For a budget-friendly getaway, check out the upcoming FREE admission days at some of the country's largest and most gorgeous national parks. Courtesy of the National Park Service, there are six free national park days in 2025.

Those waiving admission in 2025 include some iconic, bucket list spots like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Rocky Mountain, the Everglades, Acadia, Shenandoah, Cape Cod Seashore, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree National Park. Find even more kid-friendly park trips with our U.S. National Parks Travel Guide.

When it comes to winter fun in NYC, ice skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park is a timeless classic. As soon as the seasons start to change, my kids can't wait to conquer our winter fun list. Of course, many of these activities involve ice and snow, and if you know anything about the past few NYC winters; Mother Nature hasn't exactly delivered.

The good news is Central Park’s iconic Wollman Rink—one of our favorite outdoor ice skating rinks in NYC—is available no matter what Mother Nature sends our way. Here, locals and tourists alike can go ice skating all winter long. A trip also puts visitors smack dab in the activity-packed Central Park, so a day of ice skating can turn into an entire afternoon of family fun.

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel! Whether you make it out of clay or buy it online, a dreidel is more than just a spinning top with a catchy song. Get some more mileage out of this classic Hanukkah toy by making dreidel decor, dreidel desserts, dreidel spin art, and of course learning how to play the game that children have enjoyed for thousands of years (really!).

We've got the rundown on the rules for dreidel, plus more ideas on how to put a fresh “spin” on your holiday season.

For more Hanukkah fun, check our our list of eight ways to celebrate Hanukkah with kids, which includes a kid-friendly history of the holiday plus gift ideas, children's books, festive crafts, and more. All of our favorite ways to make this holiday season a memorable one can be found in our Guide to Holiday Fun for Kids.

Costa Mesa's holiday tradition at the OC Fairgrounds, Winter Fest OC, is back—and better than ever. With a new Snow Play tent and an even better ice tubing hill, the traditional county fair with holiday flair is a blast for kids of all ages. There are plenty of rides perfect for the preschool pack, enough thrilling and upside-down rides for your teens, and then some rides that parents can't resist that offer up great photo ops, like the Merry-Go-Round and Ferris wheel.

Speaking of photo ops, there are enough throughout the fair grounds and in the North Pole Journey that you'll be able to grab a great family holiday card picture, too. With snow flurries, a holiday parade, and a holiday show, this throw-back to your childhood county fair is a perfect family outing for any of those myriad vacation days we have coming up!

For more holiday outings and adventures in the Los Angeles area from Santa meet-and-greets to dazzling holiday lights, visit our Guide to Christmas Activities and Holiday Events for LA Kids!

Activate in Katy is an exciting new gaming activity for families with kids aged 10+. While your kids will love the state-of-the-art gaming element and light effects, you will love the fact that this is an active gaming experience, with teamwork, running, jumping, climbing, crawling, and throwing. We were so excited to try out Activate on its official opening weekend at its first location near Houston.

The Science Playground has reopened at the New York Hall of Science, and it's now better than ever giving families one more reason to visit NYSCI—one of our favorite, STEM-focused museums for kids.

I recently visited the new Science Playground with my 7-year-old son and his friends, and it was a total hit. The kids loved exploring every inch of the enormous playground and playing with all the STEM-focused structures and exhibitions.

Read on to get the scoop on this awesome playground and find more fun places to play in our Guide to NYC Playgrounds & Parks.

Nonprofits like Toys for Tots offer donation spots throughout Long Island where you can lend a hand to families that are struggling to provide toys for their children. Read on for various opportunities to give back by making donations this holiday season. 

 Be sure to also check out our rundown of holiday and Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities on Long Island and many other seasonal ideas in our Holiday Guide. 

The Christmas season is hardly complete without pictures with Santa, and Westchester and the Hudson Valley offer plenty of fun ways to meet the man in red. Our roundup below includes events and opportunities for Santa photos at malls in the area. 

For more holiday fun, check out our Holiday Fun Guide, especially our roundup of must-do holiday experiences for Westchester kids.