Fire Island

http://web.mta.info/lirr/getaways/beach/FireIslandPines.htm

Belmont Park Family Day Trip

http://mommypoppins.com/kids/head-to-belmont-park-for-a-day-of-horse-racing-and-carnival-style-fun

My mom grew up as a certified country child, riding horses and watching the rodeo circuit. And though she raised a family of city kids, we always spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm. Although our family farm is no more, I try to keep my kids connected to our country roots. In NYC, we can hit a petting zoo or trek out to the Queens County Farm Museum. However, one of our favorite ways to spend a spring day is by taking the short train ride to Belmont Park on Long Island to see the horses, watch some live racing and enjoy family-centric fun.

The grounds at Belmont, which first opened for racing in 1905, cover 445 acres. In addition to the well-known 1½-mile track, Belmont has two inner turf tracks, plus a training track and a pony track. The infield of the main track paints a nostalgic scene, complete with a duck pond and grassy meadow. You can catch a number of live races, which vary in length, Wednesday through Sunday. If you're feeling lucky, you can step up to the window and place a wager on any of the horses. An opening bet can be as little as a dime! We always seem to find ourselves rooting for the horses with the most outlandish names. Regardless of whether you decide to wager or just watch, taking in a race is quite thrilling for all ages.

Belmont Park is best known for the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of Thoroughbred Racing's Triple Crown, set this year for Saturday, June 6. The stands can accommodate up to 100,000 fans, though you won't find such a large crowd on a typical day. Most seating is general admission, and you're free to move about the stands or along the grassy edge of the track as you please. Watching from track-level near the railing is particularly exhilarating as you get an up-close view of the magnificent horses thundering by.

While my family is content to spend our day watching the races, Belmont offers a number of activities specifically aimed at kids, especially on its Family Fun Days. If you're planning a trip to the track, here are some other things to check out while you're there:

Breakfast at Belmont

If your brood includes early risers, head to Belmont for breakfast, which runs weekend and holiday mornings. For one set low cost per person, you'll get a continental breakfast from 7 to 9:30am at the Trackside Cafe. Afterward, you'll be able to take a free tram ride through the stable area for an up-close view of the horses. Kids can also see a demo of how the horses are loaded into the starting gates before the races begin.

Family Fun Days

On Family Fun Days, you get a lot more than races and it's all free with admission. Since Belmont has a pretty liberal policy concerning what you can bring inside, you can pack lunch and head to the Belmont Backyard, where you'll find a picnic area and an array of family-friendly entertainment. Bouncy houses, a petting zoo and carnival-style fun are all on tap, and you can watch as the horses stroll from the paddock area toward the main track, wearing the colors of their owners. There's also a playground to romp in. Family Fun Days don't occur every weekend, but the next one is Mother's Day, May 10. Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, Father's Day on Sunday, June 21 and Saturday, July 4 are also Family Fun Days. Check the website for more details.

Play Dress Up

While not a requirement, the horse-racing crowd traditionally tilts toward formality, so if you really want to get into a day at the races, don your Sunday best and top it all off with an ornate hat! The Belmont Stakes is a particularly fancy affair, and there are certain eateries within the track that do have dress requirements.

Belmont Park hosts a full season of races through Sunday, July 19. Live races are held five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday generally off days. Belmont also runs a fall meet from Friday, September 11 through Sunday, November 1. It's located at 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY on Long Island. If your family is car-less, like mine, getting to the races is pretty easy thanks to the various modes of public transportation. One 45-minute train ride out of Penn Station and you're just steps from the entrance. You can also get there by taking a local bus, or the subway and then a bus. General admission is $5 per person. However, on Belmont Stakes day, that jumps to $15.

lawrencefarm

https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/11-places-to-go-apple-picking-near-nyc

http://www.lawrencefarmsorchards.com/

Splish Splash Water Park

http://www.mta.info/press-release/lirr/mta-lirr-splish-splash-package-cools-you-summer-enjoyment

Package Good For Children And Adults Daily, Weekends And Holidays Through Sept. 8

The MTA Long Island Rail Road has a cool summer entertainment package that's great fun for children and adults. The "Splish Splash" LIRR package includes round-trip rail and bus transportation as well as admission to the park at a savings of up to 28%. Splish Splash has been voted one of America's top five water parks by the Travel Channel.

