Summer just got a little more magical! Disney recently announced that the Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Resort’s original hotel, will reopen on July 2 with limited capacity. Better yet, you can make your room reservations now!
The resort made good use of the closure, updating the upholstery and fabrics throughout the guest rooms, lobbies and meeting rooms. You’ll find a new fireworks pattern in the carpet and graphic elements featuring different park landmarks in the hallways. And there’s plenty of old favorites to choose from: waterslides, spa whirlpools, a pool bar and multiple delicious restaurants.
Best of all, the Disneyland Hotel is located only steps from the park and Disney California Adventure Park. You’ll want to make your theme park reservations online in advance for anyone ages three and up in your family. You can use your hotel confirmation number to see the latest availability for the parks, but you must make a separate reservation to each park you want to visit. Face coverings are required for all guests ages two and older throughout the resort.
The Fantasy Tower is the first part of the resort to reopen and it includes a variety of standard and deluxe rooms to choose from. Look for hidden Mickeys throughout the building, as well as Disney themed decorations in every room. Make dreams come true and book your stay today!
We love the playgrounds in NYC Parks, but you gotta mix it up every now and then. Take advantage of the programming, unique features and special events held in parks around the city—many of which are free! From classics in Central Park to one-of-kind spots in Prospect Park, hidden gems and more, here’s how to make the most of your park time now that warm weather is finally here!
Programs, Events and More: Fun Things to Do in NYC Parks
Participate in Free Programs with the Urban Rangers
NYC Parks
New York City parks have a huge variety of rotating programs and events, many of them completely free. Programs are led by the city's Urban Rangers and include sports, nature walks, science workshops, survival skills, astronomy, and oh so much more!
There are even more exciting options if your family is looking for something a bit… different. Learn some outdoor skills like fire making, volunteer to help clean up in your local park, or join a nature workshop — in-person or online!
At certain times of the year, you can even go family camping in city parks through a lottery-based registration, though at the time of this writing, there are no upcoming camping events.
NYC streets and parks are full of culture, history, and art. For some fresh artworks, check out the temporary installations. At the time of this writing, the temporary artwork on display includes a colorful parrot in Highland Park and a charming reclining gorilla in Bella Abzug Park.
Of course, you can also visit to see the permanent park fixtures, instead — the NYC parks website has an entire database of them. You might already be familiar with some, like Sir John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland sculptures in eastern Central Park. Others are such a part of their surroundings that you might overlook them — like the iconic Unisphere sculpture in Flushing Meadows Park, which was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke for the 1964 World's Fair.
There are plenty of other cool art and history fixtures to find out there! For a real piece of history, you can seek out the five pieces of the Berlin Wall that reside in NYC parks.
Standing in certain parks are old historic houses — and many times, they're open to the public as museums. Many, like The Old Stone House in Brooklyn's Washington Park and Manhattan's Dyckman Farmhouse, offer tours, talks and workshops, and often involve children in fun (and educational) activities
At the time of this writing, some historic park houses are closed to the public due to Covid-19, while others are available by appointment only.
Ride a Carousel
Jane Bygion
There's something so wonderfully nostalgic about carousels. And your kids can experience the joy of carousels, too! NYC has several to choose from all over the city, from the more well-known like the Seaglass Carousel at the Battery and Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, to the hidden gems like the whimsical Totally Kid Carousel in Riverbank State Park or the handicap-accessible Carousel for All Children at Willowbrook Park in Staten Island.
Do Some Extreme Sliding
James Dee
The slide is one of the most common playground staples, but that doesn't mean it can't be exciting! And there are some pretty incredible slides in NYC's parks, from the absurdly tall, to the simply absurd.
located in 630 W 42nd St. Or, check out the industrial, Domino-sugar-inspired slide in Mark Reigelman's Sweetwater, at 300 Kent Ave in Williamsburg.
For a more extreme slide, the Hills on Governor's Island is home to the tallest slide in the city, reaching up to a whopping 57 feet in length — almost three stories high!
Go Kayaking & Canoeing
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Why limit yourself to the ground, when there's so much water surrounding us? Take off into the water with canoeing and kayaking for the whole family. The city has several spots where visitors can enjoy the water at any skill level.
The classic to-dos of Central Park (there are many) include:
Belvedere Castle, once a weather observatory, which provides an impressive lookout spot. Find it mid-park at 79th Street.
The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, where you can catch an affordable show with the kids. (Performances are currently on hold.) It's also at 79th Street on the west side of the park.
