Diana Kim

Diana Kim has been a contributor to Mommy Poppins for nearly 8 years. A Brooklyn mom of three (ages 7-16), she loves exploring family-friendly events and activities in Brooklyn and sharing the best finds with readers.

Latest posts by Diana

NYC's Most Unusual Christmas Events

Submitted by Diana Kim on Fri, 12/05/2025 - 11:01am

Hundreds of tuba players converge on Rockefeller Center each December for a merry afternoon of carol playing. Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer

Christmas in NYC brings to mind the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the Rockettes, ice skating in Bryant Park, and dazzling storefronts on Fifth Avenue. While we love these classic and time-honored NYC holiday attractions, there are also many lesser-known and more offbeat NYC holiday activities that are just as delightful and often come with smaller crowds.

So, while you should definitely go see Santa at Macy's or the Holiday Train Show at the NYBG, be sure to save space in your holiday schedule for one of these underrated holiday activities in NYC. Below, we're highlighting underrated and unusual holiday activities that are smaller in scale, artist-driven, a little quirky, and uniquely New York.

You'll find all of our holiday picks for the best family-friendly activities in our Ultimate Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events in NYC for Families. Find more insider tips on how to spend the Christmas season in New York in our ultimate 3-day itinerary for a magical NYC holiday with kids.

Moab with Kids: 16 Best Things To Do in Moab, UT

Submitted by Diana Kim on Sat, 11/08/2025 - 11:00am

Arches National Park is a must-visit in Moab. Photo by the author

If you're looking for a unique family vacation destination, Moab, Utah offers a diverse array of activities for families of all shapes and sizes. Moab is home to two national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, that boast some of the most stunning natural landscapes anywhere. The parks are amazing places to participate in outdoor adventures like hiking, camping, biking, and rafting.

There are also a number of attractions and activities in the town of Moab. We've rounded up all the information you need to visit Moab, including the best things to do in Moab with Kids, where to stay and eat and insider tips and advice to make the most of your Moab family vacation.

To make the most of your time in Utah and surrounding area, combine your Moab trip with a visit to Zion National Park or even the Grand Canyon. For more reviews and inside tips about other national parks, check out our United States National Parks Family Travel Guide.

Subscribe to our newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

25 Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving 2025 in NYC

Submitted by Diana Kim on Fri, 11/07/2025 - 9:59am

Enjoy a cozy, French-style Thanksgiving meal at Le Rivage. Photo by Evan Sung

These restaurants open on Thanksgiving in NYC let New Yorkers of small-space kitchens who prefer rapid-fire take-out options leave the Thanksgiving cooking to someone else. Our picks for restaurants open on Thanksgiving 2025 include family-friendly spots in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island sure to make this Thanksgiving—which falls on Thursday, November 27, 2025—as easy and delicious as possible. Be sure to book your reservations soon.

Now, instead of deep-cleaning your apartment to host those far-flung relatives (and their expectations), you can spend Thanksgiving morning at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What's more NYC than that?

Be sure to bookmark our Guide to Thanksgiving in NYC for more family-friendly holiday happenings. If you're visiting NYC this Thanksgiving and still looking for a place to stay, check out these family-friendly NYC hotels, or these Midtown hotels with views of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Culture Meets Creativity Inside the Jewish Museum’s New Space for Kids and Families

Submitted by Diana Kim on Tue, 11/04/2025 - 11:30am

The Jewish Museum is an Upper East Side institution dedicated to exploring Jewish life, culture, and history. Photo by the author

The Jewish Museum is one of the premier centers to learn about Jewish history, culture, art, and storytelling in New York City. Following a significant expansion, the Jewish Museum recently debuted a new learning center with a robust slate of family-friendly programs, events, and classes.

We recently visited the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side to check out the new space and get all the details on its offerings. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the new learning center at the Jewish Museum, and bookmark our NYC Kids' Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits in NYC to find all our picks for family-friendly museums in NYC.

