Free and Fun Things to Do this Weekend for NYC Kids: OpenHouseNY, Haunted Pumpkin Garden, Ascarium, Comic Con Oct 15-16

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Halloween season is here! Are you scared yet? Well, you will be once you see how many fantastic Halloween events there are to choose from this weekend. The New York Aquarium transforms into an Ascarium, Staten Island hosts a costume parade for dogs, and the Bronx has a Haunted Pumpkin Garden and Boo at the Zoo.

Of course there's plenty of non-holiday fun, too. Enjoy fall festivals in Rockaway, Greenwich Village's Jefferson Market Garden and Madison Square Park. Or if NYC architecture is your thing, check out OpenHouse NY and the Historic House Festival, which are teaming up this year to offer a slew of free tours and activities. Plus, the New York Comic Con invades the Javits so expect costumed characters to take over Midtown.

And that's just a few of the great things going on this weekend. Read on for all of our picks and remember, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar, our Fall Fun Guide and our Halloween Guide.

The Last of the Connecticut Fall Harvest Festivals This Weekend 10/15-10/16 2011

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The leaves are finally changing and beauty is all around us. This will be the last weekend full of Fall festivals before the Halloween craze officially takes over. Fall festivals consist of the stuff that makes great family memories. Hay Rides, apples and pumpkins, pie eating contests, car shows, you name it. Read below so that you can find a festival that suits your fancy this weekend!  

Things to Do for Kids and Families on Long Island October 15-16: Pumpkin Carving, an Apple Festival, Fairy Houses and More

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Ready for some fun this weekend? In addition to our 10 Best Halloween Events for Kids on Long Island and Best Haunted Houses on Long Island for Kids, we've got pumpkin carving contests, apple festivals, adventures with Hansel and Gretel and fairy house building.  Read on to see what other fun activities lie ahead for Long Island families this weekend.

And if you are looking for a pumpkin patch, check out Pumpkin Picking Farms and Corn Mazes on Long Island.

Kids' Day at New York Comic Con: Geek Out With the Whole Family this Sunday

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If you've got a pop-culture nerd in your household (in my apartment, there are three of us), then you probably already know about this weekend's four-day New York Comic Con (NYCC) at the Javits Center. Comics are just a part of this massive geek gathering. Movie studios and TV networks promote (and sometimes screen) their upcoming projects; celebrities meet and greet their fans (this year, Luke Skywalker himself will be in attendance); vendors sell all kinds of collectibles, and attendees hit seminars on everything from self-publishing to wizard wand dueling.

Sound overwhelming? Well, it can be—but it's also great fun for families, especially if you go on Sunday, October 16, which is Kids' Day. In addition to a bunch of activities aimed specifically at children, everyone under age 13 gets in free. Granted, adults still have to pay, and it's not cheap: $45 per person for the day. But if your kids (or you) are really into something, be it Harry Potter or Star Wars or Star Trek or Spider-Man or Archie (my daughter is nuts for that last one—it's how she learned to read), then NYCC is worth every penny.

We've got the scoop on all of the special Kids' Day programming as well as tips on how to survive the day. My husband, daughter and I have attended every single NYCC, and we've learned quite a few things.

The Real Ghost Stories of Western Connecticut

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By Monica Nika

As the cool October winds chase withering leaves down our streets at night while the pale lights of Halloween jack-o-lanterns flicker on the porches neatly decorated with frost-bitten mums, let's remember the 'real' ghosts and tell the stories of the 'truly' haunted places of Western Connecticut.  Read Connecticut's 'truest', spookiest and saddest haunted tales below.

Destination Playground: Hester Street Playground

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As we mentioned in our weekly wrap up on Friday, we'll be spotlighting one NYC neighborhood a month in a series of posts. That way we can really explore an area, and let families know about all of its kid-friendly attractions. We decided to start with Chinatown because it's such a fascinating and vibrant place. Last week, one of our bloggers took her family on a walking tour of the nabe. Today, we're taking a closer look at the Hester Street Playground, which is the premier play spot in the area.

My husband grew up in Chinatown in the '80s, and he remembers when the spot was a rundown mess of a park. (In fact, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe once said that it "might have been the worst playground in the City of New York.") Thanks to last summer's $5 million renovation, it's now a state-of-the-art Destination Playground for local kids and visitors.

Flying Monsters in 3-D at the California Science Center IMAX Theater

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What self-respecting kid wouldn’t want to see a movie called Flying Monsters in 3-D?

The California Science Center reminds us once again how lucky we are to have the California Science Center, with the arrival of David Attenborough’s IMAXsterpiece, Flying Monsters. It was almost too easy answering my son’s “What are we doing today?” with the hero-making reply, “We’re going to see a 3-D movie called Flying Monsters.” I confess, though, I harbored a small doubt; what if he felt conned when he discovered that this impressive sounding title was in fact a cover for a documentary film narrated by some old English guy?

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