
Show your Irish pride at a St. Patrick’s Day event or parade this weekend, take the kids to a bubble show, train show, or head to Great Adventure for opening weekend. Here’s what else is going on this weekend:
WEEKEND
Newport Skates
Jersey City
Thursday – Friday
JC’s only outdoor ice skating rink is not only available for open skating but for lessons and parties, too.
Jersey City Restaurant Week
Jersey City
Thursday – Saturday
From Greenville to Grove streets, support your local food makers and your favorite restaurants throughout the city.
Student Art Show
Museum of American History at Deptford, Deptford
Thursday – Sunday
Students from colleges in the area will display their artwork. While you visit, you can go through the rest of the museum to learn about the American farmstead, Colonial life and fossils.
Mermaids Underwater Experience
Adventure Aquarium, Camden
Thursday – Sunday
Magical real-life mermaids will swim in the aquarium’s 550,000-gallon Shark Realm exhibit. You may be able to catch one sitting on her throne when she emerges from the water. You can enjoy all the aquarium’s exhibits when you visit. This is the last weekend to say hello to the mermaids.
Hoboken Irish Heritage Week(end)
Downtown Hoboken
Thursday- Sunday
There’s a range of activities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, including the Luck O’ the Irish Scavenger Hunt, Guinness Pint Glass Giveaway, Fercullen and Teeling Irish whiskey tastings, traditional music and stepping demos, Gaelic football and hurling instruction, a Six Nations Rugby Match watch party, and Irish cookie decorating.
ESSPY
New Jersey Repertory Company, Long Branch
Thursday – Sunday
A young medical student is at the top of his class, but he discovers there is more than science to caring for a patient. He meets a young woman working in the Patient Simulation program and they have to figure out: can empathy and compassion ever be taught?
Military and First Responders Weekend
Shawnee Mountain, East Stroudsburg, PA
Friday – Sunday
All active-duty military members and their immediate family get a free lift ticket and ski or snowboard rentals. Retired members and Military Reserve members will receive 50% off of lift tickets and rentals. First responders and their family members will receive 1/3 off the price of a lift ticket.
A Weekend With Candace Bushnell
Congress Hall, Cape May
Friday – Sunday
Meet the author and creator of “Sex And The City” at a Q&A session, book signing, elegant dinner and viewing of her one-woman show.
Mardi Gras Celebration
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
Saturday – Sunday
The theme park reopens for the season with Mardi Gras fun, including, Cookie Monster & Chef Gonger’s Pizza Party, “Elmo the Musical, Live!”, The Sesame Street Mardi Gras Parade, Mummers Band shows, a Mardi Gras mask scavenger hunt and strolling entertainment like stilt walkers and bead bike brigades.
St. Patrick’s Day at The Winery
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturday – Sunday
Toe-tapping Irish tunes by Bill O’Neal & Mary will play in the winery for Saint Patrick’s Day. Enjoy Terhune wines, tasting flights and mulled wine.
Maple Syrup Festival
Happy Day Farm, Manalapan
Saturday – Sunday
Take a tour of the barn and the farm to learn about the maple sugaring process. Sample the syrup and buy snacks from the market, including maple pancakes.
Shamrock and St. Patrick’s Weekends
Laurita Winery, New Egypt
Saturday – Sunday
While you eat homemade Irish food and try Laurita’s selection of wines, listen to live music and shop from the vendors. There will be kids’ activities, too.
FRIDAY
St. Patrick’s Day Storytime and Craft
Maya, Pier Village, Long Branch
Bring the kids for a special book reading and associated craft in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.
Unlucky Charms Murder Mystery Dinner Show
Mathis House, Toms River
It’s a classic whodunnit with an Irish twist for St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll be served dinner while you try to figure out who the murder suspect is.
Singing Bowl Meditation
Schiff Nature Preserve, Mendham
The use of Himalayan singing bowls, galactic chimes, Koshi chimes, gentle gong and drums will lull you into relaxation.
St. Patrick’s Day-themed Adult Night
LEGOLAND Discovery Center New Jersey, American Dream, East Rutherford
Leave the kids at home and get ready to play in this massive LEGO space. Sit down for a 4D movie, ride the Imagination Express, build with LEGOs and play Hub minigames. The café will serve St. Patrick’s Day-themed items.
