Margaret Hargrove

Like the idea of crafting with your kid but cringe at the thought of paint and glitter all over your house? New Jersey is home to various drop-in art studios offering your spontaneous painter, potter, glassmaker, and jeweler the chance to get crafty. These creative spaces let you skip the mess at home while catering to your budding artist's creative impulses.

Read on for our roundup of 21 art studios and craft places in New Jersey. If you're feeling brave enough to craft at home, we've got plenty of ideas on this list of 100 awesome art projects for kids.

New Jersey holds a unique position in African American history. There are at least 16 underground railroad sites you can still visit in New Jersey, including ones in Jersey City, Boonton, Cranbury, Salem, and Medford. Lawnside in Camden County was a haven for freed and escaped slaves and became the first all-Black community in the North. Black History Month provides an opportunity to honor the lives and legacies of Black New Jerseyans past and present. Shopping at Black-owned businesses is one of the most powerful actions you can take to support the Black community in New Jersey. Not only can your money help small businesses grow, but it puts power directly into the hands of Black entrepreneurs, artists, and creators.

While this is not a comprehensive list, we’ve compiled 50 family-friendly African American historical sites, Black-owned shops, Black-owned restaurants, and Black-owned small businesses in New Jersey. In seeking out these Black-owned businesses, you stand in solidarity and make a difference today—not just for Black History Month, but 365 days a year. Any day is a good day to show your support.

For an at-home way to celebrate the Black experience, bookmark this list of 30+ children's books to celebrate Black History Month—many were written by Black authors.

When I told my 8-year-old daughter we were going to the zoo last Saturday, she rolled her eyes. Aside from the fact she’s 8 going on 18, she was probably thinking, "been there, done that." I will admit, we are frequent visitors to the Turtle Back Zoo since it’s practically in our backyard. This time, though, we were going somewhere new: the Bergen County Zoo. The zoo recently welcomed two rare red wolves and I figured this would be a great opportunity to check it out. Come along with us on our visit to this new-to-us zoo, and find more local zoos to visit in this round up of the best zoos and aquariums in the Garden State.