and the always free Submarine Force Library & Museum.

We also spent a fabulous day at the Lake Compounce amusement and water park in Bristol.

Best bets for the weekend include the Riverfront Dragon Boat and Asian Festival in Hartford and the annual Milford Oyster Festival.


Cool Deals and Giveaways

Our CT site is also giving away a $50-shopping spree at the Three Monkeys and Me children's boutique in Kent. Hurry: Thursday, August 18 is the last day to enter.


There's still time to buy our Hot List book, which offers more than $1,000 in savings on the best summer activities for NYC families. For just $7.99, you'll snag discounts to places like the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, the Art Farm and nearby water parks. Best of all: 100% of the profits will benefit NYC public schools.