15 Things to Do This Weekend in NJ 10/30 – 11/1

Attend Jersey City’s Historic Downtown Special Improvement District Family Halloween Bash, Hoboken’s Ragamuffin Parade & Costume Contest, Union County’s Great Pumpkin Sail, or the New Jersey Devils Halloween Game. Experience a full halloween filled day at Liberty Science Center, trick-or-treat at Turtle Back Zoo’s SAFE HOWL-O-WEEN, or create some mischief at Secaucus’ A Little Bit of Mischief Night! If we missed an awesome local event in New Jersey this weekend, please share below in the comments. Be sure to use #njmom when sharing pictures on social media for your chance to be featured on our Facebook and Instagram page!

{Featured Event} Toys “R” Us Exclusive Shopping Night
Sunday, November 1, 2015 8:30pm-10:30pm
Toys R Us
900 Ikea Drive
Elizabeth, NJ
Cost: FREE

1. Jersey City’s Historic Downtown Special Improvement District Family Halloween Bash
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 2 pm to 6 pm
The Family Halloween Bash will kick-off with the annual kids parade with Gymboree Play & Music of Jersey City. Programing will include face painting, entertainment and games, an arts and crafts center and more. There will be a variety of vendors including Smile Preschool & Nursery, Gymboree, Sugartown Bakery, Bambino Chef, Macaroni Kid, Brunswick School, Key Element Learning, Cocoa Bakery, Morlees, JCFamillies, Newport Mommy and WORD Jersey City. Offering, food, drinks and fun stuff for the kids.
Newark Avenue Pedestrian Mall
19-158 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Cost: Free

2. Family Fun For Halloween at Pier 13
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 11am to 3 pm
Stop by for free face painting, balloon animals & candy galore!
Pier 13
1301 Sinatra Drive North, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Cost: Free

3. Hoboken’s Ragamuffin Parade & Costume Contest
Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 1 pm
The parade features local live music, floats, lots of great costumes and so much more. Wear your Halloween best! To participate, line of march setup begins at 12:15 pm on Washington Street between 13th & 14th Streets. The Costume contest will begin at 2 pm after the parade at The Little League Field, 5th Street & River Terrace.
Parade
Washington Street
Between 13th & 14th Streets, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Costume Contest
The Little League Field
5th Street & River Terrace, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Cost: Free

4. Weeki Wachee Mermaids
Friday, October 30, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, November 1, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Are Mermaids real? Believe in the possibility! Back by popular demand, experience the magical world of mermaids this fall when the world-famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids return for a limited-time engagement at Adventure Aquarium. Explore the mystery of these fabled sea-dwelling performers. Prepare to be mesmerized as you witness a real-life mermaid swimming among sharks, sea turtles, stingrays and many more aquatic species in our 760,000 gallon Ocean Realm exhibit and meet a LIVE mermaid up close (and on dry land) during daily meet and greets.
Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103
Cost: $18.95 Children | $25.95 Adults, all mermaid activities are included in general admission

5. Union County’s Great Pumpkin Sail
Sunday, November 1, 2015 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
(Rain date: November 2, 2015)
Bring your carved jack-o-lantern to Echo Lake Park the day after Halloween. Watch as your pumpkin is put on a float on the lake, sing songs around the campfire and enjoy hot chocolate and marshmallows. Weather permitting.
Echo Lake Park
Springfield Avenue, Mountainside, NJ 07092
Cost: $12/family of six Union County Residents | $16/family of six non-Union County Residents

6. Discovery Museum’s Halloween Hootenanny
Friday, October 30, 2015 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
There will be crafts, dancing and a trunk-or-treat!
Discovery Museum
2040 Springdale Road, Suite 100, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
Cost:$15 Non-Member Children | $10 Member Children | $5 for Adults.Admission

7. We Explore: It’s Halloween!, The Zombie Chamber, Wizard Workshop, Story Time: It’s Halloween!, Monsters Alive!
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm
Liberty Science Center has a full day planned for Halloween! We Explore: It’s Halloween! is a lesson on creepy animals where participants try their skills at eating like a venomous spider or making skeletons out of Play-Doh. The Zombie Chamber, which is recommended for ages 8 and up, is a scary experience exploring the subway train in Infection Connection where two zombie infected Liberty Science Center staff are quarantined. During Wizard Workshop, kids will learn how to create the chemical compositions for invisible ink, erupting apples, and elephant toothpaste. Story Time: It’s Halloween! is story time with a high-tech twist. During Monsters Alive!, visitors will join renowned monster hunter Carl Denham in this humorous, kid-friendly, live-action spectacle
Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park
222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07305
Cost: $17.75+ Children | $21.75+ Adults, all Halloween activities are included in admission

