It is both difficult and exhilarating to travel with children. Our 5 year-old daughter is an excellent traveler, and helps us to plan our trips (she always wants to go to art musuems, science museums, and plays). One of the tools that we use, while traveling in the United States, is a fantastic resource called Go City Kids. They have weekly newsletters for many large cities, as well as an extensive website listing events, sales, opportunities, etc. It is one of the first sites that we go to, when planning a trip. It has always enhanced our travels, giving us events we never would have known about (i.e., the Frog Lake Puppet Ballet in Seattle!).

To help inform our members, I emailed Tanya VanCourt, SVP, Preschool & Parents Online, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group, to ask her for more details about the Go City Kids site. I found out that they changed their name to Parents Connect Local, and expanded their services...all good for traveling, and learning, with children!

WE: Tell us about what GoCityKids is about...

TV: GoCityKids, now ParentsConnect Local, gives parents easy access to information about family activities, local events, resources, and places to go. The Deals & Steals newsletter provides local and national deals and discounts that are exclusive to GoCityKids and is sent via email each Monday; the Local Events newsletters, sent on Thursdays, give families the scoop on what's happening around town in the week to come, and serves as a "tickler" to remind families when great events are coming up that might sell out quickly.

WE: How many cities do you represent?

TV: The new and improved GCK/PC Local section launched last week and it's not just about cities any more - though 51 cities are highlighted on the Choose a City page. The site is now nationwide...from Cape Cod to Spokane, Santa Barbara, and Puerto Rico. In addition to the great content that the local editors input every week, users are encouraged to post their own local favorites (including doctors, preschools, shoe stores - anything a family needs to find), rate listings already on the site, and use the ParentsConnect Local message boards to exchange ideas with - and meet other local families.

The main 51 cities are:

Albuquerque
Anchorage
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Buffalo
Chicago
Cleveland
Columbus, OH
Dallas/Fort Worth
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Kansas City, MO
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Louisville
Memphis
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
Milwaukee
Minneapolis/ St. Paul
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Norfolk
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland, ME
Portland, OR
Providence
Raleigh/Durham
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
Tampa
Washington DC

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/

WE: What is the typical age range for events and activities that you share information on?

TV:  ParentsConnect is for parents of kids of all ages and stages, and ParentsConnect Local follows the same mantra - it covers everything for ages birth through college.

WE:  How did GoCityKids get started?

TV:  GoCityKids launched in 2000, concentrating on just three cities: San Francisco, New York, and San Diego. When MTV Networks acquired GoCityKids in 2005, the site covered seven cities and swiftly grew to 20. Nickelodeon's Kids and Family online wanted to expand its relationship with people who grew up watching Nickelodeon and are now parents, and to develop a relationship with parents whose kids are watching Nickelodeon now! The editors working on Parents Connect Local are all parents themselves, and the editors who created the seven original cities are still working on the site today. The ParentsConnect Local editors have a deep understanding of local issues and have built the site to be a resource for other families like theirs, and for family-oriented businesses and services in their communities.

WE: Where can we go for more information?

TV:  http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to let us know?

TV: We're very excited about our new "look" and we'd love for parents to help us build on the great depth and breadth that we have today.  Parents can add local events in their communities, talk to other parents in their area, and rate and review the venues on our site to help other parents looking for great family-oriented resources.  We are also launching a "Parents Picks" program on May 19th, running through June 30th, where Parents can pick the best of their local areas in 17 categories including best kids' shoe store, best family restaurant, and best playground.  The site is also pretty handy for families who are looking for great family vacation ideas throughout the US!

WE: Thank you, Tanya - what a fantastic resource! I wish that we lived in one of the 51 cities (although rural living also has its benefits)...I could see that our lives would be enriched by the wide variety of activities available, as presented here. Thank you!

Again, for more information, please check out:
http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/