In between the Castle and the Theatre is The Shakespeare Garden. Here you'll find plants featured in the Bard's verse, with plaques that feature the relevant text. Don't miss the Charles B. Stover Bench nearby, which is a whispering bench that amplifies a whisper from one end to another.
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center is on the north shore of the Harlem Meer at 110th Street, and you can borrow a complete set of fishing gear for catch-and-release fishing here, as well as lawn games and Discovery kits for kids that include a field guide, binoculars, coloring pencils and more. It's currently open Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Chess & Checkers House is a visitor's center (currently closed) but you can borrow board games here, and on weekends in the summer, get coached by experienced chess players. It's mid-park at 64th Street.
Every kid needs to attend a free storytelling session at the Hans Christen Andersen The Ugly Ducking statue, held Saturdays at 11 a.m., rain or shine, June through September. Find it at 72nd and Fifth Avenue.
Adventure Course & Orienteering in Alley Pond Park
Go on an adventure without ever leaving your home turf with Alley Pond's adventure course and brand new orienteering program.
The Alley Pond outdoor adventure course includes rock climbing and a rope challenge for both notices and advanced adventurers. The "low element" rope course is perfect for the small kiddos who prefer to stay close to the ground, while the "high element" option will take the more daring members of your family 45 feet into the air with a harness, helmet, and belay system to keep things safe. (Details about the 2021 season and free Sundays are TBD.)
New for 2021: you can now take the adventure even further, Survivor-style! Check out the new orienteering maps at Alley Pond, which challenge visitors to make their way through the park grounds with nothing but a compass and a topographic map. These maps challenge participants to find certain spots marked on the map, called "control points," in the correct order. The maps come at different difficulty levels for beginners and intermediate-level members.
The Nature Playground in Prospect Park
Julie Seguss
When life throws an unexpected hurricane at you, you make the best of it. And that's exactly what Prospect Park did with the Zucker Natural Exploration Area, which uses natural materials like trees that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2021. The result is a very natural and unstructured playground for kids of all ages, allowing children to closely interact with nature.
Rock Climbing in DUMBO and Bouldering in Central Park
The Cliffs at DUMBO bring rock climbing outside for everyone to enjoy. Located under the Manhattan Bridge, this fairly large rock-climbing course isn't free, but for $12 for 2 hours (shoe rental, chalk and hand-sanitizing stations included), it's a bargain. This outdoor rock-climbing spot is open seasonally and is set to reopen on April 19th.
While you wait for the DUMBO spot to reopen, you can try bouldering for a more low-key climbing experience. Clamber up one of the large boulders in Central Park, starting with Rat Rock near Heckscher Ballfields for a beginner-friendly climb, then move on to Cat Rock near Wollman Rink, and finally make your way to the much more challenging Worthless Boulder near 110th St. (Yes, they have names!)
Surfing At Rockaway Beach
iStock
Catch a wave at the only legal surfing beach in NYC, Rockaway Beach. Bring your own surfing boards or get lessons at any of the nearby surfing schools. Or, stop by during the surfing competitions to watch some impressive feats on the waves!
The Smithsonian is now on the list of attractions, organizations, and events that are set to reopen to the public again! After a year filled with closures galore, you can get ready to start planning a stellar summer vaycay—and it can include seven of the Smithsonian’s museums along with the National Zoo.
Over the course of May, all of the Smithsonian’s facilities will welcome back visitors on a staggered schedule. Keep reading to see when your local museum will open.
photo courtesy of the Smithsonian
May 5
The Sreven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
May 14
The National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
May 21
National Museum of American History
National Museum of the American Indian Washington, D.C. location
National Zoo
Like other national attractions that have reopened to the public, the Smithsonian facilities will adhere to safety measures based on the CDC’s guidelines. These include requiring visitors ages two and older to wear face coverings, implementing social distancing and one-way directional paths, providing hand sanitizer, conducting enhanced cleanings and monitoring the number of visitors in each location. Guests are asked to stay home if they are sick or don’t feel well.
There are currently no on-site public tours and some galleries or exhibits are closed or have capacity limits. The restaurants and food trucks at the National Zoo will open this May, but the museum cafes will remain closed.
You must reserve a free timed-entry pass for all Smithsonian facilities. To reserve passes, contact the Smithsonian at 1-800-514-3849 ext. 1 or visit the organization’s website here. Passes are available starting the week before each facility’s opening.
