15 Things to Do This Weekend in NJ 10/9

Attend Belmar’s Oktoberfest or Spooky Spooktacular Halloween at iPlay America. Learn about African penguins at African Penguin Awareness Weekend, eat seafood at Avalon Seafood Festival, or watch a live performance of Choo Choo Soul. 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!

Photo via Visit Belmar NJ Facebook

1. Belmar’s Oktoberfest {Featured Event}
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm
Come join the fun at Octoberfest with a German Beer Garden, Food Vendors, the Samuel Adams Stein Hoisting Contest, and live music!
Main Street
Between 8th & 10th Avenues, Belmar, NJ 07719
Cost: Free

2. Mountain Creek Harvest Festival

Photo via Mountain Creek Facebook

Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 11 am to 5 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 11 am to 4 pm
Celebrate fall with us at our Harvest Festival October 10th & 11th! Enjoy breathtaking views of the foliage and plenty of your favorite fall activities like awesome BBQ, shopping from 30+ local vendors, hay rides, pumpkin painting and much more!
The Farm
Route 94, Vernon, NJ 07462
Cost: Free

3. Oktoberfest at Moreys Piers

Photo via Morey’s Piers

Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 12 pm to 10 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 12 pm to 10 pm
Jumbo’s restaurant located on Mariner’s Pier at Schellenger Avenue and the boardwalk celebrates Oktoberfest on Saturdays and Sundays starting September 19 through October 11, 2015. In addition to the regular menu, a special themed selection of Bavarian pretzels, bratwurst, German potato salad, schnitzel and more will be available. On tap, guests will find a wide selection of beers and tastings flights to be enjoyed at an outdoor “biergarten” located behind Jumbo’s. Also performing every Saturday from 6:30pm-9:30pm is the trio, Hafenakus. Made up of guitar, bass, viola, drums and vocals Hofenakus mixes traditional and original songs along with reinterpreted covers, to create a one of a kind yet familiar sound and it’s always a good time.
Family Entertainment Food and Drink Holiday Seasonal
3501 Boardwalk , Wildwood, NJ 08260
Cost: Free

Photo via iPlayAmerica

4. Spooky Spooktacular Halloween
Open until November 1, 2015
Mondays thru Thursdays 3 pm to 9 pm
Fridays 3 pm to 12 am
Saturdays 10 am to 11 pm
Sundays 10 am to 9 pm
iPlay America in Freehold will transform this October to iPlay America’s Spooky Spooktacular Halloween! This family friendly event features OVER 50 live show performances, Trick or Treat Trail, decorations and Halloween themed activities for all. Join us in our restaurant Game Time Bar & Grill for Spooktacular food and drink specials. This Halloween experience is one you don’t want to miss!
iPlay America
110 Schanck Road, Freehold, NJ 07728

Photo via Adventure Aquarium

5. African Penguin Awareness Weekend
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Monday, October 12, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Ready to waddle over this Columbus Day Weekend (October 10 – 12) for Adventure Aquarium’s 7th Annual African Penguin Awareness Weekend? Mark your calendars for a celebration dedicated to everyone’s favorite flightless feathered friends.
Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103
Cost: $18.95 Children Ages 2-12 | $25.95 Adults

Photo via Avalon New Jersey Facebook

6. Avalon Seafood Festival
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
Sun is out for the weekend, the games are on in the Sound Advice lounge, the seafood is fresh and the beer is cold. See you soon fans!
30th Street, Avalon, NJ 08202
Cost: Free

Photo via South Jersey Pumpkin Show

7. South Jersey Pumpkin Show
Friday, October 9, 2015 from 5 pm to 9 pm
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 10 am to 7 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 10 am to 5 pm
South Jersey Pumpkin Show fall festival is a three day fall festival that celebrates the harvest of pumpkins and autumn produce of New Jersey. Promotes the arts, craftsmen, agriculture, small businesses and entertainers.
Salem County Fairgrounds
735 Harding Highway, Woodstown, NJ 08098
Cost: Free; $5 Parking

