August kicks off with fantastic food, outdoor festivals and plenty of sizzling, hot-weather fun. Chow down on homegrown Garden State treats at the Just Peachy Festival, Tomato Festival and A Very Berry Festival. Spend quality outdoor time at Sail, Sail Your Boat, New Jersey State Fair and Summer Shorebird Walk.

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, we hope you enjoy it with family and friends. For even more activity options, check out our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide.

Nothing says summer like mini golf -- it’s pretty much a requisite activity, along with swimming and ice cream. One of these courses, Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor, marries two of these things perfectly! There are several other courses in the Hartford area and each have their own unique flavor, so when you are ready to try out your putter, check this guide to choose one your kids might be most interested in. Better yet, work your way down the list and then report back which one was your favorite! We've also rounded up mini golf in Fairfield County.

My 7 year old recently told me she thought we should move somewhere cooler.  Like Florida, she elaborated.  Ahhh, a teaching moment, I thought... and proceeded to patiently explain climates, weather patterns and equatorial geographics to her.  With obvious disdain for my aged intellect (or lack thereof), she patiently listened, then hopped onto the weather app of my iphone and showed me the map on which CT temperatures registered 94, and Florida’s 91.

My point?  It’s hot here in CT this summer!  So, when we aren't going to one of  Connecticut's beaches,  we will be enjoying some of Fairfield County’s water adventures in the coming weeks.

We’ve been working our way through the most fun to-do list ever, and we decided it was high time to check off number 37, a whale watching cruise. After an exciting Whale Watch with Boston Harbor Cruises, I am – for the record – ranking it as one of the top 10 things to do with kids in Boston before they grow up. 

However, I don’t recommend just jumping on the next BHC Catamaran going out to Stellwagen Bank. The difference between having a great experience and a phenomenal one, especially when you’re taking kids on the cruise, is knowing what to expect and getting a few tips from a fellow parent before you go. 

It’s the first weekend of August, and time to celebrate the East End’s creative heritage. Concerts, puppet shows, live theater, even cooking classes liven up the family fun on the twin forks with enough variety to satisfy any interest.

On the North Fork, kids (and their baby boomer parents) can enjoy a night of “The King’s” music or a chorale concert from one of the region’s top music schools. On the South Fork, how about a Sag Harbor puppet show, an origami boat regatta or a library family day.

Yes, it’s a weekend to indulge your children’s creative side. But if you’re looking for alternatives to the East End arts scene, there’s also Southampton’s annual celebration of Polish culture, nature walks, boat building and more.

For all those happenings and more, check out our Hamptons and North Fork Family Guide. And for the best in seasonal family entertainment across Long Island, don’t forget our Summer Fun Guide.

Summer vacation just isn't complete without water adventures to keep you cool. Beaches and lakes are always a sure bet, but water parks top many a kid's bucket list. We've written about Great Wolf Lodge and other indoor water parks close to home, but now we're happy to review the opening of another nearby water park and hotel option: the Poconos' Kalahari Resorts.

Just down the road from Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari offers an immersive, African-safari-themed experience with both indoor and outdoor water parks, a massive family entertainment area and so much more. The creators of Kalahari were inspired by the African philosophy of Ubunto, a belief that everyone's humanity is connected and that each person's actions affect the entire world. The notion of preservation is pervasive and, despite its grand scale, Kalahari offered an intimate, friendly and low-pressure vibe, which makes for a relaxing family experience.

Finding a pediatrician you and your child (well...for the most part!) like is wonderful. However, most pediatricians don't have late-night office hours, and when middle-of-the-night emergencies happen, clinics and pediatric hospitals open round-the-clock may be able to step in and save the day. (I know my daughter only seems to get sick on Saturday nights, so off to the local pediatric clinic we go...) Below is a list of pediatric clinics and urgent care facilities in New Jersey that cater to babies and kids.

Name a neighborhood – Studio City, Hollywood, the South Bay, or Santa Monica – and chances are you will find an impressive number of places to indulge in frozen yogurt. I freely confess that we here at Mommy Poppins enjoy our frozen treats; many a meeting is held on the patio of our local Menchie’s, and rounding up great places to go for ice cream was one of our summer priorities. It may seem harsh to put our kids to work this way, but hey, somebody has to help with the taste testing, and they don't complain too much.

Ice cream is great, of course, but sometimes it’s nice to go a bit lighter. And I think we can all agree to pretend that frozen yogurt is a healthy choice; it can have just as much sugar as ice cream, but the fat content of fro-yo is significantly less, and then there is the possibility that the probiotics have actually survived the freezing process. Many of the yogurt establishments below are self-serve and offer an array of toppings that are a kid's dream buffet. One way to be healthy is to cover your sweet treat with fruit and nuts instead of candy – not that I'll be talking my children into that any time soon.