Universal Studios Hollywood is ready to reopen! You can purchase tickets for the theme park online, starting Apr. 8. The California theme park recently announced it will welcome guests back starting Apr. 16—but with some restrictions.
With Universal Studios Hollywood’s latest news, your fam may finally get the chance to check out the Studio Tour, see the awesomeness of the Indominus rex on “Jurassic World-The Ride,” or catch a glimpse of the new “The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash” attraction.
Before you book your trip, take a moment to review the park’s current set of rules and restrictions. To start with, Universal Studios Hollywood theme park visits are only open to California residents—for the time being.
The visitor party size is limited to a maximum of three households and a total of 10 people. All guests must follow state and park safety protocols. This means guests must wear face coverings at all times and practice physical distancing. Temperatures are checked at park entry and visitors with a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher may not enter the park.
If you purchased one of the park’s 3 Visit Ticket passes prior to the pandemic closure and still have remaining visits left, you must register on Universal Studios Hollywood’s website by Monday, Apr. 5, 2021. Guests who scheduled a visit during the closure are credited via their Universal account with a visit to use at a future valid date.
If you used your 3 Visit Ticket and the ticket was set to expire Mar. 14, 2020 or after, the 12-month expiration date is extended by the total number of days of the park closure. The deadline for unused 3 Visit Ticket first visits is extended to Dec. 16, 2021. Blackout dates will include Dec. 26 through Dec. 31, 2021.
For more information on park re-opening procedures and how to use your 3 Visit Ticket, visit the Universal Studios Hollywood website here.
Theme parks are gradually starting to reopen, but if you’re not comfortable heading to one just yet, that doesn’t mean your kids can’t get the same experience at home.
Courageous fans have uploaded ride experiences on YouTube so your kids can virtually ride their favorites from Disney, Universal and Busch Gardens to name a few!
photo: Disney
Break up your day with a virtual ride on some of these crazy coasters:
With California slowly beginning to reopen, theme parks are getting in on the action. LEGOLAND is ready to play!
The brick-themed park has announced its opening date, and Apr. 1 is kicking off the fun. You’ll be able to cash in on Park Preview Days that will include select rides, dining, retail, live entertainment and building activities.
photo: LEGOLAND
So what rides can you expect to hop aboard? From Apr. 1, you can enjoy Coastersaurus, LEGO® TECHNIC™ Coaster, Driving School, Jr. Driving School, Skipper School, Royal Joust, Fairy Tale Brook, LEGOLAND Express Train, Lost Kingdom Adventure and Cargo Ace. You’ll also get to have fun with all the outdoor playgrounds and Miniland U.S.A.
Beginning, Apr. 15, the full reopening will commence. The remaining rides will open in addition to LEGO® CHIMA™ Water Park, SEA LIFE® Aquarium and select dining, retail, and indoor attractions available with advanced reservation.
LEGOLAND is offering priority access during April for LEGOLAND Hotel Guests, active Pass Holders (Play Pass, Annual Pass and Monthly Pay Memberships) and existing Day Ticket Holders for expired and unused during closures.
After a long year of closure, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park are finally reopening. The resorts announced they would both welcome guests beginning Apr. 30, with limited capacity.
Guests will need to adjust to some big changes, including a new reservation system and enhanced safety measures, but the magic has definitely returned. Keep reading to get all the details before you book your trip.
photo: Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort
Due to California regulations, theme park capacity will be significantly limited. In response, Disneyland Resort will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that requires all guests to have a reservation beforehand.
To get in, you’ll need both a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date. These reservations will be limited and for now, only for California residents. There will be more detailed info available on the new system in the coming weeks.
photo: Disneyland Resort
Once in the park, you’ll be able to experience all the attractions and food you love––with a few changes. For now, experiences like parades that draw large crowds will return at a later time. Avengers Campus will open later this year and Disney highly recommends using the Disneyland app for mobile ordering of food and drinks.
Not only will the amusement parks open their gates wide, but the Hotels of Disneyland Resort will also be welcoming park-goers starting Apr. 29, with a phased reopening starting with Disney’s Grand Californians Hotel & Spa. Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will plan to reopen May 2 and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel will reopen at a later date.
If you are staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel, make sure you still make those theme park reservations! A hotel stay does not guarantee a park reservation and hotel capacity will be limited.
Stay up to date with all the news leading up to the big reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure at the Disney Parks Blog.
