It's hard to beat Park Slope for a day of family fun. With its tree- and brownstone-lined streets, high-performing public schools, destination playgrounds, family-friendly restaurants, and host of cultural and kids' activities—not to mention the natural beauty and kid-friendly things to do in Prospect Park—Park Slope is one of the best family neighborhoods in NYC.

The Slope is a true community: Local shopkeepers know their regulars by name, neighbors sit and chat on their front stoops, and parents share info and swap baby items on the massive online board Park Slope Parents. For our purposes, we're defining Park Slope as stretching from Fourth Avenue to the eastern side of Prospect Park, and from Flatbush Avenue south to Prospect Avenue. Here are our top 50 things to do with kids in Park Slope, from culture to eating, shopping, and playing.

Throwing a big kid’s birthday party in the winter months has been tough these past couple of years. Nothing guarantees a sad birthday tween more than a cold, masked, socially distanced, and minimally attended birthday party. While there are some cool big kid birthday party venues in New York City, most people still aren't comfortable celebrating indoors. But, armed with a little creativity and a can-do attitude, we've found eight DIY—or do-it-with-a-little-help—ideas for outdoor birthday parties that ensure your next big kid celebration ends in some wide birthday smiles!

Find more all-ages ideas to celebrate in our Guide to Kids' Birthday Parties in NYC.

We could all use a little bright spot during these droll winter months. For fun little pick-me-up, head over to Brooklyn's family-friendly Industry City, which has unveiled The Pool, a new large-scale, outdoor interactive installation from Jen Lewin, the artist behind Reflect which illuminated Domino Park in 2021.

With the Olympics underway, the athletes on the small screen might just be inspiring a generation of little New Yorkers to follow in their footsteps. If your kid has caught Olympic fever, set up a lesson at one of these local NYC venues where your kids (or kids-at-heart) can train like—or even be trained by—Olympians.

Read on for 16 Olympic-inspired places to train in New York City, ranging from the city's best ice skating rinks to the top ski areas nearby, or even plan an epic trip to Lake Placid, the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

February is recognized nationally as Black History Month, and New York City has long been a place of historical significance in the African American community. From the myriad cultural experiences to civil rights and social justice movements rooted here, it's essential to pay tribute to the immense contributions Black Americans and people of African descent have made to the five boroughs. We want to encourage families to celebrate and support the dynamic Black-owned businesses that bring Black Joy to our NYC communities every day of the year by shining a light on a selection of them.

From notable museums and theaters to soulful restaurants, monuments, parks, sculptures, and more honoring the rich Black experience in New York, this list is 39 strong, yet merely a jumping-off point to inspire you to enjoy and support the contributions of the Black community to NYC. If you want to start your exploration of Black History at home, why not pick up one of these 30+ children's books celebrating the Black experience—many centered on or written in NYC.

In-person performances are back and you don't need to dig into your 401(k) to give your kids a memorable live theater experience in NYC. This winter, there are lots of family-friendly productions that cost a sliver of what you'd pay to see one of our favorite Broadway productions.

There are wonderful winter theater options for kids of all ages from toddlers to teens, including shows aimed specifically at the preschool set (Sesame Street Live, Blippi: The Musical); stage adaptations of popular picture books (Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends); and eye-popping spectacles for the whole family (the aerial arts-filled The Little Prince, Flip Circus). Bonus: Some of our winter theater picks are also being streamed to at-home audiences.

Best of all, most of these 15 family-friendly winter theater shows have tickets starting at $25 or less, so you can take the whole family for less than the price of one Broadway seat!

A visit to the movies is tempting in the cold of winter, but if you're not quite ready for the crowds at the local mega theater, now is the perfect time to rediscover the magic of the movies with a visit to one of the children's film festivals and independent theaters that call New York City home.

The midwinter season is home to a trio of indie film fests that cater to the kid-sized set, with the BAMkids Film Festival and FIAF's Animation First Fest taking to the screens in February, while the New York International Children's Film Festival brings back in-person programming in March. Read on for details on these children's film festivals, plus other local festivals and film series catering to kids.

When it comes to travel convenience, charm, and a real feeling of escaping every day, it's hard to beat a getaway to New York's Catskills. Near enough to the NYC metro area for a quick weekend trip, the region is packed with small-town charm, yet overflows with family-friendly destinations from ski resorts to alpaca farms and everything in between.

In short, if you're looking for a family-friendly weekend escape, look no further than this list of 15 family-friendly Catskills resorts. Once you've booked your accommodations, start plotting your other must-do's with our picks for 25 things to do in the Catskills with kids and find more local travel inspiration in our Guide to Weekend Getaways and Family Day Trips.