A day at the beach doesn't have to leave you water-logged or sandy-soled if you plan to spend it at the waterfront New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. The 14-acre park on the action-packed Coney Island boardwalk is home to more than 500 species and is the oldest, continually operating aquarium in the United States, having opened its doors at Lower Manhattan's Castle Clinton in 1896.

Read on for our favorite things to do and see at the New York Aquarium with kids, and find more fun destinations for an animal encounter in this post on the best zoos and aquariums in New York City.

Whether you love to get your adrenaline pumping with high-speed roller coasters or take things slow with train rides and antique cars, Adventureland on Long Island is a fun, family-friendly destination. The amusement park's rides and attractions have created smiles for 60 years, and Adventureland is still a great place to spend a day with the family.

Here are our favorite things to do at Adventureland, plus the six attractions you can’t miss at this Long Island amusement park. Read our tips for visiting before putting on your comfortable shoes and heading out the door. You'll find more thrilling amusement parks nearby in our Guide to Amuseument Parks and Water Parks.

As one of the largest science centers in the world, Boston’s Museum of Science is a essential trip for curious minds of all ages. The MoS is an awesome family destination, as it assembles permanent and rotating exhibits that engage and enchant toddlers, teens, and grown-ups alike. Whether you are bringing your family for the 30th time, or it’s your first jaunt to this famous location, visitors always experience something new at the Museum of Science! 

For more family-friendly attractions, see our guide to Boston Zoos: There's More Than Just the Franklin Park Zoo. Our ideas for Fun Things to Do on Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway with Kids can help you fill out a day around the city. And check out Museum of Fine Arts Day Trip: Exploring the MFA with Kids for tips on exploring another great Boston museum.

We're always on the lookout for a family-friendly resort where kid-friendly fun takes center stage, but sometimes mom and dad need something a little extra from a weekend getaway. Enter these family-friendly spa resorts near NYC. At these local spa resorts, you'll find plenty of kid comforts, family-friendly hotel rooms, and parent-friendly perks that range from couples massages to facials and meditation classes CBD pedicures, and more indulgent treatments.

It turns out you can have it all—a fun escape for kids combined with a relaxing spa experience for parents. Treat yourself at these spa resorts in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, and consider it a mini-vacation from your vacation.

Find more fun, family-friendly getaways near NYC in our Guide to Day Trips and Weekend Getaways.

If you're intrigued about the high-tech centers and arcades for virtual reality in Los Angeles that are popping up everywhere, but your own video game experience comes from the era of Atari or Nintendo, fear not. These new virtual reality games are really easy to get the hang of. Just put on your headset and jump into a virtual world where anything is possible—you can travel back in time, be an astronaut, or get stranded on a deserted island. These fully immersive centers for virtual reality in Los Angeles offer adventures for all ages and interests and are perfect for family outings, gaming afternoons with friends, and even birthday parties.

If you're looking for more family fun for all ages, check out our roundup of the Best Escape Rooms in Los Angeles. For even more ideas that will appeal to your bigger kids, we made a list of 20 Things To Do in Los Angeles with Tweens and Teens That They'll Actually Enjoy. Now go have some actual virtual fun.

Anyone who's ever taken their toddler to the playground when older children are there knows it can be stressful for the grown-ups, frustrating for the big kids, and downright dangerous for the littles. But bringing the under-5 set to a playground designed just for them (i.e. a tot lot or a toddler playground) allows for a safe, fun, and (mostly) stress-free day of play for everyone. Here are 12 tot lots and toddler playgrounds near DC that are perfect for new walkers and younger kids.

Most of these toddler playgrounds and tot lots near DC are part of larger parks that also have great play structures for older kids. So, if you've got children of different ages, everyone will have a fun and safe place to play.

For more playground fun, check out our lists of destination playgrounds near DC and DC-area playgrounds that received upgrades in the past two years.

Strike up the choirs, dancers, and artists, and let the celebration commence! Lincoln Center is gearing up for a summer of FREE family-friendly programming with its season-long performance festival, Summer for the City.

For three full months—running from Saturday, May 14-Sunday, August 14—Lincoln Center comes alive with more than 300 FREE events at 10 outdoor stages, including The Oasis, which transforms Josie Robertson Plaza into the city's largest outdoor dance floor complete with a 10-foot disco ball.

Read on for more details on this family-friendly performance festival, and find more fun anytime on our list of the best things to do at Lincoln Center with kids.