KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Wed, Jun 3: A Year With Frog and Toad
Fri, Jun 5: 11th Annual Field & Forest
5K
Sat, Jun 6: Free First Saturday at Lyman Allyn Art Museum - June
Sat, Jun 6: Car-nival at Lutz Children's
Museum
Sat, Jun 13: Juneteenth Festival and Community Celebration at Hempsted Houses
Sat, Jun 13: Shore Line Trolley Museum CT Open House Day
Sat, Jun 13: Magic Wings Grand Re-opening Celebration - Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens
Fri, Jun 19: Juneteenth at Old Sturbridge Village
Sat, Jun 20: Family Matinee at the Ballet - Connecticut Ballet, June 20
Sun, Jun 21: Father's Day "A LEGO Brickumentary" Screening - at Mystic Seaport Museum
Tue, Jun 23: Sensory-Friendly Trolley Rides at
the Shore Line Trolley Museum!
Fri, Jun 26: 2026 Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport Museum
Sun, Jun 28: Sesame Street
Live |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
For 25 years, one of my core missions with KidsOutAndAbout has been to make invisible things visible, to celebrate what local communities offer families. Everyone is busy, and local treasures are easy to miss. Our job is to point, spotlight, nudge, and say Look here. Try this. Bring the kids. But there’s another kind of invisibility worth fixing:
The people who create these experiences rarely get to see their full impact. They track tickets sold and kids enrolled, but may never hear that your child talked about their field trip for six months, found courage on their stage, or simply felt welcome exactly when they needed it. That’s why our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey matters. Each summer, we ask readers to vote for their favorite local places to take kids.
The results help families see what other families love. The ranking and comments help local organizations see that their work matters. So your three minutes becomes both a recommendation and a thank-you. The survey is simple: Click on your three favorite local destinations. Then also, optionally, nominate favorites in special categories—like arts, sports, and STEM education—and leave comments that we’ll pass along to the people who make these experiences
happen. So please click here to vote in the 2026 edition of the survey. Help families find the places they’ll love, and help the people behind those places know they’re making a difference. The survey will be open until June 20.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
P.S. If you're interested, check out the 2025 list here to see who
won last year. |
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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Connecticut Ballet’s June 20th 2:00pm: FAMILY MATINEE AT THE BALLET is a perfect opportunity to introduce your family to the magical world of professional ballet. Narrated by Artistic Director Brett Raphael and patterned after Leonard Bernstein’s famous New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts in the 1960s, the performance will focus on the unique life of a professional ballet dancer and sample some of the great story ballets. The 75-minute program is suitable for children ages 4-14. All seats are $35 plus ticket service fees.
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Celebrate 285 years of tradition at Lyman Orchards with a two-day anniversary festival in Middlefield, Connecticut! Enjoy family-friendly activities, live entertainment, local food and classic farm experiences all in one unforgettable event. Get ready for a festival like no other! Lyman Orchards is turning 285 years old, and we're throwing the ultimate anniversary bash! From horse-drawn wagon rides to face painting, silhouette portraits to colonial crafts fun, there's something for every age, and every adventurer.
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Celebrate spring at Brown's Harvest with a full day of farm fun! An activities pass lets kids enjoy unlimited jumps on the jump pad (weather permitting), barrel train rides, and a plant-your-own seed activity to take home. The event features the B-Barn with games and activities for everyone and a farm store with baked goods, potted flowers and fresh hand-picked asparagus!
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This astronomy program is organized by members of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club and the Mattatuck Astronomical Society. Weather permitting, there will be star gazing after the program. 8:00 p.m., A. B. Ceder Room. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You are invited to bring your own telescope or binoculars. FREE… Donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation Center’s programming expenses.
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Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Visit the Zoo to hear from Zoo Educators about Species Survival Plans (SSP) and Saving Animal From Extinction (SAFE). Tables with confiscated items from U.S. Fish and Wildlife will be on display, demonstrating the threat to wild animals and presentations will be held at the habitats of some of the Zoo’s most endangered animals.
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The United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial this year and Flanders is celebrating as well! We are honoring our nation’s 250th birthday with many exciting programs and events. This year’s festival will have a unique focus on the colonial era in our history. By spotlighting our legacy, we also look forward to all the future has to hold! Save the date to celebrate with us and stay tuned for further details.
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Vendors! Food! Fun! A great, family friendly day at Camp Herrlich. Support local businesses, community organizations, and craftspeople, get some shopping done, and have a great time! Plus, there is a Kids' Club so the kids can play while the grown ups shop!
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Step into a living legend at Robin Hood’s Medieval Faire, where history, spectacle, and adventure come together. This season is bigger than ever with an added weekend and an expanded footprint, giving you more to see, more to do, and more to explore. Wander newly opened areas of the grounds filled with bold performances, skilled artisans, and immersive experiences around every corner. Cheer for armored knights as they clash in full-contact jousts. Be amazed by high-energy, circus-style acts. Savor classic faire fare like giant turkey legs and refreshing craft brews while browsing an ever-growing marketplace packed with handcrafted goods and unique gifts. Whether you love history, cosplay, or unforgettable family fun, this is a day out that delivers. Join us for a larger, longer celebration at Robin Hood’s Medieval Faire. Adventure awaits. Get your tickets now.
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This year is the Sweet Sixteenth year for the Greenfield Bee Fest, and things will be absolutely BUZZING – with more artsy educational fun, more celebration, more vendors, and even a SPECIAL GUEST musical appearance from MISTER G! Catch Magic Wings at the Pollinator Picnic with musical guest MISTER G, a Maker’s Market, Crankie Fest, & Food Trucks ~ 11:30 AM – 4 PM at Energy Park. Join the festivities to celebrate and honor Lorenzo Langstroth, creator of the modern Bee Hive (in Greenfield!) and learn about the little buzzies that we can’t live without! All activities can be enjoyed for FREE!
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- Children’s Free Week in the Museum at White Memorial Conservation Center - White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759, Friday, May 15, 2026 to Sunday,
May 17, 2026, 9 am - 5 pm
- Free Spring Mini Photo Session with Shoott! - Connecticut - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Saturday, May 17, 2026, See link for times
- May Star Party - White Memorial Conservation Center - White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759, Friday, May 15, 2026, 8 pm - 9:30 pm
- Spring Fling Outdoor Market - Camp Herrlich, 101 Deacon Smith Hill Road, Patterson, NY 12563, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10am - 3pm
- Camp Herrlich's Spring Fling Market (Free) - Camp Herrlich, 101 Deacon Smith Hill Road, Patterson, NY 12563, Saturday, May
16, 2026, 10am - 3pm
- Nature Tag Sale - White Memorial Conservation Center - White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 9 am
- Discovery Station - At Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center - Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, 109 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic, CT 06355, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10:00 am -12:00 pm
- Colonial Encampment - 5th CT Regiment - Weston History & Culture Center - Weston History and Culture Center, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10:00am-4:00pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Hartford area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more.
Our guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Hartford area! Use our Big List to help find the best one for your kiddos and check our events calendar to find Open Houses where you can meet teachers and tour the
schools.
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Hartford area? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues and complete your mission-all before time runs out! Whether you're escaping
a spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist, or breaking a magical curse, escape rooms offer exciting, screen-free fun for kids, teens, and adults.
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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