Culture Pass NYC Lets You Use Your Library Card to Get into NYC Museums and Gardens for Free

Take advantage of Culture Pass for access to world class museums and programs, like those at the Sugar Hill Museum. Photo by Janet Bloom

Thanks to your library card and the Culture Pass NYC program, New York's cultural treasures—from museums to gardens, performing arts institutions, and more—are all just a few keystrokes away. While New York is home to some of the world's greatest cultural institutions, visiting them all with your family regularly can seriously add up. So, while we're always on the hunt for free times to visit NYC museums, if you're a current cardholder at the New York, Brooklyn, or Queens Public Library, you're going to want to read on for the details on how to unlock the NYC Culture Pass benefit.

75 Best Movies for Kids: Top Family Movie Night Ideas

These kids' movies are classic hits!

Looking for fresh family movie night ideas? Here are some of the best movies for kids of all ages, from toddlers all the way through teens.

Family movie night is always exciting... until you spend so much time choosing a movie everyone can agree on, it's already past bedtime. We are here to save family movie night by sharing 75 of the best movies for kids of all ages. From classic family-friendly movies we all grew up watching to popular Disney and Pixar flicks to movies that will thrill tweens and teens, there are family movies on this list to please everyone.

So get out the popcorn, grab a blanket, and check out this list of the 75 best movies for kids. Then visit our Guide to Boredom Busters for Kids for more ideas for family fun night, from the 100 best board games for kids and family game night to the 100 best kids' TV shows of all time.

Best Travel of 2023: Our Favorite Cities, Beaches, Hotels, and More for a Family Vacation

Head overseas to breathtaking Seoul, South Korea and make a stop at the Coex Aquarium. Photo by Diana Kim

Here at Mommy Poppins we've definitely got the travel bug, and we love to share our favorite family travel destinations with all of our readers. Luckily, we went to some pretty awesome places in 2023. We soaked up the sun on beaches from Florida to Belize; explored amazing US cities in the South, Midwest, and West; caught thrills at some great theme parks and water parks; and even went abroad to Seoul, South Korea and Oslo, Norway.

We shared some less-conventional types of travel, too. Outdoorsy families will love our lists of the best US glamping spots, family-friendly river rafting trips, and even some fabulous kid-friendly wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here are our favorite family vacation destinations of 2023, including some great hotel and resort suggestions. Check out our Family Travel Guide for even more great places to visit with your family—we've got big plans in store for 2024!

Best Indoor Water Parks near NYC for a Warm Getaway

The River Canyon Run at Great Wolf Lodge is a raft slide the whole family can enjoy!

Indoor water parks offer summertime-style family thrills year-round, and many are just a car ride away from the New York City metro area. With winter's chill upon us, many families look for ways to escape the city for a warmer locale, but jet-setting to a tropical island might not always be a possibility. Instead, stay a little closer to home and visit one of these indoor water parks in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Hudson Valley, which are sure to help beat the winter blues.

We've found 10 warm and wet indoor water parks nearby perfect for kids and families and all are less than 2½ hours from Midtown Manhattan. Most indoor water parks keep temperatures a hot and humid 85 degrees year-round, creating a perfect beach day in any season. So leave the sunscreen at home, dust off that bathing suit, and hit the water.

Check out our Guide to Day Trips and Weekend Getaways for more destination inspiration.

The Children's Museum in West Hartford: New Home, New Focus

The Children's Museum in West Hartford has a new home for interactive and educational exhibits that are sure to delight Connecticut kids. Photo courtesy of the author.

Is the Children's Museum in West Hartford worth a visit? Yes! Imagine a museum where you and your toddler or preschooler could spend the morning exploring chemistry, geology, entomology, and more. Where all the displays are immersive, interactive, and STEAM-based. Best of all, the exhibits at the Children's Museum are hands-on.

The Coolest New Stuff for Families in NYC Metro Area – Our 2023 Review

The American Museum of Natural History debuted the Gilder Center last spring. Photo by Jody Mercier

'Tis the season for celebrations and year-in-review stories, and the Mommy Poppins team is toasting these 17 family-friendly 2023 openings. From a wet-and-wild playground at Legoland New York to AMNH's expansive museum expansion with the Gilder Center and plenty more fun places for family playtime, 2023 brought a ton of new kid-friendly attractions for our readers to enjoy in New York City, New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester and the Hudson Valley, and beyond.

We can't wait to see what 2024 has in store—and thank you, our dear readers, for following along this year. Cheers to you—and another year of bringing you the best things to do with kids.

Houston Crown Jewel Hermann Park is Getting an Awesome Revamp

Hermann Park's update includes a new 2-acre play space aimed at kids. Photo by Lifted Up Aerial Photography courtesy of the Hermann Park Conservancy

The new year is bringing an exciting update to Hermann Park, one of Houston’s favorite spaces. Slated to open in January 2024, the $52 million Hermann Park update will bring kid-friendly improvements to a park that's already beloved for its lush green spaces. 

A day with the kids at Hermann Park has always been filled with fun activities like feeding ducks and pedal boating around the lake, museum hopping, picnicking, and rolling down grassy hills. Thanks to the refresh, the city’s iconic park is about to be even better for visiting families with the addition of The Commons at Hermann Park, which boasts several new spaces aimed at kids.  

If you're a Hermann Park first-timer, be sure to browse our Beginner’s Guide to Exploring Hermann Park before you head that way.

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