Cool Party Places to Celebrate Your Tween's Birthday

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the candy-making process for your birthday at Chocolate Works.

By the time you've hit the tween years, you've been to enough birthday parties to feel like you've seen it all. Looking for a new celebratory experience worthy of increasingly grown-up interests for your 10 to 13 year-old? We've rounded up 13 too-cool party spots to celebrate your tween's next big birthday. With party packages this out of the ordinary, you'll be able to please even the pickiest tween with unique fetes like zombie laser tag, DIY chocolate or ice cream, and jewelry making with semi-precious stones.

Mother's Day Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Fire Service Day, Rocket Launch, and Gibbons

Learn some new dance moves with Debbie Allen. Photo courtesy of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

It's Mother's Day, and Momma wants something good. Something unique. Maybe something handmade. Most likely something handmade.

For the record, Momma is well-rounded. She likes apes, and she likes butterflies. She likes gardens. She likes big cars; she likes fast skates. She likes firemen and men in tiaras. She likes to drink the tea.

Momma likes rockets in flight and stars on ice. She likes getting in free and being treated like the queen she is

But mostly she likes spending time with her kids. We get one weekend to call our own, Mommas; make it count!

Keep reading for our best suggestions for a Mother of a weekend! 

Inclusive Playground Opens in Greenlawn in Suffolk County

Kids of all abilities will delight in the Pickle Park swing area.

Parents with active tots know the value of outdoor play. It helps children gain self-confidence, develop muscle coordination, and burn calories. It also serves as a creative and stimulating outlet for their energy.

This would seem to be especially true for children with special needs. With that in mind, Greenlawn has welcomed a new, inclusive playground to Pickle Park. It makes running, playing, and generally having a good time easy and fun for children of all abilities.

Located in the Town of Huntington, it's a worthy addition to Long Island's top inclusive playgrounds and top playgrounds for toddlers.

Destination Playground: J.J. Byrne Playground in Park Slope Is Action-Packed for All Ages

The water features at James J. Byrne Playground in Park Slope are a huge draw.  Photo by Al DiIngeniis

It’s no surprise that one of the city’s most family-friendly neighborhoods is home to a top destination playground. J.J. Byrne Playground, a Park Slope hotspot, underwent a year-long, multi-million dollar renovation in 2012 to bring in challenging climbing structures for older kids and an action-packed play area for younger kids, plus engaging water features that include a stream and spray jets.

Read on for more features that solidify this spot as one of our favorite playgrounds.

SeaQuest Aquarium Coming to Woodbridge, NJ This Fall

SeaQuest will offer hands-on experiences with sea life and other animals.

Calling all marine and wildlife enthusiasts: SeaQuest Woodbridge, a 24,000-square-foot, hands-on global sea life education and entertainment experience, is coming to Woodbridge Center this fall.

Visitors will be able to travel through a variety of realistic environments like rainforests, deserts, caves, coastlines, and oceans to meet stingrays, fish, birds, snakes, caimans, iguanas, turtles, and more. SeaQuest will be the latest family-friendly attraction to open at Woodbridge Center, whose recent additions include a Dave & Buster's and an All In Adventures escape room center.   

13 Brain-Boosting NYC Playgrounds That Build Physical and Mental Skills

Find your balance at Gertrude Ederle Playground.

Playtime should be fun, but that doesn't mean you can't learn a few lessons along the way. In an age when STEM activities are all the rage, and we race our kids from class to class, sometimes it's worth slowing down and setting the kids free in a park or playground to see what skills they pick up on their own.

We've rounded up a baker's dozen NYC play areas that foster old-fashioned playground skills—like balance, strength, and coordination—while also offering unique features that encourage brain-boosting skills—like problem-solving, engineering, physics, cooperation, imagination, resilience, and teamwork. Plus, they're some of the coolest play zones in the city.

Mommy Freebies! Free Stuff for Los Angeles Moms on Mother's Day

Hopefully someone is making brunch reservations for you this Mother's Day—but what to do with the rest of the day? Well, there's nothing like feeling appreciated, and what says, "We appreciate you, Mom!" better than free admission (or a free meal, free champagne, or free joust)? Check out these places around town where the free carpet is rolled out just for mamas on Mother's Day.

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