Seeing California redwood trees should be on every family's travel bucket list. These towering trees, many dating back thousands of years, are truly awe-inspiring. There are many places throughout Northern California where families can seek a serene escape into the heart of nature while viewing these colossal redwoods.

Ancient old-growth redwoods can be found in national parks such as Redwood National Park and Muir Woods, as well as in several other state and regional parks. Most of them have a small vehicle fee to enter, but some are free. All of them provide family-friendly hiking trails and breathtaking views, and some have extra activities for kids like playgrounds and museums.

Here are our favorite places to see redwood trees in California. For more outdoor adventures in the Golden State, from exploring Lake Tahoe to road tripping through the Sierra Nevada, check out our California Family Travel Guide.

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 2024.

Those waiving admission in 2024 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.

Elf on the Shelf is back! It's almost the holidays, so it's almost time for Elf on the Shelf. Elves typically arrive sometime after Thanksgiving and return to the North Pole on Christmas Day, giving families about a month to fill with hilarious Elf on the Shelf ideas.

Like any good house guest, your elf should be able to keep mischievous acts mostly mess-free and easy to set up. We've put together a list of 50 easy ideas that are also impressive elf antics that delight kids— including funny Elf on the Shelf ideas, easy Elf on the Shelf ideas, and last-minute Elf on the Shelf ideas for hectic mornings. Did we mention they don't take a lot of time to set up and require very few props?

Find more Christmas activities and crafts for kids, plus other fun things to do this season, in our Christmas and Holiday Fun Guide.