Photo via Heaven Hill Farm

8. Great Pumpkin Festival Vernon
Now until November 8, 2015
Wednesdays thru Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm , admission is $8 per person.
Saturdays, Sundays, and Columbus Day from 10 am to 6 pm admission $10 per person.
Take an old-fashioned hayride to the U-Pick Pumpkin Patch or enjoy the 30+ fun filled activities. There is something for whole family to enjoy!
Heaven Hill Farm
451 State Route 94, Vernon, NJ 07462
Cost: $8 Wednesdays thru Fridays | $10 Saturdays, Sundays, and Columbus Day

Photo via Culture Crawl

9. Rahway Culture Crawl
Friday, October 9, 2015 from 6 pm to 9 pm
1544 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ, United States
Cost: Free

10. Hoboken’s Heirloom Garlic-Tasting Festival
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 1 pm to 5 pm
Savor the pungent flavor of more than a dozen varieties of “the stinking rose,” trucked in Jersey-fresh from Wantage, NJ, by farmers Rich and Sue Sisti, who bring other fresh produce for sale as well.
Hoboken Historical Museum
1301 Hudson Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Cost: Free

11. Amaranth and Tomato Festival
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 12 pm to 5 pm
Join the Garden, St. Paul’s, and Sustainable Jersey City to see what’s new and what’s been happening here at the Five Corners Eco-Village! Bring family, friends, and neighbors… and enjoy: Food, Drink, Crafts, Art, Film, Music, Flea items, Garden harvests/demonstrations, and much more!
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
440 Hoboken Avenus, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Cost: Free

12. Italian Street Festival
Friday, October 9, 2015 from 4 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 10 am to 10 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 10 am to 8 pm
This Parade and Festival will be are the best one yet.
In addition to the annual favorites that will be returning such as the Sicilian Cart, Italian Gondola and Italian Brass Band, many new organizations and groups will be participating for the first time this year.
Grant Avenue, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
Cost: Free

13. The Wildwoods Seafood & Music Festival
Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 11 am to 8 pm
The festival will feature 2 stages of live music featuring Chameleon Funk Band, Club Phred, Who Knows and Animal House. There will be crafters, food vendors, a pie eating contest and much more! A “Kids Korner” with activities including pumpkin painting, face painting and bounce houses will take place from 12 pm to 5 pm.
Atlantic Avenue
Between Wildwood and Schellenger Avenues, Wildwood, NJ 08260
Cost: Free

14. Choo Choo Soul
Disney’s Choo Choo Soul with Genevieve! is chock full of infectious music and the hip appeal of singer Genevieve Goings, brought to you right from the Disney channel to the stage. With soulful, danceable music and featuring the diverse and incredibly hip duo of train conductor Genevieve and DC, her beatboxing, breakdancing engineer, the show thrills both children and parents!
Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 11 am and 3 pm
Newton Theatre
234 Spring Street, Newton, NJ 07860
Cost: $19

15. Really Rosie
Friday, October 9, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 4 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 4 pm
Rosie, the sassiest kid on her block of Brooklyn’s Avenue P, entertains herself and her friends by acting out show biz fantasies, notably directing and starring in an Oscar winning movie. Written by the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are and other popular children’s books, Really Rosie is a jewel for children and adults. Author, Maurice Sendak, is a winner of a Caldecott Medal, National Book Award, and a National Medal of the Arts. Composer, Carole King, is a winner of a National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy Trustees Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Library of Congress’s Gershwin Award for Popular Song.
The Growing Stage Childrens Theatre of New Jersey
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJ 07857
Cost: $15 All Ages on Friday | $15 Children (Saturday and Sunday) | $25 Adult (Saturday and Sunday)

16. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Open until November 15, 2015
Times vary by day, please check for times here
See more than 7,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns in this elaborate walkthrough experience. Meander through an historic, 18th-century riverside landscape and discover a breathtaking display — all made of jack o’ lanterns!
639 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY 10591
Cost: $16 Children 3-17 ($20 on Saturdays) | $20 Adults ($25 on Saturdays)