Nothing puts the shine on the new year quite like a great family outing. All season long, we've been turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose events calendar features hundreds of holiday happenings in 51 cities around the country. Here's a sampling of what we found on the calendar for New York City:Gingerbread Adventures and Holiday Train at the New York Botanical Garden: Kids can use their senses to smell, touch, and taste the spices and other plant parts that make up a classic gingerbread recipe. Holiday activities include grinding spices, making spicy sachets and ornaments, and decorating gingersnap cookies. Meanwhile, trains and trolleys chug beneath the boughs of a 30-foot evergreen tree twinkling with lights, across bridges, through tunnels, and around magnificent replicas of New York landmarks created from plants. Free for all ages with paid admission. (Through January 11, Tuesday – Friday 1:30pm-5:30pm, Saturday-Sunday 10am-5:30pm; 718/817-8700.)
Kaleidoscope Light Show: This laser light show on the famed "Sky Ceiling" at Grand Central Terminal brings the constellations to life in an all-new celebration of winter, choreographed to seasonal music. Free for all ages. (Daily through January 1, 11am-9pm, every half-hour on the half-hour; 212/532-4900.)Celebrate Kwanzaa: The National Park Service hosts a Kwanzaa celebration at the African Burial Ground National Monument with daytime workshops, including the art of African cloth, and a writing workshop that encourages families to document recollections of history, places and things that have shaped who they are. The event culminates in an evening performance of song and spoken word. Free for all ages, but reservations for are required for the evening performance. (December 30, 10am-7pm; 212/637-1995.)
See more holiday events in New York City on ParentsConnect Local.
