Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Enchanted Crawly Halloween, Boos at Zoos, Trunk-or-Treat, and RBG

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Throw on your capes and open up your treat sacks, because this is the weekend we start taking Halloween seriously. True, in some corners Halloween has always been deadly serious (as in full-on Zombie attack), but for the most part we have been attending our trick or treateries sans costumes, and more in onlooker mode. Well, no more. This weekend you start trick-or-treating at the LA Zoo. You can trick-or-treat at the Santa Ana Zoo. You can trick-or-treat with cheerleaders, and you can trick-or-treat with bugs (though hopefully not for bugs).

You can party with faeries (no, that's not a costume; they always dress like that). You can party with cops (no, that's not a costume; they always dress like that). You can party with the notorious RBG. (Not all superheroes wear capes.)

You can get pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins, from a town called pumpkin (ish), and then you can watch as they light up the night. And it's all just a rehearsal for the big show to come!

Keep reading to dig into our bag of holiday treats!

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: The Search for Lafitte's Gold, Fall Festivals, Oct. 20-21

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With Halloween right around the corner, we've been busy compiling everything you could possibly need to have a fun, safe holiday. From area trunk-or-treats to cinematic thrills, we've got you covered. Check it out:

And that's not all! You can find even more Halloween-inspired fun on our event calendar, with events happening throughout the city over the weeks leading up to our favorite candy-coated day. For monthly fun, head to our October GoList, which highlights the biggest and best events occurring around town throughout the month. If you have an event that you want to get some extra coverage for, we'd love to share it with our readers! All you have to do is submit your event to our calendar for our review, and we'll handle the rest. 

Want to stay in the loop with everything Mommy Poppins has to offer? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to have everything we published delivered straight to you. 

But that's enough of that; it's time to see what this weekend has in store. 

Weekend Fun: Lantern Parade, Fall Hikes, and Haunted Trails; Oct 13-14

Lucie T's picture Submitted by Lucie T on

Is there anything better than New England outdoor adventures in the fall? Let's enjoy all this season has to offer this weekend with a fall hike in the Blue Hills, fire-making lessons, and an illuminating evening lantern parade. Halloween festivities are in full swing so be sure to check out this monster mash dance party, spooky fun at the zoo, a magical historic house, and even a haunted trail.  Have a family member with sensory-related sensitivities or autism? Check out this special performance of Blue Man Group just for them. 

Weekend Fun: Pumpkins, Halloween Spooktacular, Dog Days

Jaime Sumersille's picture Submitted by Jaime Sumersille on

Don't leave Fido pining at the front window as you set off on adventures this weekend. Have a tail-waggin' good time at DogFest at Tanger Outlets or Dog Days at Old Westbury Gardens.

Carve out some time to watch Lenny Calvin from Food Network's Halloween Wars as he bewitches Stew Leonard's shoppers with his pumpkin carving skills.

Halloween-themed evening events such as Sweetbriar Nature Center's Halloween Spooktacular, Merrick's Great Pumpkin Glow, and The Whaling Museum's Harbor Haunts Walking Tour are sure to be a smashing good time.

Peep our nature walk guide for the best spot to spot the changing leaf colors. 

See our Fall Family Fun Guide for the best in seasonal entertainment, including day trip ideas, fall festivals, corn mazes,  and plenty of FREE events and activities. As always, our Event Calendar and October GoList are loaded with fun, daily happenings for Long Island kids.

Weekend Fun: Pumpkins, Halloween Fests, Taste of the Seaport, Apples on Orchard Street

Drew Kristofik's picture Submitted by Drew Kristofik on

We're running full speed toward Halloween in New York City, costumes flapping behind us, and there's plenty of seasonal fun to be had, from giant pumpkins in the Bronx to Pumpkin Point on Governors Island. Kids can trick or treat to the beat at Brooklyn Conservatory's Haunted Concert, rock out to the Laurie Berkner Band's Halloween Concert, or check out Halloween shows like Wanda's Monster and The Not-So-Spooky Ghost. You can even explore the history of Frankenstein at the Morgan.

There are family-friendly fall festivals all over town this weekend, too: Saturday, head to PS 166's Fall Spooktacular, the Harvest Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park, or the Kids Rock Fall Fun Fest. On Sunday, there's the Hudson River Park Fall Fest and Halloween Howl. Or pick apples in a virtual orchard at Opal Apple's pop-up on the Lower East Side all weekend.

