6 ideal homes for families with kids

Locust Valley, New York

Set on 4.8 acres close to the beach, golf, and the village, this seven-bedroom home offers an active life for kids and adults. Designed by Norman Jaffe, the updated 1982 house of cedar, stone, and glass features cathedral ceilings, skylights, three fireplaces, a gourmet kitchen, two main suites, a two-bedroom guest suite, and an indoor saltwater pool.

On the wooded property are a children's playground, lawn, pond, patio, and lighted tennis court. $2,499,000. Lori Sheehan, Douglas Elliman, (516) 382-4242.

DeForest, Wisconsin

Built into a hillside above the trees, this five-bedroom ranch house commands a grassy sweep that becomes a prime sledding hill in winter. The three-level home has walnut floors, paneled doors, crown molding, tray ceilings, oversize windows, open kitchen, living room with fireplace, recreation room with wet bar, indoor sports court, exercise room, screened porch, deck, and wide country views.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The lot includes garden beds, berry bushes, and apple, plum, and peach trees; an adjacent lot is also for sale. $974,900. Faith Morledge, Sprinkman Real Estate, (608) 444-8330.

Tucson, Arizona

This Tanque Verde Valley mansion includes an oversize kids' room with games, toys, and play equipment. The house features seven bedrooms; dining, music, and living rooms, each with a marble fireplace; and a chef's kitchen with breakfast nook and butler's pantry.

Outside are a landscaped drive, fountains, lawns, alfresco living room with fireplace and grill, pool with spa, two-bedroom guesthouse, mountain views, and 7 private acres of pristine desert. $2,350,000. Kate Herk, Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty, (520) 444-9263.

Moorpark, California

The swing set and the resort-style pool with waterslide are kid-friendly highlights of this 18.8-acre citrus ranch. The six-bedroom house has coffered ceilings, hardwood cabinetry, a gourmet kitchen with pizza oven, media and game rooms, and garden, orchard, and mountain views.

The property includes an outdoor kitchen with barbecue and smoker, a secret garden, a tennis pavilion, a guesthouse, an 11-car barn, avocado, fig, and apricot trees, and 12 acres of income-producing lemons; award-winning schools are nearby. $5,695,000. Shamon Shamonki, Sotheby's International Realty –​ Brentwood, (310) 713-4492.

Downers Grove, Illinois

This six-bedroom house outside Chicago features an indoor sports court with scoreboard and a locker room with steam shower. The custom-built smart home features an open chef's kitchen with island seating and wine refrigerator, family room with fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows, primary suite with fireplace and balcony, play and recreation rooms, and lower-level media lounge and wet bar.

Outside are a big front porch, two paver patios, a stone gas fireplace, and a landscaped yard. $2,499,000. Dawn McKenna Group, Coldwell Banker Realty, (630) 686-4886.

Spruce Pine, North Carolina

This three-bedroom "tree house" in the woods is capped with a crow's nest for forest-top views and star gazing. The home has fanciful natural wood and timber details, decorative rockwork, a front porch and multiple decks, a great room with wood-burning fireplace, several mounted flat-screen TVs with surround sound, and a finished basement with woodstove and entertainment and game spaces.

On the 4.2-acre lot are mature blueberry bushes, a stocked trout pond and water feature, a hot tub, and outbuildings. $489,700. Jann Godwin, Timberline Properties, (828) 385-0042.

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.