15 Things to Do This Weekend in NJ 10/23

Attend Garden State Plaza’s Nick Jr. Play Date, DiggerFest at Diggerland or Casino Pier’s Fall Festival. Experience Night of the Living Zoo at Turtle Back Zoo, have a Spooky Sleepover – Family Halloween Camp In at Liberty Science Center, or dress up your dogs for the Doggie Halloween PAWrade & Festival. 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!

1. Nick Jr. Play Date
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 10 am to 4 pm
Calling all kids (and parents). You’re invited to a day of fun with Nick Jr. where you can: Meet-and-greet Dora and Gil from Bubble Guppies; Go on a mini mission in Adventure Bay with PAW Patrol; Take a virtual spin a life-sized Blaze Monster truck; Ride Shimmer & Shine’s flying carpet; Try out LeapFrog’s PAW Patrol ImagiCards; Create your very own Adventure Passport and more! Reservations for the meet and greet are not available, but walk-ups are welcome!
Westfield Garden State Plaza – Macy’s Court, Level 2 (Near Carousel)
Garden State Plaza Boulevard, Paramus, NJ
Cost: Free

Photo via Facebook

2. DiggerFest at Diggerland
Friday, October 23, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Enjoy the hay maze, hay ride, pumpkin launching, a special stunt show, and themed costume contests for children in costume!
Diggerland
100 Pinedge Drive, Berlin Township, NJ 08091
Cost: $29.95 Children | $29.95 Adults

Photo via Facebook

3. Casino Pier Fall Festival at Casino Pier Arcade
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 12 pm to 3 pm
Come join us in the arcade for our annual Fall Festival! Come dressed in your best Halloween Costume! We will have a contest and choose winners! There will be pumpkin painting where you can decorate your own pumpkin and bring it home to decorate your house. There will also be fun games including Pumpking Bowling, Limbo & Halloween Bingo!
Casino Pier Arcade
800 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, NJ
Cost: Free

Photo via Synder’s Farm

4. Fall Festival at Snyder Farm
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 11 am to 6 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 11 am to 6 pm
Enjoy a day at Synder’s Farm with activities such as a hay ride, corn maze, hay bale maze, corn crib, pumpkin bowling, pumpkin bounce house, pedal karts, hippity hop horse races, potato sack slide, wooden train, and potato sack races!
Snyder’s Farm
586 S Middlebush Road, Somerset, NJ 08873
Cost: $10

Photo via Liberty Hall Museum

5. Pumpkin Patch Day at Kean University
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Join us for our annual Pumpkin Patch Day – a fall tradition for so many families! Enjoy a day filled with pumpkin picking, hayrides, pumpkin carving and painting, crafts and much more!
Kean University – Library Hall Museum
1003 Morris Ave, Union, NJ, 07083
Cost: $12.00 Children | $6 Adults

Photo via Kearny NJ

6. Doggie Halloween PAWrade & Festival
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 11:30 am to 2 pm
Get your favorite pooch into the Halloween spirit this year at the 2nd annual Kearny Doggie Halloween PAWrade and Festival! Costumed-clad pooches, their families and dog lovers of all ages should head over to Arlington Depot Park for the event which is being sponsored by the Kearny Urban Enterprise Zone (KUEZ), K-9 Corner and Bone Appetit Spa and Dog Barkery. The Festival is rain or shine. Registration is FREE! But space is limited so EARLY REGISTRATION is strongly advised.
Arlington Depot Park
Off of Midland Avenue (Between Forest & Elm Streets), Kearny, NJ 07032
Cost: Free

Photo via Facebook Downtown Cranford

7. Scarecrow Stroll in Cranford
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Join us as we kick-off the Scarecrow Stroll, “Wild & Crazy Scarecrows”! There will be music, hula hooping and more!
Downtown Cranford
Cranford, NJ 07016
Cost: Free

8. Goblins in the Garden Family Festival
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 1 pm to 4 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 1 pm to 4 pm
Come in costume and have howling good time! Take a Haunted Train Ride, encounter characters throughout the garden, and meet the bumbling burglars! Trick or Treat during our Costume Parade! The Costume Parade will take place on the Main Plaza at 2pm.
Camden Children’s Garden
3 Riverside Drive, Camden NJ 08103
Cost: $6 | Free for kids 2 & under

9. Spooky Sleepover – Family Halloween Camp In
Friday, October 23, 2015
Explore the Center. Navigate our exhibits and theaters. Revel in spooky Halloween thrills, including monster performers, a zombie autopsy, a wizard workshop, and more!
Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park
222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07305
Cost: $60

10. The Littlest Witch
Friday, October 23, 2015 at 10 am
Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 10 am & 1 pm
A little witch named Clara Belle wants to prove that she is just as powerful as the other great Transylvania witches. But the tricks she plays on everyone may muddle her goal. The Monsters of Halloweentown decide to band together to teach her a valuable lesson-but what are the mischievous Malcom McGhoul’s plans? Dress in your Halloween best, and join us for a fun musical adventure!
The Broadway Theatre of Pitman
43 S. Broadway, Pitman, NJ 08071
Cost: $7+

11. Halloween Boo Bash @ Hoffman Hall, Chester, NJ
Friday, October 23, 2015 at 5 pm & 7 pm
Join us for the ultimate family Halloween party where little ones can Trick or Treat with some favorite Princesses, the webslinger and a Neverland Pirate. Everyone can enjoy pizza, snacks, dessert, singing performances and sing alongs, games, dancing and of course that special time with their favorite characters. It’s a Halloween party like no other.
Hoffman Hall, Above the Chester Fire Station
86 Main Street, Rear Entrance & Parking, Chester, NJ 07853
Cost: $29.95 Children | $15.95 Adults, tickets can be purchased here

12. The “Great” Pumpkin Festival
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Nothing says Fall like a trip to Johnson’s Farm. The fields are loaded with orange pumpkins starting to peak out through the vines. We are always excited this time of year. Three generations of the Johnson family have been welcoming our friends and customers to enjoy the farm with us.
Johnson’s Corner Farm
133 Church Road. Medford, NJ 08055

13. Fall Fest at A. Casola Farms
Friday, October 23, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 8 am to 7 pm
Visit A. Casola Farms for your Halloween and Fall farm experience in New Jersey. Our Fall Fest and Halloween activities guarantee fun for all ages: from Pumpkin Picking to Hayrides, Corn Mazes and much!
A. Casola Farms
178 State Route 34, Holmdel, NJ 07733

14. Fall Family Festivals at Terhune Orchards
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Come to Terhune Orchards for a day of family fun on the farm! What better way to celebrate fall than with Pick-Your-Own apples and pumpkins! Enjoy pony rides, pedal tractors, wagon rides, visit the Corn Stalk Maze, adventure barn and our barnyard of farm animals. Children can paint their own pumpkin to bring home. Don’t worry about lunch, there’s lots of homemade farm fresh food available – soup, chili, hot dogs, pies, apple cider donuts, apple cider, and more! Wine tasting in the Terhune Orchards Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room. Terhune Orchards features live music played by some of our best local talent, between noon and 4pm both days. Parking at the farm.
Terhune Orchards
330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton, NJ 08540
Cost: $5

15. Night of the Living Zoo
Celebrate this ghoulish time of year by visiting the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo at night! Catch a frightful train ride, learn about nighttime animal adaptations, and leave with a new temporary tattoo. Grab your flashlight and enjoy music, s’mores, and more. A wicked night of fun that you won’t want to miss. Register in advance. Space is limited. Event is Rain or Shine.
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 6 pm to 9 pm
Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052
Cost: $10