Families who pine for old neighborhood joints take note: NYC is still home to a collection of old-fashioned soda fountains, where hopping on a barstool is akin to climbing aboard a time travel machine. These classic New York City soda fountains serve up plenty of fun alongside soda fountain treats like towering ice cream sundaes, creamy milkshakes and malts, and even a classic egg cream.

The next time you want to give your kids a sweet treat with a side of nostalgia, consider visiting one of these soda fountains in NYC, which range from Carroll Gardens' Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain to the Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side. No matter where you are from Brooklyn to Queens, Manhattan to Brooklyn, and even on Staten Island, we've found a soda fountain in NYC near you.

Find more kid-friendly eats and treats in our NYC Restaurant Guide for Families.

A ride on one of these carousels in NYC makes for a wonderfully nostalgic outing. It's the simplest of amusement park attractions, and there are more than a dozen merry-go-rounds in New York City alone. It's easy to stumble upon them on your next park outing if you know where to look.

Each of these New York City carousels offers a unique spin on this traditional kiddie ride, from harbor views to a ride inside an iridescent fish. We've rounded up the best merry-go-rounds in all five boroughs. Find more rides, games, and entertainment in our Guide to Amusement Parks and Water Parks in NYC. 

Turn a stuck-at-home day into a lasting memory.

The Adirondacks Mountains are one of the most idyllic family vacation spots in the Northeast. The enormous, pristine natural setting features numerous lakes and quaint towns sprinkled across gorgeous mountains. Visitors to the Adirondack Mountains find tons of all-season outdoor adventures as well as fun, family-friendly attractions. While Lake Placid and Lake George draw throngs of visitors, we opted to stay in Schroon Lake, a cute town that's a little more laid-back, centrally located, and makes a great jumping-off point to explore the region.

Visitors can spend time hiking, boating, skiing, sledding, and even bobsledding or speed skating! In short, the Adirondack Mountains offer tons of things to do, no matter your family's interests. We've rounded up our top picks, whether you want to immerse yourself in history at Fort Ticonderoga, connect with nature at the Wild Center, or slide onto Mirror Lake in a toboggan, the Adirondack Mountains are a dreamy destination for a memorable family vacation. Of course, we've even got some options for great Adirondack hotels so you have somewhere to unwind following your Adirondack Mountains adventures.

Find more family vacation ideas in our Adirondacks, Catskills & Hudson Valley Family Travel Guide.

When it comes to saving money on culture, there are tons of free museum days and free admission hours offered at a wide variety of New York City's top museums, zoos, gardens, and cultural institutions. Many of these local cultural hubs offer free or reduced admission on certain nights, days, or hours at least once a month—a city perk no busy, cash-strapped parent should miss! Plus, many grown-up museums let kids in for free year-round.

It can be hard to keep track of when and where these free museum days in NYC are available, so we've compiled an exhaustive list of reduced or free admission days at our favorite NYC cultural spots from the Bronx Zoo to the Brooklyn Children's Museum and every free museum in between.

As always, you can visit our Family Activity Calendar for more budget-friendly kid activities every day or visit our NYC Museum Guide for the latest kid-friendly exhibitions in NYC. Also, don't forget to put your library card to work for free admission at many of these same places!

When the weatherman predicts a snow day, you can almost hear the collective cries of joy from children—and the sighs of resignation from the adults who will miss work to entertain a house of stir-crazy kids. Before your brood drives you batty, scan through this list of 50 indoor activities just right for a snow day, from baking projects (hot chocolate on a stick) to cool crafts (toy parachutes) and fun games for kids (indoor snowball fight). Have fun—and good luck!

Find more crafts, recipes, at-home projects, and science experiments in our Boredom Busters Activities Guide, or venture outdoors with these snow games and activities.

Nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, the city of Asheville is a popular travel destination for families looking to hike, swim, and enjoy nature. But there are so many things to do in Asheville, NC beyond the great outdoors. There's the famous Biltmore Estate and its extensive grounds, a thriving food and arts scene, kid-friendly local breweries like Sierra Nevada Asheville, and so much more.

Read on for 40 of the best family-friendly attractions, restaurants, and things to do in Asheville, NC with kids. We've also included a few incredible Asheville hotels, including the Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the famous annual National Gingerbread House Competition.

Find more family-fun destinations in our Family Travel City Guides, and be sure to check our picks for North Carolina's best beaches for families.