Things to Do with Kids

A shortlist of cherry-picked events NYC and Boston areas.  These are the things we'd actually want to spend time and money doing.

Got intel on a good upcoming event? Tell us:  

Feb 14

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22

Feb 14

Greater Boston

Feb 14

Family Vacation Week at Wachusett Mountain

Start:

Saturday, February 14, 2026

9:00 am

End:

Sunday, February 22, 2026

6:00 pm

February vacation week brings a whole line-up of winter fun to the mountain. Visits from Princess Elsa, winter crafts, themed spirit days, and more!

Location

Wachusett Mountain Ski Area

499 Mountain Rd

Princeton MA 01541

Website

Feb 14

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22

Feb 14

Greater Boston

Feb 14

February School Vacation Week - Franklin Park Zoo

Start:

Saturday, February 14, 2026

9:00 am

End:

Sunday, February 22, 2026

4:00 pm

Connect with amazing wildlife and spend a memorable school vacay week with family and friends exploring all the Zoo has to offer. And don’t miss Orchid Adventure, featuring an exquisite display of tropical blooms in the balmy Tropical Forest pavilion!

Schedule of Events 🌸

All activities take place in the Tropical Forest near the sloth habitat

Saturday, February 14 – Valentine’s Day at the Zoo! 💕
Show some love to your favorite Tropical Forest animals! Create or bring a Valentine for animals like the gorilla, lemur, clouded leopard, pygmy hippo, anteater, Baird’s tapir, crocodile and sloth! Then drop your card into their animal Valentine boxes.

Sunday, February 15
In honor of World Hippo Day, they’re hosting a full day of hippo fun for fans of all ages!

Monday, February 16
Celebrate the 33rd birthday of Little Joe, western lowland gorilla, with a day full of discovery, hands-on crafts, snacks, storytime, educator chats, and more!

Tuesday, February 17

  • 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Face painting and orchid-inspired crafts

Wednesday, February 18

  • Storytime: 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. & 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
  • Orchid Crafts: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 19

  • 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Orchid crafts and lemur education station
  • 11:00 a.m: Lemur enrichment (lemur habitat)

Friday, February 20

  • 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Face painting and orchid-inspired crafts

Saturday, February 21

  • 11:00 a.m.: Horticulture-led orchid tour through the Tropical Forest
  • 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.: Orchid Mounting Workshop (pre-registration and additional fee required)

Sunday, February 22

Orchid Adventure Scavenger Hunt

Get tickets here!

Location

1 Franklin Park Rd.

Boston, MA 02121

Get Directions

Website

Feb 14

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22

Feb 14

Greater Boston

Feb 14

February School Vacation Week - Stone Zoo

Start:

Saturday, February 14, 2026

9:00 am

End:

Sunday, February 22, 2026

4:00 pm

Looking for fun winter activities during February school vacation? Have a wild winter adventure at Stone Zoo!

Stone Zoo’s education team offers daily programming and keeper chats featuring animals from across the globe. Visit the flamingos in the Caribbean Coast aviary, discover how the arctic fox blends into snowy habitats, and learn how reindeer are adapted for cold-weather living. Ask questions, connect with Zoo staff, and learn how you can help protect wildlife.

Catch these keeper chats during the week!

  • 10:00 a.m.: Red Panda
  • 11:00 a.m.: Sloth
  • 1:30 p.m.: Reindeer Chat
  • 2:30 p.m.: Cougar

Get tickets here!

Location

149 Pond Street

Stoneham, MA 02180

Get Directions

Website

Feb 15

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21

Feb 15

NYC

Feb 15

Black Future Festival

Start:

Sunday, February 15, 2026

10:00 am

End:

Saturday, February 21, 2026

5:00 pm

Brooklyn’s boldest celebration of Black imagination, invention, and joy, shaped by Black creators!

Make art, learn dances, create music, and envision the future that celebrates Black culture and the African Diaspora.

Presented with Kendra J. Ross and STooPS.

Tickets are $15, get them starting on the first day here!

Location

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

145 Brooklyn Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11213

Website

Feb 16

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20

Feb 16

SF Bay Area

Feb 16

Mid-Winter Break Camps - Bay Area Discovery

Start:

Monday, February 16, 2026

9:00 am

End:

Friday, February 20, 2026

3:00 pm

Scrambling for childcare during President's Day week? The Bay Area Discovery Museum has got camps that fit your needs, whether you need coverage for just Presidents’ Day or the entire Mid-Winter Break! Pick Monday only or the full week to keep kids happily busy (and learning!) while you keep life moving.

Presidents' Day Camp (February 16)

  • Ages: 4 – 6 year-olds
  • Price: $135
  • Aftercare: $30

A frosty wonder-lab of crafts, games, and discovery. Kids build pretend snowmen, design icy art, test materials to keep ice from melting the longest, and create a jar-sized blizzard to see how liquids layer and swirl. Perfect for the kid who loves animals of every kind. Register here!

