For many people, News Year's Day tends to be a lazy day of recovering from the previous evening's festivities. But once children come along it is nearly impossible to stay in bed all day relaxing or have a four-hour long brunch with friends. If you celebrated New Year's Eve with the family, you should be ready to go on January 1, or if you happened to snag a babysitter and enjoyed some champagne, chug that coffee and get ready to start the year off right with some memorable family fun! Here are 17 ideas for how to spend the first day of 2017 in and around Houston (and you can also check out our guide to family fun throughout winter break). 

You’re forgiven if you don’t count 2016 among your favorite years. There was Zika, ISIS, the Orlando massacre and more shootings than we care to count, the ongoing Syrian tragedy, the untimely deaths of public figures like David Bowie and Carrie Fisher, and yes, our acrimonious presidential election. But if you’re looking for a little glimmer of light, something to brighten your way into 2017, there sure were some positive signs in NYC when it came to new destinations for kids and families.

Even as we lost some of those quirky spots that make New York, well, New York, such as The Morbid Anatomy Museum and local bookstores BookCourt and P.S. Bookshop (all three in Brooklyn), the completely revamped 53rd Street NYPL reopened with a lovely children’s room and teen programming. We also gained several new playgrounds, including this whopper on the Upper West Side and a piano-shaped sprayground in Queens—and more than a dozen new kiddie gyms and play spaces across the five boroughs. And don't forget about Slide Hill on Governors Island, along with the city's first ever adventure playground. Certainly there seems to be an upward trend and more diverse lineup in terms of destinations when compared with 2015.

We’re looking forward to 2017 when the Bronx Zoo will gain a zip line (woot!), a miniature block-long city (Gulliver's Gate) will open for your gawking pleasure, downtown Brooklyn will add a new food court, and some spectacular family shows will arrive on Broadway. And let’s hear it for the Second Avenue subway, eh? Onward all, and onward to our favorite openings last year.

Sending your kids away to sleep away camp can be pretty nerve wracking. If you're ready to take that plunge, Eastern Connecticut has many trusted, accredited overnight camps offering introductory programs for kiddos as young as 7 years old. You might be surprised by how perfectly it goes! Make sure to check out our complete Summer Camp Guide as well.

Parents might think of New Year's as a holiday for grownups, but there are some great opportunities to celebrate with the kids, too. First Night Boston is an obvious choice, and as an added bonus, it's free. But if you're looking for something a bit more low-key, there are plenty of other options. Most of these events take place at museums out in the 'burbs, so if one of them is in your neck of the woods, attending a special family-friendly New Year's Eve event might become an annual family tradition.

Do you have a a budding Picasso or Mozart in the family? How about a young actor or a  daughter who loves to dance? There are many opportunities for your kids to deepen their interests and spend time with others who enjoy the same things.  Check out these offerings for art and music camps in and around the New Haven county area and our Summer Camp Guide for more options in CT!

What's for dinner? Did you forget to take something out to defrost? Are you looking for any excuse to eat out tonight? Not to worry, there are plenty of family-friendly options in the New Haven area beyond the usual burgers and fries. Eating out with the kids need not be a stressful experience; it can be fun, and your children may even learn to love a few new foreign dishes! What more could a parent ask for?

Do you remember all those late evening's out on New Year's eve...drinking champagne, eating fancy dinners and dressing up....before you had kids?  Well, the fun doesn't have to stop just because the babies have come along. Bring the kids along to these fun and memory-making events. You may even start a family tradition!