Summer's almost half over? I've spent so many summers in an office where you barely know it's summer at all. But living in New York City, each weekend can be a mini-vacation. This weekend take advantage of the water all around us at the City of Water Festival, or head to the beach for a sand-sculpting contest. Not traveling the world this summer? In New York the world comes to you. Soak up some culture: Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Gospel, theater and art.

It's going to be crazy hot again so you might want to head to Chelsea Waterside Park for some sprinkler action, the new Pier 6 playground or another great sprinkler park. Or at least feel the gentle breeze of one the city's best carousels. If you're heading out of the city, stop at a local farm to pick your own produce in NJ or LI. This weekend NJ events include a couple of county fairs (love them) and even a hot air balloon festival.

We've picked out all the fun things to do, all you have to do is pick your activities, grab your kids and go!

Where in New York City can you find the perfect getaway full of sun, surf, sand not to mention great eats and lots of character? Look no further than Coney Island! Today, not only is the area actually a peninsula (since the Coney Island Creek was filled in to build the Belt Parkway) it is also a fantastic way to spend a summers day – one of my favorite day-long family excursions in the city.  It has everything that people travel to remote seaside towns to enjoy -- miles of Atlantic Ocean beach, a boardwalk, baseball, concerts, fireworks and amusements of every ilk.  Read on to find out what to do for a day of fun in the sun at Coney Island with the kids!

For years I have heard about this fantastic must-see “water playground” in Chelsea but I was never actually sure exactly where it was. With all this August like weather hitting us in July I decided to find out.  After a long trip on the M23 bus we found the playground in Chelsea Waterside Park.  Not only is this playground worth the schlep it is the perfect way to spend a hot and steamy summer day.  Read on to find out why.  

I know it is lame to write about having an awesome day in Central Park but the park has been host to just so many fun filled summer days for me and my son that I find it difficult to think of anyplace else.  Like any other day I still have a plan and an itinerary, because if you don’t, the park is so huge you could wind up wandering too far in one direction or another to get home easily. Read on for the deets on one of the many awesome days in and around Central Park, and then go have one for yourself.

We're sharing our awesome days of summer with you. We hope you'll share yours with us. Send in a description of an awesome day you had (with pictures) We'll post the best ones and you could even win an awesome Flip Video Camera.
 

They don't call it The Garden State for nothing. New Jersey is a great place to go to pick your own summer fruit and veggies. Whether it is strawberries, peaches, or peas, you can find plenty of u-pick farms in New Jersey.  Picking your own produce is great thing to do, especially with kids. Not only does it help you eat locally with farm fresh produce, but it's important for kids to learn about where their food comes from and make that connection with the farm. Plus it's lots of fun. Read on for picking season info, and the skinny on some great farms.

Just like everything else in NYC, when it comes to carousels, kids and parents have plenty of choices. Here's a NYC Merry-Go-Round round-up in all five boroughs.
 

If your kids are like my kid they are likely getting a little antsy after the two rainy days this week, so make sure you plan something extra fun for them this weekend.  How about the 63rd annual Macy’s fishing contest in Prospect Park that is running through the weekend?  Another retail giant, Target, is not only paying your families admission at a bunch of New York City’s best museums and performance spaces but they are also offering special family programming at many of them, too, as part of the Target: Arts and Wonder weekend.  Also going on around town this weekend you will find a  cool DYI program at The NY Hall of Science, family day at the Jewish Museum, shopping for cool indie kicks for your little one, arts at the zoo and a whole lot more.

This week we told you about some new museum exhibits that the kids will really dig, where to cool down at some of the best ice cream spots for the picky eater set and what to do for a day of fun in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park - all great weekend activities. 

Don’t forget our post on 100 free things to do this summer, The Mommy Poppins Summer Fun Guide and our Events Calendar with new and improved search capabilities -- useful tools to keep the kids happy, enriched and busy all summer. 

Have a great weekend.  Keep cool (and dry!)

You may be familiar with many of the free museum times that Target sponsors throughout the city on a regular basis, but this week Target is ramping it up with three days of fun—and FREE—cultural offerings at museums and performing arts institutions around the city during theTarget Arts & Wonder Free Family Event, Friday, July 16 through Sunday, July 18.

Highlights include a Kids Design Festival at the Cooper Hewitt, Family Arts Weekend on the High Line, a block party with El Museo del Barrio, and much more:

I love Prospect Park. I might even go as far as to say I love it a little bit more than Central Park.  The Brooklyn park is just more wild and wooly when compared to the refined Manhattan green space.  The 500+ acre park is small enough to really dig in and explore in just one day. And it is easy, too, the map and directions are all color coded, so you can pick where you want to visit then follow the colored arrow shaped signs to your destination –so no getting lost. The rustic style park boasts forests, lakes, wetlands, a nature center, a zoo, a carousel - an absolute paradise for a city kid!

Prospect Park is considered by some to be the highlight of the Vaux-Olmsted partnership and their greatest achievement.  My absolute favorite thing about this park is that from almost anywhere inside the park, no matter where you look, you can’t see the city. You can see small animals running in the trees, smell the vegetation and even hear babbling water all around you.  It seriously feels like a day away in upstate NY instead of the middle of Brooklyn.  

Read on to find out 17 fun things you can do in Prospect Park.

For many, Long Island conjures up images of beaches, malls and traffic and not much else.  But, Long Island is filled with hidden gems that have nothing to do with shopping or the sea (unfortunately traffic is always possible). Once a farming community, you can still find a lot of family farms throughout the Island and these days many have added pick-your-own fields, petting zoos, gourmet fresh markets, garden centers and kid activities. Each farm maintains its personal flavor, here are a few that are really worth the drive.

If you are looking to sink your hands into the soil or spend a day gorging on fruit, head to one of Long Islands many pick-your-own farms.