Parents with spirited kids know the value of time spent in nature.

Besides just being an awesome experience, nature and the outdoors are known to build immunity, lower stress, and reduce symptoms of ADHD. Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve near Huntington is a spacious waterfront parkland where tots can enjoy year-round fishing, hiking, picnicking, and more on Long Island Sound.

For more great things in and around Long Island's North Shore, check out our guides to Centerport with kids and family fun in Northport. For more outdoor fun, check out our guide to LI parks and playgrounds, including 15 state parks that are absolutely worth a visit.

The popular geocaching phenomenon has proven over the years to be a great way to channel your inner treasure hunting abilities as a family. Chances are someone in your family has also played at least one round of Pokemon Go. One positive impact these types of activities have is that they get kids up and moving, many times in parks or on local trails. Painted rocks is a trend that offers yet another way to get moving as a family and connect with the community, with a little crafting thrown in.

Everyone loves a parade, but there's nothing quite like a neighborhood Halloween parade. While families with older kids may venture out to the iconic Village Halloween Parade on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, it can be pretty scary—it's always insanely crowded and loud, and many of the costumes are risque, gory, or in poor taste. If your children aren't up for that big Hallow-baloo, there are plenty of smaller, kid-friendly NYC neighborhood parades in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, including the Ragamuffin Parade in Bay Ridge, the mega Jackson Heights parade, the famed Park Slope march, and a G-rated Village parade for little ones.

We've rounded up community-driven Halloween processions for families to watch or march in, most of which are FREE. If you don't live in a great trick-or-treating area, these parades are a wonderful way to hunt for candy in another neighborhood. Find even more seasonal happenings in our Halloween Fun Guide.

No tricks here—just a list of 35 FREE Halloween events happening all around New Jersey. The weeks leading up to your kids' favorite holiday are full of festivals, parades, and plenty of opportunities for them to dress up and score some scary-good treats.

Read on for our top picks, and be sure to check out our Fall Fun Guide for even more seasonal fun. From pumpkin picking and corn mazes to harvest festivals and Halloween train rides, we've got you covered.

Happy Halloween, New Jersey!

If you think Halloween town and library programs are only about storytime and paper pumpkins, think again! Many towns in Westchester offer standout events that are frightfully fun—not to mention the parades, parties, and more free activities for families who love Halloween. 

Below we’ve listed two dozen places with fun Halloween programs. Best of all—they’re all FREE! (And, OK, there are storytimes and crafts, but we do like those, too.) 

Read on for our top picks, and then continue on to our Event Calendar for many more fun October happenings.

When two fantastic worlds collide, something great happens. Last year, the charming Irvine-based Tanaka Farms and Sanrio, the global brand known for creating pop icons such as Hello Kitty and her friends Keroppi, Chococat, My Melody, and Pochacco, launched a collaboration to celebrate all things healthy and cute — and the result is nothing short of magical. 

Think your kid isn't old enough to appreciate the Museum of Fine Arts? Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic, will change your mind. This interactive exhibit, featuring the "hunny"-loving bear Pooh, encourages your kiddos to not only look, but to actually touch and play, as they're immersed in the world of Christopher Robin and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. As Pooh would say, "it's no bother" to bring littles; and as I discovered on a recent visit with my own kids, it is in fact a sweet and super-entertaining outing for the whole family.

Just when you thought a visit to Hersheypark couldn't get any more tempting, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, amusement park announced a sweet surprise for fans of its chocolate emporium. It's adding a Chocolatetown, an all-new section of the theme park that will connect Hersheypark and Hershey's Chocolate World, opening in the summer of 2020. Expect a major new roller coaster, and yes, plenty of chocolate, including new dessert spots.

The expansion will further the vision of Milton S. Hershey, a real-life Willy Wonka, who brought his sweet dream to life in 1907 when he built the 121-acre amusement park as a perk for his chocolate factory workers and their families.