As temperatures hover around freezing and even trusty toys are getting tiresome, every parent is looking for fun winter activities that can help kids expend energy and get their sillies out indoors. Here are some of our favorite indoor play spaces where little and big kids can slide, climb, dodge, play pretend, and make friends—just as they might on their favorite outdoor playgrounds. Most are a drive outside city limits, but all have lots enough space and options for high-energy fun to make a day trip feel well worth it.

Looking for more ways to play inside? Try out a ninja warrior course or make a splash at an indoor pool. Our Boston Indoor Fun Guide is packed with even more ideas to making the most of cold or wet days.

Seismique, a 40,000-square-foot technologically driven interactive art museum is slated to open in West Houston later this year. And it's not just your run-of-the-mill interactive and immersive art museum - this permanent fixture will explore alien encounters, and will open its doors in Fall 2020.

To mark Black History Month, many of NYC's museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions offer programs to honor the history of African Americans. The month is filled with creative, meaningful ways to celebrate African American culture and life in New York City. From thought-provoking museum programs to live performances and poetry-filled outdoor experiences, here are 10 ways your family can commemorate Black History Month in NYC.

From not being invited to the birthday party to getting called hurtful names, hearing that your child feels like they don't fit in can nearly break a parent's heart. But, as we grownups know, the things that make children different are also the things that make them special—and finding ways to celebrate that uniqueness is key to their confidence.

Midwinter recess always seems to be the black-sheep break: It sneaks up on you, and you have no idea how to handle it once it arrives. Here are our top budget-friendly Midwinter Break camps, and good news for procrastinators: They still have openings. If you need more options, check with local museums, play spaces, and after-school centers as many offer coverage.

If you're able to take a few days off and spend quality time with the kids, be sure to check out our list of 35 Fun Things To Do Over Midwinter Break.

Hoboken families have a new, FREE play space to enjoy with toddlers, kids, and teens, courtesy of the city's public library. The "Toybrary" features Legos, puzzles, cars, and instruments for little ones to explore, while caregivers can pull up a chair and talk with neighbors. After school most weekdays, the inviting space is reserved for teens to hang out and do homework or play video games together. 

When the sun shines in balmy Los Angeles, when the temperatures in the Valley hit triple digits, when the bad weather on the news is all happening somewhere else – it makes a person want to go ice skating, doesn’t it? We may not have frozen ponds and Jack Frost nipping at our noses, but truth be told Southern California has some of the best ice rinks (including outdoor rinks!) and best skating instructors in the nation. It may sound crazy, but think about it – if you’re a famous skater who's spent your life shivering in the trail of a Zamboni, wouldn't you choose the California sunshine? Follow in the skate steps of local Olympic kids Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek and chill with some ice skating lessons at the best of LA’s figure skating classes.