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Weekend Fun: Maple Fest, Crafts, and Comics; March 23-24

Submitted by Clementina Verge on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 6:00pm

It's officially spring! The temperatures are warming up, and the waterfront, gardens, and hiking trails are starting to call our name. If you're excited to embrace the milder weather, check out a beloved maple festival in Blue Hills. Keep hands busy with a seasonal mushroom or birdhouse craft, or set imaginations soaring at this comic book heroes exhibit. Celebrate with some of our favorite spring activities around Boston, start mapping out family-friendly bike trails in the neighborhood, or make plans for the family's first outdoor dining splurge of the season.

Weekend Fun: March Madness, Celtic Magic, and a Botanical Circus; Mar 23-24

Submitted by Donald Eng on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 6:00pm

It's the first weekend of Spring! And while this time of year can mean many things to many people, to a sports fan it's time for March Madness. Is your child a college basketball fan? UConn is hosting NCAA men's Division 1 basketball's first and second round action this weekend. Does your child's taste run more toward sticks and pucks? Head to Hamden for the Frozen Four NCAA Hockey Women's National Championship at Quinnipiac. If you're still digging winter, get some outdoor skating or winter hiking in. Finally, for some post-St. Pat's fun, why not take in some Celtic magic in Manchester?

Weekend Fun: Flower Show, Purim, Kids' Theater, Circus...and Desserts!

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 3:30pm

It's officially spring! While the weather might not have gotten the memo (yet), the Macy's Flower Show is blooming again with a space-inspired floral fantasy featuring marvelous celestial blooms, and kids can take a trip to outer space with Peppa Pig on opening day this Sunday.

This weekend dishes up plenty of great theater for kids too, including Colors at BAM, The Magic Schoolbus, While You Were Out at LaMama Kids, and Underneath a Magical Moon, a re-imagining of Peter Pan (sign up for the interactive pre-show workshop). The New Shanghai Circus takes a bow in Queens on Saturday and Staten Island on Sunday.

If you're looking for FREE fun (who isn't?), make balloon cars at Brooklyn's MakerSpace, catch a free concert and screening of Up in Queens, sing songs from around the world with Mr. Patrick at the Children's Library, take in lion dancing (and popcorn!) at Sunset Park's Lantern Cultural Fest, or check out Philosophy for Kids as part of the Tilt Festival at the Brooklyn Library.

Purim parties on at the Riverdale Temple and Rock and Roll Playhouse on Sunday, or make holiday masks all weekend at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. And for the cherry on top, confections rule at the Dessert Goals Festival, all weekend in Long Island City.

For more, more, more, peruse the March GoList, FREE things to do this month, and our ever-expanding calendar.

Weekend Events: Egg Drop Challenge, Parades, Holi Celebration

Submitted by Jaime Sumersille on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 12:30pm

Get sprung for spring at Hicks Nurseries, where kids can plant their own snap pea seed. Build around, bubble-wrap, and otherwise protect your egg in the Egg Drop Challenge at the Children's Museum of the East End.

Join the Long Island Children's Museum to celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors. And more St. Patrick's Day parades round out the weekend.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Adds Massive New Activity Pool

Submitted by Liz Alterman on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 12:30pm

If you're looking for new ways to beat the heat this summer, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is offering a bigger, better, and much wetter place to cool down. The 45-acre water park in Jackson, NJ, welcomes Calypso Springs, a 100,000-gallon, beach-entry-style activity pool, where parents and kids of all ages can swim and play together. The new addition, Hurricane Harbor's largest expansion since 2000, will be open in time for summer 2019.

Weekend Fun: St. Paddy's Parade, WHUD Kids Fair, Steampunk

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 12:00pm

Welcome, spring! Lots of warm-weather fun lies ahead for Westchester and Hudson Valley families.

St. Patrick’s Day might be over, but the party isn’t! Keep it going at the Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day Parade. For more festive fun, try the St. Gregory the Great Annual Carnival, offering rides, games, and food, or the WHUD Kids Fair—a highlight of our March GoList—featuring STEM fun, inflatables, children’s theater, and more.

