The Best Things To Do in NJ This Weekend, March 6-8

Looking for things to do in NJ this weekend, March 6-8 with your kids? Treat your kids to a show, like Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal Park, Finding Neverland: The Musical at MPAC in Morristown or a sensory-friendly ballet performance of Cinderella at UCPAC in Rahway. Get the kids out of the house and into nature at the Environmental Education Center in Basking Ridge for maple sugaring, or head to a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

If you want to stay inside, take a look at our favorite indoor activities. Even though it’s technically winter, you can still experience the great outdoors (just bundle up!), so we found some awesome activities the kids will love. Got a bunch of younger kids to entertain? We’ve got activities that cater just to them, plus free events for the whole fam. Check out our calendar for events near you, or browse things to do in NJ this weekend by county below.

ALL WEEKEND

things to do in NJ this weekend — Environmental Education Center

Experience Maple Sugaring
Basking Ridge
Skip over to the Environmental Education Center with your kids to see a live maple tree tapping, plus learn about sap collection and watch the boiling process.
Free

Shamrock Festival
New Egypt
Head to Laurita Winery for Irish music, dancers and traditional foods like soda bread, corned beef, mashed potatoes and more.
Free admission

Sugarloaf Crafts Festival
Edison
Get crafty at the NJ Convention and Expo Center where more than 250 new and veteran artists will be selling paintings, metal, glass, designer clothing and other items.
$8/online, $10/door, free/ages 12 and under

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Deal Park
Hit the Axelrod Performing Arts Center for a stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s infamous book about a young girl with a penchant for books—and magic.
$54-67

Finding Neverland: The Musical
Morristown
Fly to the second star on the right—aka the stage at MPAC—to see Peter Pan’s origin story on the streets of London. All he needs is a little pixie dust!
$59-99

23rd Annual Cranbury Craft Show
Cranbury
Visit the Cranbury School to peruse wares like silks, ceramics, toys, furniture and jewelry from more than 100 artists.
$5/adults, free/ages 12 and under

Maple Sugaring
Titusville
Bring your sweet tooth to Washington Crossing State Park for a hands-on demonstration that’ll teach your family how to make maple syrup from scratch. Registration required.
Free

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

Story Time & Craft
Rochelle Park
Bring your lil’ ones to Rochelle Park Public Library for stories, crafts, songs and fun with scarves and maracas.
Free

Astronomy Night
NYC
Hit the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum for after-hours stargazing, activities and talks with leading scientists. Registration required.
Free

Free Museum Days
Multiple locations
It’s the first weekend of the month, which means Bank of America cardholders can get one free admission to museums across the US. For NJ, that includes Garden State Discovery Museum, Liberty Science Center, Morris Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center and Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art.
Free

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

Dr. Seuss Family Fun Day
Morristown
Bring your kids to meet the Cat in the Hat at the Morris Museum, hit the photo station and make Seuss-themed crafts for Dr. Seuss’ 115th birthday. Early access for families with disabilities is available at 10 am. Hit the Bickford Theatre at 11 am (sensory-friendly) and 1:30 pm for Seussology, an interactive experience delving into the author’s works.
Included with admission

Art Making Day
Trenton
Pop over to Artworks Trenton to help with interactive murals, work on studio activities and more.Kids can learn about making 2-D and 3-D characters, background and set design, stop motion and loop animation, graffiti and more. All materials with be provided, plus all ages and skill levels are welcome.
Free

Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Seaside Heights
Deck them out in all the green they have and paint four leaf clovers on their cheeks before finding a place along the Boulevard to watch the floats. After, watch the pipe bands and stay for the flag salute. Then, head to the Hershey Hotel for live Irish music.
Free

Tracks & Scat!
Tenafly
Grab your coat and head outdoors to Tenafly Nature Center to learn about and search for animal tracks. Educators will teach your kids all about paws, droppings and animal identification.
$30/non-member family, $10/non-members; $15/member families, $5/members

Creative Play
Newark
Hit the Newark Museum of Art for a hands-on storytime. Kids are encouraged to create their own stories based on artwork they see in the museum.
Included with admission

Annual Guinness Run St. Patrick’s Parade Fundraiser
Highlands
Contestants ages 21 and over can fill their cup at Off the Hook and get ready to race to Miller St. and back. The contestant with the most liquid remaining in their cup wins a prize. All proceeds go toward the town’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
$30

Mystery Science Theater 3000
Montclair
Show creator and original host Joel Hodgson is bringing the final live tour, dubbed the Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour, to the Wellmont Theater. Hodgson will take viewers through some of the cheesiest movies ever made, along with robots Tom Servo, Crow and Gypsy.
Prices vary

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Woodbridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Woodbridge
Start your day at Woodbridge High School and follow the St. Patrick’s Day parade to the community center for an after party.
Free

Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Rumson
Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day anywhere from Allen St. and River Rd. to Carlton St. and Forrest Ave., to see the parade. There’ll be bands, marchers and plenty of floats. Don’t forget to bring non-perishables for donation at Rogers Park.
Free

Asbury Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Asbury Park
Starting at 5th Ave. and Ocean Ave., this annual parade celebrates the luck of the Irish with walking units, vehicles, floats, marchers and more. If you’re lucky, you might even receive candy from those participating in the parade.
Free

MasterChef Junior Live!
New Brunswick
If your family loves watching MasterChef Junior at home, you don’t want to miss your chance to see these culinary demos live at the State Theatre. The challenges will bring plenty of entertainment—and messes—from contestants of seasons past, plus you can ask the kid chefs questions before you leave.
$29-129

Build Montclair in LEGOs
Montclair
Bring your kiddos ages 5-14 to the Montclair Art Museum to use more than 60,000 LEGO building blocks to recreate specific Montclair buildings on a large-scale map of the city. Fifty families can participate with a max of four people per group (and at least one adult).
$35

National Dance Institute: Voices of Change
Newark
Eighty student dancers from NYC, ranging from ages 9-15, will perform a motivational show that explores activism and people who’ve changed the world. Kids of all ages, abilities and skill levels can hit the stage, too. They’re also invited to participate in a free dance workshop before the performance.
$5

New Jersey Ballet’s Cinderella
Rahway
Grab a ticket to UCPAC’s sensory-friendly performance of Cinderella. This ballet, specifically adapted for children with autism and sensory sensitivities, follows the infamous story of a poorly-treated girl who loses an iconic slipper at the stroke of midnight.
$8

ONGOING

Maple Sugaring
Tenafly
On Sundays through March 22, all’s sweet at Tenafly Nature Center. Your family can learn to identify maple trees and the history and technology behind making maple syrup. Then, boil sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup for tasting.
$5/members, $15/member family; $10/non-members, $30/non-member family

Wild Kratts: Creature Power! Exhibition
Jersey City
Race to Liberty Science Center for this exhibit based on the Wild Kratts PBS show. Explore the Australian Outback for kangaroos, koalas and platypuses before heading to Antarctica for penguins and ice shelves and a tropical rainforest for jaguars, monkeys and sloths. Ends May 31.
Included with admission