Laurie R

Laurie Rein is thrilled to have made a career of digging up activities (especially free ones!) for her twin daughters. Prior to working with Mommy Poppins NJ, Laurie wore many hats in the television industry including gigs as an NBC page, NBC copywriter, affiliate liaison for The Rosie O'Donnell Show and research manager for CBS. She is currently the Events Editor for Mommy Poppins NJ and can be reached at njevents@mommypoppins.com

Latest posts by Laurie

Trunk-or-Treats in New Jersey for Halloween 2023

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 6:50am

Take your trick-or-treaters off the street to hit up one of these family-friendly trunk-or-treats in New Jersey. Photo by Mommy Poppins

For a safer alternative to trick-or-treating, New Jersey kids can collect goodies at family-friendly trunk-or-treats. Instead of wandering door-to-door, young trick-or-treaters can load up their Halloween bags with candy from decorated cars.

These trunk-or-treats—most of which are FREE—take place in parking lots, parks, and on blocked-off streets. They sometimes include parades, costume contests, and other Halloween activities. Another bonus for sugar-crazed kids: Many of these trunk-or-treats take place before Halloween. That means double the loot if you make your plans right!

For more boo-tiful Halloween fun, check out our Halloween Guide for New Jersey Families, which includes our picks for The Best Halloween Events in New Jersey for Families and more.

Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend in New Jersey: Best Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 2:31am

Check out a sky full of spectacular kites at the LBI Fly International Kite Festival. Photo by Wayne Herrschaft

Looking for the best things to do in New Jersey this Indigenous Peoples Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long weekend.

Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 9, marks the holiday formerly known as Columbus Day for NJ school kids, and luckily our calendar is jam-packed with a long weekend of fall fun activities. Get immersed in the fall season at outdoor festivals, including LBI Fly International Kite Festival, Readington Hop Farms Oktoberfest, and local autumn festivals in Dunellen, Hightstown, and Matawan.

Spooky season is upon us, so start making Halloween plans with our Top Free Halloween Events in New Jersey. Find other fantastic things to do this weekend in our Family Activity Calendar.

Free in October: 63 Things To Do in New Jersey with Kids

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 10/03/2023 - 7:33am

The Ridgefield Park Downtown Street Fair has lots to see and do, including music, food, games, and rides. Photo courtesy of JC Promotions

No tricks here, just treats: We've rounded up dozens of FREE events for NJ kids and families in October. Save your money for candy and costumes, and load up on dozens of no-cost events every day of the month. Food, crafts, and fall fun are on tap at harvest festivals, including the Dunellen HarvestFest and Hoboken Harvest Festival, plus community fairs like Maplewood and Seton Hall Weekend.

October comes to a close with the main event of the season: Halloween. Throw on those costumes and head over to FREE celebrations, including trunk-or-treats in Wildwood and D over and annual favorites like Cape May's Boo at the Zoo.

Read on for this month's gratis picks! For more FREE and low-cost fun, check out Free Halloween Events in New Jersey our Family Activity Calendar, as well as our Fall Fun Guide for New Jersey Kids and H alloween Events and Guide for NJ Kids.

Top Free Halloween Events in New Jersey: Halloween Parades, Trunk-or-Treats, and More

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Sun, 10/01/2023 - 1:01pm

The Hoboken Ragamuffin Parade features local live music, floats, lots of great costumes and so much more. Photo courtesy of the City of Hoboken

There are no tricks here; instead, we've got a special treat: More than 30 FREE Halloween events and parades in New Jersey. The weeks leading up to Halloween are full of festivals, costume parades, and plenty more opportunities for ghosts and goblins to dress up and score some scary-good treats.

Read on for our top picks, and be sure to bookmark our Halloween Fun Guide for even more seasonal fun. From pumpkin picking and corn mazes to harvest festivals and Halloween train rides, we've got you covered with fun things to do during this spooky season. Happy Halloween, New Jersey!

18 Best Things To Do in New Jersey October 2023 with Kids

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Fri, 09/29/2023 - 1:28pm

Six Flags Fright Fest offers plenty of kid-friendly fun during the daylight hours. Photo courtesy of Six Flags

Halloween is the name of the game in October, which means New Jersey is alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and of course trick-or-treating—there are plenty of opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

Harvest and Halloween happenings provide an abundance of treats for a busy October. This month is jam-packed with fun fall activities and awesome things to do in New Jersey. Find Halloween theme park excitement at Six Flags Great Adventure's Fright Fest and Storybook Land's T rick-or-Treat. Local seasonal celebrations include Westfield's Addamsfest and Cranford's Scarecrow Stroll. Families can also gather goodies at trick-or-treat events like Boo at the Zoo.

Don't miss even more October fun with our New Jersey Fall Fun Guide, New Jersey Halloween Guide, and our constantly updated Family Activity Calendar.

Best Harvest and Pumpkin Festivals in New Jersey for Fall Family Fun

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 09/26/2023 - 8:00am

Bring home a pumpkin from the Happy Day Farm Fall Festival in Manalapan. Photo courtesy of the farm

You know harvest festival season is upon us when New Jersey's farms are bursting with ripe apples ready to be plucked from the trees. We've rounded up dozens of great fall fairs and harvest fests in New Jersey, all packed with signature seasonal fun like hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin picking, contests, scarecrow making, live animals, live music, and more. Some even incorporate a little early Halloween fun.

For more seasonal activities, be sure to check out our New Jersey Fall Fun Guide, our New Jersey Halloween Guide, and our mega-list of things we can't wait to do in NJ with kids this fall.

Best Halloween Events in New Jersey for Kids and Families

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Sun, 09/24/2023 - 7:44am

Check out more than 6,000 hand-carved Jack-O-Lanterns at the Skylands Stadium Jack O'Lantern Experience. Photo courtesy of the stadium

Spooktacular news, New Jersey: Halloween 2023 is on its way, bringing with it a slew of family-friendly Halloween events! Grab your calendars, and start plotting your seasonal frights at events like Halloween festivals, haunted houses, trick-or-treats, and trunk-or-treats. From over-the-top fun at theme parks like Six Flags Great Adventure Fright Fest to animal-centric celebrations like Cape May's Boo at the Zoo, here are the best Halloween activities in New Jersey for kids and families.

Be sure to bookmark this post, as we plan to update it throughout the month with all the upcoming must-do events. And check out our Guide to Halloween Events in New Jersey and New Jersey Fall Fun Guide for even more thrills.

20 Corn Mazes in New Jersey for Families to Tackle this Fall

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 09/19/2023 - 8:10am

Get lost in Alstede Farm's corn maze. Photo by Rose Gordon Sala

Ready … set … it's time to get lost in a New Jersey corn maze! The Garden State is home to oodles of spectacular corn mazes, ranging from massive, 10-acre labyrinths to simple, child-friendly courses with fun attractions like hay bale mazes just right for toddlers and preschoolers.

Games and clues enhance many of the more elaborate corn maze experiences. Got a tween or teen? Some of these corn mazes offer haunted after-hours experiences for a spooky, nighttime adventure.

Check out the top orchards for apple picking in New Jersey and much more in our Fall Fun Guide for NJ Kids.