With March comes hoping for spring and warmer weather. While you might not be able to pack up those winter coats and gloves just yet, there are plenty of activities worth leaving the house for in every county. If you’re looking for more activities, hit the best places to take your preschoolers and free things to do this month. Don’t forget to celebrate Makers Day this weekend, either!
Atlantic County
Friday, March 22
New Jersey Makers Day
Where: Somers Point Branch, Somers Point
Price: Free
Deets: Ages 4 and up can create their own kites and if the weather’s good, fly them behind the library.
Bergen County
Friday-Sunday, March 22-24
Maple Sugaring
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Price: $5/members, $10/non-members
Deets: Learn how syrup is made, how to identify maple trees and how innovation has changed sap collecting. Check the Nature Center’s tapped tree and watch sap get boiled into syrup. Every Sunday until March 24.
Burlington County
Saturday, March 23
Makers Faire
Where: Burlington County Library, Burlington
Price: Free
Deets: All ages are invited to tinker with tech, DIY crafts, STEM projects and more. Watch a demo, meet local organizations and more.
Camden County
Friday, March 22
New Jersey Makers Day
Where: South County Regional Branch, Atco
Price: Free
Deets: Grades 4-8 can use tools to pull apart and reassemble tech like computers, toys and other everyday objects.
Cape May County
Saturday, March 23
Inclusive Storytime
Where: Wildwood Crest Branch, Wildwood Crest
Price: Free
Deets: Ages 3-7 can criss-cross-applesauce for a storytime with music and puppets. Let the library know if special accommodations are required.
Cumberland County
Saturday, March 23
New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Stages Festival
Where: WheatonArts, Millville
Price: Free
Deets: Grades K-6 can catch this stage adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which will educate and encourage kids to express their feelings and realize how to deal when things aren’t peachy-keen.
Essex County
Saturday, March 23
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat
Where: SOPAC, South Orange
Price: $18
Deets: Everyone knows the story of Dr. Seuss’ nonsensical and comedic cat. This stage production for ages 4-10 will remind kids how much they love the story’s comedic rhymes and lessons.
Ongoing
GRAMMY Museum Experience
Where: Prudential Center, Newark
Price: $10
Deets: In collaboration with the Estate of Whitney Houston, the GRAMMY Museum is bringing the legendary singer’s life to its storied halls. Check out hands-on exhibits, outfits and treasures from the singer’s (and many other artists’) career and life. Ends June 30.
Gloucester County
Friday, March 22
Music Time
Where: Glassboro Branch, Glassboro
Price: Free
Deets: Bring your infants and tots to the library for nursery rhymes, dancing and instrument time. They’ll listen to some music and expend all that energy (hello, naptime!).
Hudson County
Saturday, March 23
Indian Festival of Colors
Where: The Five Corners Branch Library, Jersey City
Price: Free
Deets: Celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, by checking out traditional Bollywood dancing, music and other activities.
Ongoing
The Lion Guard Exhibit
Where: Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Price: Included with admission
Deets: Mini scientists ages 2-8 can hit ecology-themed exhibitions that explore the African Savanna, teach kids about animals living in the Pride Lands and encourage interactive play through missions and trainings in the Lion Guard’s secret space. Ends September 8.
Hunterdon County
Friday-Sunday, March 22-24
Scavenger Hunt and Marshmallow Roast
Where: Melick’s Town Farm
Price: Free
Deets: On Saturdays and Sundays, take the kids on a free scavenger hunt followed by a marshmallow roasting.
Mercer County
Friday-Sunday, March 22-24
The Sound of Music
Where: Kelsey Theatre, West Windsor
Price: $16/kids, $20/adults
Deets: The hills are alive! Travel back to Austria and relive the story of the von Trapp family during WWII.
Ongoing
Sunday Music Series
Where: Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Price: Free admission
Deets: Fill your glass with Terhune vino, munch on light fare and kick back in the new wine barn for live music from local artists, ranging from classic rock to jazz to blues. Every Sunday through May 26.
Objects Count: A Decade of Collecting
Where: New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
Price: Free
Deets: Take a look at objects that collectors have preserved and displayed over the years. See a caribou antler from Ice Age-era New Jersey, a 1930s flight suit from a South Jersey female pilot, Native American projectiles and more. Every Tuesday-Sunday through April 28.
Middlesex County
Friday, March 22
Twilight Tour: Sounds of Dusk
Where: Plainsboro Preserve, Cranbury
Price: $7/non-members, $5/members
Deets: Ages 8 and up can walk the trails at night and look for migrating waterfowl, red foxes, bats and other creatures. Registration required.
