Boston families will find plenty of fun and free things to do in and around town this weekend. Take advantage of the great outdoors and head to the Circle the City festivities at Franklin Park, or the WGBH FunFest in Boston. New this summer is Outside the Box, a nine-day summer performing arts festival, that offers a variety of children’s entertainers - musicians, dancers, magicians, puppeteers, arts and crafts workshops, and more.

Looking for more things to do? Find out what's new at the zoos this summer - Franklin Park, Stone, Roger Williams Park and Southwick Zoos. Plus, Kristin reviews the work that was done to improve the New England Aquarium. Tara has the scoop on watching the PawSox games at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket - a family-friendly, budget-friendly alternative to Fenway. And of course, we all love reading to our kids, but sometimes it's just so nice to listen to someone else read to them for a change.

Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check our Events Calendar for more ideas.

It's all about the kids, isn't it? You do and do for them, find them the coolest water playgrounds, take them on picnics, treat them to the most delectable frozen delights, and take them to kids' clubs,  kids' concerts, and kids run the bases. And just when you think you've done all you can do, you take a look at our summer guide and come up with a dozen more things to keep your kids happy and entertained. But what's in it for you? What does Momma get? How 'bout maybe a free blowout?

Of course, things work out best when kids and parents can enjoy the same things. Outdoor concerts (check), free movies (popcorn check), a Pirate Festival (aaarrrr! check), the Grease Sing-Along at the Hollywood Bowl (Sandy and Danny check), the OC Fair (deep fried check), Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus (check with a big red rubber nose, shot from a cannon). Luckily our weekend calendar is filled to the brim with activities that everyone will love. And one that's especially for Mom.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend, and to find out about that free blowout...

When school is out during the summer, it is a good time to educate your children about the importance of supporting local farms. Our food travels an average distance of 1500 miles to reach our grocery stores, and that is a lot of gas used by trucks and airplanes.  Plus, produce loses nutrients the longer it sits after harvesting. Blueberry season is here, so get out and enhance your family's health and the local economy! We make it easy for you with our guide on Blueberry Picking in CT: Pick Your Own Farms. This weekend you can still see fireworks during Sailfest and also at Lime Rock Park. There are lots of festivals throughout the state as well.

This weekend, there are lots of events and celebrations for Westchester families to choose from, including the last weekend of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Westchester Sandbox Theatre, two great events happening at Hudson River Museum and several events from our month long Go List for July.

On Saturday, check out a family art workshop at the Nueberger Museum in Purchase or join in the kick-off of a new art series in Yonkers hosted by Groundwork Hudson Valley. You can also catch an abridged and revamped version of Othello presented by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers.

Sunday head back to the Hudson River Museum for Rejunenary River Circus and play croquet in the courtyard after the show. Greenburgh Nature Center celebrates the town's 225th anniversary and the Irish and Polish heritage festivals are Sunday as well.

Most of the events we've listed here are FREE. Our event calendar also has even more activities happening this weekend. Whatever you decide, stay cool and enjoy your weekend!

There's lots of indoor and outdoor fun on Long Island this weekend. Got a Fancy Nancy fan at home? Stop by the Dolphin Bookshop for story time and a tea party. The Long Island Toy Show takes place at Hofstra University. Don't forget to come dressed as a favorite comic book or movie character. Bouncers, water slides, and art, oh my! Stop by the Arts and Crafts Festival in Long Beach and enjoy a warm summer's day. As the day turns to night, stop by Heckscher State Park for great live music and a fireworks show that is dedicated to those rebounding from Superstorm Sandy. This event is featured on our July Go List. As always, check our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family.

If it pours, some of our outdoor picks may be canceled or postponed. In the event of rain, check the organizers' official websites before heading out. This weekend is jam-packed with awesome things to do, including a bunch of our top event picks for the entire month. Head to Governors Island for a double dose of family fun: the opening weekend of vintage French carnival Fête Paradiso and the FREE Come Out & Play Family Field Day. Celebrate la France at the annual Bastille Day Festival on the Upper East Side or learn some new moves at Lincoln Center's FREE Midsummer Night Swing Kids Dance in Damrosch Park.

It's also a great weekend for kids' culture with the debut of two cool family musicals: TADA! Youth Theater's Sleepover and a return engagement of Wanda's Monster with songs by Laurie Berkner. Plus the Intrepid's Space Shuttle Pavilion is back in business for the first time since Hurricane Sandy.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide, including our favorite FREE public pools, beaches and water playgrounds.

This past week was what we call in New England a “scorch-ah.” At 7 months pregnant carrying around a 30-pound toddler, I make it my mission to seek out indoor, air-conditioned play time. We live close to the Aquarium and make good use of our membership there. Even during the renovations when everything was covered in drapes, we would still go to check out the make-shift tanks, hopeful for the day when it would be back to full throttle.  

Walking into the Aquarium during the re-opening was a little bit like walking through the parade of The Emperor’s New Clothes. I kept looking for the dramatic changes but couldn’t detect anything that special. The newly painted and decorated walls are nice but our beloved Curious George toddler station was taken away and replaced with, well, nothing (just like that naked Emperor.) Although I left with a general feeling of disappointment, I know a lot of work was done to improve the aquarium. I don’t want to be a negative Nelly, so here are three highlights of the renovations (plus an old favorite) that your toddler might enjoy: 

Now that Independence Day is over, it's time to get back to plain ol' mid-July hot-weather fun, air conditioning not included. So if you're up for the great (toasty) outdoors, you have the choice of a Fairy Festival, a Butterfly Release, a ride with Thomas or some Shakespeare under the stars, here are our picks for this coming weekend. And remember, you can always find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.