Girl Scout Ride Night
iPlay America, Freehold Twp.
In honor of National Girl Scout Day, all active Girl Scouts get 50% off an Unlimited iRide Band, which gives access to the Carousel, Dizzy Dragons, Crazy Cabs, Happy Swing, Kite Flyer, Skyscraper, Reverse Time, Go-Karts (Single Rider), Freedom Rider, High Flyer and Mini Ferris Wheel.
Celtic Woman: 20th Anniversary Tour
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown
These ladies sing traditional and contemporary Irish music. They are accompanied by Irish dancers, bagpipers and a full band playing traditional Celtic instruments, including bodhrán, tin whistle, bouzouki and Uilleann pipes.
Mezeskalacs Workshop
American Hungarian Foundation, New Brunswick
Learn how to decorate Hungarian gingerbread cookies for Easter.
SATURDAY
Season Opening
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson
It’s opening day! Usher in the 2024 season, which is the 50th anniversary of the theme park, by riding your favorite rides, meeting characters like Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird, and snacking on funnel cake.
NJ Makers Day: The Potato
Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison
As part of Makers Day 2024 and New Jersey STEM Month, kids will create potato stamps, make potato batteries to power a lightbulb, and use potatoes to create oobleck (mixture of cornstarch and water) and Play-Doh. They’ll also learn about the life cycle of a potato and how it grows.
Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour
NJPAC, Newark
Dance, sing and learn with Blippi and special guest Meekah as they discover what makes different cities unique and special during this musical party.
Celtic Hearth Light Tavern Night
The Merchant and Drovers Tavern Museum, Rahway
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the coming of spring at one of New Jersey’s oldest taverns. Irish balladeer Brian Kennedy will perform Irish tunes and traditional tavern songs.
St. Patrick’s Day Pawty
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, Branchburg
Take a tour of the new Doggy Day Camp facility and meet the staff. There will be music, games, prizes, a photo station, and treats for the dogs.
Workhouse Rides
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell
During this program, kids 5–12 will learn the differences between draft, saddle and carriage horses when they climb aboard a fully harnessed workhorse for a ride down the lane. They will help the farmers with barn chores like bedding stalls, filling water troughs and making feed. Kids can make a long bird feeder.
Tots For Sculpture: Flying Colors
Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Kids ages 3-5, along with an adult, will listen to a reading of the interactive book “Press Here” by Herve Tullet. After, they will make their own flyable kites.
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance
VFW, Spotswood
There will be Irish food (corned beef and cabbage, of course), music and dancing – plus, try to find your pot of gold from the 50/50 raffle and the lucky lotto hat. The fundraiser benefits local veterans.
Spring Fling Sip & Shop
Garden State Distillery, Toms River
Get your spring accessories in order by shopping with your girls for tropical indoor plants, sea-inspired art, Easter jewelry, journals, kitchen angels, bracelets, nail polish strips, candy and laser-cut wooden decor.
Woodcock/Timberdoodle Watch
Schiff Nature Preserve, Mendham
Bring your pre-teens or older kids to the habitat near Mount Paul Preserve and Burnett Brook Preserve so you can look for these birds that will return to the early in early March to find a nest and a mate. You’ll look and listen for the male’s mating dance.
Going Bananas “Despicable Me” and Easter Bunny Event
MarketFair, Princeton
This free “Despicable Me”-themed event is inspired by the upcoming summer movie release. Take a photo with a Minion character, try out the roller coaster simulator, listen to live music, play trivia, get your face painted, ask for a balloon animal and make some crafts. The first 400 kids will get a giveaway. You can also make a reservation for photos with the Easter Bunny; the photo session is not free.
Science Under the Stars: Super Massive Black Holes Across the Universe
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
Dr. Charlotte Ward of Princeton University will lead a free talk in the museum’s planetarium about how every galaxy has a supermassive black hole hiding in its center. She will present recent discoveries on how these black holes first formed about 13 billion years ago.
Yacht Rock Gold
The Levoy Theatre, Millville
This cover band plays hits from the late 1970s to early 1980s from the Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Little River Band, Ambrosia, Boz Scaggs and more.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration & Parade
The Wildwoods
The holiday celebration begins with Catholic Mass at St. Ann’s Church of Notre Dame De La Mer Parish in Wildwood. The party follows with a ceremony on the front steps of North Wildwood City Hall, and then a parade beginning at 9th and Atlantic Avenue and heading to 1st Avenue. Marchers include the VFW Color Guard, Vietnam Veterans of America, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish Pipe Brigade, Emerald Society, Miss North Wildwood, Queen Oceania, Anglesea Irish Society and local school bands.
