Friday is National Cheesesteak Day! After you pick up lunch, treat the kids to a magic show, an environmental fest or an afternoon of science experiments. Easter egg hunts are beginning this weekend, too.
WEEKEND
Restaurant Week
West Orange
Thursday – Saturday
Each restaurant will offer a special menu or discount, either a full meal or Light Bites.
Restaurant Week
Downtown Millburn
Thursday – Sunday
More than 30 restaurants in five business districts of Millburn and Short Hills will offer prix fixe menus and special offerings, including BYOB pairings and wine delivery, local breads and dessert made in house, and vegan/gluten free/kosher menu items.
Food Truck Experience
Gloucester Premium Outlets, Blackwood
Thursday – Sunday
A variety of food trucks will be on site during mall hours. Try BBQ, hot dogs, smoothies, freshly roasted nuts, cupcakes, seafood and more.
High School Musical, Jr.
Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College, West Windsor
Friday – Sunday
Since these performances feature a cast of young actors, each show is only an hour. You’ll still get your fill of Troy, Gabriella and the rest of the students of East High as they sing and dance their way through teenage life.
Houdini Lives Again!
Morley’s Mountain Theater, Butler
Friday – Sunday
March 24 is Harry Houdini’s birthday. In his honor, watch this tribute to Houdini and his wife Bess through magic, stage illusions and escapes. There will be costumes, live music, circus skills, puppetry and audience participation.
SolMar’s Seafood Festival
SolMar Restaurant, Newark
Friday – Sunday
Indulge in Portuguese delicacies and local dishes made in the Ironbound section of Newark. Dishes include goose barnacles (percebes), stone crabs (sapateiras), tiger prawns, the national dish of salted cod (bacalhau), Bacalhau à Brás and Bacalhau com Natas. Seafood lovers will go toward velvet crabs (navalheiras), cockles (berbigão), spider crabs (lapas), jumbo shrimp, prawns, clams and the tasteful Portuguese octopus.
New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival
Showboat Resort, Atlantic City
Friday – Sunday
If you’re not faint of heart, check out the celebrity meet-and-greets, pro photo ops, cosplay, film festivals, panels and podcasts, plus shop at the Horror Sideshow Market.
Reflections Art Salon
Prallsmills, Stockton
Friday – Sunday
The historic Grist Mill will be turned into two floors of amazing art to experience. Come enjoy the collaboration of seven local artists working in diverse mediums.
Roller Skating
Cape May Convention Hall, Cape May
Friday – Sunday
The rink is open for family skating, but you can also plan a birthday party or special event on the weekends.
Scavenger Hunt
Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morris Twp.
Every day, through Sunday
In this month’s scavenger hunt you will search for signs of spring no matter how tiny they are. Families and groups are encouraged.
Model Train Show
Garden State Model Railway Club, North Haledon
Saturday – Sunday
The 64th annual Model Railroad Show has fun for the whole family, including Thomas the Tank Engine, a kiddie layout and refreshments.
Jenkinson’s Amusement Park Opening Weekend
Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, Pt. Pleasant
Saturday – Sunday
The weather will be a bit warmer this weekend, which means it’s perfect to head to the shore and go on the rides that will open this weekend.
Spring Artisan Market
Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes
Saturday – Sunday
Shop locally made wares while you have a glass of wine in your hand. There will be vendors setting up shop on the Winery Floor, including Lambertville Bakehouse, House of Cork, The Kombucha Bar and more. Try Asian fusion from Ms. Fu’s Yummy Food Truck on Saturday, or Neapolitan-style pies from Va Fa Napoli Pizza on Sunday. Grant Peterson and Friends will play their folk and soft rock music both days.
FRIDAY
80s Revolution and Dance Party
Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, Carteret
The theater will be transformed into a 1980s dance club. You’ll go back in time to when Pat Benatar, Def Leppard, Journey, The Outfield, Michael Jackson, ABBA, Loverboy, Cyndi Lauper, Rick James, Madonna and Van Halen ruled the radio.
Baby It’s Cold Outside Soup and Wine Pairing
Tomasello Winery, Hammonton
The best way to warm up is with a bowl of soup! Try different flavors paired with Tomasello’s own wine.
