Things To Do on Long Island This Weekend & Beyond: Fancy Nancy Party, Guided Winter Walks, Ice Skating

Get out in nature with the South Fork Natural History Museum's Young Environmentalists Society. Photo courtesy of  SOFO

Dig out from under the snow and embark on an outdoor adventure this weekend. Join a nature educator from the South Fork Natural History Museum to explore the Promised Land in Napeague State Park, or traverse a wooded trail ending in a secluded area of the Block Island Sound, where seals can be seen on the rocks in Montauk.

If you're staying in, we've got plenty of fun, interactive classes to choose from on our Poppins@Home site. Enjoy the online series inspired by Harry Potter, the Wonderful World of Wizards, or have your preschooler engage in an on-demand science class with Stemtastic.

If you need more motivation to get out and get going, our Winter Fun Guide and Event Calendar are both chock-full of fun no matter the day.

Things To Do in New Jersey This Weekend & Beyond: Purim Drive-by, PJ Party, Search For Spring

Explore the beautiful Watchung Reservation during Trailside Nature Center's Back to Nature Series this Saturday. Photo by Margaret Hargrove

Bundle up, and take a hike through this last weekend of February. Brave the chill, and embark on family-friendly outings at Great Swamp OEC and Cavern Point Beach. You can also choose to stay in your warm car at drive-thru events like a wildlife baby shower and a Purim celebration.

You can find plenty of any time fun in our roundup of what's open in New Jersey right now, plus our curated lists of winter fun and where to play outside.

If you're staying in, check out our Poppins@Home site, where kids can explore their favorite hobbies, from Harry Potter-inspired wizards to Legos and more.

For even more fun, bookmark our always-updated Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide, which is filled with seasonal happenings.

Van Gogh Exhibit Hits NYC This Summer and Tickets Are on Sale Now

Social distancing circles make it easy to lose yourself in the art while staying 6 feet apart.

You might have seen Starry Night at MoMA or surrounded yourself with a number of original Van Goghs in one of The Met's famed galleries, but you've never seen the artist's works like this.

A brand new Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit is heading to New York this June, but you'll have to act fast if you want tickets. The presale site is live, and if its other stops are any indication, they're sure to sell out fast as has happened in Paris and Toronto; it's been the hardest ticket to come by in Chicago, San Francisco, and LA, prompting months-long extensions.

Here’s everything we know about this hot new art pop-up, and why we can’t wait to Gogh.

Here Are the Things You Want To Do this Weekend in LA: Purim, Pokemon, and Irvine Railroad

Ride the rails with throwback anniversary prices. Photo courtesy of Irvine Park Railroad

For a city still on lockdown, we sure have a heck of a lot of fun things to do. This weekend you can drive through Magic Mountain for a car-tastic experience, you can dive under the sea with your favorite angular sea sponge, and you can climb aboard for Irvine Railroad's annual fest.

It's time once again to pay tribute to LA icon Bob Baker as his puppets take over Union Station and from there the entire city. Tom & Jerry are taking over NYC in their new feature film, which you can see at your house or at a drive-in. There are celebrations for African American History month, camellias and cute kids, and the music of Pokemon (with Post Malone!).  And break out the hamantaschen, because Purim is celebrated with both virtual and in-person events.

There are more fresh and fun ways to engage your kids with Poppins@Home: It's a wonderful world of wizards with Snapology, Brick Art & Design teaches kids how to create museum-worthy masterpieces, and littles can learn their ABC's and the laws of science with Science Through the Alphabet.

Keep reading for even more fun and festive things to do...

The Best Birthday Cakes for Kids Are at these Houston Bakeries

Photo courtesy of Dessert Gallery

Whether it's a multi-tiered masterpiece of fondant or a tower of personalized cupcakes, birthday parties with standout birthday cakes are having their day. And while showpiece cakes were already a thing before COVID, with socially distant and virtual parties on the rise, securing a birthday cake that doubles as a centerpiece is becoming an even bigger deal.

The good news is that Houston is home to some of the best cake bakeries around, but that also makes for a lot (we mean a lot) of exceptional bakeries to choose from. Narrowing down which one to choose for your next party can be downright overwhelming.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, we selected a handful of our absolute favorite bakeries from each part of town, ensuring that you get an incredible looking and delectable tasting cake and you get to support a local business. Find yourself in a pinch and need something on the fly? We also included a couple of chains that consistently deliver quality cake! 

Find more party ideas in our Birthday Party Guide for Houston Families.

See Pics of the New Public Beach Coming to Manhattan's West Side

New Yorkers will soon have a bit of beachfront on the Hudson River thanks to the planned Gansevoort Peninsula.

New York City may be home to 14 miles of beaches, but none of those sandy shores exist in Manhattan. That's all about to change, though. The Gansevoort Peninsula is set to open in Spring 2023, bringing with it Manhattan's first public beach, so get those sand toys ready. 

Construction on the Gansevoort Peninsula is set to begin this spring. It's the latest redevelopment project from the Hudson River Trust, and when completed, will join the recently opened Pier 26, which debuted last fall, and Little Island, one of our most anticipated openings of 2021, in reshaping Manhattan's west side landscape.

Read on for more details and renderings of the spectacular—and sandy—new park.

New Jersey's Liberty State Park: A Perfect Family Day Trip

Enjoy the beauty and views at Liberty State Park, which offers a lovely destination in all seasons. Photo courtesy of the Park

With majestic views of the Hudson River, Statue of Liberty, and Lower Manhattan, plus acres of sprawling green lawns, a riverfront walkway, nature trail, picnic areas, playgrounds, and one of our favorite kid-friendly museums, Jersey City's Liberty State Park is ideal for a memorable family day trip. 

Whether you spend a day exploring the park, or use it as a jumping-off point for more adventures, this green space on the banks of the Hudson is worth a visit. You can also head indoors for an afternoon at the Liberty Science Center, followed by a bite at one of our favorite family-friendly restaurants in Downtown Jersey City.

Read on for our favorite things to do during a visit to Liberty State Park, and find more outdoor family adventures in our Guide to Local Parks and Playgrounds.

NASA's JPL Tours are Now Online: Kids Can Virtually Explore Where Space Robots Are Built

Ground control to Major Tom!

It was a bummer to watch as many favorite in-person activities had to move to a virtual format this year. Watching the Dodgers on TV was not nearly as fun as being in Dodger Stadium. Visiting favorite local museums online didn’t have the same thrill, no matter how fantastic the virtual programming. (Though getting to tour some of the greatest museums of the world without leaving the house was pretty cool).

But this move from IRL to virtual is very exciting: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a new virtual and fully interactive tour. Now anyone, anywhere in the world, can get a peek inside the Pasadena laboratory—even seeing some of the places visitors aren’t allowed in-person. Get the scoop on the new JPL tour, how to take it, and exactly why this move online is so exciting.

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