Before the madness of the holiday season sets in, relax and enjoy autumn at these wonderful fairs and festivals taking place throughout NJ this month. Take a train ride, discover exciting new comic books, and explore rocks and minerals of all shapes and sizes. We’ve rounded up eight fabulous finds to keep you busy all November long. For more fun happenings every day of the month, visit our Events Calendar.

As we wind down the Halloween festivities, I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving and all the wonderfully delicious food that awaits! A juicy, flavorful turkey is the centerpiece of so many family tables and now is the time to consider where to snag the freshest turkey you can find. Sure, you can go to your neighborhood supermarket, but if you're looking fresh, locally sourced turkeys this year, consider one of the many farms in Westchester and the Lower Hudson Valley.

Read on for your best bets for organic, pasture-raised turkeys and be sure to place your order as soon as possible, as turkeys from these farms tend to sell out quickly!

Kids love days off from school like Election Day and Veterans Day (Tuesday, November 3 and Wednesday, November 11, respectively). Working parents? Not so much. While there are many wonderful mini-camps to choose from during extended school breaks, it's harder to find coverage for one-off holidays that pop up throughout the academic year.

But we did the research and found a slew of engaging, full-day, drop-off programs on these holidays where kids can enjoy activities like swimming, theater, robotics and chess. So there's no need to take the day off from work or schlep the kids to the office! Send your children to one of these cool holiday camps instead.

The New York Mets are headed to the World Series for the first time in 15 years, and much of the city is getting ready to cheer for these often NYC underdogs, sports fan or not. Even if the kids can't stay up for the first pitch (8pm, Tuesday, October 27), there are plenty of ways they can get into baseball spirit and paint the town orange and blue in anticipation of these Queens players bringing back a championship for the first time since 1986.

To mark the occasion, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will host a pep rally for the public on Monday, October 26—the day before the team squares off with Kansas City in Game 1 of the World Series.

The MTA is pulling out its "Train of Many Colors" to provide special World Series service. Fans (or train buffs!) can catch the train from the Hudson Yards Station at 6:30pm Saturday and Sunday nights. The 11 cars on the train were all built between 1948 and 1964.

Read on for more information on the rally and other fun ways to celebrate the World Series with kids in tow.

Looking for a fun and safe trick-or-treating experience this Halloween? Several Long Island villages provide trick-or-treating right in town, offering plenty of fun for kids while allowing parents to feel at ease. The events usually begin early, so young children can go in the afternoon and not worry about feeling intimidated by bigger kids. Many villages also shut down traffic in a section of town, so little ones can wander without worrying about cars. Enjoy a pleasant stroll through town, visiting local businesses while the kids collect treats. Some local malls also provide indoor trick-or-treating, which can be especially alluring on a particularly cold or wet Halloween. And for more seasonal fun, check out our Long Island Halloween Guide, as well as sign up for our weekly newsletter.

It’s the week leading up to Halloween, and we’ve scared up some frighteningly fun Halloween festivities every day this week! Party Halloween-style at Surf Taco’s Parent-Child Costume Party and Garden State Discovery Museum’s Halloween Hootenanny. No need to wait until Saturday to trick-or-treat. Collect early-bird goodies at Westville’s Trunk or Treat and Downtown Millburn’s Trick-or-Treat. Don’t forget to check out our Event Calendar, and for even more family-friendly activitiy guidance, subscribe to our newsletter!

This is it folks, just five more business days before All Hallows Eve. Here in Los Angeles, there is absolutely no reason why Halloween should be a one day event revolving around the acquisition and consumption of candy. While I confess my own house is on its second bag of candy corn, we have also managed to squeeze in several thematic excursions: Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary is a must do for older kids who like to be terrified; it starts haunted and gets scarier from there. Spooky, atmospheric, and worth the monumental wait is the Ghost Train in Griffith Park; arrive before dark or just as it's closing to avoid the most epic lines. Rise of the Jack O’ Lanterns is dark enough to be mildly spooky but still appeals to young ones (hold out for discounted tickets on Goldstar or elsewhere). And Bob Baker’s Marionettes always offer an enjoyable way to celebrate the holiday; Mr. Baker is no longer with us, but his Halloween Spooktacular continues.

Free Halloween activities this week include The Hollow Trees at Kids Club on the Green in Glendale, cartoonist Dave Boatman showing Studio City kids some spooky Halloween cartooning, and a Hotel Transylvania family picnic on the Promenade at Santa Monica's Cinema on the Street. Don't forget to pass by Boney Island in Sherman Oaks, too.

The week leading up to Halloween is packed with plenty of activities centered around the holiday, including pumpkin carving, costume parties and the annual Boat Burning at the Long Island Maritime Museum.

For even more fall fun, check out our Long Island Events Calendar, which is updated daily. And get the best of what's happening for the upcoming holiday with our Halloween Guide. You can also get the best events of the week sent directly to your inbox each week if you sign up for our newsletter.