If your kiddos are anything like mine, they are going to play nicely with all those shiny new toys they received for the holidays for about 5 minutes before they start bouncing off the walls (and into each other) and we need to find an activity–preferably outside the house–pronto.
And if you find yourself in one of those situations, we want you to be ready with a hefty helping of outing ideas for that blank canvas between Christmas and New Year’s (and beyond). So today we’ve put together a handy list of activities and destinations that can keep everyone’s spirits bright all the way until 2016 🙂
We also wanted to mention that, as usual, we are going to close up blogging shop for the last two weeks in December in order to have a little more family time during this special season. So although you may see us pop up on Facebook once in awhile, we won’t have any new posts until after the new year (if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our new posts so you don’t miss a thing!). But then we’ll be back with lots of fresh ideas for a fresh year.
We want to wish a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year to all our readers. Thank you so much for your love, support, and constant inspiration! We could not be where we are today without each and every one of you. And we’ll look forward to “scouting your outing” in the new year!
See you in 2016!
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2015 Holiday Break Ideas
Holiday Activities
Some seasonal festivities will continue after Christmas (and some even into the new year), so it’s not too late to check them out. You can still visit…
Seussian Holiday Gingerbread Competition at the Springfield Museums, November 27 – January 3, OAAM Post (Springfield, MA)
Bright Nights at Forest Park, November 25 – January 3 (Closed November 30 & December 1), OAAM Post (Springfield, MA)
Holiday Light Fantasia at Goodwin Park, November 26 – January 1, Daily, OAAM Post (Hartford)
Festival of Silver Lights at Hubbard Park, November 24 – January 6, Daily, FREE, OAAM Post (Meriden)
Fantasy of Lights at Lighthouse Point Park, November 20 – January 6, Daily, OAAM Post (New Haven)
Winterfest Hartford in Bushnell Park, November 20 – January 24, FREE Ice Skating daily, OAAM Post (Hartford)
WinterFest and the Tunnel of Lights at the CT Trolley Museum. Ride a trolley through the tunnel of lights then head inside to warm up, visit with Santa, and check out the large variety of train displays. This event runs mostly from Friday – Sunday starting November 27th and ending December 29th. OAAM POST (East Windsor)
Holiday Train Display at Amato’s Toy and Hobby, A brand new display is currently under construction and they are hoping to have it open Thanksgiving weekend. Be sure to check their site for the latest details., FREE with a non-perishable food donation, OAAM Post (Middletown)
Holiday Toy Train Display at the Connecticut Cellar Savers Fire Museum, Mostly open on weekends from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm starting November 27 through the second week in January, check their full schedule here, FREE but donations accepted, OAAM Post (Portland)
Holiday Train Show at the Connecticut River Museum, November 19 – February 15, OAAM Post (Essex)
Holiday Express Train Show at the Fairfield Museum, December 5, 2014 – January 3, 2015, OAAM Post (Fairfield)
Festival of Lighthouses at the Maritime Aquarium, through January 18, OAAM VENUE PREVIEW (Norwalk)
Children’s Museums
Children’s museums make great outings for vacation weeks because the extra time gives you the opportunity to travel a little farther than you normally would (or could). We’ve been to lots of great ones all across Connecticut, and we’ve even ventured into New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as well. Check out these posts for all the details:
Children’s Museums in RI, MA, & NY
Indoor Play Places
When the weather outside is frightful, indoor play places are delightful! With everything from kiddie gyms to bounce arenas to library play areas, there’s no need to let a little cold (or snow or rain) ruin your fun. Check out this post we did on some of our favorites…
Playgrounds:
Rather head outdoors? We’ve got lots of suggestions for playgrounds that are worth bundling up for.
The Big List of Connecticut Playgrounds
Restaurants:
Vacation is a great excuse to give your kitchen the night (or morning or afternoon) off and explore a new family-friendly restaurant. Luckily, we have plenty of eatery inspiration!
Need more?
As always, for additional inspiration be sure to check out our Places We’ve Been pages where you can find more than 300 outing ideas!
Have fun out there! 🙂
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Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?
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Anyone know of neighborhood with great christmas lights? Everywhere I have lived, there was always that one neighborhood you just had to drive through! OMG! Where is it in Connecticut?!
Hi Sandrea! I’m happy to post that question on our Facebook page and see what other readers think… Stay tuned!