Mike Davis and The New Wonders
Bickford Theatre at The Morris Museum, Morristown
This young group singing jazz music of the 1920s will be joined by special guest Colin Hancock.
End of Winter Tree Walk
New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
Every year, friends of NJBG look forward to this walk, led by former Head Landscape Designer Rich Flynn, who will talk to you about the differences between trees, how to tell them apart, and how to use them in your garden.
Building Bridges, Blossoming Change
Ocean County YMCA, Toms River
This will be a free mental health and wellness event centered around providing needed resources to the community. There will be vendors; Lead U and its skilled teaching artists; giveaways from 94.3 The Point; and activities focused on mindfulness, communication, kindness, teamwork and more. Lunch will be provided, while supplies last, as well as a DIY lemonade stand.
The Nerds St. Pat’s Concert and Dinner Party
Cooper’s Riverview, Trenton
The concert and dinner party features NJ favorite cover band The Nerds.
Wine & Food Fest: Top Chef Season 16 Reunion
St. Laurent, Asbury Park
Neilly Robinson and Top Chef David Viana of Lita, and Heirloom at the St. Laurent, are hosting a super fun Top Chef reunion – a food and wine fest for David’s season. Fifteen chefs from Top Chef Season 16 will create their own signature dishes for the evening.
SUNDAY
Fairy Tales on Ice: Peter Pan & Wendy’s Adventures
The Levoy Theatre, Millville
Peter and his friends set off on an adventure filled with pirates, mermaids, and fairytale characters such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, and more.
St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Class
618 Restaurant, Freehold
After you partied at Freehold Borough’s parade, stop by 618 for dinner and drinks – that you make yourself! During this special edition cocktail class, you’ll learn from 618’s expert bartenders how to mix up three festive cocktails including 618’s famous Pistachio Martini. You’ll munch on appetizers, plus you’ll get a goodie bag to take home.
Veterans Committee Train Show
Community Center, Manalapan
Stop by to see all the model train displays. Former New York Giant Stephen Baker, the Touchdown Maker, will have his radio control planes and his virtual reality equipment.
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
Mathis House, Toms River
There will be live music playing while you have a traditional Irish dinner inside the Victorian manor.
Symphonic Superheroes
Livingston High School, Livingston
Livingston Symphony Orchestra puts on this free, family-friendly concert that presents music from movies featuring superheroes. Kids are encouraged to dress up or bring a cape.
Kids’ Hikes For Fun
Point Mountain Central, Washington
Kids 5 and up, with an adult, can join the group walk along the nature trail.
A St. Patrick’s Day Passing
Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn
During this murder mystery, everyone in town is trying to decorate a prize-worthy float in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. When Sean, a local handyman, goes mysteriously missing, it’ll be up to you to find out what happened to him. Join us as we present “A Saint Patrick’s Passing!” You can add dinner to your show ticket.
Family Woodland Hike
New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
During this easy, child-friendly hike in the garden’s woodlands, you will learn about the plants and animals around you.
March Out Winter
Hawk Rise Sanctuary, Linden
As winter gives way to spring, you can take a guided nature walk and learn about how the plants and animals of Hawk Rise adjust to the change of seasons.
St. Patrick’s Day
Dooney’s Pub, Delran
Aside from lots of Irish food and beer, there will be live music by Natty Light, a bagpiper, a performance by Emerald Isle Academy of Irish Dance and more live music by Birmingham Six.
Guided House Tour: Women of the House
Crane House & Historic YWCA, Montclair
Hear the stories of the women who lived, worked and played in the house. From the Crane wives, to the enslaved and paid workers of the house, to the women and girls of the African American YWCA, the Crane House & Historic YWCA has seen how a woman’s role in the house and in society has changed over 200 years.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Village Hall Tavern and Beer Garden, South Orange
Come by for food and beer specials, raffles and giveaways, entertainment and kids’ activities.
