It's not only safer to eat outside these days; it's more fun, too! Boston-area restaurants are getting creative by setting up igloos, domes, yurts, greenhouses, cozy private cabins, and other enclosed or socially distanced heated spaces to allow families to eat outside this winter. Be sure to call ahead or make reservations for these magical spaces before heading out for dinner, lunch, or brunch, since most restaurants are operating with capacity restrictions. 

Make an afternoon of it by pairing a visit to one of these kid-friendly restaurants with a winter day trip to a local park or farm. Our Boston Winter Fun Guide includes more ideas for keeping kids safe, warm, and entertained in the coming months.

It's no secret 2020 took its toll on New York City. From weary parents to homebound school children, the pandemic has left its mark on us all. As we turn the page to the new year, we want to take a moment to share some appreciation for the family-friendly NYC businesses that closed in 2020. These spots are pandemic victims in their own right, ranging from play spaces to bookstores and family-friendly eateries and boutiques who all helped make our lives a little simpler, and their loss is one we'll likely feel for years to come.

Discover 30 days of indoor activities to get your family through an entire month of at-home play with kids of all ages. Tuck it away for a rainy or blustery day, or break it out now if facing another round of stay-home orders. Find more indoor activities in our Stay-at-Home Activities Guide.

School schedules run our lives. That’s never been more true than it is this year when parents have been called upon to be tutors, teachers, and tech support during school hours. 

LA County schools have been fully cleared by the county to reopen. Read on to find out exactly what this means for families across the Southland.

And if what you read makes you wonder about what other school options are available to you, maybe our school guide can help.

Years from now, our kids will reminisce about what they were doing in 2020. They’ll trade quarantine stories and smiles about the family memories they made during this unprecedented year. While memories of quarantine birthday parties, homemade forts, or living room recess activities might be dominant themes during a year of stay-at-home activities, we couldn't have survived without the greater Long Island community.

As we close the book on 2020, we're taking a minute to offer some well-deserved gratitude to the Long Island spots that stayed open, reinvented themselves, and overall saved our sanity this year. Here are 10 Long Island destinations worth raising a glass to as we turn the page to 2021.

With 2021 just hours away, I'm sure I'm not the only one ready to kick the dumpster fire of 2020 to the curb, but in the spirit of optimism and silver linings, I'll be doing so with a grateful heart. Twenty-twenty tested us in ways we couldn't previously imagine, but it also brought out our best in many ways, and now that we're almost through it, let's take a little time to offer some gratitude to the New York City people and places who saved our sanity in this crazy, never-ending, groundhog day type of a year.

So, join me in raising your glass to these (lucky!) 13 New York City characters and the hope on the horizon.