Got your costumes ready? We hope so, because you're going to get lots of chances to use them this weekend since the Halloween season is in full swing. Families can hit annual favorites like Ascarium at the New York Aquarium, the Haunted Pumpkin Garden at the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo—we're actually giving away tickets to that last one. Details are in our free newsletter.

There are also a bunch of seasonal celebrations this weekend, including Madison Square Park's popular Fall Kids Fest, a Harvest Festival at Queens' King Manor Museum and Carl Schurz Park's Children's Harvest Festival on the Upper East Side. It's also a great weekend for music, with concerts by Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players, The Deedle Deedle Dees, Astrograss and Battery Park City's annual Harmony on the Hudson Family Music Festival.

Those are 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.

Has it really been 29 years? I can remember the very first Oyster Festival celebrated in Oyster Bay. At the time, we couldn't believe the crowds that descended on our sleepy little hamlet. The festival has since expanded exponentially to become the biggest maritime festival in the Northeast, with two tents of handcrafted items, a petting zoo, tall ships, sailboat rides, pirate treasure hunts, seaside yoga, three stages with ongoing entertainment, and of course, oyster-shucking, slurping and gulping. With the variety of activities, the seaside venue, the quality of live entertainment, free admission, and a world-class food court not to be missed, this is no ordinary festival.

Now that Halloween is just three weeks away, I feel like it's acceptable to gear up for the holiday. (Hear this, retailers: I will not shop for candy or costumes in August!) For those who are also in the Halloween spirit, make sure to check out the South Jersey Pumpkin Show, a Green Halloween Costume Swap or a Pumpkin Carving Demonstration. For even more weekend fun, read on for our top picks and remember you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.

Our month-long focus on Greenpoint continues with a look at places to play in the area. While the Brooklyn nabe boasts three lovely green spaces, Monsignor McGolrick Park, Transmitter Park and McCarren Park, which it shares with nearby Williamsburg, it also has a good number of indoor play options for when it's too cold or rainy to romp outdoors. In fact, Greenpoint has a pair wonderful play spaces that offer drop-in hours as well as more offbeat indoor havens that offer FREE fun for families.

One of my family’s favorite Halloween traditions is to take our little animal-costumed boy (in the past he's been a penguin, cow, bat, bumblebee and flying squirrel) to the Bronx Zoo for its annual Boo at the Zoo celebration. The zoo really goes all out for the occasion and transforms into a festive and not-too-scary Halloween destination for families.

The special Boo at the Zoo activities take place every weekend through October 28, so you've got plenty of time to check them out. Attractions include extraordinary 3D pumpkin carving demos, live music and magic, a spooky hayride, a haunted mansion, cool Halloween-themed animal programs, costume parades and even trick-or-treating. Boo at the Zoo is a great deal, too: For every full-price general admission adult ticket purchased, one child in costume gets in free. Read on for details about Boo at the Zoo and check out our Halloween Fun Guide for even more seasonal fun.

Imagine driving to the California Science Center at 2 mph. Now imagine doing that in a space shuttle with a 78-foot wing span. If you've got that image in your head, try adding Friday traffic, and we have something much more worthy of Los Angeles traffic lore than a simple Carmageddon weekend. The space shuttle takes to LA's surface streets late Thursday night and - with scheduled visits to landmarks like Randy's Donuts - ambles along on its historic last journey for 48 hours. If you think President Obama's visits present traffic challenges, you ain't seen nothing yet.

“Good day my lady”, the man fully clad in 16th century attire spoke in his thick British brogue. Surrounded by knights, Lords, horse-riding jousters and even King Arthur himself I thought I had stepped back in time to the Renaissance. Attend King Arthur’s Fall Harvest Festival and you will also get to experience what it was like to be a part of that era. This past Sunday I attended the opening weekend at the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds where the faire runs now until October 28. In its 14th season the festival is Connecticut’s largest Renaissance Faire.