The next stop in our Great Small Town series is Red Bank. With an eclectic mix of small town charm and arts & entertainment mecca, Red Bank is the perfect destination for a New Jersey day trip. Located in Monmouth County, Red Bank is filled with restaurants, boutique shops, art galleries and parks. It’s located on the Navesink River and just five miles from the Atlantic Ocean, so it’s a short drive to several public beaches, including Sandy Hook and the Gateway National Recreation Area.

Providence is showing dads the love this weekend with freebies and discounts at family-friendly places around the city. Read on for some ideas for spending a fun day with your favorite father in Providence without breaking the bank – whether he’s the outdoors type, the academic sort, a grown-up kid, or just uniquely himself.

If you're looking for even more to do in Rhode Island, check out our Rhode Island Fun Guide for the skinny on taking the kids to a PawSox game, and day tripping to Newport or East Bay towns. If you'd rather stay closer to Boston, take a look at our list of 10 Things Dads Actually Want to Do for Father's Day in Boston. 

Even though I'm not a huge fan of sharing my personal space with bugs, I do appreciate being one with nature. Lucky for us, here in New Jersey we have many parks and natural areas to explore. If you want to make the most of a day outdoors, bring along some food and find a spot to picnic with your family.  You'll be glad to know that we've taken some of the guesswork out of “where” by listing some of the best picnic spots in NJ.

Unleash your little Shakespeare and help them harness their dramatic energy with theater classes on Long Island. Several performing arts centers and theaters offer summertime classes and mostly culminate with a production. From musical theater to scene study and stage direction, these programs help give your child the tools to help transform into various characters on stage or screen. And be sure to check out our Summer Fun Guide for other ideas to keep your kids engaged, energized and enthusiastic this summer.

Almost all of our NYC news is good news in this edition of our biweekly links post. We've got the skinny on a couple of cool new children's stores, a kids' discount at Luna Park, a kid reporter contest at Time for Kids and the return of an old childhood favorite. Plus, the latest on pre-K admissions, FREE coding classes for kids and a tearful goodbye to a 20-foot-long NYC legend.