Fall family fun is in full swing in New Jersey this weekend. There's so much going on, you might not know what to do first. Head down the shore for Margate's Fall Funfest or Chowderfest in Beach Haven, "go" to Go, Dog, Go in Hoboken, or sample some amazing free events such as Hub City Sounds, Public Lands Day, Devil's Family Fun Day and National Museum Day Live. Read on for all our top picks and remember, you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.

The Regent Theatre in Arlington kicks off its Family Fun series on October 13 with a Ben Rudnick and Friends concert, and a Mommy Poppins Boston family can win free tickets to the concert.

Expect to hear a tasty selection of songs from Rudnick's new CD, Love is a Superpower,  along with BR&F favorites and to see some wonderful new videos as well.

Mister G plays songs from his brand new bilingual (English/Spanish) CD, Chocolalala, an irresistible collection of songs that blend Latin rhythms, traditional instruments, and Mister G's uniquely catchy song-writing for children. The concert is at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline on Saturday, October 20, and we're offering two readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the show plus a CD of Chocolalala. Bailamos!

We have several ways to enter:

• Send us an email and let us know you're interested in attending the MISTER G show
• Post a comment on our Facebook page
• Leave a comment at the end of this post.

The deadline is Friday, October 12. Two winners will be drawn at random and notified on Monday, October 15.  If winners don't respond to our email notification within 48 hours, another winner will be drawn. (Email addresses of entrants will not be collected, sold or otherwise abused.)

Sadly, the Dumbo Arts Fest was discontinued in 2014 after 18 years. Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood is full of funky, family-friendly art experiences all year-round. But every September, the area's creative spirit explodes onto the streets as part of the three-day Dumbo Arts Festival. Although this free fest isn't specifically aimed at families, most of it is kid-friendly, and over the past few years the organizers have added a bunch of hands-on activities for children to the lineup, making it even more enticing.

This year, the fest takes place Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30 (yes, the same weekend as the equally awesome World Maker Faire. Terrible timing!) and there are a lot of new attractions for families. We're particularly excited to check out the brand-new Art Village, a section of interactive projects being curated by the Children's Museum of the Arts. We've got the scoop on this new attraction and all of the other cool things to do with kids at this year's Dumbo Arts Festival.

Head out to the Connecticut Renaissance Faire for a unique family outing. The Faire opens this weekend and runs through October 27-28th. If you so desire, dress up as a knight or fair maiden and get into the medieval spirit. Feast on turkey legs while watching armored knights jousting on horseback. The best part is that you can WIN FREE TICKETS right here. If you've never been to a Renaissance Faire - here's the scoop:

The Connecticut Renaissance Faire recreates a medieval English village at festival time, and their guests of honor are none other than King Arthur and Queen Guinevere themselves. Meet the royal couple, sing and dance along to period music, check out a variety of handmade wares in the medieval marketplace, test your skill as a warrior at the Hitting & Stabbing Emporium or in a safe and friendly contest of arms.

There are some movies that really don't need sequels, but in LA even epic traffic jams get the sequel treatment. Yes, we're headed for another weekend without the 405. To call Carmageddon a weekend blockbuster would be to use the term unforgivably literally, and yet we are about to be subjected to Carmageddon II, Return to Mulholland Bridge. Thinking of running away to go camping for the weekend or to hide at a resort? You may be wise to do so. But if you're planning on staying in town, there are a few things you should know about this weekend's closure of the 405 (aka the busiest highway in America).

The Upper East Side is super family-friendly, so it's no surprise that many of its restaurants are accustomed to accommodating kids. But while you may salivate at the thought of a seven-course tasting menu that costs half your weekly paycheck, chances are the only dish your children will really appreciate is dessert.

So why not just get right to it? Whether you are looking for a spot for a special treat or a sweet place for a birthday party, these five iconic Upper East Side eateries are famous for their sweet snacks and indulgent desserts (although most of them serve lunch and dinner, too, if you're into that sort of thing). In addition to a sugar high, each one also serves up a quintessential New York experience kids will never forget. 

Fall has officially arrived, which means cooler weather, colorful foliage and our seasonal class deals post. We've got awesome discounts on some really popular programs, like 25% off classes at the Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos, and up to 61% off at Chess NYC. Speaking of classes, we also updated our list of free kids' enrichment programs with info about a new no-cost art class at Upstairs on the Lower East Side. Every time we hear about a new free class, we add it to the post, so it's a good one to bookmark.

Fall also brings Columbus Day, and our Travel site has a wonderful roundup of family travel deals for the holiday weekend and beyond, plus lots of great suggestions for where to go. You don't necessarily need to travel far: Our New Jersey site has a list of 25 fun and mostly free things to do in Hoboken, and we just shared our favorite apple picking places in Eastern Connecticut and Hartford County. You can find posts about apple orchards throughout the tri-state area in our Pick-Your-Own Guide.

We also added a new culture post to our Fall Fun Guide: The best new museum exhibits for kids opening this autumn, including interactive installations at three of NYC's children's museums. Here's what else we covered this week on our NYC site: