Seeking a unique, awesome, outdoor experience for the family this holiday season? Look no further than the magical landscape of dazzling lanterns and holiday lights that is the LuminoCity Festival at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island.

Our family recently ventured over to immerse ourselves in this wonderland of holiday lights at LuminoCity Festival, now in its fourth year. We loved navigating the spectacular, creative and expansive display of art, color, and light sculptures that heightened the senses, bringing excitement to our family during the festive holidays.

** Keep reading to save 15% on LuminoCity Festival! **

This enchanting experience lasted a little more than an hour. That’s more than enough time for you to snap tons of Instagrammable photos, gawk at the mesmerizing displays, and pop into the heated gift shop. This was our second time at Luminocity and they have definitely found their sweet spot. Shimmering LEDs unfold in a lovely setting where each display area is more beautiful than the next. Additionally, there are numerous animatronic dinosaur displays for all of you dinosaur lovers.

Parking is FREE and located near the entry gates which is a significant improvement from their previous Randall’s Island, NYC location. We were so impressed by the unforgettable, state-of-the-art production that we’ll definitely be back again next year.

Discounted tickets to see the holiday lights

We at NYC Dads Group recognize area families are craving entertaining experiences during the holiday season, so strongly encourage you to grab the opportunity and secure your tickets to LuminoCity Festival before they sell out.

The event runs every Wednesday to Sunday, except on the Christmas and New Year’s Day weekends, from 4:30 – 9:30 p.m. through January 8, 2023. You can choose designated one-hour time slots online to ensure a seamless experience. The last entry is 9 p.m., grounds are cleared at 9:20 p.m.

Tickets run from $19 (kids ages 3-12) to $32. The $68 VIP pass gets you a Fast Pass into the festival, 10% off the onsite gift shop, a Lumi Goodie Bag with Lumi’s favorite things, and a free dino ride for the kids.

Bonus for our members and friends: Save 15% using our exclusive discount code! Visit the ticketing website and enter NYCDADS in all caps) before it closes.

All photos provided by the Somerfeld family.

Light up the night! Families seeking unique, safe, outdoor adventures this holiday season should venture over to Shimmering Solstice at Old Westbury Gardens. Immerse in a majestic fairytale as you wander the lovely grounds at Old Westbury Gardens transformed into a wonderland of light.

This is the first year for this festival of lights on Long Island, NY. It took about 75 minutes to meander and explore dramatic light effects at this walk-through (it’s approximately one mile) experience. Surprises abound at every turn until the magical, grand finale- a ten minute, projection light show displayed on the face of stately, Westbury House. A truly intoxicating encounter! We could gush on and on about how the projection show alone is worth the price of admission, but don’t won’t to be a spoiler.

Overall, this outdoor experience felt very safe. A few of the paths were narrow, but we had plenty of space to ourselves most of the time. It was very family friendly and we all enjoyed the “warming area” filled with seating, heaters, and fire pits with a tent that served overpriced ($6 per cup), but delicious hot chocolate and cookies.

#ShimmeringSolstice runs almost daily before wrapping up on January 9, 2022.

We loved it and will definitely be back again next year!

Disclosure: NYC Dads Group received free admission to Shimmering Solstice. Opinions provided in this post have not been influenced by the free passes.

Prepare to be dazzled by The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.

This mesmerizing, immersive experience is an outdoor walk among thousands of illuminated hand-carved pumpkins. Seeing these creative displays in person is truly one of those fantastic, autumn experiences that you need to witness. Photos, word of mouth hype, and even this post just don’t do this annual Halloween treat justice.

The thematic, jaw-dropping installations create a wonderful, family-friendly experience. It will keep the adrenaline pumping whether you experience the show at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island or Van Cortlandt Manor in the Hudson Valley.

Our family visited the Long Island location. Here, you navigate the sometimes spooky, but generally tame foot paths past The Statue of Liberty, dinosaurs, a larger-than-life spiderweb, cemeteries, a pumpkin tunnel and sunflower fields all designed using intricately, hand-carved pumpkins.

Including our munching on apple cider donuts (unlike last year, the gift shop is open this time around), gazing at the exhibits took our family approximately 45 minutes to complete.

If you’ve been to The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze on Long Island before, this year you’ll see a few new displays: an 80-foot circus train, sea monster and an electrifying LED light-display on the barn. Our only negative comment is that we wish there were more of these new exhibits.

The key details for either Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze location:

ADVANCE TICKETS REQUIRED

• Admission is by timed ticket entry. This ensures crowds are controlled and everyone is socially distanced. Do not show up at the venue to buy tickets; you will be turned away.
• Tickets sell out fast! Buy now even if you plan to go later. The experience is open through Nov. 7.
• Ticket prices range from $40 to $48 per person.
• Parking is free.

IT’S OUTDOORS

• Blaze is a self-guided, touch-free experience set on the beautiful grounds of historic, Old Bethpage Village Restoration (Old Bethpage, Long Island) and Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-the-Hudson in Westchester County).
• The outdoor gift shop includes cider donuts, popcorn, light-up necklaces and more.

MASK POLICY

• Required for unvaccinated visitors.
• Encouraged for vaccinated visitors.

Disclaimer: NYC Dads Group received complimentary tickets in exchange for a review. Thoughts, comments, and opinions have not been swayed by the free tickets. All photos: Somerfeld family.

Being in New York, it’s hard to not get caught up in the celebrity hoopla and sports star sightings.  I find it interesting when some of these people that we admire so much on-screen or on the field/ice, share some of their personal parenting stories on how they stay “tuned” into and involved in the lives of their children.  Recently, I came across an article featured in Long Island Parent: “for, by, and about LI Moms & Dads” that had a spotlight on hockey star, Doug Weight: A Father Figure On and Off the Ice.  As an aside, nice to see a parenting magazine spotlight a father on their cover during a month that is not June!

Doug Weight, captain of the New York Islanders, has three kids- Ryan, 11, Danny, 9, and Addison, 6, that keep him busy.  As a professional hockey player, Weight has summers off (similar to teachers) and chooses to spend significant time with his children when they are off as well.  Additionally, Weight appears to be a positive role model (aka father figure) to the younger players and rookies on the team.

“I’m the limo driver. It comes with the territory,” he said. “Now that they’re older, they’re involved in all these activities. Ryan is involved in basketball and soccer and school things, and my son loves hockey and lacrosse. So Allison (his wife) and I run around a lot. Usually I have breakfast with the kids and then drop them off at school, then go to practice.”  On practice days he picks the kids up from school and in the typical scheduling juggling act of many Long Island parents, he and Allison split who is shuttling whom where and at what time.

I know this is not the most groundbreaking material here, but certainly nice to hear how a professional hockey dad gets engaged in the lives of his children.