This Week: Memorial Day Weekend Means Beaches, Governors Island and Dinosaurs; Plus Strawberry Picking and Free Summer Sports

5/24/12 - By Raven Snook

Looks like it's going to be a monster of a holiday! The Memorial Day weekend is the main event on all of our sites. Lots of summer attractions open for the season this Saturday, including beaches, Governors Island and tri-state area amusement parks, including Victorian Gardens in Central Park.

There are some big openings outside NYC as well. Right across the Hudson in Secaucus, New Jersey, Field Station: Dinosaurs is poised to make a roar with more than 30 animatronic dino robots. Interestingly, Boston's Franklin Park Zoo is opening a similar prehistoric wonderland Zoorassic Park this holiday weekend, in case you're looking for a last-minute getaway. Other great day or weekend trips include strawberry picking at farms on Long Island, in New Jersey and Connecticut, and hitting a suburban beach. You can find even more inspiration on our Travel site.

Of course Memorial Day weekend marks summer's unofficial start. If you haven't figured out summer camp yet, you're in luck: We're running deals on a bunch of NYC summer camps. What you see is just a preview, so be sure to check back next week for additional deals.

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

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We kicked off the week with a slide show of five cool public art installations that kids will love.

More free fun: cool community Weekend Walks, where you can meet your neighbors and stroll car-free streets.

We updated our popular roundup of free summer sports programs for kids with info on this year's offerings.

Central Park's mini amusement park, Victorian Gardens, opens for the season this weekend.

We officially launched our Summer Fun Guide, which is packed with all kinds of seasonal fun like beaches and water playgrounds, summer outings suggested by our readers.

Our focus on Chelsea continued with a photo tour of the lovely playgrounds and parks in the neighborhood.

Sonia, our Bronx contributor, profiled one of her family's favorite culture spots in the borough, The Point.

Looking for a place where your child can do OT, PT or work on sensory issues? We compiled a great list of sensory gyms in Brooklyn.

Best bets for this Memorial Day weekend include a family festival on Governors Island, the reopening of the long-shuttered Forest Park carousel and Fleet Week festivities.