The upper west side location is wonderful for kids - right next to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park guarantees that year-round there is much to keep your child amused and busy. However, for the price ($400 a night in October...) the accomodations were less than stellar. While it is nice to have a little couch, extra tv in a small outer room, the comfort level of the room was lacking. Our room smelled either from smoke or some chemical used on the rugs and the bathroom was in dire need of updating. My 8yr old noted the rust in the tub and the shower head and had to be coaxed and bribed into using them. The bed was less than comfortable as well. For $400, I'm fairly certain a newer more comfortable room could be had in NYC. I look forward to the time they see fit to update and improve!

While my daughter loved the lazy river and the wave pool, you had to rent an inner tube and the "all-inclusive" food (aside from the french fries) was basically inedible. We had a package deal with the Dolphinaris swimming with dolphins, so we weren't too disappointed.

Club Med Cancun has the perfect mix of culture and pure beach relaxation. Whether you want to lie on the beach, participate in water sports or visit cultural sites, this Club Med provides it all. My daughter enjoyed the kids club, but also had a blast swimming with the dolphins and visiting Wet and Wild with one of the Club Med excursions that was literally just down the road. The iguanas and all of the well-integrated Mexican flavor provided a great stimulating environment for my 7 1/2yr old. She came away from the trip intrigued with the culture and a desire to learn both Spanish and French!

The New York Historical Society recently underwent an amazing renovation and rejuvenation - including the creation of the new DiMenna Children's History Museum, located on the basement floor. Now, I love history and have been struggling to get the nearly 7-yr old munchkin to share my interest. The Dimenna has cool scavenger hunts and makes history alive and exciting for little kids. A recent scavenger hunt we enjoyed including references to baseball greats and the history behind the Broadway play "Newsies." We missed the opportunity to engage in a hands-on original hot chocolate making activity in February, and hope they repeat it next year! It seems as though there is always something original and interesting happening there around the different historical holidays. The greater Historical Society has always been a wonderful spot, (when munchkin was younger, we attended a Fourth of July event complete with soldiers dressed in colonial garb and a Ben Franklin impersonator!) but now more than ever, it can also appeal to kids of all ages.

Should you find yourself in NYC in the Summer, look no further for fun in the sun than Central Park. The Park has the Central Park Zoo, The Carousel, bikes to rent and Victorian Gardens (for the little kids) taking the place of Wollman Rink. Victorian Gardens is a mini amusement park that specializes in rides for the smallest of children.

Legoland was a kids' paradise! My daughter loved driving the cars (not on a track!) and the boats (not on a track!). Despite the rain, the flume rides were her favorite, and the heated cubbies helpted to dry off!

We have a membership to the museum and take advantage of their wide offerings. Coming from out of town, it's worth going to the website to check out any special events (need to buy tix in advance) they might be having - especially for children. We recently attended a talk about bats (yes, BATS!) with a specialist who brought 4 varieties with him. All of the kids were enthralled. Also, the museum has great holiday celebrations - we look forward to attending the Kwanzaa events this weekend.

The Skyline is great for kids since you can combine a lovely trip to Niagara Falls and communing with nature with indoor fun! Affordable access to the indoor water park and the hotel's unique movie nights in their atrium was the perfect combination for a winter break kid-friendly trip.

The Grand Floridian has everything a kid might want - accessible, quick mickey-ear waffles, electric parade at night, beautiful pool and ever so close to Magic Kingdom.