Hudson Valley

I don't know about you, but this summer we've pared back on camps and vacations in an effort not to spend money we don't have. But our loss is your gain because, instead, what we're going to be doing this summer is exploring New York City and all the fun stuff we don't always have time to do during the school year.

To get organized for a full summer of fun NYC style (and 62 scarily empty days), I planned out an activity for just about every single day in July and August, 'cause, as my son would say, "that's what me do."

The following list is not comprehensive. These are the things I'm looking forward to doing this summer. These are the coolest family events coming up this summer, plus some great places I've just been meaning to get to. And most of them are free.

The Hamptons isn't all that, hang with me right here in New York. It's gonna be a blast (and don't forget to check out our Summer Activity Guide for even more great things to do with kids in NYC this summer).  I hope to see you there.

50 Things to Do This Summer With Kids in New York City:

Hot dogs and hamburgers (and veggie burgers too) usually come to mind when Memorial Day rolls around, but there's so much more to the weekend than the BBQ fare. In New York City, Memorial Day also means that the beaches will be opening. Plus the playground sprinklers will be turned on, giving you the assurance that summer really is here. Of course, Memorial Day Weekend also means an extra day off, which means an extra day for fun activities like Fleet Week, a Dragon Boat festival, tug boat and barge tours, an arts festival and some ballet dancing! Check it out.

One of the things that makes NYC the ultimate place to live with kids is you don't have to travel far for great family recreational activities. And, since we finally got some snow, skiing with the kids sounds pretty good right about now. But, where are the best places to go skiing with kids near NYC? Well, that all depends on what kind of skier you are and whether you want to ski with your kids, drop them off at ski school and hit the slopes yourself, or you want to do something else altogether. Here's a rundown of the best family ski centers near New York.

It's the height of apple and pumpkin picking season and the weather is perfect for it. But what about the little ones? We went looking for some of the best places to go apple picking within one hour of New York City that are good for families with toddlers: low down trees so that toddlers can reach the apples from their small stature, plus other fun stuff for kids like hay rides, petting zoos, and more.

[UPDATED: 9/21/08]

Growing up in New York City, one of our family traditions was going apple picking in the Hudson Valley every Fall. It's a tradition I've enjoying continuing with my own kids because it's a great day out in the country, it's economical (considering the price of apples from FreshDirect), and it's even trendy (if you're into the locavore thing). It's a great activity for Columbus Day Weekend, but there are also a bunch of free Apple Festivals right here in NYC if you don't feel like taking the kids traveling.

In my post about the farms you can visit in Westchester, I mentioned that it is easy to get to Philipsburg Manor and Stone Barn Farms without a car, using public transportation. I thought it would be cool to write about some of the other day tips you can take from NYC using public transportation. There's really no reason to be stuck in the city just because you're carless (or want to save your gas money on, say, the down payment on an apartment). There are plenty of fun family day trips that can be easily accessed using Metro-North trains or busses.

The MTA actually has an entire section of their website dedicated to what they so romantically dub MTA Getaways . You've probably seen this advertised in the subway, but I know I never really looked into it before. Many of the trips you could do any time, but the MTA has also worked with local tours and groups to create specific event packages.

Dutchess County Fair
For instance, this weekend you could take Metro North up to the Dutchess County Fair and buy a discounted ticket that includes your train ticket and admission to the fair. The package costs about $30 per adult (children get in free to the fair and are only $1.50 RT on the train). I figure this out at about a $7 discount. Keep in mind that once you take Metro North to Poughkeepsie you have to take a one hour connecting bus ride to the fair grounds for a total travel time of almost 3 hours, so I don't know if I would recommend this unless you did it as an overnighter.

But here are some other ones that are definitely worth a try:

Last week Shea filled us in on the farms of Long Island. I'm happy to report that I've gotten to visit a couple of them and it's been a blast. More details on that later. But, did you know that there are also farms in Westchester that you can visit with kids? Seriously, in under an hour of New York City, your kids could be gamboling with sheep, rounding up chickens, and milking cows.

The first one we hit was Muscoot Farm. It's the furthest away (about an hour) in Somers, NY in Northern Westchester. I was amazed at how rural that part of Westchester is. It really feels like the country and it's so close. Muscoot is actually a Westchester County park and is free to visit. They also have free or inexpensive programs, workshops and occasional festivals. There is also a farmers market on Sundays with vendors from area farms selling produce, honey, baked goods and wool. There are also hiking trails and picnic areas available to everyone.

There are workshops for preschoolers (aged 3-5) and older kids that let children really get into and learn about farm work and the nature on a farm. For instance,

We have been getting lots of great tips from readers in our in box and in the comment section of the site. It's been hard for me to keep up with it all on top of our regular posting. Some of them I've been able to slip into regular posts, but the tips are all too good to let go, so this week and next week I set aside some days that I am going to be posting the great ideas for things to do with kids in New York that you have been sharing.

If you have some tips you'd like to share with us please send them to me.

Thanks to Sharon Kleinhandler, Tricia Gillespie and Neeta Vallab for these tips:

Are you raising a city kid who thinks that milk comes in a carton and apples are from the bodega?  On second thought, we all know New York City kids are way too precocious for that but I would bet that most of your kids feel more comfortable on a subway than they do on a farm.  And, even though they "know" where milk comes from, have they ever actually milked a cow?  

If you are looking for a way to get your kids to connect more to the food on their plate, try taking them to one of New York State's county fairs.  County fairs are filled with animals, award winning vegetables and lots of farm demonstrations. With county fairs every day of the week throughout New York State for all of July and August if you are planning on heading out of the city you should check these listings to see if you can bring Old Macdonald to life for your little one.

We love NYC in the summer, there is so much to do and it's less crowded. But, its also great to get out of town to spend some time in nature, swim in the ocean and check out new places. For all of July and August, in addition to our regular posts, we will be posting suggestions for fun day and weekend trips that you can take with kids. Here are a few quick suggestions to get you started. Any of these ideas would be great for something to do with the kids this Fourth of July Weekend.