Mount Dora, Florida is a charming lakeside town just 30 minutes northwest of Orlando. While much of the town is geared toward an older audience, there are plenty of things to do for kids and families as well. With historic buildings and gorgeous lake views, the walkable downtown area is what attracts most visitors to Mount Dora. There are also lots of outdoor activities to enjoy around town.

Read on for the top 25 things to do in Mount Dora with kids, including attractions, museums, free activities, and our favorite Mount Dora restaurants. As a local Mount Dora mom, I'm excited to share them with you. After visiting, you will truly see why Mount Dora is nicknamed “Someplace Special!”

For more family fun around the Sunshine State, check out our Florida Family Travel Guide.

Connecticut is home to great water parks and gorgeous beaches, but some families are partial to the many ponds, lakes, and freshwater areas—some 3,000 across the state—where kids can swim in calm waters. Here are our recommendations for swimming lakes and ponds in Connecticut where families can cool off and enjoy beautiful vistas.

For more aquatic adventures, be sure to check out our Beaches and Water Fun Guide which has lists of the Best Beaches for Connecticut Families and also our Favorite Fishing Holes in Connecticut. We've also got you covered with the Top 15 Swimming Pools for Families in Connecticut.

Southern California's balmy beach towns are a treat for a simple beach day, a day trip from Los Angeles, or a weekend getaway in sunny California, whether you're an LA family looking for escape, or a visitor wanting to experience the best of our famous California beaches. Right in the heart of LA County we have several seaside gems; drive an hour or two farther and you'll find towns that feel like they're a world away.  

These seaside towns not only have fabulous sand and surf but there's also plenty worth exploring once you head off the beach. Find out for yourself why these are our favorite SoCal beach towns. And if you want to explore beyond the beach, check out our guide to the Weekend Getaways, Road Trips, and Day Trips from Los Angeles for Families.

While the majority of instruction happens online at your typical cyber school, the virtual elementary or high school experience can extend well beyond the computer screen. Between school-run offerings, local programs, and parent-led groups, there are plenty of in-person opportunities that can be meaningfully incorporated into an online education.

“The pandemic has taught us how much we value those face-to-face interactions,” said Brian Hayden, the CEO of PA Cyber—one of the largest and most experienced online tuition-free public schools in the nation. “Families have expressed to me their appreciation over the years for the hundreds of in-person field trips and enrichment activities that we put on. We brought back those activities as soon as it was safe to do so.”

Known for creating endless in-person opportunities to enhance their personalized live and self-paced online K-12 curriculum, PA Cyber helped us compile a list of five meaningful ways to take virtual learning offline. Read on to find new ways to expand your child's online schooling with “real school” experiences.

Finding an all-inclusive playground is almost impossible, as parents of special needs children know, but the inventive Toms River Field of Dreams Playground is looking to change that. This brand new park, set on three acres of land in Bey Lea Park is already welcoming visitors.

This special Toms River Field of Dreams is the result of two parents on a mission to create a place for special needs kids to play. Read on for more on the backstory of the Toms River Field of Dreams Playground, and find more fun places to play on this list of the best playgrounds in New Jersey.

I grew up in Santa Clarita and now, I’m raising my kids here. College-aged me would have said there were approximately 0 fun things to do in Santa Clarita and all I wanted to do was move to Loz Feliz or Silverlake and be “near all the cool stuff.” But you know what? When you have three little kids, hipster coffee shops and boutique clothing stores lose their allure. Instead, you want amazing parks and fun places to take rambunctious toddlers with lots of energy. Santa Clarita has that in abundance. It’s what turned me from an anti-suburbian into a lifer.

Here are 25 good reasons why you should brave the 5 freeway (but not during rush hour) and head to the SCV with your kids. For more valley fun, check out our guides to Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

We put together a list of 11 sizzling kids' birthday party themes for outdoor party ideas, including activity suggestions, decoration ideas, and some memorable munchies that will make your kid's summer birthday party the event of the season.

Since many kids with a summer birthday don't get to celebrate during the school year and some friends may be out of town, we need to go all out with epic outdoor birthday party ideas sure to make the birthday child feel special. A kids' birthday party is all about creativity and we've got loads of inspired ideas that more than make up for missing cupcakes at school.

Take all the fun (and the mess) under the sun with these awesome outdoor birthday party ideas, all with a summertime twist, such as camping, fairy par-tea, outdoor movies, and lawn games. Get everything you need to complete your party, from the Perfect Kids' Birthday Cake Idea for Every Party to Birthday Party Favors that Go Beyond the Goody Bag at our Birthday Party Ideas Guide.

You know what else a birthday needs? Gifts! Get tried-and-tested favorite gift suggestions the Best First Birthday Gifts, and more in our Guide to Top Toys and Gear for Kids.

Most children love carousels and Connecticut features quite a few places where you can catch a ride on a merry-go-round. The New England Carousel Museum, a little-known gem in the Hartford area, goes beyond offering the opportunity for a whirl. Here you will find hundreds of carousel figurines on display, or being repaired and restored. Though it is small, the Bristol-based museum is still a fascinating place, geared toward older children and adults -- artists, historians, and carousel connoisseurs are sure to appreciate the fragile exhibits. Young children will enjoy feasting their eyes upon the colorful figurines, but without much opportunity for hands-on interaction, they could also lose interest quicker. Still, this is definitely one of the Fun Things To Do With Kids in Bristol and can be a quick stop on a day filled with other in-town adventures.