Costa Mesa's holiday tradition at the OC Fairgrounds, Winter Fest OC, is back—and better than ever. With a new Snow Play tent and an even better ice tubing hill, the traditional county fair with holiday flair is a blast for kids of all ages. There are plenty of rides perfect for the preschool pack, enough thrilling and upside-down rides for your teens, and then some rides that parents can't resist that offer up great photo ops, like the Merry-Go-Round and Ferris wheel.

Speaking of photo ops, there are enough throughout the fair grounds and in the North Pole Journey that you'll be able to grab a great family holiday card picture, too. With snow flurries, a holiday parade, and a holiday show, this throw-back to your childhood county fair is a perfect family outing for any of those myriad vacation days we have coming up!

For more holiday outings and adventures in the Los Angeles area from Santa meet-and-greets to dazzling holiday lights, visit our Guide to Christmas Activities and Holiday Events for LA Kids!

Activate in Katy is an exciting new gaming activity for families with kids aged 10+. While your kids will love the state-of-the-art gaming element and light effects, you will love the fact that this is an active gaming experience, with teamwork, running, jumping, climbing, crawling, and throwing. We were so excited to try out Activate on its official opening weekend at its first location near Houston.

The Science Playground has reopened at the New York Hall of Science, and it's now better than ever giving families one more reason to visit NYSCI—one of our favorite, STEM-focused museums for kids.

I recently visited the new Science Playground with my 7-year-old son and his friends, and it was a total hit. The kids loved exploring every inch of the enormous playground and playing with all the STEM-focused structures and exhibitions.

Read on to get the scoop on this awesome playground and find more fun places to play in our Guide to NYC Playgrounds & Parks.

Nonprofits like Toys for Tots offer donation spots throughout Long Island where you can lend a hand to families that are struggling to provide toys for their children. Read on for various opportunities to give back by making donations this holiday season. 

 Be sure to also check out our rundown of holiday and Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities on Long Island and many other seasonal ideas in our Holiday Guide. 

The Christmas season is hardly complete without pictures with Santa, and Westchester and the Hudson Valley offer plenty of fun ways to meet the man in red. Our roundup below includes events and opportunities for Santa photos at malls in the area. 

For more holiday fun, check out our Holiday Fun Guide, especially our roundup of must-do holiday experiences for Westchester kids.

Pictures with Santa in Los Angeles aren't your standard snaps: here we have Diving Santa, Shogun Santa, Santa on a train, and so much more.

When it comes to Christmas in Los Angeles, Santa is coming to town in many forms and fashions unique to SoCal. Los Angeles offers some of the best Santas around, including several special versions of Santa you won't find anywhere else. So, snap a few pictures with Santa at one of these fun, funky, and totally LA Santa photo opportunities, from diving Santas to farm Santas, Shogun Santa to the Santa at Disneyland. 

Get our picks for the best holiday activities and Christmas events in Los Angeles, festive Polar Express train rides, and more. Check out tons of festive Christmas fun in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities in Los Angeles.