Can you believe summer is almost over! I hope you all had a fab summer and did some travel within the USA or further abroad.
We stayed in the USA and headed South! Early on in the summer, we took a trip to Florida, staying at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood Beach, with the closet airport being Fort Lauderdale. It is a super kid-friendly hotel with a small water park featuring slides, buckets of water etc plus 2 pools and direct beach access. It also has 4 restaurants and a modern, upmarket feel.
Then later in the summer, we visited Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. Both cities are highly recommend. They’re a quick flight from NYC and offer beautiful architecture, extensive American history, great food and a laid back lifestyle. We made sure each place we stayed at had a pool, so the kids were always happy. In Charleston we stayed at The Mills House and Charleston Beach & Harbor Club and in Savannah, Perry Lane hotel.
Most kids go back to school after Labor Day weekend, so you only have a few weeks left to enjoy fun summer activities.
NYC and NJ beaches and public pools are officially closed after Labor Day. Basically, this means there will be no lifeguard on the beach after Labor Day and you do not need to pay to go to the beach, but they never really close. The public pools will close until next summer.
Here are some more ideas to enjoy the remainder of summer with kids:
- Summer on the Hudson – Have you had a chance to check out all the activities happening along the Hudson River at the different piers? Most activities are FREE and include the arts, music, movies and yoga. There is something for everyone.
- Pier 13 – This is a family-friendly beer garden on the pier in Hoboken, NJ. It’s open Mon – Fri from 4-11pm and on the weekend from 11am – 11pm, weather permitting. Here you can sit back, have dinner and take in that amazing view of Manhattan.
- Waterparks – The majority of the outdoor parks close after Labor Day. A few that aren’t too far from the city include:
- Splash Splash – Calverton, Long Island, 1 hr 40 min drive from Manhattan.
- Sesame Place – Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1.5hr drive from NYC. It is especially great for young kids who still love the Sesame Street tv show, but the water park has plenty for bigger kids as well.
- Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor – Jackson NJ, 1.5 hr from NYC.
- NYC public playgrounds turn off the water sprinklers after Labor Day so it’s time to visit your favorite playgrounds to splash around a few more times before the water is gone…even if the weather is still 90F after Labor Day the water is off! Boo hoo!
- Governors Island – Have you been? I wrote an update for AWNY on visiting Governors Island last summer. It is so much fun and it closes for the season on October 31st, 2019.
Look out for the next AWNY Mums & Dads Group event coming up in September. We also have the MET rooftop drinks on Sept 13th, and hope to see you there!
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 