Weekly Wrap Up: Summer Festivals, Free Movies, Bastille Day
Summer is in full swing: Temperatures keep hitting 90, playground sprinklers are always on and campers seem to be taking over the city. (Central Park is full of them chanting at the top of their lungs!)
If you have the luxury of spending the entire season with your family, there are plenty of ways to have fun. We've compiled 100 free things to do this summer with ideas for every single day, as well as some anytime activities.
If you only get to hang out on Saturdays and Sundays, there's still a lot to do. This weekend you've got SummerStage's Family Day in Central Park and a big Bastille Day bash, both free.
And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.
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New York City
Get your calendar out! We've got the scoop on 12 cool summer festivals.
Here's a great way to beat the heat: Catch a free (or really cheap) indoor movie.
Another great place to cool off: Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, a tasty Carroll Gardens destination set in a renovated apothecary.
Before you splurge on tickets to Cirque du Soleil's new spectacle Zarkana, read our review to find out whether it's good for kids.
Looking for a great family vacation destination? Consider Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a lovely waterside town that really comes alive in summer.
Even though Bastille Day is July 14, you can celebrate this weekend at these French-infused fetes.
Other best bets for the weekend include SummerStage's Family Day in Central Park and the Children's Museum of the Arts Family Art Festival in the West Village.
New Jersey
Ready, set, scream! We've rounded up the coolest coasters in (or near) the Garden State, complete with height requirements.
A mom of two children on the autism spectrum highlights the best Facebook pages for special needs families.
Weekend highlights include the New Jersey State Barbeque Championship in North Wildwood and a big Beachstock party in Margate.
Long Island
Over on the isle, we're got a roundup of free outdoor movie screenings throughout the summer.
Things to do this weekend include a Beach Bonanza at Nissequogue River State Park and an outdoor production of The Wizard of Oz at Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park.
Connecticut
A mom recounts her awesome day at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo.
Weekend events include the Danbury City Fair and Riverfest 2011 at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza.
Cool Deals
We're running a really amazing deal at Poppins Perks: Our Summer Hot List, with $1,000 in savings on the best things to do in NYC this summer, including discounts to the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, the Art Farm, nearby water parks and more! Best of all: 100% of the profits will benefit NYC public schools.
