Rebecca Jennings

We were wowed by this year’s Big Apple Circus, which finally arrived at Lincoln Center on  Friday, October 25. And what better way to welcome the original city spectacle than with an NYC-themed show? Among the amazing acts were characters familiar to every city kid, such as clowns pretending to be lost tourists, a pickpocketing magician, trapeze artists masked as businesswomen and a teeterboard troupe wearing costumes that looked like fireworks. RECOMMENDED: Big Apple Circus brings Luminocity to Lincoln CenterBefore Saturday’s show, we chatted with little circusgoers to see what they were most excited about seeing at the Big Apple Circus. Click through our slide show to see their answers, as well as a sneak peak of what’s in store at this year's show.

We regret to inform your family that summer 2018 is coming to a close. To avoid the long faces, you might want to start planning one of these epic Labor Day weekend getaways ASAP. Closing out the season on a high note is the best way to avoid those back-to-school blues.  Options are aplenty, from family-friendly resorts to bustling cities and tranquil locales. You can round out the summer with adventure or some simple r&r—it's all up to you and the family.  What are you waiting for? It won't be long before you're indulging in cider and scary movies thanks to the best fall activities for kids, so might as well take advantage of an extra dose of summer while you can!  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best family vacations from NYC Looking to head out of town? Book a stay at the best family resorts, enjoy one of these family weekend getaways or enjoy the great outdoors at one of these family campgrounds near NYC.

Update: Call before making a visit, as hours and services are subject to change.  What does it take to be counted among the best ice cream shops in New York? The quality of the ice cream, for one. The creativity and variety of flavors, for another. But more than that, you need to have the right disposition: Ice cream is the ultimate childhood treat, the stuff of lasting memories. In other words, the ice cream shops on this list know they're scooping up magic. It doesn't matter if your kid orders a simple vanilla soft-serve, or a eyes-bigger-than-their-stomach sundae, or one of the best milkshakes in NYC, a visit to one of these ice cream shops and old-school soda fountains will be the highlight of the day! Our advice? Let the kiddos get some playtime in first with a visit to one of the 50 best playgrounds NYC families must visit, or one of the best water playgrounds for kids in NYC. Sometimes it's that easy to have the best day ever.

Nueva York es una ciudad en la que es imposible aburrirse. Bajo su icónico 'skyline' se engloban un montón de edificios impresionantes, varios de los museos más importantes del mundo, así como una gran variedad de restaurantes que satisfacen los paladares más exigentes. En esta ciudad donde la diversión está en cada esquina, también hay una gran oferta de actividades infantiles y lugares perfectos para visitar y disfrutar en familia. ¡Esta lista se asegura de que todos lo paséis bien, tanto los más pequeños como los adultos! NO TE LO PIERDAS: Las mejores cosas para hacer en Nueva York

Let kids take a swing at cool baseball camp programs in NYC. Young athletes will love mastering America's pastime at these fun venues.  While you're mapping things to do with kids in NYC during the summer, make sure you explore all of these options for weekday adventures.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to summer camps in NYC Not only will these baseball camps hone your kids' hitting, pitching and base-stealing moves, but they'll also provide a chance for fun outings (think trips to cool family attractions), make new friends and even spend some time away from home (don't forget to check out other sleepaway camps in NY and beyond). Sounds like a home run to us!  Baseball camp programs aren't the only sports camps offerings available. Visit our camps page to learn more about athletic, creative, academic availabilities for little New Yorkers. 

It’s not summer until you’re jamming to your favorite tunes in the great outdoors, and we’ve got you covered nearly every day of the week. Check out our list of the best open-air concert series for kids this summer, taking place at museum gardens, street corners and even on a floating barge. So whether your little one is the get-up-and-boogie type or prefers chilling out on the picnic blanket, she’ll find something to love.RECOMMENDED: More summer activities for kids in New York City

Nobody celebrates our nation’s birthday with quite as much style (or hot dogs) as New York City—and this summer, families can expect the usual over-the-top Fourth of July events like pyrotechnic displays (Macy's will explode more than 40,000 fireworks choreographed to a playlist courtesy of R&B superstar Usher) plus patriotic fun at parks and museums all over the city. Check out our list of the best Fourth of July events for kids this year, from visiting the newly reopened Lady Liberty to scavenging for Revolution-era artifacts. Happy Fourth!

