Well, we survived the heatwave and the biblical-style rainstorm (we took a stroll through northern Central Park during the downpour—it's the first time we've ever been the only ones there!). This week's sweltering humidity inspired us to round up 50 places to cool off with kids in NYC, while our New Jersey peeps decided to get wet on an adventure-filled pirate cruise.

With temperatures in the bearable range and a weekend of sunshine ahead of us, it's a great time for a day trip. Our NJ site has the scoop on family-friendly fun in Atlantic City (really!) while our Connecticut site shares an itinerary for the quaint town of Avon and a profile of the awesome Connecticut Science Center, both in Hartford County.

And if you missed our founder Anna Fader's talk on travel apps at the Apple Store last Saturday, you're in luck: This week she launched a series of posts on our Travel site about her favorites, including hotel and flight booking apps and tools and travel apps for family road trips.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

Getting wet and staying cool seemed to be our theme this week. We launched a brand-new NYC Water Fun Guide, which included two posts we published this week: an in-depth review of Brooklyn Bridge Park's brand-new Pop-Up Pool on Pier 2 and a roundup of private pools that sell day passes. As part of our month-long focus on Williamsburg, we also took a look at the attraction-filled McCarren Park, including its recently reopened public pool.

If you're thinking about taking a weekend trip, our Long Island site has a great guide to family fun on Fire Island, while our New Jersey site rounded up the best kid-friendly restaurants at the Jersey Shore, a great companion post to our original best Jersey Shore beaches. If you're looking for day trip ideas, our NJ site also has a list of 50 free things to do this summer with kids while our Connecticut site has 15 things to do in New London, CT. And if you still need more vacation inspiration, drop by the Apple Store in Soho on Saturday morning to hear MommyPoppins' founder, Anna Fader, talk about the best travel apps for families.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

If one more person asks, "Is it hot enough for you?" we just may snap. (Lucky for them we're too tired to fight back.) If the heat's getting to you too, there are plenty of ways to cool off in the city, like pools, beaches and sprinklers, plus we just put together a list of playgrounds with lots of shade, which we added to our brand-new NYC Parks & Playgrounds Guide.

The Urban Park Rangers are currently holding lotteries for their free family campouts in NYC parks. If your family is lucky enough to snag a spot, our L.A. site has a great post with tips for camping with kids. Our New Jersey site shared an awesome list of mostly free apps to prevent "summer slide." Meanwhile on Long Island, we've got a roundup of 62 things to do on the East End this summer, in case you're heading that way.

If you missed Macy's spectacular sparklers on Wednesday night, don't fret: There are plenty of fireworks coming up, both in the 'burbs and right here in NYC. For example, next Wednesday the New York Philharmonic kicks off its series of free concerts in every borough, and there will be fireworks after all of the outdoor shows. There are also a couple of free family movie series starting up next week, including RiverFlicks for Kids in the West Village and Williamsburg's SummerStarz, plus Clearview Cinemas will be showing free kids' movies on Wednesday and Thursday mornings through the end of August.

You can find more info about all of these cool programs in our Summer Fun Guide. Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

We've had a really explosive week. Not only did summer break arrive, we also rounded up spectacular fireworks displays— in New York City and beyond. Although Macy's spectacular takes place on the Fourth of July, many towns in New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island celebrate Independence Day this weekend with their own awesome fireworks shows. If you're out of town over the holiday, don't worry: We've also rounded up free fireworks displays throughout the summer so you can still get a bang for no bucks.

Speaking of no-cost fun, we also posted a list of 100 free things to do this summer so you can have a fun-filled but budget conscious staycation. If you're looking for vacation inspiration, try browsing our Travel site. We just shared a slide show of our trip to Beaches Negril Jamaica, an all-inclusive Caribbean resort.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

We've written a lot about the awesome family shows at TADA!, NYC's premier youth theater company. The original musicals are always sweet and smart, and performed by kids for their peers.

Of course once your children see a TADA! show, they'll probably beg to do one (my daughter certainly did). Luckily, TADA! doesn't just entertain NYC families. The troupe also runs popular camps and classes for kids. One of the best things about TADA!'s programs is that your child doesn't need to be a Broadway baby to attend. No audition is required and enthusiasm is prized over ability, so it's a noncompetitive and fun environment.

We're giving away three great TADA! prizes: one week of summer camp, a semester-long class and a family four-pack of tickets to the company's summertime musical, Everything About School (Almost). All told, that's more than $850 in prizes!

Read on for more info on the camps and classes TADA! offers, and the scoop on how to enter to win these great prizes.

Summer break, summer heat, summer camp—summer is all anyone's talking about. This week on our NYC site, we added a bunch of new posts to our Summer Fun Guide, including info on where to watch Macy's 4th of July Fireworks, a roundup of free boating programs and a list of family-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating. We also launched our first-ever NYC Kids Visitors Guide, so tourists can get to know our city the way we do (although even if you're a native, we suspect there are still things for you to discover).

On our New Jersey site, the summer fun continued with a roundup of water parks (including Sahara Sam's, which we're running a deal on) and a post about the best spots to watch those Macy's sparklers from across the Hudson. Our Long Island site also has a roundup of amusement parks that make for great day trips. If you're planning to head to Cape Cod this summer, our Travel site has a list of 25 things to do in Wellfleet.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

Father's Day is the main event on all of our sites this week. Out in New Jersey, you can take dad hiking or for a swanky wine tasting; on Long Island activities include skydiving and sports; and in Connecticut there's a cool car show. Plus our Boston site shared four easy recipes kids can prepare for the man of the house.

Here in NYC, there are plenty of fun family events to choose from this weekend like National GeekDad Day at the New York Hall of Science and a Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island. My family and I visited the isle for the first time this season just last weekend, and this year's sculpture garden and mini-golf course are really exceptional. Now located on the grassy Parade Grounds, the artwork is truly eye-popping, like a life-size Statue of Liberty head sticking out of the ground and a giant TV you can climb inside. Plus there's a giant treehouse with a slide, biking, strolling, picnicking and amazing views. Seems like the perfect Father's Day staycation.

Looking ahead to summer, which officially arrives next week, we rounded up the best free outdoor movie series for families and posted about 4th of July fireworks cruises. And if you're planning any big vacations over break, be sure to check our family travel site for a slew of awesome suggestions.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

We had a lot of time off from school this week to enjoy some of the cool summer attractions we've been posting about. We made funky music by touching the sculptures in Madison Square Park's interactive art installation Pet Sounds, and spent a lot of time playing at a few of our favorite water playgrounds. Considering many public schools recently cancelled the two final full days of classes, it looks like families will have even more time explore early summer fun. However, if you're a working parent in need of child care and aren't sure what you're going to do, check out our camp sale. Fifteen programs are offering discounts of up to 65% and many are in session that last week of June. Hurry: The deals end this Sunday.

If you're looking to take a day trip, our Connecticut site rounded up summer fairs and festivals in both Fairfield and Hartford Counties, and we've got more of the same on our New Jersey site. Many of the fests take place this weekend, including the famous Rubber Ducky Festival in NJ's Berkeley Heights. Here in NYC, a few free summer culture series kicked off this week, including Celebrate Brooklyn! and SummerStage, which is hosting its first Family Day in Brooklyn this Sunday.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.