Summer is coming up! For those of us that have well over half the year of inclement weather, this is the time to really get out there and spend some time outdoors! Sometime in the spring, when I can finally put away the jackets, I like to make a list of goals or destinations for the summer. We never get to do everything I set out to do, but this gives us a great idea list for weekends and non-camp weeks.
1. Upstate New York Weekend
When we first moved to New York, I had a whole long roadtrip planned to get to know the state. Then life happened, and it never came to fruition. I still hope that one day we can take a longer road trip to see many of the state parks, perhaps even making it all the way to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. But for this summer, I will be happy with one weekend trip to a new-to-us park in New York.
2. Long Island
Another New York trip…this is where people go on summer weekends in New York City. We usually spend much of the summer away from the city, so that it hasn’t been on our radar. But our kids are requesting to go to the Hamptons, so maybe we will be able to make a short visit come to be.
3. Return to Jacob Riis Park Beach!
We always, always go to the beach in the summer. We actually go to the beach all year round, because we have beaches in Brooklyn that are easily accessible. It’s an activity I used to do only on the weekend, so that I had another adult with me, but now that the kids are getting older we are slowly getting the hang of it on our own.
4. Children’s Museum of the Arts
I always like to have one or two indoor destinations on our list, for those days that are rainy or suffocatingly hot! I’ve wanted to go to this museum for ages but it’s not cheap so we have waited it out until the kids are older and can participate in more workshops. I’m excited to see how they will like it!
5. Camping
Last summer we were planning to take the kids tent camping for the first time. We got a tent, and even took it to a local park to see how to set it up. And then….time got away from us, the weather got too cold, too quickly and we had missed the window for camping at state parks. This year we are determined to make it happen!
6. Battery Park Sea Glass Carousel
This carousel has been on our bucket list for so long! My absolute favorite playground in New York City is Rockefeller Park. It is located on the Hudson River, just north of the World Trade Center and a short walk from Battery Park. Since we will definitely be coming to the area, we want to fit in a visit to the carousel one day!
Family Time, Parks and Playgrounds
Above are our “big” goals. But throughout the whole summer we are go, go, go! We pretty much go to a park or playground every day. Most New York City Parks have some kind of water feature, so a trip to the playground also involves water play and usually a packed meal as well. At the very least we are scooting or biking around the neighborhood. We will also spend a lot of time visiting family this summer.
What are your plans for Summer 2019? Do you pack the summer full of activities or take it easy? Are the kids at camp all summer or not at all?
*All pictures from a beach day during Summer 2018.
