When the changing colors of fall decorate the Palisades, there’s no better time to head out on a family hike at Palisades Interstate Park. This park can lure even the most reluctant hikers: in addition to breathtaking views of the Hudson River, it offers opportunities to spot hawks and explore a castle, and there's even a cafe where young troopers can refuel. Read on for ways to enjoy this stunning spot. 

Attending a musical or theatrical performance is a beloved holiday tradition. If you have a budding ballerina in your midst and Clara's story is on your "must see" list, don't worry: we also have you covered for performances of The Nutcracker. If your children would be more entertained by a mischievious white dog or an inspiring story of a changed life, those are here too!

Additionally, the Mommy Poppins Holiday Guide has many more suggestions for your family this holiday season, including places to visit with Santa. 

By the time you read this, most of the good dates for the North Pole Express will be sold out. The good news is, this speaks volumes about the world-class holiday event in our very own backyard. The bad news, of course, is that unless you're willing to trek up on a random Tuesday night or wait until after Christmas (there are trains running until December 29) you might want to hold off until next year. But again, it's likely that even at this late date (and yes, the end of October/early November is very late when it comes to North Pole Express tickets) you will still be able to book in for a school night here and there. On the other hand, if you would rather take your little ones aboard the Santa train during daylight hours, the Santa Special is just the thing for you. And the best part is, it doesn't sell out nearly as fast. 

The holidays are a delicate balance of memory-making experiences for the family (ice skating and hot chocolate, The NYBG Train Show, checking out massive holiday lights displays, and hitting up Santaland), but also playing Santa himself and hunting/gathering gifts and spreading holiday cheer without going nuts. I might have found the nexus of these two things when I visited the new FAO Schwatz pop-up shop within Midtown Manhattan's Bergdorf Goodman.

Read on to get all the details and to decide whether to add a trip with (or without!) the kids to your to-do list over the next two months.

There will soon be a new reason to travel to New York's Lower Hudson Valley: a full-fledged Legoland theme park is slated to open in Goshen in 2020.

Sadly, this location has closed as of 2019.

The answer to this tantalizing question is yes and no—but mostly yes.

Down the 5 freeway, in a nondescript Orange County strip mall past the Irvine Spectrum, is one of SoCal's best-kept secrets. ChocXO is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory, complete with direct trade cacao beans, organic chocolate, and an on-site retail store that whips up steaming mugs of decadent hot chocolate. But most remarkable of all is that your kids can go behind the scenes and witness for themselves the magic that turns those little beans into the most revered food in their diet. It's the closest thing to Mr. Wonka's factory this side of Hershey.

The countdown to Thanksgiving is in full swing and that means the NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is looming large on the streets of Midtown Manhattan. We've got insider tips for where to watch the parade and how to manage the crowds at the balloon inflation, but now we're sharing a sneak peek at the four new additions set to join the 91st annual parade on Thursday, November 23, for the very first time.

Read on to meet the cast of (new) characters.

New York City has a rich and diverse heritage, and the city's museums are often the keepers of this ongoing story of its people and origin tales. The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), for example, explains the Chinese immigrant story. Being multiracial, with a father from mainland China, I always felt drawn to learn more of the journey of my people, and I've visited several times.

The museum opened in 2009 and has been attracting visitors from all over the world ever since. On my most recent trip to MOCA, I was amazed at how much this beautiful and unique NYC establishment had expanded; particularly by incorporating more children focused programs.