SATURDAY
Mac & Cheese Festival
Throughout Hoboken
Walk throughout The Mile Square to sample some of the best mac & cheese in the area, like pulled pork or taco mac, Sicilian pizza with a mac and cheese crust, or one with a Southern Comfort kick. Plus, end your tour with a sweet treat from Ben & Jerry’s.
Makers Day: Chain Reaction Challenge
Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison
Learn about chain reactions and build a simple machine to drop a bottle into a box, pop a balloon, or ring a bell by building your own Rube Goldberg style chain reaction machine.
Maple Sugaring Open House
Lusscroft Farm, Wantage
See how maple sugar is made. There will be fresh syrup for sale.
Lambing
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
The hope for today is that a baby lamb will be born! Lambing season lasts for several weeks, so come learn about where the sheep spend much of the winter. On this day, you will see new lambs, meet expectant ewes, and learn all about the farm’s flock of period Romney-Suffolk sheep.
Furs, Feathers and Ferns
Tulpehaking Nature Center, Hamilton
If your kid is a Bear Cub Scout, they are welcome to join this lesson about birds, animals and plants while exploring nature.
Hayrides to the Easter Bunny House
Duffield’s Farm, Sewell
Board the hayride wagon and ride to Bunny Egg-cres where the kids can pick up eggs and trade them in for a chocolate treat inside the bunny house. There will be lots of photo ops.
Easter Bunny’s Arrival Party
MarketFair, Princeton
Enjoy face painting, balloon sculpting, caricature art, music, trivia, arts & crafts, sweets and more while you wait for the Bunny to arrive. There will be giveaways for the first 300 children. Photos with the Easter Bunny will be available for purchase today through April 8.
Italian Comedy Night
Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, Carteret
Mike Marino is known to millions of his fans as New Jersey’s Bad Boy. Fred Rubino is a stand-up comic from Brooklyn who has made appearances on The Sid and Bernie Show 77WABC.
Seahorse Swim Class
Five Star Swim School, Cherry Hill
Bring your baby or toddler to this free swim class to get them adjusted to the water before the pools open up for summer.
Read and Explore: Getting Ready for Spring
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Since now is the time to plant peas and spinach, kids will help get the garden ready for planting. There will be storytime and an activity, too.
EarthShare New Jersey Rocks
Martell’s Tiki Bar, Pt. Pleasant
The evening will feature music from The Black Ties, Savoir Faire, Dead Äire, No Promises and LittlexLittle. There will be a bar menu for food purchases, raffles and more. You can bring the kids, but keep in mind they can’t drink. All proceeds from the show support the work of environmental nonprofit organizations that preserve and protect our air, water, land and wildlife.
Baby Expo of South Jersey
Voorhees Town Center, Voorhees
Spend a few hours getting tons of information and products you might need as an expecting mother, grandparent or mama with babies and toddlers. You’ll get ideas about nursery planning, birth announcements, celebrations and more. And kids are welcome!
Easter Bunny Arrival Party
Bridgewater Commons, Bridgewater
As you wait for the Bunny to hop in, listen to festive music, take part in spring-themed face paint and balloon art, watch juggling stilt walkers, get a bunny-themed caricature drawn, and ask for your complimentary Peter Cottontail Cotton Candy.
Special Needs Resource Fair & Family Fun Day
Union County College, Cranford
You’ll definitely learn about special needs resources, such as schools, camps, rec programs, therapies, transition services and advocacy – but there will also be lots of fun, with games, activities, balloon artists, face painters, door prizes and your kids’ favorite characters planned to keep the whole family entertained.
Croaks, Trills and Splashes
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
You will explore the vernal pond with nets and buckets to listen and look for the wood frogs that come to the ponds to lay their eggs once a year. Look out for anything else that hops, swims or crawls.
Spring Wreath-Making Workshops
New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
Decide which session you’d like to attend to assemble and decorate spring wreaths to brighten your home. You’ll use a variety of silk and dried materials to make a wreath to take home.
