Diana Kim

Diana Kim has been a contributor to Mommy Poppins for nearly 8 years. A Brooklyn mom of three (ages 7-16), she loves exploring family-friendly events and activities in Brooklyn and sharing the best finds with readers.

Latest posts by Diana

Choose-Your-Own Culinary Adventure at these Unique Foodie Experiences in NYC

Submitted by Diana Kim on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 3:31pm

Shirokuro is a black-and-white destination that's 100 percent hand-drawn and makes it feel like you're dining inside a doodle. Photo by Jody Mercier

New York is the ultimate city for foodies, including for kids with adventurous palates. While there are restaurants on just about every corner with nearly every possible cuisine to sample, there are also lots of unique and fun food experiences for NYC kids to discover. Think interactive cooking, edible adventures, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences. If you've got a budding foodie in your house, we've rounded up eight culinary adventures sure to create some tasty memories.

For more tips on dining out in NYC with kids, check out our comprehensive NYC Kids' Guide to Family-Friendly Restaurants. We've got neighborhood-specific information about the best places to eat and the best insider tips.

Easy Summer Weekend Getaways from NYC for Families

Submitted by Diana Kim on Fri, 05/02/2025 - 3:38pm

Plan a hiking trip during your visit to the Poconos for a summer weekend getaway. Photo by Ally Noel

Summer travel is on the horizon, and with a slew of kid-friendly escapes just a few hours from New York City, the hardest part of planning a weekend getaway from NYC could be deciding whether you want a woodsy outdoor adventure, a quiet beach town, an island escape, or a historical expedition. No matter what you decide, we've rounded up 10 summer weekend getaway destinations full of fun, and all are less than three hours from NYC by car or train.

You can find more travel inspiration in our Local Day Trips Guide and on our East Coast Family Travel Guide.

NYC Kids Can Climb this Giant Art Playground—For FREE

Submitted by Diana Kim on Mon, 04/14/2025 - 9:28am

Climb to the rafters—for FREE—at Keff Joons, CJ Hendry's new art installation.

Looking for a fun, unique, and FREE spring break activity in NYC? CJ Hendry's newest pop-up art installation, entitled Keff Joons, is now open, taking over a massive Dumbo warehouse.

Known for immersive, large-scale installations that are colorful, fun, quirky, and a bit subversive, Hendry's newest installation is no different. In Keff Joons, Hendry has created a surreal playground of huge, long, rubber balloons that are twisted and intertwined with each other forming an immense, climbable structure that nearly fills the whole warehouse.

We visited, climbed, squished, and slid on Keff Joons, and have all our tips and tricks for your visit below.

Top Teen and Tween Summer Camps in NYC

Submitted by Diana Kim on Mon, 03/17/2025 - 12:54pm

QBK Sports Beach Volleyball Camp is located in the heart of Long Island City, Queens. Photo courtesy QBK Sports

Summer camp is a great way for tweens and teens to explore their interests, make new friends, and stay active during the summer. Whether they're interested in sports summer camps, film summer camps, theater summer camps, or STEAM summer camps, there are tons of summer camps in NYC for teens and tweens to find the right fit.

We've rounded up the best summer camps in NYC for teens and tweens below, and you can find more summer camp options like the best free and cheap summer camps and the top sleepaway summer camps in the Northeast in our NYC Kids Guide to Summer Camps. You can also search our Camp Directory to find summer camps by age, interest, and neighborhood.

Secrets of MoMA: A Parent's Guide to Getting the Most Out of a Visit with Kids

Submitted by Diana Kim on Sun, 03/09/2025 - 9:28am

The Museum of Modern Art has always been one of our favorite NYC museums to visit with kids. It's a gem among the city's world-class cultural institutions. You'll see some of the world's most famous artwork alongside exciting, new contemporary exhibits, and soaring sculptural pieces. In recent years, MoMA has made great strides to make its art accessible and fun for kids with family programming and events, kid-friendly gallery guides, tours, and interactive art labs.

The space and collection at MoMA are vast. With nearly 165,000-square-feet of art spanning five floors of galleries and more than 200,000 pieces ranging from paintings and sculptures to drawings, prints, photographs, and film, it's impossible to explore the entire museum in one day. To help families get the most out of their visit, here are our favorite family-friendly finds, tips, and activities at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Find more of our top tips and museum picks in our NYC Kids Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits in NYC.

Indoor Swimming Pools in NYC with Day Passes

Submitted by Diana Kim on Sun, 02/09/2025 - 8:50am

Asphalt Green has a pair of campuses with beautiful indoor pools.

It's easy to find a swimming pool in NYC during the summer months when there are plenty of FREE swimming pools to visit, but if you're looking for year-round options or less-crowded waters, the possibilities are more limited. We've rounded up the best indoor swimming pools in NYC offering day passes, from private pools to off-the-beaten-path community spots. All are kid-friendly and welcome families for swimming and other water fun.

Read on for our top picks for indoor swimming pools in NYC, and find more options for family fun in our NYC Kids Guide to Indoor Play Spaces and Fun Zones.

School Break Camps in NYC: Winter and Spring Break Camps to Keep Kids Busy on Days Off

Submitted by Diana Kim on Fri, 01/24/2025 - 10:37am

SKATEYOGI camps are designed for students ages 5-14 of all skill levels. Photo courtesy of SKATEYOGI

Finding great school break camps in NYC to keep kids busy during spring break and other NYC school vacations is a breeze thanks to these local school break camps. If kids need something to do, these NYC winter and spring break camps offer activities ranging from STEM to sports, visual arts, performing arts, cooking, and more. Many offer programming during week-long breaks and single days off. We have found school break camps in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, and we're sharing them all below.

Be sure to check out our NYC Kids Guide to Camps for more options for school holidays and all summer long, and find more top NYC spring and winter break camps in our camp directory.

Family-Friendly Hotels for a New York Staycation

Submitted by Diana Kim on Thu, 12/19/2024 - 1:47pm

The TWA Hotel isn't far from home, but offers a little mid-century glam and some unique views.

These family-friendly hotels in New York State are a perfect solution for a quick vacation if this isn't the year for traveling to a far-flung destination. With these local hotels, you don't have to forego an escape or hard-earned rest and relaxation just because you don't want to get on a plane. New Yorkers are fortunate to have a variety of family-friendly hotels right at their fingertips.

Whether you want to stay at a family-friendly hotel in New York City and masquerade as a tourist, drive a few hours to enjoy an authentic farm stay, find a place to truly recharge, or seek action and adventure, we've rounded up the 13 family-friendly New York hotels for a staycation.

To find more local destinations to explore, bookmark our Day Trips and Getaway Guide.

Diana Kim

Latest posts by Diana

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