Ongoing
Read and Play
Where: New Brunswick Free Public Library, New Brunswick
Price: Free
Deets: Every Wednesday, ages 4 and under can gather for storytime and free play. Ends April 24.
Monmouth County
Friday, March 22
Celebrate Holi
Where: iPlay America, Freehold
Price: $10
Deets: The kids can grab a free glow necklace and get their faces painted before trying out iPlay’s regular rides and games.
Friday-Sunday, 22-24
Mamma Mia!
Where: Axelrod Performing Arts Center, Deal Park
Price: $50-64
Deets: Mamma mia, here we go again…back to that infamous Greek Isle. Recount Sophie’s journey to find out which of her mother’s three exes is her father, and sing along to ABBA’s iconic songs.
Morris County
Saturday, March 23
Makers Day
Where: Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison
Price: Included with admission
Deets: Watch a weaving demo from a professional fiber artist before creating your own woven strands.
Ongoing
Narrative Threads: New Jersey Quilts and Textiles
Where: Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison
Price: Included with admission
Deets: An important part of history, textiles once fueled this country’s industry. This exhibit features pieces from New Jersey textile artists inspired by the past and future. Ends June 9.
Ocean County
Sunday, March 24
Jersey Shore Spring Comic Book Show
Where: Toms River Elks Lodge, Toms River
Price: $3
Deets: With guests that put the super in superhero (we’re talking Joe del Beato from Marvel Comics), this fest has all the artists, writers, raffles, contests, prizes and cosplay groups to make lifetime fans out of your youngsters.
Passaic County
Friday, March 22
Winifred McNeill: The Weight of the World
Where: William Paterson University Galleries, Wayne
Price: Free admission
Deets: Artist Winifred McNeill uses seashells, tiles, metal plates and other materials to create delicate markings that comment on the human condition and explore the universe.
Saturday, March 23
End-of-Winter Tree Walk
Where: New Jersey State Botanical Garden, Ringwood
Price: Free
Deets: Teens and parents can take a special walk and learn the differences between trees.
Sunday, March 24
Audubon: Gardening for Butterflies
Where: New Jersey Botanical Gardens, Ringwood
Price: Free
Deets: Spring has sprung! Learn how to welcome butterflies, birds and nature’s pollinators with what you plant.
Salem County
Saturday, March 23
Salem Oak Vineyards
Where: Salem Oak Vineyards, Pedricktown
Price: Varies
Deets: Grab a babysitter and celebrate springtime with wine, music, your SO and friends.
Ongoing
Hancock House
Where: 485 Locust Island Rd., Hancocks Bridge
Price: Free admission
Deets: From private residence to tavern to museum, this building has a lot of history in its storied walls. Walk through the Hancock House, an important landmark first built in 1675 by a shoemaker.
Somerset County
Friday, March 22
Underneath A Magical Moon
Where: RVCC Theatre, Branchburg
Price: $10
Deets: Wendy Darling and her brothers will travel back to Neverland and discover that objects that seem normal are special—thanks to the magic of the moon.
Sussex County
Friday, March 22
Family Movie
Where: Sparta Public Library, Sparta
Price: Free
Deets: Have your kids been itching to (re-)watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? The Golden Globe-winning animated flick is hitting the library’s silver screen with plenty of popcorn to go around.
Union County
Sunday, March 24
Sofia the First
Where: Just Bead Yourself, Westfield
Price: $25
Deets: Ages 3-11 can create their own Sofia amulet necklace, plus be crowned at a coronation ceremony. Registration required.
Ongoing
Super Saturday Storytimes
Where: Scotch Plains Public Library, Scotch Plains
Price: Free
Deets: Every Saturday at 11 am, gather round for a fun and interactive storytime with a weekly theme. No registration required. Ends in August.
Warren County
Saturday, March 23
NJ Makers Day
Where: Warren County Library, Southwest Branch, Phillipsburg
Price: Free
Deets: The kiddos can get down with STEM activities and projects that’ll give them hands-on experience. There’s plenty of other Makers Day events to celebrate around NJ!
New York City
Ongoing
The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter
Where: American Museum of Natural History, NYC
Price: $28/adults, $16.50/ages 2-12
Deets: Fly away with more than 500 live tropical butterflies from North and South America, Africa and Asia. Beauties like swallowtails, large owl and blue morpho butterflies will be fluttering about. Learn about their evolution and life cycles, plus mimicry, diversity and conservation. Ends May 27.