No one was more excited to get the news that California can start the process of reopening theme parks than residents themselves––except maybe theme park enthusiasts! Disneyland, Six Flags, LEGOLAND, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios and more have all been closed since last March but new guidelines will soon allow the parks to reopen.
First things first, there are a few things you need to know. California currently utilizes a color-coded, tiered system that places counties into varying levels of “openness” based on Covid-19 case rates. Only parks in counties that are in the red, orange and yellow tiers will be able to open.
photo: Christian Thompson via Disneyland Resort
That means that all parks in the purple tier, where the virus is still considered “widespread” will not be eligible for reopening. Once the county moves to the red tier, amusement parks are eligible to open starting Apr. 1.
While in the red tier, parks can operate at a limited 15 percent capacity. Once they move to the orange tier, they can increase to 25 percent, and 35 percent once in the yellow tier.
Now for the potentially bad news: for now, attendance is limited only to in-state visitors. That means, don’t start planning that big Disney trip to California just yet!
But keep that chin up. Currently California has administered over 10 million vaccine doses so that yellow tier is closer than ever!
1. Divorce rates will jump in 2021. There are many people who are waiting for the world to normalize before they beeline to a divorce attorney’s office. Quarantine has been challenging for even the strongest of couples, so for those marriages that were on the edge—this experience will push them right over.
2. 50/50 parenting time will grow to be the norm. A typical reason why the primary custodial parent would argue against equal parenting time is that the parent who is not typically home with the children does not understand that Billy will only eat his PB&J sandwich if it is cut into star shapes and Zoey will only color with purple shaded crayons. However, now that in many households both parents have been home for the past nine months and both parents are learning their Children’s daily routines and likes and dislikes, those arguments will hold much less weight.
3. There will be more motions seeking relocation. Many people have left the cities to find trees and the ability to easily stay at least six feet away from other people. Therefore, divorced and divorcing couples had to make adjustments to their parenting schedules and sacrifice weekly access to accommodate the fact that the parents may not necessarily live a few blocks away from each other anymore. People are going to get used to their new surroundings and I think that when the city schools reopen and the parent who remained in the city wants his/her children to come back, there will be many relocation motions claiming that it is in the best interests of the children to remain where they are.
4. There will be more disputes over parenting decisions. As if divorcing parents did not have enough to fight about, now we can add in disputes about what are appropriate COVID protocols (mask v. no mask, eating indoors vs. not, Ubers vs. subways, etc.). What happens when one parent insists that their child attends school in-person because the child needs socialization and paying $60K for a private school education feels wasteful when the classes are being held in their living room vs. the parent who feels that sending a child to school is dangerous? And soon there will be vaccine wars.
5. Mediation & Collaborative Law will become the divorce processes of choice. With divorce rates increasing and there being more motion practice over parenting issues, an already overloaded court system will become slower and more difficult to navigate. Court appearances and trials are now more virtual than not, but the backload from when the courts were almost closed at the beginning of the pandemic is still impacting the speed at which new motions are heard. People are going to want a venue to resolve their differences faster than what the Courts may be able to provide. Out-of-court process options, such as Mediation & Collaborative Law will become more reasonable and speedy alternatives to the traditional court system and I believe will be utilized much more in 2021.
Jacqueline Newman is a divorce lawyer and matrimonial law expert. As managing partner of a top-tier 5th Avenue Manhattan law firm focused exclusively on divorce, her practice runs the gamut from prenups for high net worth people contemplating marriage to high conflict matrimonial litigation in dissolutions.
Disney World has announced an opening date for Blizzard Beach, the frosty-themed aquatic park that mimics a ski resort…in the middle of Florida sunshine. According to the Disney Parks blog, the resort currently plans to open to the public on March 7. 2021. If you’ve never experienced this “winter” wonderland, you’ll want to plan your trip!
The park reminds guests:
“Like the other areas of Walt Disney World Resort, we will welcome back Guests and Cast Members to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park in a responsible way, with a plan focused on health and well-being. We will provide more details on our Water Parks’ reopening plan at a later time.”
The park features a ton of snow-themed rides, including one of the fastest waterslides in the world, the Summit Plummet. You’ll also find an epic lazy river and toboggan (water) rides. It’s the warmest ski resort in the world!
The next-door Typhoon Lagoon is set to reopen the same day. As a reminder, the March 7 date is subject to change and is dependent on state and national restrictions. For more information on Disney parks COVID-19 updates, click here.
