Santa Monica’s Tuesday Food Truck Night at the California Heritage Museum is the ideal venue for a stress-free dinner with children; plus, as an added bonus, you can cross off item #80 on our LA with Kids Bucket List!

Inspired by reading Pamela Druckerman’s Bringing Up Bebe, about French children’s perfect eating habits, I resolved to expand my own son’s limited palate. I mean, these children eat foie gras in preschool while my son turns his nose up at anything besides goldfish crackers and squeezable fruit crushers. Visiting the food trucks seemed like the perfect scenario for venturing into new culinary territory. As my very male son loves all vehicles, I thought that being served directly out of vehicles might entice him to try something new - and there is free parking on site.

Whether we're getting excited about a royal wedding or just in the mood for a crumpet, it's always jolly good fun to let our inner Anglophiles run wild. After all, the British royal family is poised to include a gal from Los Angeles. Once Prince Harry and Megan Markle are officially hitched, that makes us all members of the extended royal family, so let's have some fun checking out kid-friendly ways to explore English culture (and cuisine) while staying planted right here in town. 

Some people are picky about vegetables, others about meats or spicy foods, around here we are picky about donuts. Yep. Donuts. Thing is, there are lots to choose from but, like anything else, not all donuts are created equal. Some try to dazzle with big fancy toppers but don't necessarily measure up in the actual donut department while others may be a little too greasy or a little too dry. Across Connecticut there are some places turning out batches of pitch perfect donuts and I wanted to make sure you know about them. So here, from our donut loving home to yours, are some of our top picks when it comes to these sweet, cakey, (questionable) breakfast foods...

Outdoors with your stroller or in the yoga studio on a mat, Philly parents can get fit with their little ones by their side. So whether you're a mom who wants to focus on her health for the first time or you're looking to return to your fitness routine post-pregnancy, there are loads of classes available in the Philly area.

If you want to work out alongside your baby or if you'd like to take advantage of childcare options and have a little time to recharge on your own, you've got options! Read on for our top picks for baby- and kid-friendly fitness classes. Grab a mat and a water bottle and get going!

Nestled in an intimate gallery space in Battery Park City, amid the soaring structures that comprise Lower Manhattan, the little-known Skyscraper Museum offers insight into the ever-evolving New York cityscape. While the technical information that accompanies its exhibits is geared toward adults, even the littlest urbanites can appreciate the engaging oversize photographs, historic maps, and detailed models of buildings in their world-famous backyard and beyond.

There are also STEM-inspired lessons and workshops for NYC kids as they learn what it takes to create one of those wow-worthy skyscrapers.

Hear ye, hear ye! There's more to Ye Olde Renaissance Faire than turkey legs, men in tights, and replacing all thy "yous" with thees and thous. So if you—or thou—art wondering whether or not it's worth venturing 45 minutes inland in search of a park full of people pretending wholeheartedly that Queen Elizabeth I is still on the throne, the answer is an unmitigated, "Huzzah!"

The Renaissance Pleasure Faire runs Saturdays and Sundays, April 15 through May 21, 2023.

Elmwood Park Zoo offers guests a unique zoo experience, from ziplining and treetop adventures to overnight campouts, and a chance to get up close with owls, eagles, and giraffes. Now, this Philly area zoo has something else to offer: It is the world’s first zoo to be designated a Certified Autism Center.

"Goodness, have you ever seen so many Magna-Tiles?!" a mom exclaimed to her toddler on a recent day at Genius Gems, the brand-new STEM-based play space that opened in Millburn on May 3. It was an incredible sight: thousands of brightly colored magnetic tiles lay strewn about—in kaleidoscopic piles on the floor, in towering formations created by little builders, in geometric patterns on a giant magnetic wall—and the sunlight that poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows set everything aglow. 

My first thought was that this was an amazing place; my second was, "I'm so glad I don't have to clean up all these tiles." 

Happily, my only job was to hang out in the bright, beautiful space and watch my 3-year-old play, occasionally jumping in to build alongside him. My son was engaged and entertained for a solid two hours, and I was impressed—not only with the clean, modern aesthetic of the place, but with the simple yet ingenius offerings on hand. Between Genius Gems and The Busy Bee, which opened in Millburn in March, Essex County parents now have two great indoor play space options, without having to schlep to Routes 10 or 22.