When planning a family vacation, it can be difficult to conjure up the right mix of relaxation and entertainment—especially when young children are involved. We spent a week in York Beach, Maine, with our 9-year-old and 4-year-old sons and felt it had nailed just the precise formula we were looking for. We’ve even vowed to return this year.

York, an area that includes York Village, York Beach, York Harbor and Cape Neddick, is located on the southern tip of the Maine coastline. It is supremely family friendly, and we’ve rounded up some of the highlights for a visit.

Choosing a preschool can be really hard, especially with your first kid. When you're new to the parenting game, and you haven't quite made a lot of parent friends, it can be quite an overwhelming task. We get it; the struggle is real. That's why we've created our Preschool Directory page. Featuring great schools from all around the Delaware Valley, our directory offers an excellent starting point for parents who want to begin their search for the perfect preschool. All kids are different and all preschools are different, too. For some, choosing a preschool can start before the baby even arrives! Honestly, the admissions process alone can be daunting and confusing. With our new directory, you can see schools in your area all in one convenient place, so you can check out websites, make phone calls and ask friends about the schools you're really interested in. 

Are you tired of browsing impersonal children's book sections online? Do you wish you could have a more engaging experience looking for books for your child? Enter Stories Bookshop and Storytelling Lab, a new children’s bookstore scheduled to open in late May in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It will also offer kid events, workshops and classes, including storytimes, sing-alongs and illustration and writing classes.

We got a sneak peek and were totally charmed by this indie newcomer to NYC's kid lit scene opened by Brooklyn parents.

It can be a challenge to find new and exciting places to hold your child's birthday party. So break the birthday party mold and check out these out of the box places and spaces to keep kiddies energized and entertained. Guests will be wowed and your birthday boy/girl will be uber grateful. And for more ideas, check out our Long Island Party Guide.

They've been working on the railroad—all the livelong decade, it feels like. There are kids in high school who have heard all their lives about the light rail someday reaching the sea. Well, this weekend, on May 20, 2016 to be exact, the Santa Monica extension of the Expo Line finally opens up, and people will be able to travel between the Pier and DTLA without touching their car keys. Los Angeles Metro is celebrating the much anticipated event with parties and free rides for everyone. In all, 7 new stations are opening up, so that's 7 parties with live music, food trucks, bounce houses, and other entertainment from Culver City to Santa Monica. Hop on a train, and pretty much anywhere you hop off, there'll be a party going on. Yes, that's how novel public transport is to people on the Westside of LA.

The free rides are on offer from noon on Friday through the end of Saturday. After that, riders need to have a TAP card ($1 in vending machines, $2 on buses or at retail locations) loaded up with enough credit for travel; each journey costs $1.75 ($1 for kids in grades K-12), including transfers. And the good news is that several new Big Blue Bus routes have been added to meet the train—as well as a few other creative ways to get to and from the station.

If we were giving out rewards to “most improved” NYC park, surely Governors Island would blow the competition away. The trust that operates 150-acres of the island under the direction of the city continues to open new parklands, add more kid-friendly features and expand hours, making it a must-do on every New Yorker’s summer bucket list.

Summer 2016 will see the addition of an entire hill of slides, including one that will reportedly be the longest in the city at 57-feet-long, a brand-new treehouse and the debut of the city’s only “adventure playground,” a free-for-all, kids-only build and destroy space. Oh, and it is all FREE, our favorite kind of summer fun.

Governors Island opens for the season on Saturday, May 28, Memorial Day weekend and hosts its annual Family Fun Day that Sunday. Not all the features will be ready for opening day, but some will.

Here’s a breakdown on what’s new and when it will be available for family fun on this car-less isle.

One of the coolest things about living in the city is the block parties. This quintessential celebration of summer can be a huge extravaganza or just a great day filled with a strong sense of community, great food and good fun. It's a great tradition you can have with your kids in the summer year after year. 

You've walked into Boston's Public Garden and taken the kids for a ride on the Swan Boats. You can check that off your list of things to do with kids in Boston before they grow up,  but now what? Well, there's good news: Families can actually enjoy a lot more in the Public Garden. The 24-acre park – which lies between Arlington and Charles Streets, and across from Boston Common – is a stroller's delight, with winding paths among tremendous horticultural sights.