Don't get me wrong from the title. When we first started going, my son really enjoyed it. We have friends with whom we have almost monthly playdates here. But the last time we went, my son said "Again?!" I have to admit, for NYC's only aquarium, in famous Coney Island, it's not as world class as it should be. It needs a lot of work. Maybe they need money, I don't know. But I think they could jazz it up a bit. The exhibits are good, but I'm not sure how much my 3 year old gets out of it other than the wow factor. The walruses are pretty cool. As are the sharks. There is a small, crowded area where kids can pet starfish and horseshoe crabs. Anyway - we'll keep coming - it's a great indoor option with parking - for the winter. In the good weather, they do have the cool outdoor shows with seals and the like. But they could amp it up and do so much more for this new generation of visitors who are used to lots of excitement - unlike my generation who didn't have cable or video games on tv until the 1980s.

The BCM is loads of fun for kids - especially the younger set. There's a partial NYC bus that kids love to pretend to drive, an indoor Brooklyn "neighborhood" complete with life size stores for pretend play (bakery, pizzeria, Chinese ethnic book store, grocery store), a pretend garden, a stream, lots of hands on activities, an art area, a dress up area, a reading corner, some dinosaur bones and a cafe. All in all my son thoroughly enjoyed his visit. It's nice that there is a playground across the street - we were meeting friends for a playdate and my son got to get some energy out in the nice weather before going indoors. But I did feel that the activities were a bit chaotic and parents were not so great about reigning their kids in when they got a little out of control - there was a lot of mixing of bigger and smaller kids in the "neighborhood" and garden. Aside from that admission is a bit pricey and the neighborhood is not convenient to the subway. We drove, but there's a busstop 1 block from the museum. It's worth the trip if you're in Brooklyn. Worth it if you're in Manhattan - just not in a convenient manner.

The LCM is a perfect choice, especially if you are staying in the Warehouse District or if you want to grab a bite (or a dance) at Mulates before or after your visit.  It's been a staple of New Orleans for many years, before every city had a Children's Museum and so they've had a lot of time and practice to get it right.  They have tons of activities for kids of all ages.  And they always have morning activities on Saturdays for toddlers.  My son loved it!

Notwithstanding their express elevator to their rooftop club on weekend nights, this hotel caters to kids big and small. It's simply a comfortable place to stay when you've got a little one in tow. They have a great in-hotel restaurant with really kid-friendly waiters and cups. My son loved it here. Everything was comfy and the maids took care of lots of little details, even the Elmo and Cookie Monster stuffed animals that my son constantly shoved to the bottom of the bed under the sheets!

This is a rare B&B - where the owners are so happy to accomdate families with kids young or teen. We had stayed here pre-baby and on a 2008 summer trip up the coast I inquired about staying again in the same suite. Online it was listed as a 2 person room, but I knew it was big enough to fit the 3 of us, since it was a 2 room suite. When I called the owner was more than thrilled that we were returning and said it was no problem to bring our almost 3 year old. The area is great for traveling to with kids especially if you like to imbibe on wine. Since everything is walkable in the town, you don't have to worry about driving to dinner. We stayed one night - in the morning my son was pretty finicky about breakfast but the owners didn't even bat an eyelash about his wastefulness with the food. And they let him play with the resident dog until we finished. It was great and we'll be staying there again and again if we ever make it back!