Submitted by Anna Fader on
If your ideal travel includes eating your way through a foreign city, Quebec City should be on your bucket list. Quebecois favorites like poutine, maple syrup pie, crepes, and pastries are very kid-friendly.
Submitted by Lindsay Halladay on
Congratulations! You made it through baby’s first year, and now it’s time to celebrate. If you’re like me and totally not into hosting your child’s first birthday party at home (read: cleaning, shopping, cooking, decorating, hosting...cleaning again), don't worry.
The weather in LA is so beautiful that outdoor birthdays are possible nearly any time of year. If that's not your speed, the Southland boasts plenty of awesome indoor options as well. Here are 12 great spots of both varieties—from pricey to free with one surprise at the end—to smash a cake and tire out the kiddos so everyone can go home and take a well-deserved nap.
You know what else a birthday needs? Gifts! Get tried-and-tested favorite gift suggestions the Best First Birthday Gifts, and more in our Guide to Top Toys and Gear for Kids.
Submitted by Kaylynn Chiarel... on
Calling all marine and wildlife enthusiasts: SeaQuest Woodbridge, a 24,000-square-foot, hands-on global sea life education and entertainment experience, is coming to Woodbridge Center this fall.
Visitors will be able to travel through a variety of realistic environments like rainforests, deserts, caves, coastlines, and oceans to meet stingrays, fish, birds, snakes, caimans, iguanas, turtles, and more. SeaQuest will be the latest family-friendly attraction to open at Woodbridge Center, whose recent additions include a Dave & Buster's and an All In Adventures escape room center.
Submitted by Jody Mercier on
Playtime should be fun, but that doesn't mean you can't learn a few lessons along the way. In an age when STEM activities are all the rage, and we race our kids from class to class, sometimes it's worth slowing down and setting the kids free in a park or playground to see what skills they pick up on their own.
We've rounded up a baker's dozen NYC play areas that foster old-fashioned playground skills—like balance, strength, and coordination—while also offering unique features that encourage brain-boosting skills—like problem-solving, engineering, physics, cooperation, imagination, resilience, and teamwork. Plus, they're some of the coolest play zones in the city.
Submitted by Roberta B on
Hopefully someone is making brunch reservations for you this Mother's Day—but what to do with the rest of the day? Well, there's nothing like feeling appreciated, and what says, "We appreciate you, Mom!" better than free admission (or a free meal, free champagne, or free joust)? Check out these places around town where the free carpet is rolled out just for mamas on Mother's Day.
Submitted by Tania Pesce on
Sometimes we get so busy with our regular routines that we forget to do one of the most important and healthy things with our children: get outside! Spending time in the sunshine and among the trees is so healthy for kids (and parents) physically, mentally, and even emotionally. With nicer weather upon us, everyone’s itching to escape the house, and if you live anywhere near the Greater Hartford area, you're downright spoiled with outdoor options to choose from. Here are a dozen of our favorite parks and playgrounds to spend time as a family.
Submitted by Alina Adams on
Like the Upper West Side and Park Slope, the Upper East Side is one of those neighborhoods where you can barely go a block without passing some kind of kid-centric business or attraction.
Despite its somewhat snooty reputation, the 'hood has lots of fun (and often affordable!) activities for kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens. From unique play spaces to world-class art museums, lush landscaped parks, lovely independent toy stores, and afternoon tea complete with fairy wings, the Upper East Side has all that plus mansions, parades, public art, towering temples and churches, athletic complexes, and some of the priciest real estate in town.
Explore the neighborhood and see the best it has to offer NYC families with our top 50 things to do with kids on Manhattan's family-friendly Upper East Side.
Submitted by Jody Mercier on
Hosting a swimming birthday party is a splashy way to celebrate your child's next big day. Kids can hit the water for an instant taste of summer no matter the season.
While FREE swimming spots abound in the summer months, the rules make it a little difficult to party there. So, expect to fork over some dough if you want to throw a good, old-fashioned pool party at one of these swimming spots in NYC that offer birthday party packages to the general public—most are offered year round.
