Things to Do with Kids

For parents who grew up going to the Holidazzle Parade and then Village, introduce your kids to Winterapolis!

Embrace the season and explore all the different events around Minneapolis through December! See the calendar here.

Various, around the Twin Cities

🎄🎄 Step into a sparkling winter wonderland and stroll along tree-lined paths aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. Discover festive displays throughout the Zoo and look for animal residents, including flamingos, black bears and reindeer, adding to the holiday magic!

*Some nights, even catch Santa and get some photos!

Get member and non-member tickets here! 4-pack discounts available (online only): save when you purchase four tickets together—perfect for families and friends!

Stone Zoo

149 Pond Street

Stoneham, MA 02180

Get Directions

Lightscape is coming to the SF Botanical Gardens this year!

This one-of-a-kind, immersive light and music experience will transform the Garden into a mesmerizing world of wonder, food and beverages, and more than one million twinkling lights. Stroll through a mile-long trail of dazzling lights, dramatic colors, otherworldly lighted sculptures, and water features – right in the heart of San Francisco.

Get your tickets here!

San Francisco Botanical Garden

1199 9th Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94122

‍Directions

Join the Waterdrinker Farm this season to experience thousands of twinkling lights, a vintage Airstream village, Christmas tree farm, s'mores fire pit stations, and magical holiday photo opps! Ice skating is even included!

Tickets are $20 per person, kids 2 and under are free! Animals (on leash) welcome.

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664 Wading River Rd.

Manorville, NY 11949

Join the Countdown to Kindergarten's Playgroup, hosted by the Boston Public Library on Mondays and Wednesdays!

From October 2025 to June 2026, every week, you and your child can practice school readiness, make new friends, and get connected to community resources. Kids will experience free play, circle time, and Story Time, and grownups will learn about early childhood development!

Please fill out an interest form and a playgroup leader will reach out to you to join a group. If you have any questions, call Antonio Mendez at (617) 821-3959 or Laura Mejia at (617) 308-1098.

Mattapan Library

1350 Blue Hill Ave

Mattapan MA 02126

Get Directions

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Catch this local vendor market at Waterdrinker Farms this season to get in the spirit!

Activities include:

• U-PICK Christmas Trees (Free to enter)
• Holiday Light Display
• Barnyard Animals
• Fire Pits & S'mores
• JUMP PAD (Weather Permitting)
• Mini Golf
• Obstacle Course
• Pedal Cars
• Wooden Playland
• Gingerbread Village
• Giant Santa Sleigh & Reindeer
• Giant Photo Wreath!
• Tons of Family Photo Opportunities!

Tickets are $20 per person, kids 2 and under are free! Animals (on leash) welcome.

664 Wading River Rd.

Manorville, NY 11949

Experience the history of Christmas festivities at Old Sturbridge Village! Relish old traditions and create new ones as you watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, stroll through the decorated Village and Christmas Tree Trail, listen to stories and live music, sample sweet treats, and more.

Plus, embark on a musical journey through the 19th century with Upon a Midnight Clear: An Acoustic New England Christmas presented by ClockJack Productions.

Hosted every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 28 to December 30. If you're a superfan and decide to go multiple times during the holiday season, check out their Candlelight Club pass!

Old Sturbridge Village

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566

Join Good Pickin' Farm every Saturday from November 28 to December 21 for their Farm Festival of Lights! 🎄

Events include:

• Holiday lights & displays
• Hayrides
• A petting zoo
• Christmas Tree sales
• Breweries & food
• Live music
• Pony rides
• Storytime
• And more!

Good Pickin' Farm

5 Gould Rd

Westford MA 01886

Enjoy milk, cookies, and story time with Sturbridge resident and author Bill Barnsley, author of If Mice Pulled the Sleigh.

After the story, embark on a journey through Christmas traditions past and present during Christmas by Candlelight (separate ticket required)!

2 events, one on Saturday, December 13 and Saturday, December 20.

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566

Back for its third year in a row, Reindeer Games is Bay Area’s favorite holiday tradition.  

