March winds bring not only April showers but also much fun in and around Westchester, with lots to do both indoors and out.

The first half of the month brings the peak of maple-sugaring season, allowing families to join naturalists in tapping maple trees and evaporating this blasé-looking liquid into the sublime sticky stuff we all know and love. Some events—like the Maple Sugaring Party—are loaded with assorted embellishments, including the ultimate pleasure—eating it atop pancakes!

As for holidays, March is also known as Women’s History Month, and we have assorted recognition events on our calendar that are family-focused. March is also replete with celebrations of Purim, including “out of this world fun” at Purim in Outer Space, along with numerous ways to celebrate being Irish (or pretend that you are), like one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York. There are numerous hot-ticket alerts for live kid shows, including The Peking Acrobats, and while we await warmer temperatures, indoor highlights include the return of STEM-tastic. 

Note: The Pout-Pout Fish is now sold out, and if you’re looking for the Annual WHUD Kids Fair, that’s scheduled for April this year.

Grab your calendars and read on for our top things to do with kids this month in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Also be sure to check out our Event Calendar to be up-to-date on even more of the great goings-on this month!

March comes in like a lion with an abundance of celebrations in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, St. Patrick's Day, and NJ Makers Day. We've rounded up more than a dozen things we're most looking forward to this month in NJ, from springtime celebrations to a huge selection of kids' shows. 

Make Dr. Seuss' 115th birthday a festive one at Morris Museum and Liberty Hall. Get your green on at St. Paddy's parades throughout the state. And put those thinking caps on at Makers Day events, including one at Museum of Early Trades & Crafts.  

This month is packed with performances: Finding Neverland, Dinosaur World Live, Disney on Ice, and much more. And get a taste of early spring at outdoor events like Maple Sugaring at Washington Crossing State Park and Diggerland's Season Opening. 

Read on to see all of our top picks for March awesomeness. And for a complete list of this month's happenings, be sure to check out our Event Calendar. Happy (almost) spring!

Spared by the recent hurricane, the Exumas in the Bahamas have become an increasingly popular destination, including among families who are discovering these laid-back island paradises in the Caribbean. 

The Exumas are a string of islands and cays in the Bahamas with white sand beaches and turquoise-blue waters. This area of the Bahamas is much less developed than Nassau and Paradise Island, which are popular for attractions like Atlantis. Here you'll find fewer crowds and more natural shorelines.

While celebrities and millionaires build homes on the remote and beautiful string of cays, most families head to Great Exuma or Little Exuma for their vacations. And, as any local will tell you, Grand Isle Resort and Spa is the best resort in Exuma for families. 

Who doesn't love California sea lions? Their cute, puppy-like faces turn up periodically at our favorite SoCal beaches, but did you know your kids can visit with seals and sea lions for free, every day of the week, at the Marine Mammal Care Center?

The San Pedro facility is a haven for injured seals and sea lions, where families can make an impact on the rescued animals' rehabilitation—all while educating kids and maybe inspiring a spirit of volunteerism.  The Marine Mammal Care Center has taken in more than 8,000 patients from local beaches in the 27 years it's been open. That includes sea mammals who needed treatment for gunshot wounds, entanglement in fishing nets, and injuries from ocean trash. If you've been to all the local zoos and are looking for a new experience, a visit here could be just the ticket. My daughters and I (all animal lovers) decided to check it out, and we were very touched by what we saw. 

When most people think of Chicago museums, they picture the Museum Campus, just south of downtown on the city’s lakefront. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park stands alone - but that may be a good thing for parents, as fitting in the whole three-story museum in one day is a challenge.

The last building leftover from the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, the building was temporarily home to the Field Museum of Natural History until it was rebuilt for the city’s Century of Progress Exposition in 1933-34. Now, it’s filled with more than two dozen exhibits to help learners of all ages get to know more about science, technology, transportation, agriculture, biology and more.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and this motto is exemplified in Houston's massive livestock show and rodeo - from the crowds to the food selections - but your resulting credit card bill doesn't have to be. After paying the price of admission, there are lots of things to do as a whole family without spending another dime. That's not to say you won't be tempted by the smells of deep-fried goodness and adorable miniature cowboy and cowgirl hats, just that it is possible to have a ton of fun at the Rodeo that's all free.

Read on for free and fun activities!

Insectropolis, The Bugseum of New Jersey, has been on my bucket list of NJ kid-friendly museums to visit for a while. My younger son is absolutely fascinated with creepy crawlies and loves hands-on learning experiences. So, we cleared our schedules one Saturday morning and headed down the Parkway to Toms River, home of our next "bug" adventure.

Words like "mama," "dada," and "ball," may come fairly easily to many tots, but have you ever wondered how kids master more complicated concepts like verbs, adjectives, pronouns, and abstract nouns? Well, a team of researchers at NYU's LEARN Lab is eagerly looking for answers in the hopes of ultimately helping caregivers better communicate with children who have autism spectrum disorder–a condition that's often accompanied by minor to severe language delays. In order to further this important research, they need kiddos with and without the disorder to come play in the lab for an hour or so, and they're even sending the participants home with a gift card and a book.