Visiting the Poconos with Kids: 70 Top Things To Do as a Family

Canoe or swim in the many lakes and rivers in the Poconos. Photo courtesy of Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau

Just two hours from New York City or Philadelphia, the Pocono Mountains offer pristine natural beauty mixed with enough family-friendly activities to fill a long weekend getaway or an entire summer vacation. Truly a four-season resort area, during the winter people flock to the Poconos for skiing and other winter sports, and the cool lake-dotted mountains draw families for swimming, hiking, boating, horseback riding, and more in the summer. It's also loaded with great water park resorts, both indoor and outdoor, and lovely cabin rentals, many of them either lakeside or mountainside.

Your Essential Beach List: Best Baby Beach Gear, Umbrellas, Wagons, and Tips for a Fun Beach Day

A pile of buckets goes a long way with young kids at the beach.

I vaguely remember going to the beach with a cute little beach bag that held just a towel, a bottle of sunscreen, a book, a water bottle, and maybe a snack. Going to the beach with my three kids, however, requires a mountain of beach chairs, towels, a heap of toys, two coolers, and a wagon to haul everything.

I’ve tried my share of beach gear over the years (I grew up in a beach town and now we live near the Jersey Shore), but to make sure I had left no stone unturned, I also polled our readers and everyone at Mommy Poppins for their picks on the very best things to bring to the beach with kids. Everything on this list will make your next day at the beach easier, less sandy, and a little more like, well, a day at the beach.

Visit the Dinosaur Garden and More at Lasdon Park & Arboretum

The Dinosaur Garden at Lasdon Park & Arboretum is one of many family-friendly trails, and it beckons kids to come and explore.

While nothing has been easy about this past year, one small upside has been the number of great outdoor parks and preserves we’ve visited in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. From Croton Gorge Park to Minnewaska State Park, my family and I have been able to spend time in nature and truly take in the natural beauty that is practically right in our own backyard. On the agenda recently: A visit to Lasdon Park & Arboretum, a 234-acre park on Route 35 in Katonah.

Bought by the Lasdon family in the 1930s as its "country retreat," Westchester County purchased the land in the mid-1980s, transforming it into a public green space with gorgeous gardens, lots of family-friendly walking paths, and (best of all for the kids) a Dinosaur Garden. There is plenty here to keep Westchester families engaged, and it makes a great day trip destination for New York City families, too.

Read on for more details on how to fill your day at Lasdon Park & Arboretum, and find more outdoor fun in our Guide to Parks and Playgrounds.

The Nature Playscape: Houston Arboretum's New Playground Was Worth the Wait

Climbing the spiderweb. Photo by Vicki Li Yip

After much anticipation, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center has finally unveiled its brand new Nature Playscape. Envisioned in the Arboretum's master plan years ago, the new play area is unlike a traditional playground; this play space is inspired by nature and designed to complement the surrounding vegetation. Native Texas flora is incorporated throughout the playground, growing lush and vibrant along the winding walkways.

The individual climbing structures and the various sections of the park are created with natural materials like logs, wood, and rope, that blend in nicely with the surrounding landscape. Best of all, this exciting new Nature Playscape is yet another attraction that visitors of the Houston Arboretum can enjoy for free.

21 Things To Do in Manhattan Beach with Kids

Kids can get up close to marine life. Photo courtesy of Roundhouse Aquarium

Though at first glance they're very similar, each of the Beach Cities in the South Bay has a distinct flavor and vibe. Manhattan Beach is considered the most family-friendly of the Beach Cities with some of the best schools in the country, over two miles of pristine beaches, and oodles of activities for kids and adults alike.

With spacious parks and nautical playgrounds, a compact and walkable downtown area by the beach, and a historic pier and aquarium, Manhattan Beach is a great city to experience with kids.

A Colorful Skittles Science Experiment for Kids

Check out what a little warm water does to these Skittles.

Your kids may think you're a real live wizard when they see the colorful results of this Skittles science experiment. What they won’t know is that there is actually a lot of science behind those swirls and whirls of color.

The different colors in Skittles are composed of slightly different properties. When the warm water dissolves these colors, kids witness a phenomenon called water stratification. The different densities of each ingredient create a barrier between the colors and thus a very cool and colorful pattern. 

How to Visit the Jersey Shore Beaches in 2021: Where to Get Beach Passes and More

Catch a wave at LBI when Jersey Shore beaches open for the season later this month. Photo by Rose Gordon Sala

After an unprecedented summer last year, Jersey Shore beaches are preparing for a return to a new normal in 2021. Governor Phil Murphy recently announced beaches can reopen with restrictions on Saturday, May 22, 2021. “The Jersey Shore, after all, is where memories are made,” Murphy said. “The last thing any of us wanted was for a summertime down the Shore to be a memory.”

While Jersey Shore beaches will be open in time to kick off the unofficial start of summer, most beaches require a beach badge, and many beach offices aren’t selling tags in the traditional, in-person way. They're either offering prepaid pickup, mail orders, or online-only sales through the Viply app.

Visitors can also expect beaches to have COVID restrictions in place (decided by the local municipalities) on the number of beachgoers allowed on a given day, and social distancing rules will be in effect and fully enforced. Families must remain six feet away from other parties, and group gatherings aren’t allowed.

Despite these limits, we are still looking forward to summer days down the Shore. Read on to learn what you need to know before you go, and bookmark our Jersey Shore Family Guide for more summertime fun.

How to Enjoy NYC Beaches, the Jersey Shore, and More Summer Haunts in 2021

New York City's 14 miles of seashore open for the season Saturday, May 29, 2021. Photo courtesy of NYCGo

We're just three short weeks shy of Memorial Day weekend, and that means the unofficial start of summer is on the horizon, bringing with it the start of beach season 2021. After a pandemic-shortened season last year, New York City's 14 miles of beaches are set to reopen to the public for a full season of sun and surf beginning Saturday, May 29, 2021.

Read on for details on what beach season looks like in the five boroughs, and beyond from the Jersey Shore, to our favorite Long Island seaside haunts, and beaches in Westchester and Connecticut, too. Stay up-to-date all season long with our Summer Fun and Beaches and Lakes Guides.

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