With more time off from school this time of year, many families are looking for extra things to do. Still, the weekends are made for family fun, and we’ve gathered some activities happening in and around the area that everyone can enjoy. Check ’em out!
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum (353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Twp) continues to host the Family Photo Scavenger Hunt. Held daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, bring your camera or phone for this month’s hunt. This is the first weekend for the November theme, which is “Orange You Glad Trees are showing their true colors and will be in their glory this month. Get your eyes ready to look for all sorts of autumn tree clues with this month’s Photo Scavenger Hunt. The cost is $10 per family or group of 6 or fewer. Preregistration is required.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum (165 Hobart Avenue, Summit) will host Discovery Weekends on Saturday and Sunday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM for families with children 3 and up. Explore the Arboretum’s gardens and grounds as autumn brings amazing changes. Borrow a magnifying glass, grab an interactive activity guide, and head out to see what wonders await big and small. There may be a surprise, a clue to follow, a mystery to solve, a chance to create, and always an engaging nature activity. This is a drop-in, self-guided activity.
Field Station Dinosaurs is open for the final weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Overpeck Park (3 Overpeck Park Driveway, Leonia). Now in their 10th season, the world-class family attraction combines cutting-edge science with the creative minds of great artists to create a one-of-a-kind experience that’s thrilling, educational, and fun. The Field Station is a wild scientific expedition where over 30 life-sized, moving, realistic dinosaurs come to life. Walk along wooded trails, check out life-sized dinosaurs and enjoy a full schedule of shows, games, and activities, all of which is included in your Day Pass admission. Tickets start at $17.75. Children under 2 are free
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center (247 Southern Blvd, Chatham Township) will host Kids in the Wild: Purifying Water on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. In this series for children ages 7-11, kids get into the woods, learning different outdoor skills, meeting other like-minded kids, and building confidence. In this session, they learn how to find and purify water for drinking. Cost is $10 per child and preregistration is required.
New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame (400 Fred Wehran Drive, Teterboro) will host Open Cockpit Day on Saturday from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM. This is an outdoor event and no registration is required. Visitors will have the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a very rare Lockheed Bushmaster plane and a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter, as well as a M*A*S*H Bell 47 helicopter made famous during the Korean War. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and children under 12. Children 2 and under are free.
The Montclair Public Library (50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair) will host Pajama Story Time on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM for children up to age 5. Enjoy a drop-in pajama storytime in the Children’s Department. Wear your jammies and read some stories with the Teen Volunteers. Registration is recommended but not required.
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm (73 Kahdena Road, Morristown) will host WW1 Willows Tour on Saturday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Join a WWI Doughboy for a guided tour through the Willows. Explore the impact of the conflict on the Foster family, the workers, Morris County, and the world. Cost is $5 per person, and preregistration is required.
Newark Museum of Art (49 Washington Street, Newark) will host Community Day: Journey to Freedom from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Celebrate the iconic Harriet Tubman with a day of music, dance, and activities inspired by her legacy and African traditions. This event is suitable for all ages and is free, though registration is required. Visit the website for a full schedule of events.
Morris Museum (6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown) hosts Spark!Lab on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Kids experience the spark of invention in this dynamic space, where learning and play come together. Spark!Lab offers any child ages 5-12 (and accompanied by an adult), a new informal approach to hands-on learning. Created by the Smithsonian, Spark!Lab ignites kids’ ingenuity with fun, hands-on challenges. Instead of following instructions, kids tap into their natural creativity to tackle engineering and design challenges in Spark!Lab’s projects stations. For children ages 1-4, there is the Spark!Lab’s new Young Inventor Space that features and train and an exploration table filled with unique tools to spark creativity and learning.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center (247 Southern Blvd, Chatham) will host Apple Cidering Demos on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Find out why you’ve been looking at apples upside down your whole life and help make apple cider by hand with an old-fashioned cider press. Cost is $5 per person, and preregistration is required. This activity is for children ages 6 and up with an adult.
Turtle Back Zoo (560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange) will host Wonders of the Wild on Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM for children 6-12 years old. The Wonders of the Wild program offers students an opportunity to participate in supplementary science and nature-themed programs and projects that facilitate scientific literacy and life-long environmental stewardship. Available to students ages 6-12. The programs include a visit to the South Mountain Reservation, Reservoir, or Zoo as weather permits. This is an in-person, drop-off program. Cost is $30/person. This week’s theme is “Travel to the Tundra (in honor of National Polar Bear Week).”
