Chelsea Waterside Play Area has been a mainstay on our list of the city's best playgrounds for years, and thanks to its recent $3.4 million overhaul, the aging play area has a whole new look that just opened to the public on Tuesday.

Once known for funky, chess-like, blue structures that spewed water sky-high, Chelsea Waterside Play Area has a colorful new star: A 22-foot, rainbow-hued pipefish who winds through the multi-level playground bringing joy to kids of all ages. Read on for more features that cement this spot's place among our favorite destination playgrounds.

These rattling, toot-tooting relics are truly treasures across New England landscapes. Each time those vintage diesel locomotives come to life, you can hear that pitter patter of those train-loving little souls of ours. Their dome-cars with padded seats offer the ultimate views for the leaf peeper in all of us and a stop at the pumpkin patch is sure to delight those littles in tow. Here is a roundup of historic Connecticut trains and trolleys to climb aboard this fall. And, for more autumn adventures, check out our CT Halloween Guide for Kids. 

For any rock-climbing enthusiast, entering Momentum Indoor Climbing makes you feel like a kid entering a candy shop. This recent addition to Houston's indoor gym and rock climbing scene has two locations in the city - Silver Street and Katy - and both offer challenging and fun routes and amenities for both kids and adults. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the facilities are extremely nice: clean, colorful, and well air-conditioned! Each location has a bit of a different flair, so you can visit both and your kids will find something new to do each time.

Spend the day roaming around Soho and Little Italy with kids and you'll realize just how kid-friendly NYC can be. Of course there are tons of shops and restaurants, but if you look closer you can see that the area is teeming with tons of fun activities for the whole family: You just need to know where to look! Here are 35 of the best places for families to visit, shop, and eat in Soho and the adjacent neighborhoods of Little Italy and Hudson Square, including family-friendly restaurants, must-see museums, playgrounds, and neighborhood institutions. 

If you, like many Long Islanders, are a fan of colorful drives through the region's tranquil roads, you have likely seen glimmers of blue-green beaches clapboard farm stands, and more between Huntington Village’s shops and Northport’s waterfront.

You might even have rambled through a community called Centerport, a mini-peninsula carving into the county and back out into Long Island Sound. While you might not have considered it as a day-trip destination, Centerport’s winsome waterfront, cultural attractions, and enticing eateries make it a wonderful place to visit with your family. It is also a great stop on your way to touring Port Jefferson or even the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead with your tiny travelers.

We've already filled you in on the Color Factory, Flow Separation, and Candytopia, and now the summer of the Instagram-ready, immersive art pop-up continues, with the first tea-themed interactive art space in NYC. Room For Tea is brewing, and is set to open in Tribeca on August 28. Read on for an advance look at photos of the imaginative space celebrating the diversity of tea cultures around the world (and especially bubble tea), plus everything you need to know to plan your visit.

Hosting birthday parties for your kids comes with so many choices nowadays. Which indoor playground is best? What kind of cake will be served? What will the decorations be? Will there be entertainment? Can you get away with just not throwing one at all? The answer to the last one is....probably not (unless your kid is turning 3 and under and they won't know the difference anyway.) Our favorite place to host a birthday party is a great park - one with picnic tables so you don't have to bring any, lots of shade, plenty of room to run around, and great playgrounds so the kids don't have a reason to say they are bored.

The good news is, Houston is home to lots of great parks perfect for birthday parties. Here are some of our favorites.

On a hot summer day, the cool river breeze is hard to beat. But one thing that takes the summer fun up a notch is an ultra cool destination playground right on the river, with killer downtown and river views, proximity to free kayaking, reasonably priced mini golf, and plenty of free family-friendly programming. Think this all sounds too good to be true? Then you'll want to get reacquainted with the Hudson River Park's Pier 25 Playground in Tribeca.