2018 has been another great year for Long Island families, with new and improved attractions and venues opening in Nassau, Suffolk and on the East End. From museums to indoor play spaces to spray parks, and more, the year brought exciting places to discover and more ways to have fun.

In case you missed any of this year’s hottest new spots, we’ve rounded up some of the best right here. You still have time to catch the Holiday Light Show in Calverton and Party City’s new Toy City pop-up. While it’s cold out, there are plenty of indoor places to explore such as a rebranded Long Island Explorium and a restored exhibit at Vanderbilt Museum … and you can dream about the warmer weather by making plans to visit Splish Splash and its thrilling new water slides this summer. (More exciting warm-weather news: Plans are underway for the opening of a new adventure park at Jones Beach this spring.)

Every year we share articles about how families can volunteer and donate during the holiday season. But, we are also parents raising our children and working to improve our communities ourselves. Even as our website has grown (Hello, DC and Chicago!), we are proud to say that the values and mission of Mommy Poppins have not changed. We are committed to helping children and families, both online and in real life.

This year, we invited team members from each of our local areas to pick a holiday drive or organization that helps children in need. We funded a shopping spree or, if the holiday season was just too crazy, made a direct donation. In order to do as much good as possible, not just for children, but for local businesses too, we targeted some of our favorite local toy stores to make our purchases. Our children were great helpers in picking out gifts and delivering them.

As the founder of Mommy Poppins, I am grateful to our amazing team for rallying during the hectic holiday season and doing so much good. In all, we donated over $8500! Thanks also to all the local businesses, large and small, who support Mommy Poppins with advertising dollars throughout the year. It makes providing this resource to families for free possible, as well as these donations and our other initiatives. We are humbled and grateful for the support of our readers and local business community.

Read on to find out where our local families shopped and donated.

Still sad about the DWP shuttering their holiday lights? In the five years since that free public display closed, a number of shows have popped up around town. The LA County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is the latest to join the LA Zoo and Descanso Gardens with its own event. Moonlight Forest features more than 60 Asian-created lantern displays. The festival isn't free, but you might find it blows the old DWP display (and a few others) away. 

Our Mommy Poppins families really traveled this year! We scoped out some amazing cities with our kids in tow, from New Orleans to Santa Barbara, up to Vancouver and over to Chicago.

There were some epic science museums to explore, Christmas towns to make us cheery, gorgeous beaches, fun at amusement parks, and of course, a slew of entertaining family-friendly resorts, from Mexico and the Caribbean to Los Angeles and New England ski resorts.

So if you’re planning your next family vacation, take a look at our favorite destinations from the last year, including these warmer climates for February or spring break. In each profile, we highlight the most kid-friendly activities and events and let you know what to skip with toddlers or what to see with the teens.

There have been a lot of changes around Fairfield County over the past few months. In case you missed it, many of the most popular cultural institutions got a little bit of a face-lift. These new exhibits breathe fresh air into the tried-and-true family favorites. Their renovated spaces, new animals, expanded exhibition spaces all offer state-of -the-art programming for Fairfield County families.

I have crossed over. Dreams of elegant parties and midnight champagne toasts have been replaced with longing for easy bedtimes and a good night's sleep. But it feels wrong not to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another without some sort of revelry. Happily, there's no shortage of ways to celebrate New Year's Eve together as a family: no baby sitter required! Whether you're interested in skating, swimming, or roller skating; there's something for everyone.

For more great ideas to finish up 2018 and make plans for 2019, be sure to check our frequently updated events calendar.

New Year’s Eve is one of those holidays that changes drastically once you become a parent. Any kind of grown-up fun usually involves weeks of planning. Who can babysit? How much do we pay on New Year’s Eve? Do we let the tweens stay up until we get home? Unless you truly need an adult night out (in which case, GO for it!), how about a happy compromise? Read on to get the scoop on events in NJ for families who want to ring in the New Year together, including parties at an indoor amusement park, an aquarium, and even a battleship. Just be sure to reserve your spot soon!

Looking for pre–New Year entertainment? We rounded up 25 great things to do this holiday break, plus even more fun events happening this week for the kids. Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more.

Think shelling out big bucks for a babysitter, staying home, or navigating massive crowds are your only New Year’s options as a parent? Think again! We’ve identified fun ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve for kids of all ages—from noontime countdowns to later nights for the older set. Read on for some of the ways we’ve identified to ring in the new year, family style.

Our Event Calendar also includes other activities happening on December 31. To stay in the know about all this and much more, sign up for our newsletters and follow us on Facebook.