Bunny Cares Sensory-Friendly Event
Palisades Center, West Nyack, NY
Lines will be shorter and music and lights will be low so that anyone with autism or other sensitivities can enjoy a visit with the Easter Bunny.
ONGOING
Frank V. Marina Flea Market
Frank A. Vincent Marina, Kearny
Second Sunday of every month, March – December
There will be more than 100 vendors selling everything at bargain prices.
Main Memorial Park Flea Market
Memorial Park, Clifton
Second Saturday of every month, March – December
There will be more than 100 vendors selling everything at bargain prices.
Tours of Crane House & Historic YWCA
Crane House & Historic YWCA, Montclair
Every Sunday
Take a self-guided tour to learn about the women of the Historic YWCA and the Crane family at your own pace. Take some time to walk through the gardens and meadow on site.
Wayne PAL Antique Collectibles Show and Vintage Flea Market
Wayne PAL Athletic League Complex, Wayne
First Sunday of every month, through April
The show features over 150 vendor tables in two large rooms and the front lobby where you can find vintage and sterling jewelry, glassware and Lenox, toys and trains, antique and collectible dolls and action figures, vintage postcards and photos and artwork, military, political and sports memorabilia including cards, magazines and newspapers, vintage coins and watches, classic rock CDs and more.
Art Classes
Big Bear Gear, Lambertville
Saturdays in March
Projects include designing a flower pot, painting a landscape on wood, drawing botanicals on rocks, vegetable printmaking and making paper landscape earrings.
Outdoor Skills for Beginners
Big Bear Gear, Lambertville
Saturdays in March
Expert instructors will help you and the fam (kids age 6 and older are welcome) with outdoor skills like backpacking, camping, navigating with a map and compass, whittling wood into a camp chair, and building a fire.
Egg Hunt Hayrides
Johnson’s Corner Farm, Medford
March 15-30
Hop a hayride to the egg hunt grounds, decorate cookies, snap photos with Peter Rabbit and visit the farm market.
Easter Eggstravaganza
G&G Stables, Howell
March 16-17, 23-24, 30
Admission includes an Easter egg hunt, petting zoo, hayride, barrel ride and games. Pony rides, animal feed, face painting and snacks will be available for purchase.
Rolling Railway Easter EGGspress
DiDonato’s Family Fun Center, Hammonton
March 16-17, 23-24, 29-30
Hop aboard the train that takes you through the Spring Village. Meet the Easter Bunny, go on an egg hunt, and find your way through the Spring Hedge maze. Kids will get a free snack, plus an Easter prize. There will also be a giant slide and an inflatable 40-foot obstacle course. You can add on a game of bowling or eat at the Alley Bar & Grille or the Pin Deck. Toy Market will be on-site at their pop-up snack and toy cottage.
Bubble Zone
Casino Pier Arcade, Seaside Heights
March 16 and 24
OMG Bubbles make big blobs of foam, and then kids will watch, chase and pop the gigantic bubbles.
Easter Bunny Express
Black River and Western Railroad, Flemington
March 16-17, 23-24 and 29-30
Take a round-trip train ride from Flemington to Ringoes and back. Meet Peter Cottontail aboard the train for a brief photo op. There will be an egg hunt when you stop off in Ringoes.
Easter Bunny Express
Woodstown Central Railroad, Woodstown
March 16-17, 23-24 and 29-30
The vintage train goes through the forests and farmland of historic Salem County before reaching the Easter Bunny’s home at Fenwick Grove. There, kids will hop off for an egg hunt.
Spring Model Train Show
Garden State Model Railway Club, North Haledon
Saturdays and Sundays, March 16 – April 7
The Garden State Model Railway Club will be running steam and diesel trains of all kinds on the 1,200-square-foot HO scale layout, including Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. The second railroad room will be open, which has a children’s railroad where kids can try their hand at running trains, and for-sale items to complete your collection at home.
Lamb Camp
Misty Meadow Sheep Dairy, Petersburg
Fridays-Sundays, select Tuesdays, March 16 – April 21
At this Cape May County farm you can raise your own lamb, caring for it, bottle-feeding it and cleaning it in one-hour sessions. There are separate sessions for kids, families, teens, adults and Spring Breakers.
Millburn-Short Hills Restaurant Week
Millburn and Short Hills
March 17-23
About 40 different locations are participating, with everything from cake tastings to murder mystery dinners, to prix fixe menus, brunch specials and more.
