Ready or not, the holidays are here, and there are tons of events around the city for the whole family, including breakfasts, brunches, and cookies with Santa.

For more Christmas fun (and if Black Friday took a Santa-sized chunk out of your wallet), check out our guide to all things Christmas, Hannukah, and holiday fun in Houston this year.

Squeeze in some outdoor recreation before the winter hits by spending the day at Lyndhurst Municipal Park. This sprawling park sits parallel to the Lyndhurst train station, offering parents who commute into Hoboken or NYC a great junction to say goodbye to their little ones or greet them at the end of a busy day. Live out of town? Ride the rails with your kiddos and make a day trip out of it.

The park features an amazing playground with equipment for kids of all ages. During the summer months, the neighboring splash pad is a great way to cool off!

“Hooray! It’s time to take the kids to the airport," said no parent ever. We all know bringing children and their bags and their feelings to the airport can be an absolute nightmare. But Bostonians are in luck: Logan is, without bias, one of the kid-friendliest airports in the country. It has comfy restaurants, clean play areas, lactation stations, and, yes, lots of good coffee that will make your wait or layover slightly less painful. Here are some tips for getting there on time, and finding the good stuff once settled (hopefully not for too long).

A new experience is making a major splash in Times Square. National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey takes visitors on a virtual underwater journey beneath the Pacific Ocean, unlike anything we've ever seen before. Using breathtaking state-of-the-art technology, lighting, and audio effects, the self-guided walk-through journey explores different areas of a wondrous undersea world including coral reefs, kelp forests, and open ocean expanses.

Ocean Odyssey opened in mid-October, and my family and I couldn't wait to go. The visit left us awestruck and eager to return. It's a fantastic destination for all ages, filled with stunning visuals and interesting facts about ocean wildlife and habitats, human impact, and what each of us can do to help keep our oceans beautiful and clean—all without getting wet! Read on for more about this amazing new experience, plus what you need to know before visiting with kids.

There's nothing like a winter day in LA, when you can see the snowy mountaintops from the traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway. It makes you want to grab a sled and head for the hills. This season brings back another way to get up there and enjoy the snow: Skypark at Santa's Village in Lake Arrowhead. Christmases may come and go, but Santa's sleigh bells keep on ringing year-round at this 230-acre, holiday-themed amusement park, which recently reopened its doors after nearly 20 years. And don't let the name fool you; while Christmas is a wonderful time of year to visit, outdoor adventures from ziplining to archery make Skypark worth the drive at any time of year.

All elementary schoolers learn about the first Thanksgiving and early Native American and colonial life. But did you know that Boston kids are less than an hour away from a living museum where this era is reenacted almost everyday? Plimoth Plantation, located 2.5 miles north of modern-day Plymouth, is a wonderful place to visit anytime, but is particularly special during November and December when seasonal presentations and historic feasts bring the first holidays to life. Bundle up and make plans for a cozy, fascinating day on this bustling property; whether they share a meal with a "pilgrim" or play a traditional game with a member of the Wampanoag Nation, your kids will definitely leave Plimoth with a taste of how their New England forebears lived.

I don’t know about you, but lately my mind has been racing - my lists have been growing lists and my “to dos”  have been expanding at a remarkable pace. So, when I had the opportunity to Explore Silence with Grace Farms Foundation’s Arts Initiative, I jumped at the chance. 

My daughter and I have been to Grace Farms several times since its opening in 2015. When I try to explain my experience there to people, I frequently find myself at a loss for words. Grace Farms is a completely unique experience nestled in backcountry Fairfield County, and to understand this facility, you truly have to “experience” it.  

As the holidays approach each year, three things are always on my list: burn off the extra calories we consume during holiday feasts, find festive and fun activities the whole family will enjoy, and get the kids involved in giving back. I’ve finally figured out how to do all three at the same time: run together in a race.

These local turkey trots, jingle bell runs, and other holiday-themed races are kid-friendly (a few are also dog-friendly), festive, and even downright silly. They’re also for a good cause—so round up the family, sport your most cheerful running attire, and go for it!