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Cherry Hill Mall Grand Court - various times
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WheatonArts - 11:00 AM
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Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University Library - 11:00 AM Pick
Cherry Hill Mall Grand Court - various times
Storybook Land - various times
Bass Pro Shop - various times
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NJ Weekend December 18-19: Kwanzaa, a Whoville Feast & Skate with Santa
Only one week left until Christmas! Keep the kids busy with free festivals like the Kwanzaa Festival at NJPAC with everything from dance classes to crafts, or the free Maplewood Dickens Village Holiday Event with a petting zoo, face painting, horse and wagon rides and holiday crafts. Grinch lovers can enjoy a Whoville Feast at Liberty Hall Museum with real Roast Beast. Santa will also be making an early appearance at local ice skating rinks in West Windsor, Roselle, Secaucus and Jersey City. Finally, check out some holiday lights, either the old fashioned kind in the form of a candlelight tour of the Historic Allaire Village, or the more modern kind at the Turtleback zoo and the Planetarium.
And for more great holiday fun, see our Holiday Guide.
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Kwanzaa Children's Festival at NJPAC (Newark)
Learn all about Kwanzaa and enjoy an afternoon of fun holiday activities including workshops in African dance, music, storytelling, Capoeira, drumming, a children's book fair, face painting, activiites like making spirit masks, and more. Saturday from noon to 5pm. FREE.
Maplewood Dickens Village (Maplewood)
Looking for an afternoon of holiday-inspired activities? Look no further! At the Maplewood Dickens Village you can visit the petting zoo, take horse and wagon rides, do holiday crafts, listen to a story at the library and enjoy caroling. Saturday 1pm-4pm. FREE.
Whoville Feast at Liberty Hall Museum (Union)
They'll be serving Roast Beast, Seuss Spuds, Cindy Loo Who Cider, and Grinchy grub at this festive feast. Sunday from 11:30am-1:30pm and 2pm-4pm. $20 per child, $25 per adult. Reservations required by calling 908-527-0400.
Skate with Santa (West Windsor, Roselle, Secaucus, Jersey City)
'Tis the season to take to the ice and this weekend Santa is making his rounds at local ice skating rinks including:
Mercer County Ice Skating Center in West Windsor, Saturday 5pm to 7pm. $7 adults, $5 kids, $2 skate rentals.
Warinanco Ice Skating Center in Roselle, Saturday and Sunday at 3pm, adults $7, kids 17 and under $4, skate rentals $3.
Secaucus Ice Rink, Sunday at 3pm (skating session is 1pm to 3pm), $3 admission, $2 rentals.
Pershing Field Ice Rink in Jersey City, Saturday 11am to 1pm, admission $5 for adults and $3 for kids, $2.50 rentals.
Christmas Lantern Tours at Allaire Historic Village (Farmingdale)
Take a Candlelight Lantern Tour and catch a glimpse of how people celebrated the holidays in the old days. Dressed in period dress, your guide will take you on a 90 minute tour to see the Bakery at Christmas time, the Blacksmith Shop, the Carpenter's Shoppe filled with wooden toys, the Gardener's nature-inspired holiday decorations, and finally the affluent family home decked out for the holidays. Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m., $10 per person (advance tickets recommended) by calling (732) 919-3500.
Check out the Christmas Lights
See the lights at Turtleback Zoo in West Orange, Saturday and Sunday from 5pm to 9pm. FREE (bring a non-perishable food or unwrapped toy for the needy instead).
Or check out the Holiday laser light shows at the Planetarium.
Looking for more? You can cut your own Christmas tree, see one of the many performances of the Nutcracker, or take a ride on one of the Christmas trains.
