20 Family-Friendly Openings We're Looking Forward to in 2023

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Disney turns 100 and there will be celebrations from coast to coast. Photo courtesy of Disneyland

New year, new things to do! As we usher in 2023, we’re looking forward to all the family-friendly openings on the horizon. From cool family travel destinations and brand new theme parks worth planning your vacation around to more local haunts closer to Mommy Poppins' home bases, we’ve checked in with our panel of local experts and put our powers of research to work to bring you this list of family-friendly openings we’re most excited for in 2023. Here's a taste: Disney, Barbie, Mario, Bert & Ernie—and if that sounds too tame for your teens, there's also a  rollercoaster that features the world's largest underflip, a zero-G roll, and four inversions. My stomach underflipped just typing that.

Read on for our top picks and start plotting your family-friendly outings. I know we are! And as you're mapping out visits from coast to coast, be sure to use our Family Travel Guide which boasts the inside scoop on traveling with kids from Florida to California and all points in between.

Best Travel of 2022: Our Favorite Cities, Beaches, Hotels, and More for a Family Vacation

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Have fun in the sun at Ocean Club Resort Turks & Caicos.

Here at Mommy Poppins we love to visit new places, and what a year of travel it was! In 2022 we explored some amazing US cities, frolicked on beaches from Texas to the Caribbean, and even visited fabulous destinations in Europe including Amsterdam and Paris. Along the way we got to enjoy some thrilling amusement parks, stayed at some great resorts with water parks, and took some epic road trips.

Here is our list of the best family vacation destinations of 2022, from warm and sunny vacation spots in the US and abroad to wintry adventures in Colorado.

January's Best: Rose Parade, Honoring MLK, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids

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Traditional mochi pounding is part of the 2023 Oshogatsu Family Festival. Photo courtesy of Japanese City, Facebook

January brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles which kicks off with New Year's Day and moves on to kids going back to school and then Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend! Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

2023 starts with that Southern California classic, the Rose Parade, and things only get better from there. Bluey comes to town in January, to the delight of toddlers across LA. It's also the month that we celebrate Epiphany on Olvera Street and one of my personal favorite fests of the year: the Snow Leopard Festival at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It's time to hop into Year of the Rabbit at Lunar New Year celebrations from Santa Ana to Monterey Park. And the whole town comes out to honor the man who was a King at the massive Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.

January also means it's winter. While we didn't get walloped this Christmas like most of the country, you can take advantage of the recent rain and go sledding and snow tubing near Los Angeles or take one of these amazing winter day trips where you can see snow in SoCal.

Best of January: 18 Top Things To Do In Chicago With Kids

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Photo courtesy of the Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival

2022 brought the coldest Chistmas in recent memory, but that means kids can look forward to a variety of frozen winter things to do in Chicago in January 2023 as days get longer. Start off with one of the handful of light shows still hanging around after the holidays, like Illumination at the Morton Arboretum (it's been extended to January 7), or Winter Lights at Central Park in Oak Brook. Move on to some cold weather nature activities, including Polar Adventure Days on Northerly Island or Snow Trekking in the nature sancturary at Burnham Park. Puppets are also taking over Chicago at the Chopin Theater's Icicle Picnic and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. 

The end of winter break and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day provide long weekend opportunities for families to take one of our favorite winter day trips from Chicago. We also have lists for the best places to skate, snow tube, and sled. Check out our Winter Fun Guide for even more ideas of what to do if it gets cold or snowy,

Here are our best ideas for things to do in January in Chicago with kids.

Best of January: 18 Cool Things to Do in Orlando with Kids

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Celebrate the creation of art and cuisine at EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. Photo courtesy of Disney

Central Florida is starting the New Year with lots of fun things to do with your family in January. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Orlando this January.

Grab tickets to take your little dinosaur fan to the Jurassic World Live Tour, coming to the Amway Center this month. At the theme parks in January, celebrate Elmo's Birthday and Sesame Street Kids' Weekend at SeaWorld and stroll the Festival of the Arts at Epcot. Join Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations in Kissimmee, Oviedo, Winter Garden, and a parade in downtown Orlando. Plus, enjoy the Scottish Highland Games in Winter Springs, a chili cook-off in Orlando, and so much more. Read on for all the details!

Find more top winter fun in our Winter Activities Guide, including where to pick strawberries, things to do beyond the theme parks, and more.

We’re adding more events to our family activity calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently. Get our picks for every weekend in your inbox—sign up for our newsletters. Plus, be sure to follow us on Facebook!

Best of January: 16 Cool Things To Do in Atlanta with Kids

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On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Americans are encouraged to help make communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. Photo courtesy The King Center

From New Year's Day to MLK weekend, January can be a great time for indoor and outdoor activities in Atlanta. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Atlanta in January.

As we remember Atlanta's own Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month, kids can learn about Dr. King's legacy by participating in events around the city, like those in Lawrenceville and Buckhead, on MLK Day (Monday, January 16). Also, MLK Day is a National Day of Service, which is a great time to get your kids involved in service projects throughout Atlanta, like feeding the community and cleaning public spaces. 

Winter fun continues as families hit ice skating rinks, like Avalon on Ice and Skate the Station at Atlantic Station, wrapping up for the season mid-January. Even if we don't get real snow in Atlanta, Southern kids can tube downhill at License to Chill at Margaritaville through the end of February. Find more ideas for crafts, recipes, and trips in our Winter Activities Guide for Atlanta Families. 

We’re adding more events to our Atlanta activity calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently. Be sure to sign up for our newsletters to get our top picks for every weekend. 

Best of January: 18 Top Things To Do in Westchester with Kids

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Teatown Lake Reservation holds winter workshops for kids and families. Photo courtesy of the reservation

From New Year's Day to MLK weekend and Lunar New Year, January is a great time for indoor and outdoor activities. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Westchester and the Hudson Valley this month.

January offers tons of opportunities for spectacular family fun. Outdoorsy families can kick off the year with a first day hike, and there are plenty of other ways to get out in nature this month, including a workshop on how to make maple syrup in your backyard.

If the frigid temperatures have you hiding indoors, there are loads of great things to do at local libraries and museums, including celebrating the Lunar New Year, enjoying live animal shows, or even learning about the shape of snow on other planets. 

We’re adding more events to our Family Activity Calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently.  

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"I’m Bored, What Should I Do?" 100 Things To Do When Kids Are Bored

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When kids are bored, bored, bored, it's handy to have a whole list of fun things to do. Photo by Mommy Poppins

"Moooooommmmm, I'm bored. What should I do?" It's the most common, and annoying, refrain of childhood. But boredom is a good thing! It fosters a child's creative side. When kids are bored, it's a terrific time to explore something new that may pique their curiosity.

So, what can you do when your child says, “I’m Bored?” While it feels like it's up to you to entertain them, that's actually not the best thing to do. Simply give them these prompts and gently guide your child to find activities at home or in your neighborhood that develop creativity, build valuable skills, and encourage independent and imaginative play.

Because we've all heard the "I'm bored" chorus a few thousand times, we've created a whole guide with hundreds of boredom busters for kids of all ages, including indoor exercise games, science experiments, and recipes kids can make. But this list of 100 ideas is our favorite place to start.

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