Why should cheese and crackers have all the fun? These dessert charcuterie boards can make any day sweet! It is not difficult to assemble one of these trays once you have the right ingredients and supplies in your kitchen. Dessert boards are no-cook, easy dessert recipes that are perfect for celebrating a birthday, holiday, or just to add a little fun to a night at home. You can use any flat surface to build your dessert board—we like to use a deep tray with handles, but a cutting board, serving tray, or any flat surface is a perfect stage to show off your delectable dessert creations.

From s’mores masterpieces to movie night treats, these five dessert boards will let you indulge your family’s sweet tooth. Find more dessert recipes and sweet kitchen inspiration in our Guide to Easy Recipes for Kids.

Getting outdoors with kids is always fun, but when you add in animals it takes the fun factor to the next level. Any trip to a zoo or safari park is sure to be met with glee, but nothing ups the ante better than actually getting to hug the animals at a petting zoo. From typical barnyard animals like sheep and goats to more exotic ones like wallabies and lemurs, we've rounded up 10 petting zoos that deliver a unique animal experience.

As a bonus, many of these are at our favorite area farms, so you can get ready to spend the day interacting with animals and getting in some serious playtime! Be sure to bring some extra cash; there are several that allow you to buy food so that you can hand-feed the animals. For even more outdoor fun, be sure to check our Farms & Pick Your Own Guide and our Zoos and Gardens Guide. 

Brooklyn's already family-friendly waterfront is getting a cool new feature just in time for summer 2021: A new 18-hole mini-golf course dubbed Putting GREEN is set to open in Williamsburg.

Read on for more details on the project, which also includes a 20,000-square-foot sustainable farm, and start planning your summer day trip to explore all the fun along Brooklyn's East River shores from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Domino Park and beyond.

Spring is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy some animal encounters, and one of my favorite spots is the Cohanzick Zoo.

Located in rural Bridgeton, about 50 minutes south of Philadelphia, the Cohanzick Zoo is ideal for children—and adults!—of all ages. It is New Jersey’s first zoo, having opened in 1934, and despite its small size, it is home to more than 100 animals and almost 50 different species. A visit to the Cohanzick Zoo takes about half a day and feels as if it's open just for you.

Read on for all the reasons my family loves this zoo and find more fun animal encounters at these New Jersey zoos and aquariums.

These crafts for kids celebrate Earth Day the best way we know how—with recycling! You don’t have to buy any extra stuff to create one of these beautiful crafts. Basic supplies like scissors, glue, and paint allow kids (and their grown-ups) to do their part to save the planet. 

Clean out that recycling bin to gather supplies for these fun Earth Day activities for kids. From glass and plastic to packaging and cardboard, there is a treasure trove of crafting material just waiting to be reused. Whether you are taking a pile of cardboard boxes to the next level or turning T-shirts into totes, these easy crafts for kids provide a little inspiration to get you going. 

Editor's Note: As of September 2023, Garden of Eve has leased its farm to Waterdrinker Family Farm. Read more about Waterdrinker's original location here. Waterdrinker continues to operate many of the popular annual festivals that took place at Garden of Eve.
Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market is a family-friendly, pick-your-own farm that is a cornucopia of flowers and produce, which hosts a bevy of kids’ programs, and amazing seasonal festivals for year-round fun.

Located in the East End town of Riverhead, this 50-acre certified organic farm was founded in 2001 by Chris and Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht, two experienced farmers and passionate environmentalists who have worked hard to create a haven for Long Island families looking to experience the wonder of farming and learn about the importance of sustainability.

Garden of Eve is a place where kids can experience nature and get their hands dirty while learning more about where their food and flowers come from. Adults will enjoy sampling the farm’s craft beers and buying fresh, organic produce from its market or through its CSA programs. The whole family can attend one of Garden of Eve’s many fun festivals and creative, educational, kid-friendly events.

Here’s a closer look at 12 things we love about this magical Long Island farm. Find more farm fun spanning from strawberry season to pumpkin picking in our Guide to Farms and U-Pick Produce.

New York may have a reputation for being a city of renters, but the reality is that plenty of families are buying homes—and with mortgage rates low, purchasing a home can actually be more affordable than it seems. Of course, buying here can feel especially intimidating. Beyond the sticker shock and the condo versus coop versus house confusion, there things like loans and down payments to navigate. Unravelling all of it can really stand in the way of families believing that buying is on the table.

When we had questions about the home buying process, we connected with Brian Scott Cohen, a Senior Loan Officer at GR Affinity—and proud New York City dad—who's helped thousands of families become homeowners over the 17 years he's been in the mortgage industry. Brian helped us untangle our most pressing inquiries about buying a home in New York.

Bagels are the best, especially when you have little kids to feed. Plain, inexpensive, portable—perfect. Teething tots can gnaw on a plain one for hours. Picky eaters will devour one toasted with butter. Adventurous eaters might opt for an exotic flavor, paired with an equally daring flavor of schmear. And parents can get an everything bagel loaded with luxurious lox and salty capers. The only problem is, LA used to be a bagel wasteland.

The key here is “used to be.” Several shops have popped up in the last few years, determined to fill that bagel-shaped hole in the LA culinary landscape. And now no less an authority than the New York Times has declared that LA makes better bagels than New York. Look no further: here’s where you can get the best bagels in town.