Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.

Latest posts by Anna

Your Ultimate Summer Starts with Our Nickelodeon Resort Giveaway, Deals, and Guide

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 06/06/2023 - 11:47am

Enjoy the Summer of Spongebob, courtesy of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana - and Mommy Poppins!

Are you ready for the best summer ever? Aye, Aye, Captain! Mommy Poppins is bringing you the #UltimateSummer with the best activities all summer long, cool deals, and we're teaming up with Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts for a huge, all-included giveaway to Nick Resort Punta Cana.

Our Ultimate Summer Vacation Guides are here to help you with the best things to do in your area or wherever you're traveling—all summer long. We redesigned our guides with a fresh new look and made it easier to find all the best pools, beaches, day trips, festivals, and our top event and activity picks.

We're bringing the action to social, too. We'll be sharing our picks, posting deals, and Reels, and doing weekly giveaways announced on social each Tuesday.

Read on for more details, links to our guides, and be sure to bookmark your local Ultimate Summer Guide, your go-to resource for summer fun!

Best Old-Fashioned Soda Fountains in NYC from Brooklyn Farmacy to Lexington Candy Shop

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 05/22/2023 - 5:11pm

The towering ice cream sundaes at Lexington Candy Shop are guaranteed kid-pleasers. Photo by Jody Mercier

Families who pine for old neighborhood joints take note: NYC is still home to a collection of old-fashioned soda fountains, where hopping on a barstool is akin to climbing aboard a time travel machine. These classic New York City soda fountains serve up plenty of fun alongside soda fountain treats like towering ice cream sundaes, creamy milkshakes and malts, and even a classic egg cream.

The next time you want to give your kids a sweet treat with a side of nostalgia, consider visiting one of these soda fountains in NYC, which range from Carroll Gardens' Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain to the Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side. No matter where you are from Brooklyn to Queens, Manhattan to Brooklyn, and even on Staten Island, we've found a soda fountain in NYC near you.

Find more kid-friendly eats and treats in our NYC Restaurant Guide for Families.

Best Carousels in NYC: 13 Merry-Go-Rounds City Kids Love

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 05/08/2023 - 5:01pm

The compact, mild Le Carrousel in Bryant Park is ideal for preschoolers. Photo courtesy of Bryant Park

A ride on one of these carousels in NYC makes for a wonderfully nostalgic outing. It's the simplest of amusement park attractions, and there are more than a dozen merry-go-rounds in New York City alone. It's easy to stumble upon them on your next park outing if you know where to look.

Each of these New York City carousels offers a unique spin on this traditional kiddie ride, from harbor views to a ride inside an iridescent fish. We've rounded up the best merry-go-rounds in all five boroughs. Find more rides, games, and entertainment in our Guide to Amusement Parks and Water Parks in NYC.

75 Indoor Activities for Kids on a Rainy Day

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 02/28/2023 - 10:05am

Turn a stuck-at-home day into a lasting memory.

Florida's Kennedy Space Center: A Kid-Friendly Visitors Guide

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 10:00am

See a replica of the moon landing with this Moonscape.

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida (a short drive from Orlando) offers the perfect place to revel in the science of space. Something between a museum and a theme park all about space exploration, there’s so much to see and do at this family destination, including the brand-new Gateway attraction. The Kennedy Space Center is a must-do for any family interested in science, space, and American history.

In fact there’s so much to see and do at the sprawling 144,000-acre Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex (don’t panic, all the attractions are close together), it’s good to arrive with a game plan. Here’s what you need to know about the different attractions so you can plan your visit and make your day great.

Adirondack Mountains with Kids: 40 Things To Do in this Family-Friendly All-Seasons Destination

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sat, 01/28/2023 - 11:10pm

Open only in the winter, Lake Placid’s Toboggan Chute is a 30-foot high structure that sends toboggans down an ice-covered chute onto the frozen Mirror Lake. Photo courtesy of Lake Placid, Adirondacks, USA

The Adirondacks Mountains are one of the most idyllic family vacation spots in the Northeast. The enormous, pristine natural setting features numerous lakes and quaint towns sprinkled across gorgeous mountains. Visitors to the Adirondack Mountains find tons of all-season outdoor adventures as well as fun, family-friendly attractions. While Lake Placid and Lake George draw throngs of visitors, we opted to stay in Schroon Lake, a cute town that's a little more laid-back, centrally located, and makes a great jumping-off point to explore the region.

Visitors can spend time hiking, boating, skiing, sledding, and even bobsledding or speed skating! In short, the Adirondack Mountains offer tons of things to do, no matter your family's interests. We've rounded up our top picks, whether you want to immerse yourself in history at Fort Ticonderoga, connect with nature at the Wild Center, or slide onto Mirror Lake in a toboggan, the Adirondack Mountains are a dreamy destination for a memorable family vacation. Of course, we've even got some options for great Adirondack hotels so you have somewhere to unwind following your Adirondack Mountains adventures.

Find more family vacation ideas in our Adirondacks, Catskills & Hudson Valley Family Travel Guide.

Free Museums and Free Museum Days in NYC for Kids

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/13/2023 - 6:17am

The Met offers pay-what-you wish admission at all times to New Yorkers and kids always attend for free. Photo by Jody Mercier

When it comes to saving money on culture, there are tons of free museum days and free admission hours offered at a wide variety of New York City's top museums, zoos, gardens, and cultural institutions. Many of these local cultural hubs offer free or reduced admission on certain nights, days, or hours at least once a month—a city perk no busy, cash-strapped parent should miss! Plus, many grown-up museums let kids in for free year-round.

It can be hard to keep track of when and where these free museum days in NYC are available, so we've compiled an exhaustive list of reduced or free admission days at our favorite NYC cultural spots from the Bronx Zoo to the Brooklyn Children's Museum and every free museum in between.

As always, you can visit our Family Activity Calendar for more budget-friendly kid activities every day or visit our NYC Museum Guide for the latest kid-friendly exhibitions in NYC. Also, don't forget to put your library card to work for free admission at many of these same places!

50 Snow Day Boredom Busters for Kids: Fun Indoor Activities

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 01/03/2023 - 9:51am

What kid doesn't love a game of pretend?

When the weatherman predicts a snow day, you can almost hear the collective cries of joy from children—and the sighs of resignation from the adults who will miss work to entertain a house of stir-crazy kids. Before your brood drives you batty, scan through this list of 50 indoor activities just right for a snow day, from baking projects (hot chocolate on a stick) to cool crafts (toy parachutes) and fun games for kids (indoor snowball fight). Have fun—and good luck!

Find more crafts, recipes, at-home projects, and science experiments in our Boredom Busters Activities Guide, or venture outdoors with these snow games and activities.