Do you have a kid who knows what house the sorting hat would place them in and could identify a blast-ended skrewt or a mandrake? If so, you might want to take them to visit Harry Potter: Magic at Play at Water Tower Place. The pop-up experience has extended its stay in Chicago through Labor Day weekend, giving kids plenty of chances to check it out before school starts again. Explore the magical wizarding world to ignite your kids' imaginations and encourage reading and story-telling over the summer break.

Harry Potter: Magic at Play is the perfect Indoor Activity for a rainy day or bad air quality day. Here's what to expect from the experience.

Museums in Houston are a great way to beat the Texas heat, escape rainy weather, or just get out and learn something new with your kiddos. And Houston has a lot of museums to choose from. While there are a handful of children's museums in Houston that little ones will love, there are tons more that the whole family can enjoy. And quite a few of the museums on our list offer free days or extra-special events you won't want to miss. See prehistoric beasts, priceless works of art, and vehicles that have soared through space at a Houston museum near you.

We've narrowed the list down to the top 12 must-visit museums for families, but with so many to choose from, we added on a few more at the end. For a comprehensive list, browse our Houston Museum Guide.

The long-awaited Rose Tree Park Playground is now open in Media, PA. The playground is sustainably made, designed for all ages and abilities, and officially ready to be played on! Construction for the playground began in April, but the plans to build a playground at this park have been in the works for a few years.

Check out our Parks & Playground Guide to find even more playground fun in your area.

For parents, it can be quite challenging to find activities to keep their teens and tweens entertained; too old for kiddie stuff, too young for full-blown adult activities. Fortunately, Westchester and the Hudson Valley offer a plethora of recreational activities to entertain kids of all ages. With that in mind, here are some of the top things to do with teens and tweens in the region.

Check out our rundown on cool college enrichment classes for Westchester teens and more in our Tweens and Teens Guide to Westchester and the Hudson Valley. 

Kids love train rides. In Connecticut, taking the Metro North-New Haven line usually means commuting to work or going to the city for the day. But riding on the train can be a short day trip to a new town or a fun activity near a local station. Either way, it’s fun for children to see all their train favorites like meeting a conductor, holding a ticket (get a paper one at your station!), and just looking out the window. And riding the train adds an element of fun to the destination. No car seats or traffic on this leisurely day out. Another perk is that kids under 5 ride free on the Metro North, and kids 5 - 11 years old are only $1 per trip with a paying adult—​all aboard!

Here is a list of stations where you can hop off, with activities to do right off the train without needing a car. Head to your local station and start your next train adventure on Metro North’s New Haven Line. Choo-Choo! And check out our Connecticut Day Trips and Weekend Getaway Guide for more fun ways to explore Connecticut with kids.

Long Island's waterfront restaurants offer the refuge of an ocean breeze, a delightful view, and fantastic meals. Lucky for us Long Islanders, many area restaurants are nestled right on the water. There's no better way to start or end the day with the family than with a delicious meal right on the water.

Below, we've rounded up Long Island's top waterfront restaurants in Nassau, Suffolk, and of course, the East End. A delectable, waterfront meal is only miles away.

Find our roundup of Long Island's best restaurants with entertainment for kids and more dining ideas in our Long Island Kid-Friendly Restaurant Guide.

While all three of my kids love to go for a dip, these NYC splash pads and play fountains offer more spontaneous fun than a swim in one of NYC's public pools. For those hot summer days when we're out and about or need a last-minute distraction, I keep this list of play fountains and splash pads in my back pocket.

A more immersive experience than standard NYC sprinkler parks, these mega splash pads and play fountains feature wading pools, plus jets shooting water sky-high. Play fountains are the perfect place for kids to frolic and get completely doused without mommy having to go all-in—literally. Best of all? They're all completely FREE. Here are 10 fun mega-sized splash pads in NYC where kids can get absolutely soaked.

Bubble World is the newest immersive experience in Los Angeles that is bursting with fun. 

"Hop in the car. We're going to Bubble World!" These are words I never thought I'd say. Disneyland, maybe. But Bubble World?

My kids and I are always up for an adventure, so we recently checked out LA's new immersive Fever experience. To sum it up, my boys (ages seven and four) haven't stopped talking about this experience since. They ask every day when we are going back. Bubble World pops with a maze of technicolor rooms filled with dazzling lights and irresistible photo ops. Read more about our experience below.  

Looking for other immersive experiences? Check out World of Barbie in Santa Monica, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, or one of the CAMP Store immersive exhibits on rotation at Westfield Century City.