Outdoor Activities

We've written about Fall Farms, Pumpkin Farms, Pick Your Own Apple Farms, Spring and Summer Berry Farms, and even Christmas Tree Farms out here on Long Island. But what about the Turkey? Whether you just want to pay homage to your Thanksgiving feast or pick up a fresh, local or even organic turkey, Long Island has many poultry farms where you can get up close (or snap a photo from far away) with Thanksgiving's most popular mascot. Stop by and say hi, or for you serious locavores, pick up a fresh local turkey to eat and save yourself a trip to the frozen foods isle. Here are some of the local farms to check out:

There are lots of places to go ice skating in New York if you don't mind waiting on long lines or skating shoulder to shoulder with rowdy teenagers. We've picked out the best indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks in New York City where you can avoid the lines and the crowds (at least some of the time). All of these places offer ice skating lessons and ice skating birthday parties and almost all of them even offer hockey. Check each website link for additional information.

Halloween is going commercial. It seems like every place I go and everyone I know is offering a Halloween version of what they do. The museums, the parks, the playspaces: everyone is doing Halloween events right now. With more options than ever before, I set out to find some of the coolest and most unique Halloween activities on Long Island that would be worth a trip from the city or beyond. Some of these sell out so order your tickets soon:

This city is literally packed with FREE Halloween activities. In fact there are so many great things to do on October 31st you may need a magic eight ball to decide where to go. Luckily your kids will be so hopped up on candy they will have the energy to take in several events in one day.

We've rounded up just the cream of the candy corn: 25 free Halloween events for kids in New York City that we're thrilled about. Keep reading to find out where and when you can see stilt-walkers, hop on hay rides, visit haunted houses, dance your way through the post trick-or-treat sugar comma and get the whole family dressed up, even the dog.

There is a perfect pick your own pumpkin farm for everyone in New Jersey! If you are looking for a full day of pumpkin picking adventures for preschoolers, a pick your own pumpkin patch that won't bore your 10 year old, or just a quiet old fashioned farm without all the gimmicks, you can find it all in Northern NJ.

Last week we let you in on the best museum memberships for families, and now we're exploring more of New York City's great institutions--gardens and zoos. Learn about membership options, what perks and extras are offered, and everything else you need to know to figure out if it's worth it for you and your family. 

Halloween is around the corner. Time to hop in the Zipcar and head out for some pumpkin picking, farm fun, Fall festivals and corn mazes. Here’s a list of some of the best pumpkin picking farms on Long Island, each with their own special reasons that they're worth the trip.

All Aboard!  Your train loving kid will flip over these trains--eight miles of miniature railway track, old fashioned train trips, a ride through the Allaire State Park and kid sized trains in parks.  Put away the that Thomas video and check out the real deal--bring your child (and your inner child) to the trains of New Jersey.

Many people want to know where you can pick your own organic apples near NYC. I've asked the farmers about this and they say that in our climate it's very hard to farm apples organically and nobody really does it. Instead what you'll find is farms that use low-spray or sustainable farming practices.

While apples are one of the foods that are recommended that we eat organic because of the high amounts of pesticides and fungicides generally used, if you can't get organic local apples, at least know that picking your own apples or buying local apples is much better for the environment than buying organic apples shipped in from distant climes and supports small local farmers.

Here are a couple of places where you can pick your own not-quite-organic apples in New York:

Labor Day Weekend is the official start of apple picking season. Starting this weekend and lasting through October, pack up the family and head to the apple orchards for an afternoon of grabbing apples straight from the source. And when you get home with those twenty pounds of apples (what was I thinking???), check out allaboutapples.com/cooking for recipes from apple leather to pork-and-apple pie with horseradish sauce. Just be sure to put an apple aside for the teacher!