Presented by Pages to Pirouettes, The Nutcracker returns to the Free Library stage! Photo courtesy of the event
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Rose Tree Park glimmers at night, welcoming visitors to enjoy a wintery walk at Festival of Lights. Photo courtesy of the park
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The amazing Smedley Street Christmas Light Spectacular.display is back! Photo courtesy of the venue
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Santa roams Philadelphia's Christmas Village all season long. Photo courtesy of Kory Aversa for Christmas Village.
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Take a sparkling selfie at the Miracle on South 13th Street. Photo by K. Kelly for Visit Philadelphia
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The zoo lights are aglow at LumiNature. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Zoo
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Curiosity meets discovery in Body Odyssey, where the walkthrough Giant Heart is just the beginning.
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Photo courtesy of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
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Kids under 18 are always free at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo by Liz Baill
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Fishtown families flock to Penn Treaty Park for the waterfront views, special events, and open space. Photo by M. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia
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Grand Slam U.S.A. challenges you to a game of laser tag! Photo courtesy of the center
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Build birthday memories brick by brick at LEGOLAND. Photo courtesy of LEGOLAND
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Ricketts Glen State Park is a family-friendly destination with awesome activities for all ages. Photo of Ricketts Glen by the author
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Put your skills to the test on the obstacle course at Urban Air. Photo courtesy of Urban Air
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Visit the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), located in the heart of Old City.
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Take in 300 years of history on Elfreth's Alley. Photo courtesy of the museum
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In addition to Pay-What-You-Wish First Sundays, kids 18 and under are always free at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of the museum
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Turn your eye of the tiger into the eye of an artist at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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Learn all about fire safety and the history of firefighters in Philly at the Fireman's Hall Museum.Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
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Take a bikde ride through Doylestown. Photo by Rose Gordon Sala
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Six Flag Great Adventure brings big-time thrills and is one of our favorite amusement parks in New Jersey.
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Both babies and dogs love stroller walks for some fresh air. Photo courtesy of Gina Massaro for Mommy Poppins
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Parents eat while kids climb and slide at Craft Hall.
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Pony rides always bring out smiles at Linvilla Orchards. Photo courtesy of the orchard
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Try a whiz-wit at Tony Luke's, a reliable Philly cheesesteak spot with multiple locations. Photo courtesy of J. Varney for GPTMC
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Challenge the rope bridge and zip line at Elmwood Park Zoo. Photo courtesy of the zoo
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Blue Cross RiverRink is open for Summerfest in the warmer months and Winterfest in the colder months. Photo courtesy of J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
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Kids can zoom down the slide and, of course, launch scarves at Kith + Kin. Photo courtesy of Kith + Kin
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No one walks the plank, but everyone has fun with with Scallywag’s Pirate Adventures in Erie. Photo courtesy of Scallywag's Pirate Adventures.
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Take a hike: Family getaways are a great opportunity to reconnect with nature.
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Things To Do in NYC this Weekend with Kids: Music, Books, and Colonial Crafts

Eataly's cooking classes teach kids the history and process of making a beloved Italian street food. Photo courtesy of Eataly
Eataly's cooking classes teach kids the history and process of making a beloved Italian street food. Photo courtesy of Eataly
1/8/20 - By Drew Kristofik

We've got a song in our hearts this weekend, and not just because the All-Ages Music Showcase is making its annual appearance Sunday (although, for real, you can see Lucy Kalantari, Gustafer Yellowgold, The Pop Ups, The Rockness Monsters, and more for 10 bucks). In searching for things to do, we're also ready to Dance in the Dark at the Brooklyn Bowl's Springsteen tribute, and commune with Beethoven at Alice Tully. Brooklyn's Barbes hosts an awesome new show by composer Michael Hearst, too. Plus, Midtown's new art installation, Impulse, uses seesaws that emit music and light to paint the town fun.

If history is more your speed, amble up to the New-York Historical Society and learn about the pioneering women who worked in commerce in 18th century NYC. Morris-Jumel also shares some colonial crafting secrets, or you can ponder history in the making at the New Victory's, Cartography.

Books, you say? Why, yes. Come right this way! Sugar Hill's got the Three Little Pigs by the tail, Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath at Books of Wonder's uptown location, and the Brooklyn Book Bodega is handing out kid lit all afternoon Sunday. And you can catch a new take on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book at Symphony Space, too!

Don't forget to scroll through our curated Winter Events Guide and our helpful January Go List. And remember, our team of highly trained kid fun experts is tirelessly scouring the city, finding great events for the MommyPoppins calendar. 

