New York City is packed with fun indoor play spaces to keep kids active all year. From indoor playgrounds to kid-centric museums, there is no shortage of fun activities perfect for bad-weather days or just because. But, keeping kids entertained can cost a pretty penny. So, we've rounded up 16 affordable indoor play spaces in NYC offering drop-in play for $20 or less a visit, and a few of these indoor playgrounds in NYC are significantly cheaper!

Read on for our picks for budget-friendly play spaces in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, and find more fun places to play in our NYC Kids' Guide to Indoor Activities.

New Jersey is chock-full of indoor swimming pools where kids can splash around all year long—and that's good news when your little fishies need an aquatic fix to work out the winter wiggles. We've rounded up some of New Jersey's most family-friendly indoor pools where you can either drop in for the day or sign up for an affordable membership.

If you'd rather make a night or weekend of it, you can’t go wrong with any of New Jersey's awesome local indoor water parks—think water slides and wave pools! But if a quick dip in some warm water sounds like the perfect way to spend a chilly day, grab your swimsuits and goggles and scroll down for a list of the best indoor swimming pools in NJ. And when it's summertime, spend a little time in the sun at an outdoor pool that offers day passes.

Find more cold-weather playtime ideas in our Winter Fun Guide.

Is Mardi Gras kid-friendly? If you think of Mardi Gras as a raucous, bawdy, booze-fest, you might not think it’s a very family-friendly event. But, for locals, Mardi Gras is for families.  

I took my nephew to New Orleans for Mardi Gras to celebrate his tenth birthday and I think it’s safe to say that he had the best 10th birthday weekend imaginable. Everywhere we went, we were surrounded by other families and saw first-hand how much people cater to kids at Mardi Gras to make sure they have a great time. Not only did we see anything “adult”, but it was actually an educational trip where we learned a lot about New Orleans and the history and culture of Mardi Gras. 

If you want to plan a Mardi Gras vacation for your family, I’ve created a three-day itinerary that will give you the best of kid-friendly Mardi Gras, plus many other kid-friendly activities to explore New Orleans and its history and culture.  For more New Orleans fun, check our other article, The Best Things To Do in New Orleans With Kids.

At the newly opened Brooklyn Museum education center, kids don't just look at art—they actually become the artists. Named the Toby Devan Lewis Education Center, this large welcoming space invites kids of all ages—and their adults—to get hands-on and contribute to the museum's exhibit.

Guided by friendly museum workers, kids can try their little hands at everything from crafting with clay to making their own zines. Check out what the Brooklyn Museum's new education center has to offer visitors, and start planning your trip to the Brooklyn Museum to explore this newly renovated space.

Finding summer camps in NYC can be especially stressful for your family's finances, and while we want our children to have a fun, rewarding, and safe experience, we don't want to dig into our retirement fund to pay for it. New York City families are lucky because free and cheap summer camps abound all across the five boroughs, where arts and education funding subsidizes some excellent New York City programs so all children can enjoy fantastic summer camps in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

Read on for all our picks for free and affordable summer camps in NYC. Find more summer camps in New York City, including preschool summer camps, great sleepaway summer camps in the Northeast, and STEM summer day camps in our Summer Camp Guide and NYC Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps in NYC by type, age, and neighborhood.

Fun summer camp options abound in Westchester and the Hudson Valley, from traditional day camps to STEM-focused programs to a variety of sports camps. But no matter your child's interests, camp can be a pricey proposition. If you're looking for especially budget-friendly options, we’ve rounded up a selection of the most affordable day camps in the area.

For this 2024 list, we've capped the cost at $500 per week, but most of these are well below that. Many of these camps offer half-day sessions as well as early-bird or sibling discounts. Plus, there are often options for financial aid or scholarships. Even if you don’t see that information listed, you can always ask to see if it’s a possibility.

For even more options, check out our Summer Camps Guide for Westchester & Hudson Valley Kids, or search our Camp Directory. 

Baltimore, Maryland is an incredibly kid-friendly and walkable city full of history, culture, and fun. The famous Inner Harbor offers the impressive National Aquarium, the fantastic Port Discovery Children's Museum, family-friendly restaurants, museums and science centers, and more. And the city is heaven for transportation lovers, with train museums and boats galore.

Baltimore's proximity to our nation's capital doesn't hurt, either. With only about 40 miles separating Washington, DC from Baltimore, it’s easy to visit both cities in one weekend.

Here is our list of 50 fun things to do in Baltimore with kids, including family-friendly Baltimore hotels and restaurants. Check out our Family Travel Guide for even more fun cities to visit across the US and beyond.

When it comes to birthday party places in Brooklyn, local tots have plenty of choices. Entertaining the under-age-5 crowd, plus a small army of their closest friends (and parents), can be tricky. Lucky for us, the borough of Brooklyn is filled with perfect birthday party places to please the diverse interests of enthusiastic toddlers and preschoolers.

Animals, arts and crafts, and even just tumbling around for a few hours are all options at these birthday party places in Brooklyn for preschoolers and toddlers. Read on for our list of 19 top toddler birthday party places in Brooklyn, and find even more birthday party inspiration in our NYC Kids' Birthday Party Guide. You can also use our directory to find more venues, plus party entertainers and supplies.