The Jersey Shore is famous for its sandy beaches and bustling boardwalks, but look a little closer and you'll discover many charming, walkable downtowns to explore. When your kids have had their fill of boardwalk rides and waterparks, stroll through one of our favorite beach towns and discover the Jersey Shore's hidden gems.

For even more family fun, check out our Shore Guide. 

What's so special about Nantucket? This charming Massachusetts island 30 miles off of Cape Cod is more than just a prepster paradise: It's just about as family-friendly as can be. In fact, there are so many things for kids to do in Nantucket, the trick is packing it all into a single family vacation. Perhaps that's why we always come back! Luckily, with just 48 square miles to cover, it is possible to fit in a number of Nantucket highlights, including a surf lesson, aquarium trip, critter cruise, and lobster dinner.

So catch the Nantucket ferry over to the island (or fly in), and try these kid-friendly activities. We're sure you'll have a family getaway that's one for the photo books.

Summer in the city means endless outdoor fun, countless street festivals, and some pretty rad splash pads. But summer also brings some seriously cool public art to the streets of NYC, making it easy to sneak some culture into a day of play. Check out our roundup of some of the many free art exhibits around town and dazzle your kids with colorful displays that also just happen to flex those left-brain creative muscles. And be sure to follow us on Instagram if you don't already—we're always finding new exhibits, pop-ups, and interactive installations to explore with kids.

Strawberry-picking season may be coming to an end, but never fear: we've got the scoop on Hudson Valley farms and orchards where you can pick your own blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and more all summer long.

Here are a few of our favorite places to go berry picking in the lower Hudson Valley, whether you decide to go for the morning or to make an entire day of it. Either way, be sure to call ahead to make sure the farm has berries on hand.

Looking for even more outdoor fun? Check out our Summer Activity Guide for Westchester Kids.

Linden is now home to Union County's largest sprayground, and boy, is it worth a visit! Located in John Russell Wheeler Park, this 11,000-square-foot water playground, which opened in May 2019, boasts 33 kid-pleasing attractions and water features, including slides, sprinklers, sprayers, a dumping bucket, waterfall, pirate ship, and a giant water serpent. 

One caveat: It gets crowded! So before you pack up the kids and head down the Route 1 corridor, check out this must-have info to help you plan your visit. 

You may think of this top Vermont ski resort as a winter vacation spot, but with 8 pools, 4 water slides, and 2 natural reservoirs, Smugglers' Notch Resort makes a terrific summer family vacation destination. And, right now, Mommy Poppins readers can save $350 on a Summer Family Vacation Package. We made a trip to the resort ourselves so we could give you the inside scoop on this family-friendly find and get more details on this great deal.

There's a new interactive animal experience, zoo and aquarium coming to Houston, and it's promising to be a wild ride for animal lovers of all ages. Houston Aquarium and Animal Adventure isn't just an animal sanctuary, it's a hands-on animal encounter opening plus inflatable play land plus obstacle course adventure opening in northeast Houston that will have you coming back repeatedly for more.

Baseball may be our national pastime, but drop by any of NYC's parks and it seems like basketball is the local favorite.

In New York City, there are many basketball programs that teach kids the basics in friendly, non-competitive environments. They differ from basketball leagues, which assume players are ready for full-on competition. With these intro-to-basketball classes, kids learn the rules and fundamentals, and work up to one-on-one or small-team play.

Here are 15 basketball programs for kids in NYC, along with info on where to find FREE one-off clinics. You can find more posts about kids' sports classes in our Classes Guide and class directory.