Parks and Playgrounds

In addition to all the local Halloween Parades and Festivals, the city is literally packed with FREE Halloween activities. In fact there are so many great things to do on October 25th you may need a magic eight ball to decide where to go. Luckily your kids will be so hopped up on candy they will have the energy to take in several events in one day.

Keep reading to find out where and when you can levitate at magic shows, hop on hay rides, take a creepy candle-lt tour of Grant’s Tomb, visit haunted houses, dance your way through the post trick-or-treat sugar comma and get the whole family dressed up, even the dog. (Photo  by Istolethev). Read more »

You don't hear about Fort Greene that much and that's probably a good thing. Good for me anyway. I've been enjoying spending afternoons there, with and without my kids. Fort Greene's quiet, bucolic tree-lined streets are the perfect antidote to a stressful day of work and there's lots of fun stuff to do in the neighborhood with kids. Read more »

All signs are pointing towards a really depressing economy but as bad as it may get, the kids still need fun stuff to do! Which is where we come in, we promise you that NY remains a great place with kids and there are loads of great free activities so please don't go running now that the stock market is tanking. Stick with us and we will keep churning out great ideas on how to spend your days where all you need is a metro card and some PB&J's in your bag. Read more »

Photo courtesy of Lefferts Historic House

Did you know that you don't need to head out of town to go apple picking or watch honey bees?  Want to find out where you can see top Broadway stars dance and sing without dropping a dime?  There is so much going on all over the city this weekend I decided to do a best of the boroughs so you can explore the best of your neck of the woods.

Brooklyn - Harvest apples right here in Prospect Park, just as Brooklynites did years ago when nearly every farm in old Flatbush had apple trees. Read more »

The Astroland Amusement Park out at Coney Island is closing its doors forever after this Sunday, September 7, so if you want to get one more tilt-a-whirl ride in now's the time to go. The park will be open 10am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Cyclone roller coaster will not be closing, however, so hurling by the beach will still be an option. [via NewYorkology]

In other amusement park news... Read more »

The Reason For a Flower by Ruth Heller is one of my favorite children’s books. It teaches us that “the reason for a flower is to manufacture seeds.” My last post was Wildflowers Everywhere, well those beautiful spring flowers have produced many interesting fruit. Fruit is the part of the plant that holds the seeds. Within all of these fruit are seeds you can collect.

Playing with seeds is fun! Collect a number of different fruit and seeds and have your children sort them, count them, draw them, contrast and compare their shapes and colors. Some of the seeds can be put in soil and they will germinate or grow right away. Some might need to be planted outside and go through one winter before they germinate. It’s fun to walk up to a tree and see what surprises are in store for you. But we are not the only ones who need and value fruit and seeds. Our city’s wildlife: seed eating birds, squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents depend upon the fruit and their seeds that our trees produce. Here are some fruit to look for in midsummer. Read more »

The incredible popularity of DUMBO has created this new love for New Yorkers and that is hanging out in the magical and somewhat creepy space that is created under our massive bridges. If you are one of these LOSUBs (lovers of spaces under bridges), and getting tired of loitering under the various Brooklyn crossings, I have a new one for you that won't disappoint - the Triborough. Head to this neighborhood of Queens for a great day of water fun, ethnic eats, a kid-friendly beer garden, and maybe even a fun Museum stop. Read more »

Lots going on this weekend but be warned, it's going to be a hot one so if all you can deal with is staying in air conditioning or being in water check out our Summer Fun Guide for info on places to hop in the water and cool off.

For air-conditioned events, top picks are the Foot and Fiddle Dance Company at the Museum of the New City on Saturday where you can catch a lively dance program that demonstrates how waves of Irish immigration have influenced American dance, FREE with admission. And Summer Sundays at the Gugenheim which includes tours, drawing and children's lterature, $15 per family.

And now for a line-up of the best FREE outdoor events this weekend: Read more »

Today is the first day of the Prospect Park fishing contest, but that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to free sports activities in New York parks for kids.

The NYC Parks Department offers some really amazing sports programs that are (even more amazingly) FREE. NYC kids can do all sorts of sports from learning to swing a golf club or to play tennis to going fishing, paddling a canoe or even sleeping out under the stars—all for the sweet price of FREE. Your next thought is that these programs filled up in February, right? Not so, many of these programs require little if any advance registration and have gotten great reviews from our reader parents. We'll tell you all about the City Parks Foundation's and Urban Ranger's activities and how your city kids can be part of these free sports programs in the city parks this summer. Read more »

Photo of Caumsette State Park by sparkylu25

One of the great things about NYC is that it's possible to have the best of both worlds. You can be in the middle of one of the greatest cities on the planet and in minutes find yourself on a beautiful rocky beach or thick in the woods on a nature trail. Check out these little known North Shore Long Island Parks that are perfect for a day trip with your family.

Caumsett State Park
Tucked away on the North Shore of Long Island, this place is a best kept secret. Originally owned by Marshall Field (as in the department store), the 1750 acre park was once his estate, complete with multiple homes, dairy barn, and horse stables. Today the park offers peace, serenity, and the best walking, biking or running trails on Long Island, not to mention open fields where the kids can stretch their legs after the ride up there, and spectacular serene beaches which feel completely private, even during the Summer. Read more »