The beautiful Hudson Valley is home to 18 New York state parks, which offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy easy hikes near NYC along tree-lined trails with stunning panoramic views, and lots of special features like waterfalls, swimming lakes, and sandy beaches. With so many beautiful easy hikes near NYC, it's hard to know where to start.

To help, we've picked our favorite kid-friendly easy hikes in the Hudson Valley. In addition to opportunities to enjoy nature and wildlife, some of these Hudson Valley state parks—like Bear Mountain and Franklin D. Roosevelt state parks—have additional attractions such as zoos, playgrounds, pedal boats, and even a giant swimming pool. Best of all, these easy hikes near NYC make for a quick day trip for families coming from the city or Lower Westchester. Read on for all our top picks for easy hikes in the Hudson Valley's beautiful state parks, and find more green spaces to explore in our Guide to the Great Outdoors.

The spiders are back! It's time to say buh-bye to the beautiful butterflies of the Butterfly Pavilion to make room for their slightly spookier friends. Every fall, the Spider Pavilion takes over the space on the Natural History Museum’s South Lawn and turns it into the seasonal home to more free-range, eight-legged tenants than anyone in his right mind could want. The Spider Pavilion is an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare and an eight-year-old boy’s version of heaven.

The Spider Pavilion is the perfect fall outing, if you're looking to branch out beyond the typical pumpkin patch or corn maze. For even more spooky, creepy, crawlie fun, visit our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids.

When it comes to birthday party planning, I'm usually an intrepid DIY-er. We've partied in plenty of parks and playgrounds perfect for a fete, and my not-so-hidden talent is definitely cake decorating, but celebrating my daughter's recent birthday at the Museum of Arts and Design was so much fun and so stress-free, I just might leave my independent birthday party planning streak behind.

Though the venue is new to the New York City birthday party scene, our Museum of Arts and Design's birthday party had it all: A stunning, private party space with a spectacular view of Central Park, a welcoming energetic staff who kept the party moving and took care of every last detail, and an artist-led workshop that was fun and sent everyone home with a cool keepsake. Read on for more details on our cool birthday party at the Museum of Arts and Design, and find more tips for planning your kid's next milestone celebration in our Guide to Kids' Birthday Parties in NYC.

There aren't many better ways to get the family excited for the fall in NYC than taking the kids for a tour through a three-acre corn maze in the middle of Queens and letting their imaginations run wild. The Queens County Farm Museum's Amazing Maize Maze is now open for the season, and it's just one of the quintessential fall activities happening at this New York City institution.

The Amazing Maize Maze is the only corn maze in New York City. My family and I have conquered lots of these corn mazes and can happily say the one at the Queens County Farm Museum is just as much fun as its country counterparts. Read on for our tips to make the most of your visit to the Queens County Farm Museum and its corn maze. But no, we aren't giving you the route. You'll still need to figure that out yourself! If you're on the hunt for more seasonal fun, be sure to bookmark our Guide to Fall Fun in NYC.

These Halloween activities and outings, Halloween crafts for kids, Halloween treats, and more will keep your crew hauntingly busy until it's time to trick-or-treat!

Once you have picked out your costume and carved your pumpkin, what else is there to do? So much! We have rounded up our favorite family Halloween activities that will keep the pumpkin spice flowing all month long. We’ve got all your Halloween bases covered with a little bit of everything from spooky s’mores to learning how to dance the Monster Mash. So set up an outdoor movie and whip up a batch of scarecrow snack mix, and let's get this (Halloween) party started!

For more Halloween fun, from Halloween jokes for kids to the best Halloween movies for kids—and more—check out our Halloween Activities Guide for Families.

And for Halloween activities near you, check out our Local Halloween Fun & Activities Guide!

The best hayrides on Long Island for kids feature more than just straw and wagon wheels. Characters, pumpkin-picking, and scrumptious treats like warm apple cider and warm cinnamon doughnuts delight senses as guests roll through colorful autumn wonderlands with toddlers to teens. We've even found some haunted hayrides on Long Island.

For more fall festival fun, check out our picks for the best fall fairs and festivals and our Guide to Fall Fun on Long Island for Kids. 

With its gorgeous lakes, trees, and beaches, you can’t get much more picturesque than Northern Michigan, which includes popular destinations like Traverse City and Interlochen, Michigan. And then there's the delicious food—fish boils, the National Cherry Festival, decadent chocolate fudge, and more to fit everyone’s taste buds.

In Interlochen, nestled between Duck Lake and Green Lake, you’ll find the world-class Interlochen Center for the Arts. I’m a proud alumna of both the Center's Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and its Interlochen Arts Academy. Nearly 20 years later, I returned to the campus—this time with a little one in tow— to experience the magic of Interlochen, Michigan as a family.

Whether you’re looking for a place for young musicians, artists, actors, and writers to hone their craft or a place to explore the scenic outdoors in the Great Lakes State, Interlochen and its surrounding areas are the perfect places to visit with kids. Here are 20 things to do in Interlochen, Traverse City, and Northern Michigan with kids. Check out our Family Travel Guide and Midwest Family Travel Guide for more fun family vacation ideas.

Even if you didn't get today's Wordle, there are plenty of chances for your kids to avenge your defeat with other games like Wordle for kids. While some word games may be too difficult for them, there are quite a few word games online for kids of all reading levels. These are brain-teasing, educational word games online that the whole family can conquer together; parents might even like these games more than the original. Playing with words and word games teaches a love of words, and kids who love words at a young age become lifelong readers and word nerds. The best kind of people!

Looking for more online fun? Check out 20 great online games for kids to play together and so much more in our Virtual and Online Guide for Family Fun.