Submitted by Kristin Quinn on
You’ve spent three hours at the Boston Children's Museum exploring, dancing, climbing, banging and blowing, and now it’s time to fill those hungry bellies. There are a multitude of options for dining near the museum. We’ve narrowed down the best ones, plus bonus tips for adult-time munching, too.
Submitted by Raven Snook on
Our spring culture coverage continues with a look at the most promising family shows opening this season. Reading the papers, you might think the only great productions for kids are on Broadway. But while Matilda (it's dark!) and Cinderella (it's light!) command the media spotlight and cost big bucks, there are many wonderfully creative children's theater performances off Broadway and beyond.
The selection this spring is particularly intriguing and there are options for all age groups, including a few shows that are perfect for first-time theatergoers. The New Victory has a pair of plotless spectacles, one acrobatic, the other urban dance, and Making Books Sing and TADA! Youth Theater are adapting popular kids' books by Eileen Spinelli and Ezra Jack Keats. Plus the New York Children's Theater Festival returns for its second year on the Upper West Side, and the tenth annual International Toy Theater Festival takes place in Brooklyn. The one thing all of these shows have in common? You can take the kids to see them without dipping into their college fund—most are $20 or under and one is even FREE.
Submitted by Sasha Muzzarelli on
Springtime is full steam ahead and New Jersey has plenty to keep families busy this time of year. Celebrate Earth Day with a festival at the NJ State Botanical Garden or a Native American craft at the Newark Museum. If you’re looking to introduce the kids to a classic, take in a performance of Charlotte’s Web or The Wizard of Oz. Read on for our top picks and find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.
Submitted by Jeff on
With the media focused on the awful events in Boston—our hearts go out to everyone there, especially our friends and family at our Boston site—we're happy to give you a bit of a break from bad news. Every single item in this edition of our biweekly links roundup is good. The long-delayed Asphalt Green Battery Park City is finally opening, a mobile market brings fresh veggies to the Bronx, District 2 residents get to have their say about a new middle school, and free comic books and doughnuts are up for grabs. Plus, we share a very funny (though profanity-laden) reaction to the STFU, Parents blog and book—a must-read for moms and dads who are tired of suffering the gripes of the childless.
Submitted by Kelly O on
Midtown West may not be as chock-full of traditional play spaces as neighboring Chelsea or the Upper West Side, but there are still plenty of places where kids can run around indoors. Times Square has lots of fun interactive megastores like the Disney Store and Dave & Buster's is filled with new and retro arcade games. Plus there are three bowling alleys within blocks of each other, a lovely local library, a couple of kiddie gyms and other offbeat spots to romp or hang out.
Submitted by Allison Tibaldi on
Mother’s Day is nearly here, and a getaway just might be your favorite way to be pampered. Resorts are starting to promote summer discounts too, so it’s not too early to be thinking of your summer holiday. Deals in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Phoenix, the Finger Lakes and Cancun provide plenty of options.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
While there are a ton of family-friendly NYC boat tours, there are, surprisingly, only a handful of companies that have cruises that cater specifically to kids. Both the Circle Line, which launched its Kids' Cruise series in 2012, and Kiddie Cruises offer regularly scheduled seasonal boat trips in New York Harbor that feature kids' entertainment and activities in addition to stunning views. And a few other companies offer boats for charter, in case you're in the market for a private party on the high seas (a.k.a. the Hudson River).
The pay-per-kid party packages include all of the usual fun like face painting, live music and magicians, plus a couple of extra bells and whistles. All you need to do is book in advance, climb the gangplank with your crew and bring along a cake.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
While there are a bunch of wonderful new kid-friendly exhibits this spring, you don't need to go to a museum to find awesome art in NYC. Cool public art installations are popping up as quickly as spring flowers in Manhattan's parks and plazas, and they're FREE for all to enjoy. From an enormous statue of a bird by Madison Square Park to a series of iconic NYC landmarks contorted into dazzling new shapes on Park Avenue to a dozen winged hearts suspended in a Midtown West passageway, here are four public art displays to catch this spring in New York City.