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Explore modern and contemporary art together at the MoMA's Tours for Fours. Photo courtesy of the museum.
Explore modern and contemporary art together at the MoMA's Tours for Fours. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Things To Do in NYC All Weekend

Impulse

Midtown West — FREE
12 over-sized illuminating seesaws radiate light and emit musical elements, creating an exciting ‘urban playground’ in the heart of Midtown and transforming Broadway into a gleaming winter wonderland. READ MORE

Tours for Fours: Artful Storytelling

Midtown West — FREE
The Museum of Modern Art's Tours for Fours program invites families to look, listen, and share ideas while exploring modern and contemporary art. READ MORE

Cartography

Midtown West
The stories of young refugees come into focus as Cartography asks what part we play in the lives of young people who set out into the unsure waters of their futures. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Cyclical Calendars and Fractal Phenology

The Bronx
Get intentional about how you want to spend your year and create goals for yourself that mimic nature’s natural processes. Look to the moon, seedlings that bloom and seasonal cycles to chart your own growth. READ MORE
Explore the period rooms at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, and visit colonial kitchen for crafting. Photo courtesy of the museum
Explore the period rooms at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, and visit colonial kitchen for crafting. Photo courtesy of the museum

Things To Do in NYC on Saturday, January 11

What's "Anthropomorphic"? Body Buildings!

The Battery
Buildings have skeletons just like people do! Kids trace their bodies on poster paper and use their own “skeleton frames” as a starting place for designing a building as unique as they are. Register in advance, by Friday, January 10.   READ MORE

APEC Welcome to the Neighborhood

Oakland Gardens, Queens — FREE
Check out Alley Pond's temporary location at this open house with animal interactions, arts and crafts, musical fun, and healthy refreshments. READ MORE

Kids Kitchen: Roman Street Food

Financial District
Bambini (ages 6-12) are invited to learn about the history and process of making one of the most loved Italian street foods, suppli (fried rice balls filled with fresh mozzarella cheese). READ MORE

Colonial Life at the Mansion

Washington Heights
Discover colonial life at the Mansion by exploring the period rooms, and then visit colonial kitchen to create colonial crafts, including corn husk figures and herb sachets. READ MORE

Meet Linda Marshall, author of Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit!

Upper West Side — FREE
Celebrate the launch of Linda Marshall's latest picture book, Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. The author shares this heartwarming biography, answers questions from the audience, and signs copies of her books. READ MORE

Just Kidding: The Jungle Book

Upper West Side
A new theatrical adaptation of the works of Rudyard Kipling re-imagines his classic stories through modern eyes, transporting the audience to the urban jungle to relive Mowgli’s childhood in the wilds of India with Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther, and more. READ MORE

Family Day: Building Bridges (SOLD OUT)

Greenwich Village
Families learn about different types of bridges and how they work, then create their own bridges to span one of NYC’s rivers, canals, or busy streets. READ MORE

Storytime: The Three Little Pigs by Repertorio Español

Sugar Hill
Repertorio Español presents Eduardo Navas and his Scaramouches Puppet Theatre, telling the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs. READ MORE

Curious, Unusual, and Extraordinary!

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Quirky author and composer Michael Hearst, along with his band, presents songs about Unusual Creatures, Extraordinary People, and Curious Constructions geared toward curious families, extraordinary children, and their unusual friends. READ MORE

Astronomy: The Night Sky

Bayside, Queens — FREE
The colder winter clears the night sky of clouds and creates ideal conditions for stargazing. Urban Park Rangers will be your guides to the solar system, discussing the science, history, and folklore of the universe. READ MORE
Sing classics with your little one at Brooklyn's Rock and Roll Playhouse. Photo courtesy of the venue
Sing classics with your little one at Brooklyn's Rock and Roll Playhouse. Photo courtesy of the venue

Things To Do in NYC on Sunday, January 12

Meet the Music! Leave it to Ludwig

Midtown West
Beethoven himself (Bruce Adolphe) appears in Alice Tully Hall to help a young pianist play his music as he meant it to be played. READ MORE

Family Sundays at the Rubin Museum: Thoughtful Threads

Chelsea
Family Sundays are back in person at the Rubin Museum. Bring your family for an afternoon of creativity and self-exploration in the museum's new space, the Mandala Lab. READ MORE

Creative Play: Sapporo Snow Festival

Midtown East
Each year in Japan, Sapporo welcomes the return of the cold weather with a grand festival featuring intricate and colossal snow sculptures! READ MORE

Spellbound Theatre presents: A Book of Hours

Park Slope, Brooklyn
A larger than life book leads children through familiar daily events using favorite nursery rhymes and songs to tell the story, as well as surprising treasures, puppets, and discoveries. READ MORE

All-Ages Music Showcase

East Village
Some of the liveliest, most unique and exceptional performers for today's families take the stage during this year’s APAP conference. Come for as little or as long as the kids can last! READ MORE

Brooklyn Book Bodega

Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn — FREE
Brooklyn Book Bodega’s mission is to increase the number of 100+ book homes in Brooklyn, with the belief that every child deserves to own the books that they want to read and enjoy. Bring any children’s books to this FREE swap to pass along to someone else. You can take books from the bodega without giving. READ MORE

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