Summer 2020 may not be what most LA families had planned, but once we make our peace with staying close to home, it can be a different kind of fun. It can be staycation, love where we live, totally Southern California kind of fun. It can be old-fashioned, making popsicles and sipping homemade cocktails while the kids play backyard water games kind of fun. And we can take a break from stressing about what school will look like in the fall by picking a few of the wonderful things to do that we can still indulge in this summer around Los Angeles. The photos from summer vacation 2020 may all have masks in them, but we can be making wonderful childhood memories all the same! Here are 50 places open now to get you started.

Summer activities for New Jersey kids often revolve around the Shore, lakes, and fantastic summer camps and sports leagues. Yet, summer 2020 is the summer of a pandemic. There's no real way to ignore that fact.

It's a summer where families might travel less, go to fewer birthday parties, attend less camp (or none at all), and just generally stay home more. It's a summer where kids may be more underfoot or have less supervision. I'm not ready to call it the summer of boredom just yet, though. New Jersey is actually offering a ton of summer activities for kids. As we've entered Phase 2, the reopenings now include beaches, zoos, amusement parks, water parks, lakes, arcades, and playgrounds. Some NJ museums, libraries, and aquariums are reopening, too—at reduced capacities and with new rules in place.

So while it may be the summer of canceled t-ball tournaments and overseas flights, there are still plenty of fun things to do in New Jersey with kids this summer. Besides, the slowing down of summer life actually opens up new opportunities to explore those top NJ spots you've always meant to in the past. Read on to plot your NJ staycation with an abundance of outdoor summer activities, day trips, and even some at-home indoor activities.

Big trips might be tabled this summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have adventures with Atlanta kids closer to home. We’ve created this list of day trips from Atlanta for families, including the most current information on open attractions at press time. This list includes Atlanta day trips that you don’t need to leave town for (like drive-in movie night) and a few day trips a bit farther afield that can be turned into overnight getaways.

Be sure to check out our Atlanta Summer Fun Guide, which is full of more ideas for keeping kids busy this summer. Have fun—and stay safe—out there!

It's been a long road, but summer vacation is upon us. It's no secret Long Island is jam-packed with family-friendly summer activities. After all, there's a reason our city-dwelling neighbors to fight traffic to flock to our shores. Summer 2020 is bound to look a little different for all of us. Most summer camps are going virtual, and though we've found a few affordable in-person options, it's more than likely you've got extra time to entertain the kids this summer.

We've pulled together this list of ultimate summer staycation ideas to entertain you and your brood, whether you're looking for a family-friendly beach day, want to explore a newly-reopened sprayground, or enjoy a creative only-in-2020 outing like a drive-in movie or drive-by animal tour, we've got options. So, read on for 50 summer activities for your Long Island summer staycation.

Ready to get out and see a bit of the world again, or maybe just take a drive? We've rounded up 16 summer day trips near Washington, DC just right for area families ready for a break, all within easy driving distance from the city and surrounding towns.

Given that Virginia, Maryland, and DC are all in various stages of reopening, we've done our best to pick outdoor DC day trips where maintaining some social distance is possible. No matter where you travel, don't forget to bring your masks along, plus plenty of hand sanitizer.

Visit our FamilyTravel Guide for more day trips near DC or even some summer weekend getaways. 

Popsicles might be the ultimate kid-friendly recipe: They are almost as fun to make as they are to eat. Recently, as a way to beat the heat and pass the time on a summer's day, my sons and I tried several popsicle recipes. They loved prepping the fruity ingredients, pouring the mixture into molds, and, eventually, working the frozen pops from their silicone molds for the "big reveal." Even the anticipation was delicious! Here are eight popsicle recipes we love—from red, white, and blue popsicles for Fourth of July to cake batter popsicles for an indulgent treat to frozen hot chocolate pops for any season.

Find more Easy Recipes for Kids at Mommy Poppins.

Apologies, but I am about to blow a well kept secret wide open: Newport Beach has a cove hidden in plain sight that may be the best family beach day in the Southland. Of course the definition of "best family beach day" may not be the same for everyone; only continue reading if your ideal beach day would include kayaks, SUP boards, paddle boats, and an inflatable water park in a warm surf-free lagoon surrounded by clean sand, fire rings for s'mores, easy parking, and clean bathrooms. Only head to Newport Dunes if you're prepared for that level of nirvana.

On the day when beaches reopened for swimming and splashing, New Yorkers got some more welcome news: 15 of the city's 53 pools will reopen by August 1, providing another place for city families to seek some relief from summer's heat.

Though many of the reopening pools aren't on our list of the most family-friendly swimming pools, the 15 pools selected are among the city's largest. Spread across all five boroughs, their locations are concentrated in the neighborhood's hardest hit by the pandemic and those furthest away from the newly reopened beaches. Four pools are located in Manhattan, there are three each in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, and two in Staten Island. Three pools—Wagner in Manhattan, Mullaly in the Bronx, and Liberty Pool in Queens—have a reopening date of Friday, July 24; the rest are slated to open on Saturday, August 1. Pool season generally lasts through Labor Day, which falls on Monday, September 7, 2020. NYC's public pools are FREE.

Read on for more details on the 2020 pool season, which will have even more rules than usual, and be sure to see our roundup of the best spraygrounds in NYC to keep your kids cool until they can take a dip.