RECOMMENDED: More things to do in the fall with kids This season, save your cash for something warm (and preferably pumpkin-flavored!) and instead, take to the city’s leaf-covered streets for one of these free things to do in NYC during the fall. Scroll through our slide show for the best outdoor block parties, Halloween festivals, new art exhibits and tons more. Know of other great free things to do in NYC with kids? Let us know on Twitter at @TimeOutKids!

RECOMMENDED: More things to do in the fall with kids Can’t decide on which of the city’s coolest classes to tackle this fall? Good news: Your kids can try a whole lot of ‘em—for free!—at open houses this September and October. The sessions (we've rounded up 11 of them!) are a great way to sample the autumn offerings at some of our favorite city institutions before signing up your little one for an after-school or weekend class. Scroll through our slideshow for the upcoming events.

We’re starting to think that Williamsburg’s play spaces are about to rival the number of dive bars in the hipster ‘hood—not that it's a bad thing. (Last year, we wrote about the opening of Frolic!, which joined other kid-friendly spots like Play and Klub 4 Kidz).  Williamsburg’s newest neighbor, Twinkle, takes the concept of an ordinary play space and adds inspiration from children’s museums all over the country. Co-owner Vanessa Yee-Chan, who opened the 4,500-square-foot space with her sister Mieka John and their father Victor John, a civil engineer, describes the end result as “more fun than a playground and more engaging than a museum.” The spot's nine interactive stations include a life-sized tree house with a suspension bridge, a pink-walled French beauty parlor (featuring a few fabulous wigs), a noodle forest atop a bouncy ball-filled dance floor and four 15-foot-tall dragons where kids ages six and under learn about wind circulation. Yee-Chan's own children are big fans of the new space: Two-year-old Alex enjoys the Brooklyn General Store, a 1950’s-era grocery complete with kid-sized shopping carts, a conveyor belt, and fully stocked shelves, while his older brother, Brandon, 4, loves shooting water out of a hose in the Red Hot Fire House. The family-owned business (the owners have been residents of Williamsburg for 30 years) will also regularly give back to the community—every season, members can nominate a charity they'd like to see Twinkle honor. In addition to open

Like many soon-to-be mamas, Holiday Kumar, then working as a press freedom analyst, was experiencing bizarre food cravings (everything from fried chicken and coconut water to salty ice cream) when she was pregnant with her twins Layla and Alexei. On a boys' night out, her husband Mohan, a real estate financier, mentioned those cravings to friend Sam Mason, the original pastry chef at avant-garde restaurant wd~50 and something clicked. A few days later, Mason brought over a pint of pretzel ice cream just for Holiday. After polishing it off in five minutes, she said, “You guys should sell this stuff!” Thus, the seed for OddFellows Ice Cream Co. was planted. (We recently named the store one of the ten best ice cream shops for kids!) Today, the shop, which Holiday, Mohan and Sam opened in June near the Williamsburg waterfront still bears the markings of an idea inspired by a hormone-induced appetite, offering up delightfully wacky pairings like miso cherry butterscotch, purple rice and grapefruit jalapeño, which the Kumar's 16-month-old twins can’t get enough of: “Layla and Alexei seem to love all the flavors. Their faces light up whenever we put a scoop in front of them,” explains Holiday. (And those names! “Layla comes from poetry, a Persian love story, and Alexei from prose,” she tells us. “Dostoevsky is my favorite author, and Alexei was a favorite character from one of his novels.”) But nursing a new business and twin toddlers doesn’t leave time for too many days out—so alth

RECOMMENDED: More kids' museum picks for families These legendary NYC museums never cease to amaze us with their ever-changing offerings, but their permanent exhibits are longtime favorites for a reason! Between the fossil halls at the Museum of Natural History and the cool dig site at the Jewish Museum, there are tons of things to do with dinosaur-loving kids, plus there's a film-centric exhibit for youngsters who want a behind-the-scences peek at the best kids' movies and space-themed minigolf for active tykes. Check out our favorite NYC picks below and hit up the ones that strike your kid's fancy.