Fall festival’s abound this weekend. No matter where you live in Westchester you won’t have to travel far to reach one. Catch the Pirate School show at Hartsdale’s Spooktoberfest for Kids on Saturday or make fresh cider and stuff a scarecrow at the Greenburgh Nature Center’s Fall Festival on Sunday. Muscoot Farm is hosting its Autumn Celebration on Sunday and Pound Ridge is gearing up for HarvestFest on Saturday where you can listen to live music by the Smithereens and enjoy a New Orleans style parade.

Bronxville will be bustling this weekend with an Oktoberfest for Kids at the Bronxville Public Library on Saturday and a Children’s Halloween Festival in the village on Sunday. Larchmont will be swarming with guests all weekend as well with their ragamuffins parading on Saturday and the Sheldrake’s Fall Festival on Sunday.

Other ragamuffins will be marching down their main streets in Tarrytown and Chappaqua. Before everyone parades around Chappaqua, enjoy the festivities of the Annual Carnival at the train station.

Throughout the entire weekend, you can visit the Old Dutch Fest in Sleepy Hollow where the kids can get a chance to play music on a mobile carillon and dress up in Dutch period attire while the adults can sample some pumpkin ale and grilled brats! The Dutchess County Fairgrounds comes alive this weekend as well with the NY Sheep & Wool Festival.

On Saturday, join Mommy Poppins for a Haunted Halloween Sail with Dr. Blood! Tickets are still available so be sure to book yours soon!

Read on for top weekend picks. If you see something interesting, click through to the event listing to view full details. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond.

They say it takes a village to raise a family, but few parents these days live in such small, tight-knit communities. Fortunately, the wonders of technology can help create a virtual village where parents can turn to other parents for support, information on events, and even gently used clothes and toys.

The only thing scarier than a haunted house or hayride is a bowl of tempting Halloween candy in my kitchen. Between that and my son's peanut allergy, I have to be very careful with treats. This year, I might start a new tradition. Check out our post on a No-Candy Halloween: Non-Edible Treats to Hand Out on October 31.  It is a great way to keep the holiday safe for everyone. 

There is no shortage of activities heading up to Halloween, and we've got you covered with the best events around the state in our October Go List . You'll want to read our guides to pumpkin picking in Eastern Connecticut, Halloween Happenings and Parades in Fairfield County and the CT Halloween and Fall Fun Guide. This weekend the leaves will be at peak. Enjoy some of these scenic Fall activities in Litchfield County. Our events calendar is always updated with the latest happenings, and here are suggestions for this weekend!

Families can celebrate Halloween, Day of the Dead and the harvest season this weekend all over NYC. There are FREE activity-packed outdoor festivals in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Jefferson Market Garden in Greenwich Village, Queens' Socrates Sculpture Park and Madison Square Park, to name just a few. Plus it's prime pumpkin picking season in case you want to take a day trip to a nearby pumpkin patch.

If you're already suffering from Halloween fatigue (or just want to save those costumes for the 31st), there are some cool cultural events for kids as well, like family workshops at the New-York Historical Society's new Armory Show at 100 exhibit, the East meets West Marco Polo Festival and offbeat music fun at Kids Honk! at the Children's Museum of the Arts.

Plus, we are hosting two special Mommy Poppins events this weekend that you won't want to miss! On Saturday, set sail on our Haunted Halloween Family Cruise on New York Harbor featuring Dr. Blood and tons of seasonal fun. Then on Sunday evening, see Me and My Shadow and enjoy pre- and post-show activities at Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater. Tickets for both events are going fast so don't delay, book yours today.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Halloween Fun Guide.

The brisk chill in the air, the sounds of walking on crunchy leaves, homes decorated with pumpkins and mums...all signs point to the heart of fall!  And, that means for most of us Moms, we're in the midst of constructing crazy characters or making that last, mad dash for the department store to find our kiddo's favorite costume!  (While you're there, don't forget to pick up your goodies to hand out on Halloween!)  Want to supplement your neighborhood trick-or-treating experience or would you rather your kids attend a safe trick-or-treating event?  Southeastern Connecticut has lots of fun events coming up!

We continue our month-long focus on Sunnyside and Woodside with a look at the best stores for kids in the area. While you'll find lots of big-name national chains like Deals, Game Stop and crafts mecca Michaels, there are cute, small ma-and-pa shops, too, like children's clothing and toy boutique Tiny You, 99-cent spots stocked with inexpensive party favors and stocking stuffers, and a bunch of thrift shops that are fun to dig through.

The main shopping drags are Queens Boulevard, which turns into Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, as well as Skillman and Greenpoint Avenues. In addition to our family shopping picks there are lots of wonderful old-world butchers and international food markets, so keep an eye out for those, too, if you want to cross items off your grocery list at the same time. Here are our top nine kids' stores in Sunnyside and Woodside.

If you’ve already done your share of traditional fall activities like pumpkin picking, how about checking out some fun & quirky pre-Halloween events like the Last Fling Pumpkin Sling at Millbrook Farm or Brite Nites at Wagner Farm Aboretum? And if you want to make the most of our state’s awesome fall foliage, get your fill of nature with a Leaf Peepers Boat Tour at Manasquan Reservoir or a Haunted Forest Hike at Tenafly Nature Center. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.