Mayo Performing Arts Center (100 South Street, Morristown) will present The Illusionists – Magic of the Holidays on Saturday at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Celebrate the holidays with the entire family at The Illusionists – Magic of the Holidays, a mind-blowing showcase featuring jaw-dropping talents of the most incredible illusionists on earth. The Illusionists has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions. Tickets are $49-$89.
On Sunday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM, participate in the S’more Fun Trail Run & 1-Mile Family Run/Walk at Central Park of Morris County (1 Governor Chris Christie Drive, Parsippany). Register today with friends & family, its S’MORE fun together! The S’more Fun Trail run features a chip timed 5k race or a 1-mile family fun run/walk at Central Park of Morris County’s cross-country course. All ages and skill levels are welcome. After your run, stop by the campfire to warm up and roast some marshmallows! Everything is S’MORE fun around the campfire! Cost is $30 per person, and preregistration is required.
Newark Museum of Art (49 Washington Avenue, Newark) will also host November Family Sundays on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Activities include a MakerSPACE for kids of all ages, which is a fun interactive area where kids play, tinker, and create. There’s a Family Drop-In: Woven Art for kids ages 5-10, where they can construct a beautiful hanging art piece by weaving colorful yarn. Check the website for scheduling.
Turtle Back Zoo (560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange) will host Turtle Back Explorers Early Childhood Program on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This event uses movement, stories, games, and crafts for interactive, science-based lessons to learn about the wonderful and fascinating world of animals. Supervise outings to specific areas of the Zoo that support the lesson are included as weather permits. The event is for four- and five-year-olds without a caregiver. Cost is $30 per child.
Turtle Back Zoo will also host Family Nature Club on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The program will be held at Turtle Back Rock Picnic Area in West Orange. Family Nature Club (FNC) is all about discovering the world, and playing WITH nature, not just IN nature. Experience the sounds, smells, and sights of the outdoors with FNC as we explore our natural heritage within Essex County’s parks. We offer two different kinds of FNC Programs to our community: one focused on exploration, the other on service. This week’s session is entitled, “National Take a Hike Day.” Explore our local habitats and discover wildlife along the way! All hiking skill levels welcome, meets at South Mountain Dog Park in Maplewood, NJ. This activity is for children ages 6+. Cost is $15.
Montclair Art Museum (3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair) will host Sunday Studio: Fabric Landscapes with Nanci Iovino with sessions at 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Visit the museum each Sunday for a fun family art-making activity inspired by the current exhibitions. Explore materials, learn new techniques, and meet other community members while enjoying creative time with your family. Each week features a different project. This program is aimed at families with children ages 5-12, but all are welcome. This week’s session is Layered Landscapes with Grace Brown. Inspired by the exhibition WOOLPUNK®: Sunflowers & Graffiti’d Sky in the Garden State, families this week use quilted fabric squares and other collage materials to create their own fabric landscapes. This program is free with museum admission. Advance registration is required.
On Sunday from 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM, The New Weis Center for Education, Arts, & Recreation (150 Snake Den Road, Ringwood) will host Family Forest Bathing Walk. Join in for a family-friendly version of the forest bathing program, with more hands-on activity and a short craft for kids. Forest Bathing means to immerse oneself in the forest and soak in the atmosphere through the senses. This walk at an easy pace will focus on connecting to nature through mindfulness, as participants explore their senses and the present moment through short, guided, meditations and breathing exercises in the forest. At the end of the walk, sample a tea made from pine and spruce needles foraged on the Weis property, with some seasonal variations throughout the year. This tea is meant to show gratitude and appreciation and is a way of tasting and taking in the land to further connect to it. Suitable for ages 5+. Cost is $8 per person.
State Theatre New Jersey (15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick) will present Mutts Gone Nuts on Sunday at 1:00 PM. Imagine nine of the world’s most talented 4-legged performers in an uproariously funny, comedy dog spectacular that is leaving audiences everywhere howling for more! The all-star lineup includes the highest jumping dog in the universe, two Guinness World Record Champions, a hilarious six-pound Pomeranian Pikachu mix, and a host of previously discarded dogs that will dance, prance, flip, and skip their way right in to your heart. Deemed “A must see!” by The Washington Post, Mutts Gone Nuts is sure to win Best in Show! Tickets are $16-$29.
The Montclair Public Library (50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair) will host Read & Play with Twinkle Fairies featuring author Judy Toma for children ages 3-6 on Sunday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Join in the fairy fun with author Judy Toma as she reads her book, Twinkle Fairies. Throughout the book, the fairies will become friends with each child who reads the story, sharing the important messages of taking care of one another and the environment. From picking up trash to planting trees, Judy Toma highlights ways to heal the earth with the help of the fairy friends. Afterward there will be a fun fairy craft to complete.