New Jersey Kids Guide

Winter may be just around the corner, but it isn't time to give up fun outdoor activities just yet!  This weekend, kids can head outdoors and get up close with all kinds of animals: watch wild ducks, learn all about horses, or attend an outdoor animal storytime.  They can also travel back in time at a historical farm and explore sausage and bacon making, or learn how to turn apples into cider.  Too chilly for you? Look for a good time indoors with a free theater series with campfire stories, a Mo Willem’s show at SOPAC, or family fun at the Newark Museum.

Why is it that we experience countless kids’ birthday parties each year, but when it comes to our own child’s big day, we’re suddenly clueless about what to do?  Never fear, we’re bringing the best of the birthday parties to you!  Here we’ve assembled a list of indoor party spaces perfect for almost every theme and size you’d need, and based on personal recommendations.  We’ll follow this with another guide to birthday party companies that travel to your home, and as we near Spring, another list of great outdoor party places.  Keep an eye out for occasional additional lists as we gather more recommendations, and please, if you’ve had a great kids’ party experience, share it with us!

Happy Halloween!  There is plenty to do this weekend besides trick or treating!   There are last minute costume making sessions, live bat presentations, and old fashioned Halloween celebrations.  Once Halloween is over, there is still reason to celebrate with the Day of the Dead, a "retired jack-o-lantern" sail, laser shows, and a fabulous craft festival.
 

Can you imagine telling your kids to throw on their fairy costumes and run around the neighborhood, in the dark, without you, ringing strangers’ doorbells and asking for candy?  Ahhh...the good old days. But while door-to-door trick-or-treating seems to be quickly becoming a tradition of the past, Halloween remains a children’s holiday to be enjoyed with great gusto–so grab those costumes, get out there and celebrate the ghoulish fest with a slew of October 31st events sure to raise everyone’s spirits!

For those who like a good fright before Halloween night, check out some of these haunted houses.  There are plenty of night-time haunts to please the older kids, as well as scaredy cat tours and scare-free zones where kids can also trick or treat.  So pick your poison ...

With Halloween just around the corner, every child-friendly venue is bringing out their best in Halloween and Fall fun.  There are haunted gardens and forests; family Fall events at museums and movie theaters; pirate-packed aquariums; and of course, more pumpkin picking!

The Jersey Devil, ghosts, ghouls and other creepy creatures are out to get you on these haunted hayrides. Face your fears as you bump through the darkness… and if you make it out alive, take on the haunted houses and trails, too   (NOTE: Leave the little kids behind – although many hayrides recommend ages 8 and older, personal experience has led us to believe these are NOT for children under 10.)

Don’t let the bad weather put a damper on your Fall festivities and plans! This weekend you can attend a Rock and Mineral Show, a Latino Heritage Festival at the Newark Museum, “pick” a pumpkin at the Liberty Science Center, or try out your Halloween costume and trick or treating skills at the NJ Children’s Museum Halloween Spooktacular. And if the weather holds up, you may want to check out the annual Pumpkin Flying Festival in Pittstown or the Lumberjack and Hot Air Balloon Festival at Shawnee Mountain.