The Dr. Seuss Experience is Coming to Delight Kids in Chicago

The Dr. Seuss Experience will be in Chicago in October (photo from Houston exhibit).

Big news: the Cat and the Hat finally found Chicago! The Dr. Seuss Experience opens at Water Tower Place on October 8th, but tickets are available for purchase now.

One of our Houston writers was able to visit the exhibit in her city, and we're sharing her experience here ahead of the Chicago opening, as well as some tailored tips for attending the event in Chicago. Read on for all the installation details and tips for attending. But should you go yourself? Well..."If you never did you should. These things are fun. And fun is good."

25 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids

Breakfast burritos are healthy, filling, and an be made ahead.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but breakfast ideas are hard to come by, and it's easy to fall into a rut. A good breakfast gives kids the fuel they need to take on school, play, and everything in between, so healthy breakfast ideas (that kids will actually eat!) are as valuable as gold.

We even have easy breakfast ideas you can make in just a few minutes on a busy weekday morning—your kids will take longer to find their missing shoe than it will take for you to make some of these recipes! From protein-packed pancakes to two-minute muffins, these breakfast ideas are sure to get your kids off to a great start. For more meal ideas (including 100 School Lunch Ideas for Kids), check out our Easy Recipes for Kids Guide

An Autumn Midsummer Night’s Dream: Fairies, Love, and Laughter in the Woods

Titania takes the stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo by Ian Flanders

Summer Shakespeare is the norm and as summer passes into fall, much of our outdoor theater also fades away. However, that's not the case at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in the Forest of Topanga (I know it’s a canyon, but it reminds me of the Forest of Arden!). Here Shakespearean actors tread the boards (and Shakespeare's fairies flit through the trees) into November. The annual production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is perfect for even young kids—there were kids as young as two in the audience when we saw it—running a tight 80 minutes, with plenty of singing, slapstick, and even animals. Read on to discover why everyone from tots to teens delights in this production filled with mistaken identities, naughty fairies, unrequited love, and an Amazon queen.

Great Birthday Party Places for Preschoolers in Manhattan

Chelsea Piers Field House throws a smashing and sporty birthday party.

You won't be long into your parenting journey before you realize your toddler has a more robust social life than you. Once your kid hits preschool, your weekends are no longer your own. Instead, you'll be toting your kid from one party place to another—and maybe classes, too. I've been at the game for more than a decade and have ushered three kids to countless soirees around New York City. I've seen my fair share of the city's kid-party venues, so I'm rounding up a sampling of Manhattan's best-of-the-best to recommend for your preschooler's next birthday party.

Whether your style is exorbitantly fancy or simple and classic, here are eight spots in Manhattan perfect for hosting your preschooler's party.

Midtown Gets Spectacular New NYPL Branch With Rooftop Reading Room

See Patience and Fortitude—in Lego form—at the newly remodeled Stavros Niarchos NYPL branch in Midtown.

You won't find Manhattan's newest, coolest rooftop hang out at a swanky eatery. Instead, this cool view comes at no cost, atop the newest NYPL. A trip to the library has never been so cool as it is with a visit to the newly remodeled Stavros Niarchos Foundation branch. Housed in the old Mid-Manhattan Library Building, and catty-corner from the main NYPL branch's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, this completely reimagined space houses 400,000 books spread over eight floors. Enviable features include the aforementioned alfresco reading room overlooking Fifth Avenue and spectacular new spaces for children and teens. Add in some inventive programming, and this new library is sure to land on our list of NYC libraries with great play spaces and children's rooms.

Read on to learn more about all the services offered at this NYPL branch.

A Dozen Easy Hiking Trails in NJ for Families to Tackle This Fall

Most trails at Hacklebarney State Park follow along the river.

The fall season is the perfect time to get the family outdoors for a nature walk or an easy hike when trees are ablaze with fall colors and temperatures are just right. These easy hiking trails in New Jersey are perfect for families with young kids. Pick the right trail, pack enough snacks, and pad your expected hike time by an extra hour to allow break time for little legs, and you'll have a great day soaking up the fall scenery around Jersey's many forests and state parks. If we get a late heatwave, consider visiting one of these hiking trails near swimming holes, streams, and more wet places to play.

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