Combining interactive games, jaw-dropping circus, and a heart-warming story, Reindeer Games is a must-see show for the whole family this holiday season!

Get tickets here, starting around $20. Multiple performances a day.

All ages are welcome, recommend for 2 years and up. Run time around 90 minutes.

Children's Creativity Museum Theater

221 4th St. in San Francisco

Light up the story of Hanukkah with folk tunes, dancing dreidels, and puppet play at the Children's Museum of Manhattan! The celebration includes:

• ‍Dancing Dreidel Design
  December 19 – 21 | All ages
  Decorate your own wooden dreidel and play this fun game with your family!‍
• Candle Crafting, Menorah Installation, and Hanukkah Puppet Play
  December 29 – 21 | Ages 4 & younger
  Create your own candle crafts, collaborative menorah installation, and play with the puppet theatre with dreidel, menorah, and Hanukkah food puppets!‍
• Performance: Tkiya Music
  Sunday, December 21 | All agesJoin CMOM for a fun and interactive Hanukkah experience full of songs, stories, movement, and with musicians from Tkiya Music! You’ll hear the Hanukkah story and get in the holiday spirit.

Included with museum admission. Get tickets here!

The Tisch Building

212 West 83rd Street

New York, NY 10024

A way to celebrate the Winter Solstice!

Join the Acton Discovery Museum and paint some winter landscapes inspired by the shortest day of the year.

You’ll use crayons, cray-pas and watercolors to experiment with the technique of resist painting, as you create unique works of art.

Included in museum admission.

177 Main Street (Route 27)

Acton, MA 01720

Trying to fill time off school during winter break! We've got you covered!

Join the Acton Discovery Museum for a week of winter fun! There will be so many options to keep your littles occupied.

Stop by the PlayLab where you can build with their collection of LEGO® bricks, add your wish for the new year to the Winter Wishes Tree, or settle in with a good book. Head out to Discovery Treehouse to Move Like an Animal or enjoy the sights and sounds of winter around Discovery Woods.

Vacation week is Sunday, December 21 - Tuesday, December 30. Please note that the museum is closed on December 22, 24 & 25.

177 Main Street (Route 27)

Acton, MA 01720

One day only! Catch Santa & Mrs. Claus at Good Pickin' Farms this season to celebrate an imtimate farmhouse Christmas!

Join in for story time, caroling, cookies, and hot cocoa before you grab a photo with the couple of the hour.

Get tickets ($35) here!

Good Pickin' Farm

5 Gould Rd

Westford, MA 01886

If school is out for winter break but you still need to work, check out the day camps available at the Bay Area Discovery Museum! Held December 22, 23, 26, 29, 30 and January 2

A great way to keep kids engaged and screen-free, the museum offers three different camps dependent on age:

• Let's Move, great for 4-5 year olds
• Weld and Weave, great for 6-7 year olds
• Gears and Gizmos, great for ages 5-7

Enroll campers here.

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557 McReynolds Rd

Sausalito, CA 94965

Do your kids (or you) like playing with your food?! Looking for something fun to do over the school break? If so, we've got the event for you!

Join the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum on Friday 12/26 or Saturday 12/27 between 11am and 3pm for some sweet activities with an engineering twist. Build a gumdrop structure, decorate a “gingerboard” house, and make a balloon rocket sleigh or a jingle bell tambourine!

This program is FREE of charge. Suggested donation $5. Pre-registration is required and can be done here.

Recommended for ages 4 and older.

2450 Beacon Street

Boston, MA 02467

Night in the Museum is an overnight experience at Old Sturbridge Village designed for scouts, schools and other youth groups.

With only a map and a tattered journal at their side, young historians will travel back in time and take part in a mysterious, candlelit adventure through the 1830s. The quest will exercise their detective skills as they hunt for clues, conduct experiments, and investigate the past. Back at the hands-on learning laboratory, they will experiment with historic crafts to learn more about 19th-century life.

While these programs fill up fast and are almost sold out through the rest of 2025, grab your spot now for January 2026 HERE!!!

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566