My husband and I are enthusiastic city travelers, and that didn't change when we gave birth to our children. We still enjoy encountering the joys of the city, but now we rely on more advance planning, patience and ice cream breaks.
My family learned to choose a neighborhood city full of direct flights, easy to walk downtowns, and parks and playgrounds. We prioritize accommodation in a heated pool and research children's festivals and events in advance.
When Katie Farrell, a London-based digital director, is studying urban travel with her husband and two daughters (ages 3 and 7), she searches for “all fun” activities. Masu.
“The main standard for me is that children and adults can enjoy the same thing,” she said. “No one feels like you're missing out on it, and everyone enjoys what you're doing.” Her family's recent adventures include dipping pastries into Hochata, Valencia, Spain, and Puglia, Italy. It included swimming through the archaeological sites.
Technology can become an asset. Google Maps features a “kid-friendly” restaurant filter and a “kid menu,” indicating that children's museums and other destinations are open and not crowded. Our family clusters activities to reduce the time spent on transportation and create custom walking routes using Apple Maps and other apps.
Through our trips we have learned that these cities are great for both old and young, especially for spring break.
Washington DC
At the National Mall, early rising babies and toddlers have the most space for crowds to walk the first thing on the lightest morning. The National Cherry Blossom Festival invites the mall every spring, especially to its own kite festival (March 29th this year). However, the city has appeal to families in all seasons with free access to many museums, including the 21 Smithsonian Agency and the National Zoo, which welcomed two giant pandas in January.
Our family loves the planetary languages ​​in the vibrant language museum, and especially sings karaoke to our favorite music (free admission, $15 donation is recommended). Regarding their own writing, children can create plays and songs at the newly renovated Folger Shakespeare Museum (Spare Pay – Kid Timing Entry Ticket). For outdoor adventures, check out Rock Creek Park, which is easily accessible, and Theodore Roosevelt Island, where you honor the president who influenced the invention of the teddy bear.
Favourite family foods include Little Grand at H Street Corridor. Sourdough pizza is served in both squares and circles (the family fights are less! The pie starts at $16), and delicious cocktails are an adult perk. Union Market Food Hall, especially Mastiha Taverna (Pita Laps starts at $12), offers options, and Politics and Sansho Store's front post base has a cozy children's reading room.
Families traveling during spring break will find two different seasons, depending on whether they travel in March or April. Those who arrive earlier may be filled with brunches containing traditional Quebec maple silups in the city's “sugar shack” before ice skating at one of the city's many neighboring ice rinks yeah. As temperatures rise, this place is paying for free outdoor concerts by urban space. Also, Little Italy's Open Air Jantaron Market offers maple products and fun browsing all year round.
Located near 700 acres, Mount Royal Park is a must-see for family snowshoes, hiking and cycling in warm weather. Adults can then enjoy steam baths and water circuits at Bota Bota Nordic Spa in the old port area. It regularly offers “pirate” packages and breathing workshops for children aged 12-17 (Canadian dollars $60, or about USD 42. Children's fees, $70 for adults ). For younger children, La Loon Babysitters come to hotels and apartments for rent.
Lobby swing and rooftop pool offset Hotel Bonaventure's brutal architecture (rooms with double beds start at $229). For breakfast, I liked to visit local family-run restaurants, such as Beautys for pancakes (brunch dishes start at $12) and st-viateur bagels for sesame bagels (dozen cost $14.25) .
Portland's Neighborhood and Children's Museum offers easy access to light rails, trolleys and trams throughout the city. It starts in the Marnoma district with a meal heading for vegetables on the planet of laughter (medium “tween burritos” cost $6.75 and Green Dream Smoothie costs $8). Books by independent business thinkers Toys and Annie Bloom offer souvenir options.
Head to nearby Forest Park, one of America's largest urban parks, with numerous trails, including paved ones suitable for strollers. Get caught up in Portland's Japanese gardens with vast urban scenery and family-friendly programming. You can have a tea and a mochi break at UmamiCafé (3 flavors from Mochi Ice Cream are $9 for $, and bookings are recommended).
I'll be staying at Kennedy School. This is a renovated primary school with an in-house cinema and ceramic tile pool in a space previously occupied by teacher lounges (rooms start at $235, with some rooms having original chalkboards and literature (There is a theme). The courtyard restaurant is suitable for groups and dinner is worth stopping.
Mexico City
Don't overwhelm the size of the Mexican capital. The La Condesa and Polanco neighborhoods are good jump-off points for families, and affordable Uber rides in the metro make the city easier to manage. Mexico and the park are welcoming and lush with lush welcoming. Perfect for resting while acclimating to the city's altitude. Parque Lincoln has a bird sanctuary open every day and has an electric boat that allows children to pilot a farmer's market with fresh tacos on Saturdays.
During the 2024 Sabbatical, Jenny Tolan, 42, lived in Mexico City with her husband and three boys under the age of seven. “Children are welcome everywhere, people on the street treat your kids like they are. I buy tacos at the corner, and the taco guy is messing my 3 year old hair Masu.”
Coyoacán's Frida Kahlo is worth an afternoon led by emerging artists (adults are 320 Mexican pesos, or about $16, with students paying 30 pesos each; books in advance). The artist lived and died in the property Casa Azur, and spent most of her life in the trees and birds. Walk to Mercado Coyoacán for snacks and know that there are plenty of taco and pastry stands all over the city.
For the meal they remember, the Polanco location in Rincon Argencino has a climbable pirate ship with a complimentary babysitter. And if you have a day to spend, Arca Tierra will introduce children to seasonal food and local agricultural practices of Chinampas, a small island on the Xochimilco Canal (please book a tour in advance). Depending on the child's adventurism, you might travel to a bright trahinera boat or gondola passing through the canal. Suitable for both Fiesta and people.
Savannah, Georgia.
Last spring, Savannah College of Art and Design surprised Scadstory, an interactive welcome centre with a family of four and a mother-in-law (free, bookings are recommended). Our kids loved the showcase of student artwork in the form of a sidewalk chalk competition in Forsyth Park (this year's festival will be held on April 26th).
The coveted tickets to the Savannah Bananas baseball game were sold out, but even our youngest did not complain when we took a walk through the city square. We made a daily visit to E. Shaver Booksler with a wide selection of titles and a resident shop cats. On the evening walking tour of Sixth Sense, we touched on the tales of local ghosts ($36 for adults, $4-15) as was the case with the walks not passing through Bonaventure Cemetery.
For dinner we got a walk-in patio table from Brochu's Family Tradition. Another night we danced to the DJ and played games at Starland Yard. Starland Yard will host a spinning food truck and permanent restaurants, Pizzeria Vittoria and Ankle Jeune. I wish more cities had a dedicated space for all ages and spirit of this type.
Follow the New York Times Travel Above Instagram and Sign up for Travel Dispatch Newsletter To get expert tips to travel smarter and inspirational travel for your next vacation. Are you dreaming of a future vacation or travelling an armchair? Check us 52 locations in 2025.
