From turkey legs and jousting to fairies and fire-whip shows, Texas Ren Fest is a fun-filled, immersive experience my family looks forward to year after year.

The Texas Renaissance Festival is back for its 51st season and, whether you’re first-timers or big fans, you’ll want to make sure it’s at the top of your fall bucket list. Held at “New Market Village” in Todd Mission–about an hour northwest of Houston–the largest and most acclaimed Renaissance-themed attraction in the county goes down every weekend from now through the end of November, including the long Thanksgiving weekend.

As a Houston mom, Texas Ren Fest has been a beloved annual tradition for my family ever since my oldest was in a stroller, so here’s everything parents need to know, based on years of personal experience.

New York City is home to many incredible museums, from the mighty Metropolitan Museum of Art to lesser-known gems, like the single-room Mmuseumm. It would take weeks to visit every museum in NYC scattered throughout the five boroughs.

Luckily, some of New York City's best museums are clustered together along the Upper East Side's aptly named Museum Mile. Whether you're a local or a visitor, I invite you to explore this stretch of Fifth Avenue, which is home to my favorite museums in NYC—plus some lovely Central Park destinations. If it feels intimidating to tackle the area and its many attractions, don't worry: I've put together a personal itinerary for the perfect day exploring Museum Mile.

Think you know Halloween? Think again. We’ve brewed up 31 Halloween fun facts for kids to turn you into a wise witch or wizard guaranteed to impress all the ghouls at the costume party.

What is behind this holiday on which we encourage kids to tread on others’ property and take candy from literal strangers, anyway? From its haunted history to some seriously spooky secrets and creepy coincidences, get ready to delight your trick-or-treaters with trivia and Halloween fun facts for kids about All Hallows’ Eve.

For more ways to make your spooky season spectacular, check out our Halloween Activities Guide for Families, packed with everything from easy pumpkin carving to 101 kids' Halloween costume ideas.

Advent calendars are the perfect way to turn a torturous wait for the holidays into excited anticipation. I have to confess, I am a bit of an advent calendar obsessive; last holiday season we had eight going for our family of four, plus one for each of the cats! My kids each had a toy one (Lego for my son, Harry Potter for my daughter) and a candy one, I had a wine advent calendar, my husband had a dark chocolate one, and we always have a family one and a kindness advent.

Find the perfect one, or two, for everyone in your family—from baby’s first to something for your blasé teen—from this list of the very best advent calendars for 2025. But hurry—the coolest advent calendars sell out fast.

For more Christmas activities that get kids in the holiday mood, check out our Guide to Christmas Activities and Holiday Fun for Kids. And for the perfect gift for everyone on your list, our Gift Guide has unique, tested, and beloved recommendations for kids of every age and interest.

Space Play Academy, a new space-themed indoor playground, has opened in Hillsborough, NJ—and it's out of this world. This spot offers a great mix of active and imaginary play activities that are perfect for kids under 11 or so. We recently visited this unique play spot and were so impressed by how many fun things there are to do.

Check out our Guide to Indoor Play Spaces in New Jersey for lots more places to have indoor fun in NJ. 

By the time you've reached your baby's first birthday, you're probably ready for a big milestone celebration. Congratulations on your first year of parenting!

After all, you've survived sleepless nights, blowouts, mounds of laundry, and lived to tell the tale. Birthday parties are big business in New York City; where you celebrate that first milestone depends largely on how big you want to go, and how much cash you wish to spend. Keeping in mind that you've got years of birthday parties in your future, we've rounded up 10 spots in Manhattan to celebrate that all-important first birthday.

Whether the party is about your kid and his or her crew, or you need to cater more to grown-ups than little people, we've got a spot for you. So prime the camera and get ready to celebrate. You'll find all our birthday planning tips in our NYC Kids' Guide to Birthday Parties. 

Got teens? How about toddlers? 5th graders? How about all the above? If you are scratching your head and trying to find something to do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley that checks the box for all ages, we've got you covered.

Read on for outdoor activities, cultural activities, entertainment centers, food, and some tips and tricks from our family to yours, in all their forms and levels of maturity! Who knows, there might even be something on our list to keep your spouse entertained, but I will not guess their maturity level. I can only tell you mine seems to have frozen at around age 12.

Find lots more things to do in the region in our Guide to Getaways and Day Trips from Westchester & Hudson Valley.

Long Island is overflowing with fantastic family activities for kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens. 

From a day at one of the East End's family-friendly farms and wineries to indoor play spaces to exploring one of Long Island's treasured museums, we'll help you plan a fun day that will delight the whole brood. Read on for 25 awesome LI family activities, as well as some tips for keeping the day free of stress for everyone.

Check out our Ultimate Bucket List: 100 Things to do on Long Island with Kids Before They Grow Up for even more family-friendly fun.