Family-Friendly Boat Rides on Long Island

Submitted by Karen on

All aboard! Set sail this summer for sightseeing, whale watching, marine critter catching, or just a good time out on the water. Up and down the shores of Long Island, you can catch a variety of boat tours that will take you on fabulous nautical adventures sure to create lasting memories.

Here are voyages we think are especially fun. Prices are as of July 2017.

For more Long Island adventures, check out our guide to summer fun, our list of 100 things do with kids here, and even our guide to seasonal day trips from Long Island.  

Spa Parties for NYC Kids: Mini-Manicures, Hairstyles and Makeup for Girls

Allison's picture Submitted by Allison on

Even once little girls get over the whole princess fantasy, they still enjoy being pretty and pampered. So a spa birthday party can be a real treat, especially for kids and tweens who get a big kick out of dressing up, getting mani-pedis and having their hair styled. (Somehow once you become a mom, these all become chores you can't find time to do!)

If going to an adult spa or salon seems a bit much, there are lots of kid-centric spots that offer in-house party packages, as well as local providers that will bring the whole shebang right to your apartment: nail polish, facial lotions, hair extensions, robes, magazines, the works. Hey, this might be the perfect opportunity for you to get a makeover, too.

Free and Discounted Kids’ Movies in Fairfield County, CT

Submitted by Katie McKnight on

Most summers, my kids have very few organized activities on their schedules.   They each pick one session of camp, and other than that, they focus on making an unholy mess out of our playroom and catching frogs in our stream.  Occasionally a frog gets welcomed into the playroom, but that’s for another post…

But alas, this is not most summers, as we are moving!  And in an effort to keep my three little banshees occupied, out of the house, and away from the moving mayhem, I’ve been somewhat maniacally investigating ways to keep them occupied.   Amongst the coolest activities that I’ve found are the many movies events offered in Fairfield County.    Most are free (always music to my ears) and some are even outdoors – very cool!

20 NYC Outdoor Dining Options with Kids

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Eating outdoors on a balmy day can be a wonderful family dining experience—unless you're stuck inhaling bus fumes at a tiny sidewalk table so crammed with dishes that you're lucky if a passerby doesn't inadvertently knock over your drink with a swinging handbag.

Luckily there are a bunch of kid-friendly restaurants in New York City with wonderful alfresco dining areas that aren't right by the curb. From lush backyard gardens to rooftop gems with panoramic views to eateries located smack-dab in the middle of parks, here are 20 of our favorite NYC spots for outdoor dining in the summer.

Cape Cod with Kids: 25+ Things to Do with Kids in Wellfleet, MA

Audrey Trieschman's picture Submitted by Audrey Trieschman on

Miles of awesome ocean beaches. Expansive bay-side beaches. Clear, fresh-water ponds. Tidal flats. Visit Wellfleet just about any time of the year, and your day is sure to include a visit to at least one of the many beaches in town. Add a surprising number of great restaurants, bike trails, hiking trails, a charming town center, and some “firsts” and “only in”s, and you’ll find yourself planning your next trip before you hit the Orleans rotary on your way home.

Puppet Kitchen Workshops: Make Puppets with the Masters

Anna Fader's picture Submitted by Anna Fader on

Puppet Kitchen is one of those cool, off-the-beaten path places that we love to discover. Its studio is in the old kitchen of the Lower East Side Girls Club, unmarked except for a small paper sign, and the puppet making workshops aren't listed in any of the places you usually find classes. But I'm hoping that will change because something's cooking at Puppet Kitchen that more people need to know about.

Emily DeCola, Michael Schupbach and Eric Wright—three veteran puppeteers who perform, design and make puppetry magic—created Puppet Kitchen. They've made puppets for shows you've probably heard of like the Off Broadway musical ImaginOcean and PBS Kids' LazyTown as well as operas and more esoteric projects. To say that they are puppet masters is not an overstatement, so learning how to make puppets in their workshop is an incredible opportunity, not because they are famous, but because it's a super-fun, creative, awesome thing to do—and you get to go home with your own amazing puppet.

Blue Man Group Exhibit at Stepping Stones Children's Museum

Brandee Gilmore's picture Submitted by Brandee Gilmore on

Back in college, a worldly and utterly cool friend introduced me to the Blue Man Group, but it wasn't until I was dating my to-be husband that I actually saw a show.  I've been a Blue Man ambassador ever since.  It's sensory, it's smart, it's completely different -- incidentally, the perfect formula for a great museum exhibit.  The folks up at Boston Children's Museum developed one, and this summer the 'Blue Man Group, Making Waves' is gracing the temporary exhibit space at Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk.

NYC Bathrooms: How to Find Public Restrooms When You've Got to Go!

Alina Adams's picture Submitted by Alina Adams on

When my kids were toddlers, they must have thought that all I cared about were bathrooms, because every five minutes or so I would ask them, "Do you need to go? Are you sure you don't need to go? Why don't you just try to go?"

They were right in a way. Even though they're all school-age now, I still like to know where the nearest accessible bathroom is at all times when I'm walking around New York City. Now I've turned my obsession into a guide so you too can easily find public restrooms in NYC.

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