The LIRR "Splish Splash" package for adults is $58.75 and for children 4-11 is $46.00. Children must be under 48 inches tall for the child price at Splish Splash or the difference must be paid at the Park. Tickets can be purchased with cash, personal check, debt or credit card at any open ticket office. Tickets are also available at LIRR full-service (gray or blue) "Tickets" machines. Just select the "Getaways/Packages" button on the first screen.

Customers should take the train to the Ronkonkoma Station and board a North Fork Express Bus to Splish Splash. The schedule is as follows:

Weekdays (Going) (through September 8)

Trains depart Penn Station at 7:39 AM and 9:15 AM

Trains arrive Ronkonkoma Station at 8:59 AM and 10:37 AM

Buses depart Ronkonkoma Station at 9:10 AM and 10:55 AM

Buses arrive Splish Splash at 9:50 AM and 11:25 AM

Weekdays (Returning)

Bus departs Splish Splash at 6:55 PM

Bus arrives Ronkonkoma Station at 7:30 PM

Train departs Ronkonkoma Station at 7:58 PM

Train arrives Penn Station at 9:19 PM

Weekends and Holidays (Going) (through September 7)

Trains depart Penn Station at 7:16 AM, 8:16 Am and 9:16 AM

Trains arrive Ronkonkoma Station at 8:35 AM, 9:35 AM and 10:35 AM

Buses depart Ronkonkoma Station at 8:50 AM, 9:50 AM and 10:50 AM

Buses arrive Splish Splash at 9:20 AM, 10:20 AM and 11:20 AM

Weekends and Holidays (Returning)

Buses depart Splish Splash at 5:40 PM and 7:30 PM

Buses arrive Ronkonkoma Station at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM

Trains depart Ronkonkoma Station at 6:40 PM and 8:40 PM

Trains arrive Penn Station at 7:59 PM and 9:59 PM

For further travel information 24-hours a day, customers can contact the LIRR's Travel Information Center in New York City at 718-217-LIRR, in Nassau County at 516-822-LIRR or in Suffolk County at 631-231-LIRR. The Travel Information Center's TDD number for the hearing impaired is 718-558-3022. Customers can also consult the LIRR's website at www.mta.info.

Online Lottery Broadway

The Lion King 
Online Lottery: $30 - A limited number of tickets per performance will be sold to winners of a digital lottery drawing. Entries will be accepted here until 9 AM on the day of the performance.

The Phantom of the Opera 

Online Lottery: $28 - a limited number of seats will be available for every performance online. 

School of Rock - The Musical 
Online Lottery: $37 - opens daily at 12:01 AM ET here for entrants to win a limited number of $37 same-day tickets to that day’s performance(s) . 

General Rush: $37 - a limited number of general rush tickets will be available at the box office when the Winter Garden Theatre box office opens for that day’s performance(s). Limit two tickets per person. 

Wicked 
Digital Lottery (starts March 8): $35 - A limited number of tickets will be available through the digital lottery, which will open at 8:30 AM for matinee and evening performances and will remain open until 10:30 AM and 2 PM, respectively, when winners are drawn. 

Passport to Museums

The Africa Center	American Folk Art Museum
The American Numismatic Society	Asia Society
The Bronx Museum of the Arts	Brooklyn Historical Society
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute	The Cloisters
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum	Dahesh Museum
El Museo del Barrio	Goethe-Institut
International Center of Photography	Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum
Japan Society	The Jewish Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art	MoMA PS1
The Morgan Library & Museum	Museum of Jewish Heritage
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)	Museum of the City of New York
National Academy Museum	New York City Police Museum
New York Transit Museum	Nicholas Roerich Museum
The Noguchi Museum	The Paley Center for Media
Queens Museum	Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Socrates Sculpture Park	Studio Museum in Harlem

Atlantic city

• New York City To Atlantic City, NJ By Bus

• Greyhound - 3-5 departures daily, $36-46
• Mega Bus - 9-17 departures daily, $25-36

Mega Bus

Departs 10:00 AM New York, NY , Port Authority Bus Terminal (see agent at Academy Bus window near Gate 1)

Arrives 12:30 PM Atlantic City, NJ , Casinos

or

Departs 9:00 AM New York, NY , Port Authority Bus Terminal (see agent at Academy Bus window near Gate 1)

Arrives 11:25 AM Atlantic City, NJ , Casinos

Storybook land 11:00AM - 5:00PM

*Sale ends March 17, 2016*

Early Ticket Sale $25.50 $19.99

New York - Atlantic City 2h20mAtlantic City - Storybook land  20min