8. New Jersey Devils Halloween Game
Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 11:30 am
Start your kid’s halloween early and treat yourself to a rivalry game! There will be trick-or-treating on the concourse, a Halloween costume parade with the N.J. Devils mascot, pumpkin painting and more! The first 2,500 children will receive a drawstring pumpkin trick-or-treat bag.
Prudential Center
25 Lafayette Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Cost: $27+ – Get a free kid’s ticket with purchase of any regularly-priced ticket | $31 if you use offer code “HALLOWEEN”

9. Rutherford Halloween Festival
Friday, October 30, 2015 from 5 pm to 10 pm
There will be hay rides, a giant bouncy house maze, spooky hay rides, entertainment, and a dance party! Don’t forget to bring a blanket for friends and family.
Tryon Field
440 Washington Avenue, Rutherford, NJ 07070
Cost: Free

10. SAFE HOWL-O-WEEN at Turtle Back Zoo
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 4 pm to 8 pm
Come trick-or-treating at the Zoo! With candy stations throughout the grounds, everyone is sure to have a “sweet” time! Also, swing by our train for our famous “Not-So-Scary” Train Ride.Don’t forget to bring your own bag for treats!
Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052
Cost: $6 Non-members | $4 Members

11. Secaucus A Little Bit of Mischief Night
Friday, October 30, 2015 from 6 pm to 8 pm
5th, 6th, 7th & 8th Graders can enjoy a night of mischief. Please wear old clothes and no eggs or flour socks.
Buchmuller Park – Basketball Courts
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Cost: Free

12. City of Rahway’s Annual Trunk or Treat & Halloween Parade
Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 12 pm
Calling all ghosts, goblins, and zombies! Enjoy a day filled with halloween festivities. Halloween Parade will start promptly at 12 pm and will end at Hamilton Stage for Trunk or Treat!
Halloween Parade
Rahway Train Station Plaza
Irving Street & East Milton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065
Trunk or Treat
Hamilton Stage
360 Hamilton Street, NJ 07065
Cost: Free, registration is required for costume contest, click here, and cars, call 732.669.3600.

13. Elmwood Park Haunted House
Friday, October 31, 2015 from 5 pm to 8 pm
Come in your costume and Join the Fun, Food, and Spooky House!
Elmwood Park
East Orange, NJ 07018
Cost: Free

14. iPlay America Trick-or-Treat Trail
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 12 pm to 8 pm
There will be 6 different stations where trick-or-treaters will find fun Halloween treats!
110 Schanck Road, Freehold, NJ 07728
Cost: Free; Registration is required, click here to register

15. The Tropicana Casino and Resort’s Ultimate Halloween
Saturday, October 31, 2015 from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
There will be a Halloween-themed light and sound show, a “Thriller” dance with the “Boogie Nights” cast at 8 pm (the first 100 dancers to register get a trick-or-treat bag), and a costume contest in the Tropicana Quarter from 9 to 10 pm
Tropicana Casino & Resort
2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Cost: Free

16. Imagine That! Halloween Spooktacular
Friday, October 30, 2015 from 5 pm to 8 pm
One night only, come join our annual Halloween event at Imagine That! There will be more treats than tricks! Dress up in your costume and come enjoy our crafts, games, prizes and pizza! Enjoy a chance to win a special prize during our costume contest! All children will receive a favor bag to take home with them.
Imagine That!
4 Vreeland Rd., Florham Park, N.J. 07932
Cost: $17.99 Children | $14.99 Adults

MORE IDEAS FOR THINGS TO DO IN NJ THIS WEEKEND:

• FREE Events in New Jersey through October 31st
• NJ Apple Picking Hotspots
• Pick your own {Organic} farms
• Plan ahead by checking NJ Mom’s 60+ Things to Do in New Jersey
• Free Museum Days in NJ (the first weekend of each month)
• Kids Eat Free Restaurants
• 275 Parks & Playgrounds in NJ
• 50 Best Spas in NJ
• 10 Mommy & Me Classes in NJ
• Date Night Ideas for Mom + Dad