Free & Fun Things to Do 4th of July Weekend with NYC Kids: SummerStage & Celebrate Brooklyn Family Days, Outdoor Films July 7-8

If your family is into music, you have a lot of rocking activities to choose from this weekend. SummerStage hosts its free Central Park Family Day featuring Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players while Celebrate Brooklyn!'s free Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert in Prospect Park stars Sweet Honey in the Rock. Plus you can catch a kid-friendly Fishbone concert in Williamsburg, the Hip Tot Music Festival in Gowanus and Danna Banana rocking out on a Circle Line Kids Cruise.

Other weekend highlights include free outdoor screenings of Grease on Roosevelt Island and Transformers in the Bronx, and Williamsburg's long-time tradition the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide, which is packed with info on NYC's best pools, beaches, water playgrounds and other ways to cool off.

The World’s Only Curious George Store – Definitely Worth a Visit

Do you remember back in April, when The Curious George Store opened with much fanfare? You didn't make it to the grand opening? Well, that's OK, neither did we. Mommy Poppins Boston got a sneak peek of the store before it opened, but we hadn’t been back until just recently. I thought the place looked like it was going to be quite fabulous, but I wanted to see it through the eyes of my children, so we recently hopped on the T and headed to Harvard Square for a summer field trip to The World's Only Curious George Store.

More Free Family Fun This Summer on Long Island

(Photo courtesy of Brookhaven National Lab)

​We hope you've marked your calendars with some of the fun and free activities for families that we've rounded up recently! We've highlighted some great opportunities to see a free movie in the theaters or even outdoors, kid-friendly outdoor concerts and some of the Island's bowling alleys that welcome kids to bowl for free.  Today we bring you a few more fun and free activities sure to captivate your budding artist or scientist, your train enthusiast, or your resident animal-lover. From a ride on a scale model train to a waterfront magic show, there's lots of free fun to be had for all fun-loving kids!

Best Museum Exhibits for NYC Kids: 10 Summer Installations for Families

While we're all for enjoying outdoor summer fun, the season doesn't need to be a cultural wasteland. Many of NYC's museums are unveiling new family-friendly exhibits so kids can experience cool art—and cool air-conditioning.

Over the past few weeks, we've posted about a few new installations we've already visited, like Spy: The Secrets of Espionage and Terracotta Warriors at Discovery Times Square, Tomás Saraceno's climbable Cloud City on the roof of the Met and the Czech Center's Orbis Pictus - Play Well, where kids can play on funky, artist-made instruments. But we've found ten other awesome sounding summer exhibits, where kids can get up close and personal with live spiders, gawk at a real Space Shuttle, take art workshops with design pros and more.

Kid Friendly Farmers Markets in Connecticut - Hartford County

Farmers markets are opening up all around the area allowing us to enjoy the bounty of summer products. Visiting a farmers market is a great way to teach your child about good nutrition and developing healthy eating habits. A special place filled with colorful fruits and vegetables, beautiful flowers and much more, you can let your child freely explore the delicious world of garden-fresh produce. Many of the farmers markets here in Hartford County provide fun family friendly activities to enjoy as well.

62 Things to Do on the East End during July and August

The months of July and August offer us 62 long, sunny, perfect days to get out, explore, and enjoy the beauty of the East End of Long Island. From picturesque quaint towns on the water and homegrown music to Long Island history, hands-on fun, and the quiet beauty of an unspoiled beach, the East End is THE place to be this summer!

Here are 62 ideas of to help you get your summer on! How many have you done already?

8 Great Nassau County Libraries

We've seen some of the great programs that Long Island libraries have to offer, and have highlighted some of Suffolk County's top libraries. Now: Nassau's libraries. While we love our local library in Oyster Bay, this past week, we thought we'd venture beyond our city limits and see what other libraries have to offer. We were quite surprised by the diversity in programming, activities and artwork we found and think you will be too.

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