For mash-up fun, hit Steampunk Sunday, with tea duels, items from the Museum of Interesting Things, and other quirky attractions. Or for animal adventures, get to know turkey vultures.

All this and much more can be found on our Event Calendar, so head there after reading on for details and other highlights. Also check out our guide to FREE things to do in March!

Weekend Fun for Chicago Kids: Flower Shows, Bugs, Comic Expo, Kids' Concerts

Submitted by Siobhan Adcock on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 11:00am

After a winter like the one Chicagoans have just weathered, who could blame you for having a little spring fever? The first weekend of spring kicks off with tons of activity, with spring festivals and fairs like the tasty Maple Syrup Festival at North Park, the colorful Holi celebration at Navy Pier, and the Good Food Festival for foodies of all ages in Little Italy.

You deserve some sweetness and color in your life (that's why you had kids, right?), and this weekend, flower-lovers are in luck. The Chicago Flower and Garden Show: Flowertales runs through Sunday, and it's also the first weekend of the Macy's Flower Show with this year's super kid-friendly intergalactic theme. If that's not enough spring blooms for you, there's also the ongoing Spring Flower Show "Understory: Layers of Light" at Garfield Park Conservatory, and the final weekend of the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo brings tons of family-friendly activities, workshops, and concerts to McCormick Place this weekend, including Quidditch and medieval knight lessons. On Saturday the Chicago Symphony Orchestra presents Once Upon a Symphony: The Boy and the Violin, a narrative concert especially for the preschool set based on a Brazilian folktale. In Naperville, lovers of all things creepy-crawly won't want to miss interacting with the insect world at the Bug Bonanza on Saturday. And also on Saturday, kids and caregivers can take part in a day of FREE art-making workshops and activities at Elephant With Riders, Choosing Amongst Winners.

There's plenty more in our Event Calendar, and watch this space for more spring family fun.

Weekend Fun for DC Kids: Cherry Blossom Festival, Marvel Universe, March 23-24, 2019

Submitted by Christine Mooney on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 10:37am

Bring on spring...and the cherry blossoms! This weekend marks the kick off of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, as well as some other cherry blossom-related events, like bicycling, Japanese culture days, and more.

Looking for something a little less pink and a little more "superhero"? Marvel Universe Live! comes to the DC area for the Iron Man, Spider-Man, or Black Panther fan in the family.

No matter what you choose to pencil in on the family calendar, Mommy Poppins wishes you a great weekend!

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Orlando's Wyndham Bonnet Creek Offers Disney-Adjacent Suites and Resort Amenities

Submitted by Anna Fader on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 10:04am

Finding the perfect place to stay for your Orlando family vacation can be hard. You want a location with good proximity to the amusement parks, but don't forget there’s lots more to do in Orlando than just theme parks, so a resort that is fun on its own can save you a bundle and also be a whole lot more fun. Family-sized suites, kitchens, and laundry options bring the comforts of home that take the stress out of a family trip, too.

Wyndham Bonnet Creek offers luxurious condo-style one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom family suites adjacent to Walt Disney World and close to other Orlando attractions. With a full schedule of resort activities, five pool complexes, including a lazy river and water slides, it’s no wonder it ranks No. 4 on Condé Nast Traveler's 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards list of Top Resorts in Orlando.

What to Do in the Flatiron and Union Square With Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 03/20/2019 - 10:00am

The adjacent Flatiron District and Union Square neighborhoods are two of Manhattan's most unlikely kid-friendly areas. Even though both are filled with office buildings and chain stores, there are lots of amenities for families if you know where to look. Both boast beautiful parks with destination playgrounds, a great selection of family restaurants, and one-of-a-kind attractions like the interactive Museum of Mathematics, kid-lit haven Books of Wonder and the statue-filled Lego Store.

Because the nabes encompass less than a mile together, families can easily explore both in one day, even with a short-attention-span toddler in tow. Of course with so many things to see, do and experience in this 15-block stretch from 11th to 26th Streets between Fifth and Park Avenues, you'll probably need more than just a day to hit all our recommended stops.