Another weekend is upon us! If you’re looking for some family-friendly ideas for things to do around the area, you’re in the right place. We’ve rounded up some activities everyone can enjoy. Check ’em out!
Gas Lamp Players will present School of Rock the Musical this weekend at Ridgewood Avenue School Auditorium (235 Ridgewood Avenue, Glen Ridge). Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme…You better get me to school on time! Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock – The Musical is a two-hour, two-act show (plus intermission), based on the hit movie. The tuner follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn an extra bit of cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight–A pupils into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. But can he get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents and the school’s headmistress finding out? School of Rock – The Musical, with its sensational live kids’ rock band, is a loving testimony to the transforming power of music. May the spirit of rock be with all who pledge allegiance to Lloyd Webber’s hit! Performances will be Friday at 7:00 PM, Saturday at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM, and Sunday at 1:00 PM. Tickets start at $15 for children and $20 for adults.
Cora Hartshorn Arboretum (324 Forest Drive South, Short Hills) will host Hot Apple Cider Hikes on Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. It’s National Take a Hike Day (on November 17th)! Join a CHA naturalist for a guided hike and discover how the forest prepares for winter. After the hike, head to the historic Stone House for a cup of mulled Jersey Fresh apple cider and a Q&A about the animals of the woodlands. Pre-Registration is strongly encouraged. Cost is $10 per person.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (45 MacCulloch Avenue, Morristown) will host At Your Own Pace: A Sensory-Friendly Tour on Saturday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. For families and care partners with neurodiverse children and teens – experience the historic house with plenty to touch and time for questions and explore the new garden sensory pathway through sight, sound, touch, and smell. Free to members and with museum admission, no appointment needed.
Newark Museum of Art (49 Washington Street, Newark) will host November Family Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Enjoy a fun day of activities for the whole family, including MakerSPACE, where kids of all ages can play, tinker, and create, Family Drop-In: Monster Slime, and a variety of Planetarium Shows. Visit the website for a full schedule of events.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center (247 Southern Blvd, Chatham Township) will host Family Nature Stroll on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Bring the whole family out on this guided hike to learn about the wildlife along the trails of the GSOEC. There’s always something new to discover, no matter the season! This event is suitable for all ages with an adult. Cost is $3 per person and preregistration is required.
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm (73 Kahdena Road, Morristown) will host Horsin’ Around on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Visti the Fosterfields Stables and meet the horses. During this class, you will learn basic horse care and anatomy while grooming the horses. Cost is $5 per person. This activity is suitable for all ages and preregistration is required.
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.
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.
Bergen County Historical Society at Historic New Bridge Landing (1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge) will present Washington’s Retreat to Victory on Sunday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Watch George Washington (reenactor John Koopman) on horseback and General Greene along with two other riders, leading the Americans across the New Bridge 246 years later at the exact location. Pamphleteer Thomas Paine wrote about it in The American Crisis; “These are the Times that Try Men’s Souls, The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” The second day Americans are attacked and defend the bridge. There will be skirmishes, lectures, tours in houses and barn, cooking in the outkitchen, and children’s activities planned throughout the day. The outkitchen is preparing Stewed Beef and Vegetables for the (estimated 60) troops. Admission is $12.50 for adults and $7.50 for students ages 6-21.
South Orange Performing Arts Center (1 SOPAC Way, South Orange) will host BubbleMania on Sunday at 1:00 PM. Featuring Casey Carle, comic bubble artist who has “burst” onto stages across the world with a flair for showmanship and an irresistible energy for bubbling…from the intricate to the massive. Come see beauty, wonder and fun as Casey brings his amazing one-man show BubbleMania combining spontaneous comedy, jazzy music and brilliant bubbling. Among the many featured skills are fantastic fog-filled bubble sculptures, a cube bubble, funky foam, a big band bubble concerto, trapping an audience member (or two?) inside a gigantic soap bubble and much more! Tickets are $23. This show is recommended for ages 5 and up.
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm (73 Kahdena Road, Morristown) will host Children’s Tour of the Willows on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Step back in time at the Willows Mansion! Learn about the people who lived there and use your senses of sight, sound, smell and touch to learn about life in the past. This tour is designed for kids aged 4-12 with an adult. Preregistration is required. Cost is $5 per child and adult pair.
Montclair Art Museum (3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair) will host Bilingual Sunday Studio: Nature Embroidery with Shannon Anderson 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 learn basic embroidery techniques to weave flowers, leaves, and other natural designs in their own creative artworks. This program is free with museum admission. Advance registration is required.
The Montclair Public Library (50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair) will host Fall Drop-in Crafts for children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade on Sunday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Stop in for some fun autumn crafts while supplies last. No registration is required.
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.
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.