Best Museum Programs in NYC for Teens

Submitted by Diana Kim on Sun, 10/26/2025 - 11:17am

Kids as young as 14 can apply for an eco-focused internship at Alley Pond Park in Queens. Photo courtesy of the Alley Pond Environmental Center

New York City teens are fortunate to have so many world-class museums at their fingertips. Beyond just visiting for fun, many NYC museums have programs, workshops, and internships to give teens hands-on experience.

From art workshops to science and history internships, NYC museums offer engaging and educational opportunities for high schoolers to explore their passions and learn new skills. Depending on your teen's interests, there are museum programs in art, curatorship, history, science, architecture, and community-building. We've rounded up the best museum programs for teens in NYC.

For more tips and suggestions on finding teen-friendly activities, check our piece on the best after-dark teen activities in NYC and our comprehensive Tweens & Teens Guide to Having Fun in NYC.

Haunted Houses and Walks in NYC for All-Ages

Submitted by Diana Kim on Thu, 10/09/2025 - 12:29pm

The Bronx Zoo hosts a pair of Halloween events, including the after-dark Harvest Glow. Photo by Terria Clay/courtesy of the Bronx Zoo

When it comes to Halloween thrills with kids, a tricked-out haunted house or spooky Halloween walk might be the right kind of boo for you. Haunted houses have long been popular suburban Halloween staples, but haunted houses in NYC are more limited. The most spooky picks, like Blood Manor, are definitely for teens and older. There are, however, a handful of haunted houses in New York City offering gentler Halloween chills for families.

Read on for the scoop on kid-friendly haunted houses in NYC, plus a few more scary options for tweens and teens. Be sure to heed the scare factor. While grade-school kids can attend most of these, not all are suitable for preschoolers. We've got the scoop on NYC's top Halloween events and plenty more spooky fun in our New York City Kids' Halloween Fun Guide.

Creepy and Cool Teen-Approved Halloween Events in NYC

Submitted by Diana Kim on Sun, 10/05/2025 - 5:48am

Blood Manor isn't for the faint of heart—or those under age 14—as it serves up some serious scares. Photo courtesy of Union Square Advertising

Halloween in NYC is just as much fun for teens as it is for little ones. While teens may no longer go trick-or-treating, they still want to hit the streets and celebrate with their friends. Many of our favorite kid-friendly Halloween activities don't appeal to teens, but that doesn't mean there aren't Halloween activities and events in NYC for teens.

We've rounded up the best Halloween events in New York City for teens to help them plan their spooky night. From Halloween-related performances to the world-famous Village Halloween Parade and blood-curdling haunted houses, teens have a lot of options when it comes to Halloween in New York City.

Read on for our teen-approved picks for a ghoulish Halloween in NYC. To give your teens more ideas on how to spend a night out in NYC, check out our recent piece on the best after-dark teen activities in NYC and our entire NYC Teens Guide to Fun Things To Do.

Kid-Friendly NYC Public Art Scavenger Hunts You Can Do Any Day

Submitted by Diana Kim on Thu, 09/25/2025 - 11:26am

A walk along The High Line is always filled with colorful, artsy surprises no matter the season. Photo by Liz Ligon/courtesy of High Line

New York City is home to some of the world's top museums and art galleries. Eye-popping art, however, isn't just limited to The Met, MoMA, and the Whitney. NYC has a thriving public outdoor art scene where you'll find both established and up-and-coming artists displaying their work in parks, on sidewalks, on buildings, and in public plazas—and admission to see these large-scale pieces is always FREE.

One of our favorite ways to see public art in NYC with kids is to embark on a scavenger hunt. Public art scavenger hunts are a great family-friendly activity that's fun, educational, and can lead you to a whole new corner of NYC.

We've rounded up our favorite neighborhoods to seek out public art in NYC, whether you're into large-scale sculptures, colorful murals and graffiti, or something else. We've even listed some picks for guided walking tours that highlight some of the stunning pieces right in our own backyard.

Check out our comprehensive NYC Kids' Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits for more family-friendly suggestions on where to see art with your kids. And, for more places to view outdoor art with kids, we've rounded up 11 outdoor art destinations near NYC.

Diana Kim

Latest posts by Diana

Pages