Growing up in Queens, I remember visiting Ridgewood with my grandmother, mainly to buy specialty items from butchers. As a kid, I always assumed Ridgewood was actually in Brooklyn, probably because of the architecture. The quiet residential neighborhood is known for its rows of early 20th-century brick and stone townhouses and has the highest concentration of landmarked structures in all of Queens in its huge National Historic District. In fact, I wasn't far off. Ridgewood was part of the early Dutch settlement of Boswijk (Bushwick) and didn't have a Queens zip code until 1978! Though Ridgewood's population was once primarily Italian and German, these days you'll find many Eastern European and Latin American families plus a smattering of young artsy types moving in from the hipster enclaves of Williamsburg and Bushwick. It's easy to see why the nabe appeals to parents: The side streets have a suburban feel but the shops on Myrtle Avenue, Fresh Pond Road and Forest Avenue are just a stroll away. Plus there are multiple public parks, and local listservs like Ridgewood Queens Moms Meetup are starting to pop up. Ridgewood is also a pretty easy commute to midtown Manhattan via the M train, and abuts Brooklyn's Bushwick and Queens' Maspeth/Middle Village.

Throughout June, we'll be exploring everything Ridgewood has to offer families including the best places to play, eat and experience with kids. For the purposes of our posts, our boundaries are Flushing to Jamaica Avenues, between Cypress and Wyckoff Avenues and 69th Street, which we realize includes a bit of neighboring Glendale so we can highlight some cool family attractions there, too, like the Shops at Atlas Park and Highland Park. We kick off our series with the top 20 things to do with kids in and around Ridgewood, Queens.