I feel like I just closed my eyes to blink and summer was over! The kids are back in school. The weather is changing from that hot and humid to crisp and clear! This is my favorite time of year, the prelude to our favorite holidays and great sweater weather. Most people feel that with the end of the summer is the end of the fun. Think again guys! The fun is just beginning. With all of this Halloween talk going around… there’s sure to be some “witchin'” spooktacular October fun for all ages below!
Theater Fun – New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) (Newark, NJ) is one of my favorite go to’s for theater fun. I love to support them whenever I can because they are huge advocates in fostering young children and the arts. They provide tons of scholarships for all of their programs to families in need and a large portion of those scholarships come from our patronage. So… here’s a few things that they have going on this month:
Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince – 10-26-19 (for the bigger kiddies), You’ve seen Harry Potter before—but you’ve never heard it like this! Watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in HD while the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra plays the full film score LIVE in gorgeous Prudential Hall
Dinosaur Action – If you are looking for something a little more Jurassic for your juniors. Field Station: Dinosaurs is now open every Friday and Saturday Night through October 26th for their Dinosaurs After Dark show! Now Amari and I have visited visited Field station during the day several times before. This however, is a totally different vibe. In Dinosaurs After Dark you go on a lantern-lit Tyrannosaurus Hunt let by one of Field Station’s fearless Dinosaur Wranglers. I took my niece and nephew and they had so much fun playing games at the Mesozoic Midway, the Cretaceous Costume Party live musical show as well a campfire sing-along complete with roasted marshmallows and hot chocolate at the end of the hunt. Gates open at 6:45 p.m. for 7 p.m. and reservations can be made at https://jerseydinos.com/events/.
If your little one loves the T. Rex but is not quite ready for an after dark dino hunt, head on over to The Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ) for Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train: The Traveling Exhibit. Based on the Dinosaur Train TV series, the exhibition embraces and celebrates the fascination kids have with both dinosaurs and trains. Join the curious T. Rex named Buddy who travels the world to discover anything there is to know about dinosaurs.
Pumpkins, Apples & Haystacks – If you are going for the traditional fall vibe, and you are already at the Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ), head on over to the Fall Fest Exhibit for the ultimate Autumn adventure. See if you can find your way out of our outdoor Spider Maze, a 4,000-sq-ft webby labyrinth that’s unlike any maze you’ve explored before! The 8-foot-tall haystack is the perfect climbing challenge for your big kids, while the hay maze is a blast for the little kids in your group. Everyone will enjoy meeting some furry friends at the weekend petting zoo! JustaBXmom and JustaBxGirl had the opportunity to check out the indoor pumpkin patch where for a $2 you can pick and paint your own pumpkin. if you want apple picking to the extreme, use a bow and arrow to knock apples out of a tree 50 feet away at Ballistic Apple Picking!
Looking for something more traditional? Why not check out Demarest Farms in Hillside, NJ. Right now they are moving out of apple picking season and right into pumpkin patch time. Take the opportunity to enjoy breathtaking scenery, tractor-pulled hay wagon rides, pet and feed friendly farm animals, savor our delicious honey, fresh pressed apple cider, apple cider donuts, and much more! Stop by with the kids for movie night with Spookly the Square Pumpkin as he delivers a special message of tolerance and kindness to your tots. But if you are looking for a big chill… for the first time ever from now through Nov 1st you can check out their Haunted Orchards event featuring a hayride and a bone chilling series of haunted adventures filled with ghouls, ghosts and all kinds of scary creatures… you will be transported deep into the orchard to visit the forgotten graveyard nestled within the apple trees.
Make sure you follow Amari and my adventures on Instagram at justaNJmom as we visit some of these places and show you what they are all about!
