New York City

New Year's Eve Weekend in New York City with Kids: Best Ways to Count Down to 2026

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The big ball drop in Times Square is an unforgettable New Year's Eve sight, if you can handle the crowds! Photo by Michael Hull

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this New Year's Eve weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this New Year's holiday weekend.

It's time to ring in 2026, and you don't have to stay up until midnight on Wednesday to get in on the fun. Teens can count down to the New Year by making origami fortune cookies at the NYPL, families can take a first-day hike in Central Park or Prospect Park to start the year on the right foot, or watch the Coney Island Polar Bear Club members take their annual frigid dip in the Atlantic.

We've got picks for fun lasting all through the long weekend below, plus more fun on our list of fun things to do between Christmas and New Year's. It's also the last chance to check out many of our favorite holiday happenings.

The Best Family-Friendly Openings of 2025—Plus What’s Coming in 2026 Across NYC, NJ & Beyond

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Seeing the drones take flight at the NYBG last summer was a memorable family outing. Photo by author

The holiday hubub is mostly behind us—sugar cookie crumbs and piles of presents still waiting to be put away excepted—and that means it's time to look back at the year that was for families in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New Jersey. So, today, we're bringing you this list of our top family-friendly openings of 2025, plus offering a sneak peek at the fun on the horizon in 2026.

As always, thanks for joining us on all the adventures we've encountered, and cheers to a new year and new openings in the tri-state area.

Top Things To Do with Kids in NYC in January 2026, from MP Editors

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Museo del Barrio's The Three Kings Day Parade takes over the streets of East Harlem Photo by Mommy Poppins

From New Year's Day to MLK weekend, January can be a great time for indoor and outdoor activities. Don't miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in New York City this month.

The new year gets off to a thrilling (and chilling) start when Coney Island Polar Bear Club members plunge into the freezing Atlantic on Wednesday, January 1, and families are welcome to join in (or just watch, which I recommend). Catch up with the Three Kings as they hand out gifts on the Lower East Side, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at BAM's always-moving tribute. Close down the first month of 2026 by helping Wollman Rink break a World Record!

New York City New Year’s Eve Guide 2025 for Families: Kid-Friendly Events, Fireworks & More

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The ball drops at noon at CMOM! Photo courtesy of the museum

New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and there are lots of ways to ring in 2026 in New York City with kids, even if staying up late is not on your family's agenda. We've rounded up the city's best family-friendly New Year's Eve celebrations, including Times Square's legendary ball drop. Our family-friendly picks include the fireworks over Prospect Park and a special Big Apple Circus performance. However you welcome the new year, we hope it's a blast.

You can find even more seasonal fun in our Holiday Guide for NYC Families, and be sure to check out our post on fun things to do over Christmas vacation.

Best Sledding Hills in NYC

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Central Park has some great hills for a fast ride. Photo by Jody Mercier

When the flakes fly, the sledding hills in New York City really come to life. Families flock to these local sledding spots spread across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island for wintertime fun with the kids. In compiling our list of the best sledding hills in NYC, we asked our readers, family, and Mommy Poppins writers and editors for their top recommendations for sledding hills citywide.

Looking for more snowy day activities? Read our roundup of snow day boredom busters, and bookmark our NYC Kids Guide to Winter Fun for more seasonal activities.

Christmas Weekend 2025 in NYC Top Things To Do: Caroling, Kwanzaa, and More

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The eye-popping displays of the Dyker Lights are a holiday must-see in NYC. Photo by Jody Mercier

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

You may still have gifts to wrap (or—gulp—shop for) and stockings to hang, but there's festive fun to be had all weekend and beyond. Some of my annual Christmas favorites include singing carols under the Washington Square Arch, catching a holiday show, and checking out the Dyker Lights.

Plus, families can celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, have an intergalactic Space Glide at NYSCI, or catch the Nefesh Mountain Family Concert at the Jewish Museum.

No matter how you celebrate, Happy Holidays from the Mommy Poppins team!

23 Fun Winter Day Trips from NYC

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Hit the ice at the scenic Mohonk Mountan House, which offers winter day passes to enjoy its spectacular resort amenities. Photo courtesy of the venue

Winter is officially here, and this list of winter day trips from New York City will undoubtedly come in handy. Whether you prefer spending the winter months snuggling on the couch or frolicking in the snow, sometimes you just need to get out of town for a change of pace.

We've pulled together this list of family-friendly, fun-filled winter day trips near NYC that appeal to all interests, from budding artists to full-fledged ski bunnies. Best of all, these destinations are all two hours or less from New York City by car, and we think they're all worth the trip.

Find more winter day trips from NYC in our Day Trip and Weekend Getaways Guide and our Guide to Winter Fun, which is filled with more fun ways to embrace the season, like snow tubing day trips, our favorite ski slopes, and more.

MoMath Is Getting a Glow-Up and We Got a Sneak Peek of the Hands-On Fun That's Coming

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Math is all around you at MoMath, including on the spiral staircase that surrounds a parabola!

My family has been longtime fans of the Museum of Math, meeting the team behind this hands-on museum long before it had a brick-and-mortar location on the Math Midway during the old days of the World Science Festival, so we were thrilled to visit it's original location on 26th Street and couldn't be more excited for what's in store for this inventive, hands-on museum in 2026.

Mark your calendars for a February opening of MoMath 2.0—a sprawling new permanent location for this mecca of problem-solving, puzzles, and interactive learning. I got a behind-the-scenes look on a hard-hat tour last week and can't wait to return with my kids! Read on for a look at the fun in store and find more hands-on fun in our NYC Kids' Guide to Museums and Galleries.

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