The Autry Museum of the American West is known for stunning wild west paintings and artifacts celebrating cowboy culture. It’s also now home to a sweet little indoor spot for kids—the brand-new family play space. 

What the new space accomplishes at the Autry Museum is powerful: it normalizes bringing kids to museums. It allows parents to soak in beauty and culture without boring the littles. While most art galleries might not appeal to young kids, this space invites children to enjoy and play. This adds to the already long list of enticing things for kids to do in Griffith Park. The Autry made a museum adventure easy and even relaxing for our family. Read on for everything you need to know about this new family play space!

For more local museums with great kid spaces or attractions—like the Skirball, the Getty, and The Huntington Library and Gardens—read all our local parent museum secrets in our Museum Guide for Kids in LA and OC. 

At these indoor play spaces, few preschoolers can resist the lure of the water table where they can dunk their toys and hands in, fill containers just to spill them out again, and splash around. After all, in a tiny NYC apartment, not many of us have space for such messy playthings, so we rounded up a handful of NYC indoor play spaces that offer water-based sensory stations. No bathing suits or parental cleanup required.

Best of all, these soggy attractions are open year-round, even in summer just in case you can't face another sweltering day on the playground. So, for those who beg to play in water long after the lifeguards go home, there are options beyond the bathtub.

These leprechaun trap ideas will help you catch St. Patrick's Day's famous little mascot while he's causing mischief! Or, you can make a memorable St. Patrick’s Day for kids by staging a silly leprechaun prank. We’ve rounded up ten festive, funny tricks to try out at home or in the classroom.

And if you’re looking to trap the sneaky little guy, we’ve also compiled five creative leprechaun trap ideas. Remember, leprechauns are master escape artists, but they do sometimes leave a treat or surprise behind...

Check out our other super cute St. Patrick's Day activities, like this shamrock craft or rainbow on a stick treats. Plus we've got crafts and activities to do at home all spring long with 100 awesome kids' crafts and more boredom-busting fun you can have at home.

The NYC Parks Department's FREE swimming lessons have returned from a prolonged pandemic hiatus, and we have the details to get you—and your child—back in the pool. These FREE swimming lessons require entering an online lottery for each session, which run year-round in spring, summer, fall, and winter. The FREE spring swimming lessons are on the horizon, and the lottery registration for these swim classes is open through noon on Monday, March 20, 2023.

Read on for the details on where to swim for FREE, or check our directory of paid kids' swim classes, and mommy-and-me swim lessons for babies and toddlers.

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in South Jersey is a peaceful nature sanctuary on the edge of the unique New Jersey Pinelands ecosystem. This large, non-profit nature center sprawls over 171 acres and is a great place for family fun. My family loves to visit in all seasons to romp in nature and enjoy the many different animals. 

On weekends the nature center can be bustling with families and birthday parties, but you don’t have to walk far into the woods along a picturesque trail to find some solitude. The trail runs in a loop crossing over a creek, through the wildlife viewing area, and along a bridge over a pond surrounded by evergreen trees. Dozens of animals native to New Jersey call Cedar Run home.

Be sure to check out our rundown of New Jersey nature centers and other great activity ideas in our Outdoor Activities Guide for New Jersey Kids. 

Situated in gorgeous Greenwich, the Bruce Museum has long been a magnet for Fairfield-area families. But parents will be thrilled to know that the Bruce is bigger, better, and way kid-friendlier. The New Bruce Museum Grand Opening–Sunday, April 2, 2023–features free admission for visitors along with festivities. The week leading up to the grand opening will include special celebrations. Exciting renovations began in 2019. These transformed the main gallery space to focus on hands-on science exhibits. Other exciting changes include an update to the Art Wing. And most exciting of all, there's a brand-new Education Wing devoted to interactive children's programming. Read on for more exciting details about the "New Bruce" and see our Connecticut Museum Guide for more enriching day-trip ideas.

Of course, you celebrate Pi Day with pie! But we've got loads of other activities and treats for celebrating this infinitely fun mathematical holiday. Why is Pi Day celebrated on March 14? The circumference of a circle divided by its diameter is always the same number: Pi, aka 3.14159265...

On Pi Day, many restaurants across the US offer deals on all kinds of pie—pizza pie, cherry pie, pot pie, you name it. There are even events that celebrate Pi, pie, or other punny Pi-related things. We've gathered up some fun deals and activities to help you and your kids celebrate this unique math-centered holiday. And if your child happens to be celebrating a birthday on or near Pi Day, check out these 60 birthday freebies for kids, including a free slice of pizza pie from Sbarro's!

La La Land is Long Island's newest indoor playground for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. La La Land is warm and inviting, and little ones can explore, pretend, climb, slide and so much more in a safe environment built just for them. 

Check out our Guide to Indoor Play Spaces for Long Island Kids for other activity ideas, and find more great things to do with little ones in our Long Island Baby Guide and Preschooler Guide.