Maybe it's because it's so far off the beaten path (aka the 101 and 5 freeways), but Santa Cruz always seems like a blind spot for Southern Californians. But our neighbors in the San Francisco Bay Area have known for decades that this funky coastal city is a great year-round destination for families. Growing up, my Bay Area-raised wife would spend long summer weekends enjoying the many miles of beaches around the city. However, there's so much more to Santa Cruz than the beach.

To help you plan your first (or next!) Santa Cruz vacation, here is our list of 30 things to do in Santa Cruz with kids, including Santa Cruz restaurants kids will love and family-friendly Santa Cruz hotels. While you're there, check off a few of the items on our list of 100 things to do in California with kids!

When you’re ready for an outdoor skiing adventure with your family, you don’t have to drive all the way to New England for a great experience. These seven ski resorts near DC offer great ski-lesson programs and slopes for kids of all skill levels within a few hours' drive. They also offer all kinds of other amenities for families to enjoy, from snow tubing to indoor play spaces to heated pools.

Most of these ski resorts near DC are operating with capacity restrictions and social-distancing measures in lift lines and lodges to keep visitors safe during COVID. Be sure to check their websites or call ahead to confirm what’s open now.

Our Winter Activities Guide for DC Kids highlights plenty more ways for your family to have fun this winter. If skiing isn't your thing, check out our list of the best places to go snow tubing near DC. For even more skiing and snow sports ideas, browse our Ski and Snow Sports Guide.

We all know that raising kids can get expensive —between summer camps, birthday parties, childcare, and more, it all adds up quickly! Many families may not have the funds available for extracurricular activities. To help ease the financial burden and ramp up the fun, we’ve rounded up a list of FREE classes for kids in the Orlando area.

Be sure to bookmark our activity calendar and filter for FREE events and activities happening all around town. To get more free fun at home and in your town delivered to your inbox sign up for our newsletters and discover all the free events and activities near you in our Orlando Free Things To Do With Kids Guide.

Ok, we admit it—the terrain in the Chicago area is mostly flat. But that doesn’t mean local kids are destined to grow up not knowing how to ski or shred until that family getaway to Vail or Jackson Hole materializes. There are several slopes, hills, and even mountains within a two hour drive, where families can spend the day skiing or snowboarding together. All of them have a family-friendly atmosphere and ski (and snowboard) lessons for kids of all ages.

If you’re dying to get out of the house this winter and the kids are ready for a winter sport beyond ice skating in the city, check out this list of slopes within an easy drive from Chicago. Most of these winter sports havens make their own snow, so Chicagoans don’t have to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate to hit the slopes.

Waterparks and Houston heat go hand-in-hand during the hot summer months, but what about when off-season rolls around or the weather is predictably unpredictable? You throw on your swimsuit anyway and head to an indoor waterpark! These indoor waterparks in Texas have all the fun you know and love, from tube slides to lazy rivers, wave pools, and interactive water play structures, so you can indulge in water play year-round. Whether you're taking a quick day trip or planning a weekend getaway, these awesome indoor waterparks allow for adventure without the elements.

Meatloaf is a savory and comforting dinner classic. On a busy weeknight with picky kids, it might not be possible (or necessary) to spend an hour in the kitchen making a full meatloaf when everyone is hungry and tired. This is where the kid-sized mini meatloaf comes to the rescue. Kids eat anything when it’s mini, right?

Here’s our roundup of five kid-sized and kid-approved mini meatloaf recipes. All of these recipes can be prepared ahead of time for a quick dinner you can pull out of the freezer. For even more recipes kids will love, check out our favorite kid-friendly recipes of 2021.

Raise your hand if you’re a fan of doughnuts, ice cream, coffee, or cookie dough. Well, have we got a place for you. A dessert shop has opened in Huntington Village that allows customers to combine these sweet treats into mouth-watering creations. Sundae Donuts has something for everyone and is not to be missed. 

For more sweet treats, see our rundown of LI's best ice cream parlors and candy stores.

Governors Island has become one of our favorite places to take our tween and teenage boys when we need a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life. With 172 acres of things to do, we've enjoyed unwinding with family and friends across the water. From the summer art and performance festivals to the relatively new Pumpkin Point experience in October, it's a hotspot destination for tourists and locals alike, so we were beyond excited when we heard Governors Island would be open all year round and welcoming the holiday season with a new Winter Village—complete with an ice skating rink.

The Winter Village experience makes perfect sense, especially as the temperature drops and families are looking for safe, outdoor fun and affordable ways to keep kids busy this season. Read on for our review and find more seasonal fun in our Guide to Winter Activities.