Gone are the days of bouncy houses and playgrounds, but spending quality time with children is just as—perhaps more—precious as they navigate the teen years. Teens are notoriously hard to impress, but you'll earn major cool points by joining them in activities like escape rooms, salt caves, camping, consignment shopping, and more.

If you're searching for more ideas about what to do with teens around Connecticut, remember amusement parks and great restaurant meals are hits with all ages. Once you've scored some cool points with your teens, treat the younger kids in your life to age-appropriate fun at these indoor play spaces or awesome playgrounds.

A Latte Fun, which opened in Huntington in January, is Long Island's newest place for parents to socialize and relax while children explore and play. Caregivers, parents and grandparents can sip their foamy lattes and chat while crawlers and kids explore the safe and fun indoor play area, attend classes and celebrate birthdays at A Latte Fun.

Long Island boasts plenty of indoor options for family fun. There are storytimes, indoor play spaces and more play spaces with cafes across Long Island. And for all winter-themed activities check out Mommy Poppins’ Winter Fun Guide for Long Island Families.

I'm usually pretty tolerant of a noisy, sometimes floor-vibrating home, but when my kids recently turned the couch into a trampoline and the dining room into an obstacle course, I knew it was time to burn off some steam elsewhere. With the January cold upon us, indoor play was clearly the way to go, so we decided to check out one of Northern NJ's newest indoor playgrounds: Xtreme Energy in Englewood.

The facility, which opened in the fall, is amazing for kids and preteens—especially those who love climbing, jumping, and challenging themselves with unique physical activities. 

Wintertime or rainy-day doldrums got you down? The newly opened Little Seeds play space in Plainville, MA feels like a burst of sunshine among Boston's indoor play spaces. Wide windows, luxurious decor, and smiling faces grace this play area in an easy-to-get-to location just down the street from the Unlikely Story Bookstore and Cafe, and near to Juju B's as well. Register your little one for a STEM class at no extra cost, and explore the opportunities for enrichment provided in this modern business run by moms with a flair for the fabulous!

Birthday parties have morphed into an entity all their own. Each year the celebration has to be bigger and better than the last. So, where do you start?

Don't worry—we've rounded up some of Long Island's best venues for parties to please a variety of kids, from divas and princesses to tumbling tots and animal enthusiasts. These places make party planning easy, and almost all include a host, setup and cleanup, food, and other essentials. The only hard part is picking just one! 

Be sure to check out our Birthday Party Guide for Long Island Kids for even more tips on planning the perfect party for your child. It has ideas specific to first birthdays, toddlers, active kids, and more.

Tucked on a woodsy cul-de-sac in Washington - one of the most pastoral areas of Connecticut – you will find an important assortment of stories and artifacts that preserve and celebrate the traditions and contributions of indigenous cultures. Though small in square footage, the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center features an impressive collection and is an especially child-friendly Litchfield County attraction.