Dreamgirls
McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Through March 24
A 1960s Motown girl group catches their big break in an amateur competition and rises from obscurity to superstardom.
Live Cook-Off Series!: Beat Chef David Burke
THE GOAT by David Burke, Union Beach
Sundays, March 24 and April 7
Three up-and-coming TV-star chefs are challenging Chef Burke to create a three-course dinner using a mystery ingredient. Two lucky people from the audience will help judge the dishes. Competing chefs are Lauren Van Liew, Casey Webb and Alexandra Donnadio.
Winter Wonder
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Through March 24
There are beautiful exhibits inside the conservatory and outside on the grounds, bringing a touch of spring to the winter. As you walk through the landscaping, sign up for a science series workshop or gardening lesson. There will be musical performances on select days.
Winery Weekend Music Series
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturdays – Sundays, through March 31
Let your kids make their own s’mores and hot chocolate while you sip on wine by the fire pit. There will be live music all weekend.
Windows of Understanding
Highland Park, Metuchen, New Brunswick, Rahway, South Plainfield
Through March 31
This public art project highlights the positive strides made by local organizations, addressing critical social justice issues such as climate change, food insecurity, human rights and violence protection.
Roosevelt Park Family Skating Rink
Roosevelt Park, Edison
Through March 31
There is open skating as well as skating lessons.
Contemporary African Spirituality in Art
South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange
Through April 7
The exhibition features the works of many local artists in mixed media, painting and photos. There’s a mix of tradition and modernity and how it relates to African spirituality.
Night Forms
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Through April 7
You will have nighttime access to the art and horticulture throughout the sculpture park, which will be illuminated in an immersive experience.
PEEPS in the Village
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Through April 14 (closed on March 31 for Easter)
The colorful display includes over 90 pieces of wall art, dioramas and sculptures made out of the famous Easter marshmallow candy.
TROLLS: Save the Humans
Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA
Through April 15
Thomas Dambo, a renowned recycle artist and activist from Copenhagen, created six ginormous trolls that will be on display at the zoo. They are made from repurposed wood and stand up to 15 feet tall. They ask people to reduce trash, reuse everything and recycle when they can.
The Science Behind Pixar
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through May 5
Learn all about the science behind Pixar’s animated films. Kids can try hands-on experiences like making a short film, creating a robot friend for “WALL·E” and designing a new movie set using props from “Monsters University.” Learn what animation rendering is, then practice it by rendering a scene from “Inside Out.” Create a digital sculpture from an artist’s sketch. Use lights to solve challenges similar to the ones Pixar faced in creating underwater scenes with virtual light in “Finding Nemo.”
Morning Walks
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Saturdays, through May 18
During a quiet morning at the sanctuary, you will walk the trails with an NJ Audubon staff member or Associate Naturalist. The group will look for birds, trees, tracks, wildflowers, reptiles and amphibians out in nature.
Nature-Infused Yoga
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Saturdays, through May 18
Join this nature-based yoga class in person or virtually to spend 75 minutes unwinding from the workweek.
Electric Dandelions
Pier A and Monroe Center Plaza, Hoboken
Through May 24
A series of 10 28-foot LED sculptures crafted from sturdy steel will line Hoboken’s waterfront. When the sun sets, the area along Sinatra Drive and around the Ninth Street and Congress Light Rail Station will be illuminated with light and motion from these gigantic pieces of art.
Micah Williams: Portrait Artist Exhibit
Cornelius Low House, Piscataway
Through June 30
Learn about Middlesex and Monmouth County residents from the 19th Century through the portraits of artist Micah Williams. Adults can work with pastels to create their own portraits, and kids can contribute to the Student Gallery.
150 Years of Washington Association of New Jersey
The Morristown & Morris Twp. Library, Morristown
Through August 31
The self-guided walking exhibit has original photography, artifacts, pins and medals, and commemorative plates dating back to Revolutionary War time. WANJ was founded in March 1874 to preserve the Jacob Ford Mansion, where General George Washington and his troops stayed during the winter.
Yoga on the Beach
Burk Avenue, behind the Wildwoods Convention Center
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through September 29
A traditional Hatha yoga-style class will be infused with Qi Gong, a variety of healing therapies and lots of modifications.
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