This Week: Free Ice Cream, July 4th in NYC & Beyond, Summer Travel Deals

7/2/15 - By Raven Snook

We're just one week into summer break and already my kid has made her own chocolate, gone to her first commuter camp outside the city and changed her name to Blue. I can't wait to see what adventures the rest of the season has in store!

Two things I know we'll be doing this 4th of July weekend are stalking the Good Humor Truck that's giving out FREE ice cream and staking out a spot to watch Macy's Fireworks. But if your family is itching to hightail it out of town for a holiday day trip, our regional sites have posts about the most explosive Independence Day celebrations in Westchester, New Jersey, on Long Island and beyond, all probably much less crowded than Macy's.

Looking to plan out the rest of your month? We just published a roundup of the best things to do throughout July in NYC, and our Travel site has a list of awesome summer travel deals to destinations near (Boston) and far (Rome!), plus details on a Puerto Vallarta trip giveaway.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Get out your calendar! Our July GoList highlights the top family events throughout the month, including FREE annual favorites like City of Water Day, and SummerStage Family Days in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

Don't put your calendar away yet: We've also got a roundup of the best summer fairs and festivals in NYC.

Let's all scream for FREE ice cream! We've got the scoop on where to find the Good Humor Truck that's giving out no-cost frozen treats in Manhattan.

Our Philly site reviewed the new immersive superhero spectacle The Marvel Experience, which travels to NYC in August.

Summer is the season of FREE alfresco movies. To help you plan, we rounded up 45 kid-friendly flicks screening outdoors in July, and organized them by date!

We wrapped up our month-long focus on Little Neck, Queens with a list of the top places to play in the neighborhood, both indoors and out.

Day trip idea: Head to nearby Hudson Valley for its annual hot-air balloon festival next weekend, featuring a record hundred launches.

Best bets for the 4th of July weekend include multiple fireworks displays, Central Park's SummerStage Global Family Day and the opening of the new Hunger Games exhibit at Discovery Times Square.