Need a break from Halloween? Taste of the Seaport beckons on Saturday, with kid-friendly activities, live music, and food. James and the Giant Peach also opens Saturday with music by the Oscar-winning team behind Dear Evan Hanson. The Little Orchestra Society kicks off its season this weekend with the music of Joplin and Ellington, or head to Carnegie Hall for a FREE concert for toddlers on Sunday. If you have a preschooler, don't miss our Downtown Brooklyn Preschool event on Sunday!

As always, our October GoList features the month's best picks, and our Fall Fun Guide provides a lowdown on seasonal to-dos. If you want to start planning, maybe for some Thanksgiving or even December holiday events, dig into our Event Calendar.

Weekend Fun: West Nyack Festival, Boo Walk, Hastings Spooktacular

Submitted by Susan Miele on

Halloween fun is on the rise in Westchester and the Hudson Valley this weekend with the addition of the Hastings Spooktacular Weekend, plus the continuation of all the other big Halloween events  throughout the month. In addition to the recurring events, a one-time performance of Cirquetacular Spooktacular fuses Halloween and circus fun, and the all-new Battle of the Jack-O'-Lanterns is a two-night tour of entries in a high-level carving competition. For wee little ghosts and witches, try the Boo Walk and check out the farm.

Among the fall festivals taking place this weekend, the standout is the two-day New York Sheep and Wool Festival, which features exciting workshops and live entertainment specifically for kids, as well as such eccentricities as llama acts.

Read on for our top weekend picks, visit our Event Calendar, and check out our October GoList for our top choices for the rest of the month!

Weekend Fun for Philly Kids: Witches & Wizards, Pumpkin Days, Archaeology Day October 20-21

Submitted by Kristen Sullivan on

Spooky, mysterious, and magical activities are beginning to creep into Philadelphia and onto the pages of our event calendar.

Start off the weekend with seasonal fun at one of the many options found in the Delaware Valley. Consider a trip to Chestnut Hill for its Wizard & Witches festivities. Kids can expect to make creepy crafts, see live circus performances, wander through a straw maze, view Mad Scientist demonstrations, and watch the annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Quidditch Tournament. Pumpkins Days at Tyler Arboretum allow visitors the chance to make a scarecrow, take a hayride, watch a magic show, and pick a pumpkin. When the sun sets, families can head to The Great Pumpkin Carve of Chadds Ford to experience the impressive carving talents as artists create remarkable pumpkin masterpieces.

If you are looking for educational fun, there are many opportunities. Those interested in music can enjoy Kimmel Center's free PNC Grow Up Great session focusing on jazz and musical theater. Celebrate International Archaeology Day at Penn Museum or Newlin Grist Mill as they both host a variety of unique and engaging activities. Older kids can take a Geology Walk at Lock 60 at Schuylkill Canal Park to investigate fossils while younger ones can explore Peace Valley Nature Center searching for leaves and trees.

Enjoy this fall weekend in the Delaware Valley!

Macy’s Unveils Santaland Details for 2018 Christmas Season

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on

Santa is sprucing up his sleigh and getting ready to fly into New York City’s very own North Pole, Macy’s Santaland, where for the second year in a row, visits with Santa will be by (FREE) reservation only.

Santaland will open for the holiday season Friday, November 23, 2018, the day after the Thanksgiving Day parade, and will welcome visitors through December 24, 2018, Macy’s revealed in a statement.

The 34th Street retailer will reinstate the reservations-only policy it implemented for the first time last year as a way to cut down on the lines. (Around 170,000 people visit the NYC Macy's Santaland each Christmas season.) This year also sees the return of the popular Express Lane option. Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Santa at Macy's this year.

When Pediatric Urgent Care Can Save a Visit to the ER

Jessica Laird's picture Submitted by Jessica Laird on

It's past bedtime, but a barking cough and noisy breathing are keeping your toddler wide awake. Weekend soccer practice ends abruptly with a slide tackle right to your middle schooler's ankle. Your otherwise healthy teen is suddenly covered with welts from head to toe. The pediatrician’s office is definitely closed and panic starts to set in as you weigh whether the circumstances warrant an emergency room visit.

Well, as it turns out, there may be a better option. A pediatric urgent care center—like those operated by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Chalfont, Pa., Glen Mills, Pa., and King of Prussia, Pa.—can actually handle all of these problems and then some, including a number of illnesses and injuries you might think require an emergency department visit. And while many issues may feel ER-worthy to us worried parents, they might not meet the medical criteria that require a trip to the hospital. So, instead of booking it to the nearest emergency room or waiting for the pediatrician's office to open for your kiddo's next fever or fall, call your child’s doctor and ask if an urgent care for kids might be the best option. These facilities treat your child when you need it—on evenings and weekends—and how you need it—with special consideration for his or her needs.

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