Allison Tibaldi
Allison Tibaldi
Allison Tibaldi - Writer
Allison is a native New Yorker who's been lucky enough to have lived in Italy, Australia and Canada. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish, and
believes that language is a key to understanding other cultures. She frequently contributes travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they journey around the globe. She's also a senior writer at offManhattan.com, contributing car-free vacation ideas. Her background as an Early Childhood Educator gives her an added understanding of what it takes to travel with kids in tow, and she firmly believes that the most important part of education takes place outside of the classroom on the road. Her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine.
Latest posts by Allison Tibaldi
Newport, Rhode Island has a reputation as a summer playground for the elite, but in truth it makes for a great family vacation. Yes, you will see fabulous Gilded Age mansions and expensive sailing yachts in the harbor. But coastal Newport is an egalitarian town that can even be a bargain during the off-season.
In summer there are lots of low-cost public boating opportunities, free beaches, a rich line up of outdoor concerts, and easy hikes that exploit the area’s natural beauty. In winter months the public skating rink, free holiday festivities and the annual Winter Festival provide cold weather fun. There are casual restaurants and hotels that cater to families. Newport’s manageable size makes it a wonderful walking town, so if you don’t have a car, keep this in mind.
See our Rhode Island Fun Guide for more Rhode Island family activity ideas. Here's what to do, where to eat and stay in Newport for families:
As a born and bred New Yorker who is raising children here myself, my out-of-town friends always ask my advice when planning their NYC family vacation. They want to know everything: the best things to do, places to eat, museums to explore and, perhaps most importantly, where to stay.
New York City is, of course, loaded with hotels, many of which are kid-friendly. And while it's nice to have options, there are so many it can feel overwhelming. That's why we've compiled this list of 16 NYC hotels for families based on a combination of personal experience, trusted recommendations from friends and great reputations. Some have pools, others offer gratis strollers, while a number of our choices are located smack next to top kid attractions; some are more budget-friendly and others a splurge.
Our picks aren't all in Midtown Manhattan. We included places to stay with kids in downtown Manhattan, the Upper West Side, and Upper East Side, and even hotels that are in hot neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.
For young children, a ride on a carousel’s painted pony, a spin with dad around the bumper car track, and a dripping swirl of frozen custard are the stuff summer memories are made of. No need to seek out the latest scary high-tech roller coasters (which means you can cross Luna Park's most scary rides off your list).
Rides that look mild (or frankly, downright boring) to big people usually provide just the right amount of thrills for toddlers and preschoolers. Happily, there are a number of amusement and water parks in or near New York City that offer these kinds of tame attractions. Here's our roundup of theme parks perfect for the pint-sized.
Find more seasonal rides in our Theme and Water Parks Guide for NYC Families.
Spring break and summer vacation deals have stormed in like a March blizzard, and there are big discounts to be had for family travel.
Awesome water parks like Atlantis, the new Nickelodeon resort in Punta Cana, and Beaches Turks & Caicos are slashing prices on trips booked in March. Plus resorts in Orlando, Punta Cana, Vegas, and Hawaii are a few more bargain options on tap for early spring. If you prefer your water fun indoors, all Great Wolf Lodge properties are promoting legitimate spring savings. We even threw in a few East Coast spring ski resort bargains.
Read on for our roundup of family getaway deals, but act fast; these offers will be gone faster than a melting snowman on a hot spring day.
Even if you are not considering a post-election move north, Canada’s bilingual capital is a fine family vacation. Ottawa beckons with a full plate of both indoor and outdoor activities all year, so don’t dismiss a winter visit. Be sure to pack the long underwear because residents don’t let tundra-style weather keep them indoors.
As Canada’s capital, this city is a showplace for the country, so the feel is similar to Washington, D.C., with a fine array of national museums and cultural offerings to complement the active adventures. It’s urban, but the manageable size, expansive green spaces and excellent public transportation makes it easy to navigate. As the government seat, the dashing young Prime Minister has been spotted at local playgrounds with his kids and participating in the weekly free yoga class on Parliament’s lawn, so look forward to the possibility of excellent political eye-candy.
Ottawa is closer than you might think, a one hour flight or seven hour, 336-mile drive from New York City. Here’s our guide to the best family activities in town.
The Pocono Mountains draw families to this scenic corner of Pennsylvania from the New York City area, Philadelphia, and across the country. For families craving adventure, there is a smorgasbord of activities on tap all year. In winter, ski, snowboard, or snow tube. Options are just as plentiful in summer: hiking, swimming, boating, zip lines and adventure ropes courses, plus plenty of nature walks and even famed waterfall hikes.
In case the weather isn’t cooperating, many of the resorts have indoor water parks offering hours of splashy, weatherproof fun, and spas for the grown-ups and kids(!) to unwind and indulge. We've rounded up some of top resorts in the area, so you can see which one best fits your next family vacation.
Going to sleepaway camp is a rite of passage for many New York City kids. Young city slickers pack their trunks and spend four- to eight-weeks in the great outdoors, communing with nature, and experiencing life without mom and dad.
If you've got an elementary schooler who's interested in trying sleepaway camp but is anxious about going away for a month (or more likely you're the one freaking out), you don't have to make such a big time commitment. These days, many sleepaway camps in the Northeast offer starter camps, one or two-week sessions specifically designed for first-timers. These mini-camps are a great way for families to test the waters to make sure you and your kid are ready to spend the summer apart. We've found a dozen diverse camps that offer these kinds of junior sleepaway programs.
Starved after your visit to one of the Upper West Side's top kid destinations—the American Museum of Natural History (79th Street and Central Park West) and the Children's Museum of Manhattan (83rd Street and between Amsterdam and Broadway)? Few Manhattan neighborhoods scream kid-friendly quite like the UWS, and that means the area's restaurants are overwhelmingly welcoming to families.
So while you really can't go wrong, we've rounded up 12 of the best spots where families can grab a quick bite or even sit down for a full meal. For more family-friendly eateries, check out our NYC Restaurant Guide.
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