All Weekend

DINOSAURS ROCK® Fossil, Mineral & Ocean Adventure (West Orange, NJ)
Get ready for a weekend of Dinosaur fun at Turtle Back Zoo from 10-5pm at this interactive event that will have kids digging for and exploring fossils. There will be actual life size fossils from the DINOSAURS ROCK private collection for kids to see, such as a Nine-foot high Ice Age Mastodon Leg, Huge Mosasaur fossils, 22 foot Prehistoric Whale specimen, a life-size T-Rex skulland 7 ft Triceratops skull. Kids will also be able to go gemstone mining with a rushing water sluice and take home real minerals. Admission is $5/per person. General Zoo admission is required. 973-731-5800.

Atlantic City Seafood Festival (Atlantic City, NJ)
Keep the summer spirit alive this weekend at Bader Field for this popular family day! Come hungry as this event will feature over a hundred local restaurants and a large variety of great wines and beers of New Jersey. You will also enjoy festival events such as, sand sculptors, sea fairing vendors, a petting zoo, pony rides, live music, fresh seafood market, kite flying, chowder cook off, amusements, and cooking demonstrations. Admission: $10 adults, kids 12 and under are admitted free. Onsite parking is $5. Saturday 11am-7pm. Sunday 11am-6pm.

Apple Day  (Princeton, NJ)
Apple Day is a two day celebration at Terhune Orchards that will truly get you ready for all that fall has to offer!  There's fun for everyone including farm wagon rides and horse-drawn wagon rides, pony rides, live music, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making for the kids, stories and farm fun in the adventure barn, as well as a corn maze. Try your hand at some “farmer” chores by feeding the animals and picking some apples and pumpkins. After working hard, you can enjoy some delicious food at the farm "cafe" for purchase. 10am-5pm. Free Parking at the farm. $5 per person admission/ Children under 3 are free. Rain or Shine.

Herrmann's Original Royal Lipizzan Stallions of Austria (Basking Ridge, NJ)
Even for those non-horse lovers in your family, this weekend-long event at the Lord Stirling Stable is big on the WOW factor! These Royal Lipizzans are one of the rarest, most aristocratic breed of horses in the world and will amaze your family with their spectacular leaps and plunges. Shows are scheduled for 7:00pm on Friday, 2:00pm and 7:00pm on Saturday and 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm on Sunday.Advance ticket prices are $20 + $1 processing fee; children 5 and under are admitted free. $25 for tickets purchased after September 13. Call 908 766-5955 for additional information or to order tickets.

Clownfest 2012 (Seaside Heights, NJ)
This could TOTALLY be the title of the newest season of The Jersey Shore, although it's actually a big ol' FREE clown (the kind with the face paint, big red noses and funny shoes) party on the Seaside boardwalk all weekend. Come out to the CLOWN PARADE on Sunday starting at 2:00 PM to see clowns (obviously),  marching bands and good people watching, too!

Saturday September 15th

Festival by the Sea (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Those that want to stay closer north can still get their beach-y festival experience in downtown Point Pleasant Beach, on Arnold & Bay Avenues from 10am-7pm! This FREE festival will host twenty-five of the Shore's best restaurants serving landlubber and seafood delights and over 225 crafters & artists, plus other exhibits and games for the whole family. Even more thrilling is the fireworks display at Jenkinson's Beach following the festival!

Family Day: O'Keeffe in the Garden (Montclair, NJ)
Come out to Van Vleck House and Gardens from 1-4pm for Montclair Art Museum's FREE family event to welcome their new fall exhibition "Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico: Architecture, Katsinam, and the Land." Visitors will will create artwork and explore the garden through the eyes of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Enjoy an exciting family outing with scavenger hunts, story time, live music, and an interactive dance performance occurring throughout the gardens.

Summer Concert Series: Big Jeff & Bouncy People (Chester, NJ)
Have a blast at this FREE concert at the Grove Street Park Amphitheater enjoying the music of this longtime Mommy Poppins family favorite, Big Jeff and the Bouncy People. This upbeat concert is sure to delight the kids, while the adults can delight in the (hopefully) beautiful weather and hanging with the family outside!

Sunday September 16th

Kids Club Thirteen Presents - Discover Field Station: Dinosaurs (Secaucus, NJ)
It's Kids Club Thirteen day at Field Station Dinosaurs where Kids Club THIRTEEN members enjoy free admission all day and Dinosaur Train themed activities and goodies. Your family will have a blast at this outdoor dinosaur park featuring over thirty life-sized, realistic dinosaurs (including the ninety foot long Argentinosaurus, the largest animatronic dinosaur ever made). Kids Club THIRTEEN Membership is $75 (for 3 kids & 2 adults) and gets you free admission to 13 events throughout the year, plus exclusive discounts, and more – all while supporting children’s public television. Visit here to learn more.

Autumn Open House at Willowwood Arboretum (Far Hills, NJ)
Stroll the grounds and trails or take a staff-led tour of the Arboretum's "Autumn Garden Highlights."  You'll also have the opportunity to visit the Tubbs House, an 18th century residence rarely open to the public is on view. Complimentary light refreshments are served.  FREE. 1-4pm.

Boardwalk Aerobatic Air Show (Ocean City, NJ)
Bring the family to this FREE air show on the 6th - 14th Streets along the Beach and Boardwalk.  Thrill to some of the best stunt pilots and aerobatic champions in the world plus military demonstrations. 1pm. 609-525-9300.


Don't forget: We have additional activity listings in our Event Calendar.  And if you are heading into NYC for the weekend make sure you visit the New York City Mommy Poppins events calendar  to get the latest on all the fun to be had NYC-style.

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