This Week: More Great Family Getaways, Best NYC Boat Cruises, NYC Pool Guide, Kids' Classes in Williamsburg

8/2/12 - By Raven Snook

My husband and I have been spending the summer indulging our kid and ourselves—who do you think finished off that massive chocolate cocktail in front of her? And even though break is halfway over, we're trying to be glass-half-full people by remembering that there's still a month of indulgences ahead of us. If you're looking to get out of the city, our Travel site's got lists of the best things to do with kids in Martha's Vineyard and Falmouth on Cape Cod, plus a roundup of fantastic last-minute family travel deals to places like Atlantic City, PA's Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, and even Jamaica.

Prefer a getaway closer to home? How about spending a day in Long Beach, Long Island or hit Tomahawk Lake Water Park, Point Pleasant Beach, the Keansburg Amusement Park or other fun-filled destinations in New Jersey.

Of course you don't need to leave NYC to go on an adventure. We just rounded up our favorite New York Harbor boat rides and our Summer Fun Guide is filled with great local outings like City Island, Randall's Island and Governors Island—your kids won't believe they're still in NYC.

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

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There's another new playground in town: We visited the recently renovated Elephant Playground in Riverside Park and the kids gave it a thumbs-up.

Thinking of visiting an outdoor public pool this summer? Make sure you read our NYC family pool guide before you go so you know what to expect.

NYC is filled with drop-in indoor play spaces but there's only one that caters to children with special needs: Space No. 1 in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill.

We finished our month-long focus on Williamsburg with a post about our favorite kids' classes in the nabe.

Archery seems to be all over the place, in Brave, The Hunger Games and the Olympics. That's why we rounded up the best places for kids to learn archery in NYC.

Feel a cold coming on? Better make sure it's not whooping cough.

New breastfeeding initiative Latch on NYC seems to have its heart (make that nipple) in the right place, but is it impacting a mother's right to make her own choices?

Nothing beats a boat ride around New York Harbor for cooling off and seeing the city from a new point of view.

Best bets for the weekend include annual favorites like the awesome Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Summer Streets and Jam on Dumbo’s Summer Family Musical Festival.