Full Week Camps (February 16 – 20)

All Aboard Adventures

  • Ages: 4 Year-Olds
  • Price: $675
  • Aftercare: $150

Curious minds go from here to there as they explore how the Bay Area moves, including trains, ferries and other methods of transportation. Kids design custom Clipper cards and map a BART adventure, then engineer a float-ready ferry to test what sinks and what floats. Perfect for the child who asks how things get from here to there. Register here!

Artful Scientist

  • Ages: 5-6 Year-Olds
  • Price: $675
  • Aftercare: $150

Color, light, and curiosity take center stage as campers test ideas and create. They make leaf-powered paintings and sun prints from found objects, learning how energy and nature team up to make color happen. Perfect for the child who asks a million questions and loves the good kind of mess. Register here!

Location

557 McReynolds Rd

Sausalito, CA 94965

Website

Feb 17

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17

Feb 17

Greater Boston

Feb 17

Besties Meet & Greet

Start:

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

11:00 am

End:

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

1:00 pm

In this Sugar Plum Parties Meet & Greet, the theme is "besties"!

Come and say hi to Barbie, Glinda Elphaba & Wednesday Addams, the OG best friends!

There will be fancy dress up hair & nails, with a choice of take home stuffed animals. Ticket includes ice cream sundaes (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate or mint) and a 4X6 keepsake photo.

Cost is $50.00 per child.

Register here!

Location

Sugar Plum Parties

306 Boston Rd., Unit K (next to Belly Buster Diner)

Billerica, MA 01862

Website

Feb 18

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20

Feb 18

Greater Boston

Feb 18

February School Vacation Week - Old Sturbridge Village

Start:

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

9:00 am

End:

Friday, February 20, 2026

3:00 pm

Discovery Adventures are immersive day programs that give kids a chance to step back in time and experience life in the 1830s at Old Sturbridge Village!

Every session offers kids the opportunity to explore an aspect of 19th-century history and daily life. All programs include an afternoon snack, hands-on crafts, and the chance to learn something new while making lasting friends and memories.

For FAQs and further details, see their informational packet.

Slots fill up quickly, so pre-registration is highly recommended and must be done at least 2 weeks prior! Begin registration here and complete this form, also. Cost is $205/3 days.

Location

Old Sturbridge Village

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566

Website

Feb 18

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18

Feb 18

NYC

Feb 18

Children’s Dental Health Art Workshop

Start:

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

4:00 pm

End:

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

4:45 pm

Join the Staten Island Children's Museum & Marcia Greene, DDS, as she teaches children about healthy dental habits and leads a creative art project inspired by teeth.

Tickets are $10, get them here!

Location

Staten Island Children’s Museum

1000 Richmond Terrace, Building M
Staten Island, NY 10301

Website

Feb 19

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19

Feb 19

NYC

Feb 19

Carnival at the Museum

Start:

Thursday, February 19, 2026

7:00 pm

End:

Thursday, February 19, 2026

10:00 pm

CALLING PARENTS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! (Ages 21+)

Carnival at the Museum is a high-energy celebration of Caribbean culture, from the Bahamas to Trinidad to Manhattan, brought to life through the electrifying spirit of a Carnival Fete! This after-hours program blends music, movement, costume, food, and climate storytelling to honor the Caribbean legacy of resilience, resistance, and joy.

As extreme weather is transforming daily existence across the Caribbean and locally in New York, rising temperatures, rapid development, and disappearing green space are forging a shared climate reality across the diaspora. Together, explore how culture, environment, and identity can coalesce to build sustainable futures for every island we call home.

At this event, you’ll:

  • Feel the energy as reggae, reggaeton, and soca rhythms fill the Museum and transform the space into a living expression of Caribbean pride.
  • Savor bold flavors with tastings from Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean that root global traditions in local community.
  • Engage with a panel conversation that will examine how extreme weather and intensifying heat island effect are reshaping life across Caribbean islands and across New York City while spotlighting resilience, adaptation, and community-led innovation from Dominica, Jamaica, and local Caribbean neighborhoods.

Cost is $25, get your tickets here.

Location

American Museum of Natural History

200 Central Park West

New York, NY 10024-5102

Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation

Enter at 79th Street and Columbus Avenue

Website

Feb 27

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27

Feb 27

Twin Cities

Feb 27

Homeschool Family Events - Space!

Start:

Friday, February 27, 2026

10:00 am

End:

Friday, February 27, 2026

4:00 pm

Join all or one of these homeschool series sessions at the park!

Star Stories (10 - 11 am)

Learn about constellations, listen to the stories told about them from around the world and see the night sky during the day in the StarLab! Ages 5+. Cost is $6, register here!

Welcome to the Solar System (12:30 - 2 pm)

Explore the astronomical “neighborhood” that is the solar system. Learn how the planets move around the sun, visit the planets and discover other celestial objects we can see in our skies. Ages 8+. Cost is $6, register here!

A Calendar in the Stars – Seasonal Constellations (2:30 - 4 pm)

Throughout the seasons, the stars we see in the sky change. Learn why this is, hear constellation stories from around the world and see the night sky during the day in the StarLab. Ages 10+. Cost is $6, register here!

Location

Mississippi Gateway Regional Park

Brooklyn Park, MN

Website