Makers Day
STEAMWorks and the Hope Loft Building, Bridgeton
Activities include creating cardboard sculptures, making keychains, building upcycled wind chimes, creating circuit greeting cards and audio recording in the HopeLoft studio. Learn from the Americorps Watershed Ambassador Program about how pollution affects the local watershed.
South Jersey Kids Expo
Marlton Field House, Marlton
There will be activities on the field for kids, plus vendors for adults.
Bird Walk
Raritan Bay Waterfront Park, South Amboy
Dress the family for the weather and the turf, gather your binoculars and spotting scopes, and look out along the waterfront for a variety of seabirds, plus Bald Eagles, Peregrine falcons and harriers.
SUNDAY
Mad Science: Spin, Pop, Boom!
Staten Island Children’s Museum, Staten Island, NY
Your kids will witness amazing feats of chemistry. They’ll watch genies released from bottles and massive foam spewed by catalysts.
Hillary Rodham Clinton Keynote Speech
Montclair State University, Montclair
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will serve as the keynote speaker at Senator Bob Menendez’s 12th Annual Evangelina Menendez Women’s History Month Celebration. Awards will be presented New Jersey women including Debbie Walsh, Amanda Devecka-Rinear, Lourdes Cortez and Christine Girtain. The afternoon will include vocal and dance performances from local women’s groups.
Maple Sugaring
Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
There will be two sessions where you can learn how to identify a maple tree. Discover the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap, Your group will check a tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for you all to taste.
Truck Parade
Cranford
A big wheels parade will roll through all four corners of town, so line the streets and wave to the drivers of your favorite trucks.
Candy Courts Skatepark Opening
Rand Park, Montclair
The seven unique, skateable sculptures are designed by 2021 USA Olympic skateboarder and seven-time X Games Medalist Alexis Sablone. During this grand opening and ribbon cutting, Sablone, local skaters and supporters will gather for free skate lessons, contests, product giveaways and music.
Sarah Silverman
Wellmont Theater, Montclair
Sarah Silverman is a two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian, actress, writer and producer. She currently hosts her weekly podcast, The Sarah Silverman Podcast, and had an off-Broadway musical adaptation of her 2010 memoir “The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee.”
New Jersey Youth Symphony’s Playathon
The Mills at Jersey Gardens, Elizabeth
There will be 500 talented young musicians who will present orchestral performances for shoppers during the afternoon. Walk through Center Court, the lower level near Saks OFF 5th and the upper level near Forever 21 to watch student performers from NJYS, the Paterson Music Project and Wharton Arts’ Performing Arts School.
Swap Meet & Car Corral
Salem County Fairgrounds, Woodstown
You can shop the vendors, grab some grub, check out all the cars and even tailgate.
ONGOING
Princeton Environmental Film Festival
Princeton
March 24-31
Films will be presented in public screenings and also available to stream online, on demand.
Après-Ski
Auburn Road Vineyards, Pilesgrove
Every day, through March 31
Après-Ski means after skiing, and although there is no ski resort here, you can still take in winter in all its glory by sipping a glass of wine and eating tableside s’mores by the fire pits. There are movie nights every Thursday – Sunday.
The Golden Girls Kitchen Pop-Up
Fulton Street, New York
Select dates, through March 31
Immerse yourself in the world of the iconic comedy show, dining in the girls’ kitchen and visiting other memorable sets from the show including the Rusty Anchor Bar where you can order cocktails and mocktails, a full kitchen and lots of photo ops. There’s also a drag brunch on certain Sundays.
Winter Market
Convent Train Station, Morris Twp.
Sundays, through April
Grow it Green Morristown holds a winter farmers market every Sunday through April. There are selections of fresh locally grown produce and microgreens, farm raised meat and eggs, seafood, fresh baked goods, artisan bread and cheese, mushrooms, honey, syrups, sauces, seasonal items, specialty ethic items, prepared food and probiotic drinks. There will be food trucks on site, plus wares by local artisans.
Winter Stargazing
Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University, Glassboro
Saturdays, through April 1
Listen as educators share the ancient stories of the constellations, take you on a journey to distant planets and stars, and share the latest space news and discoveries. You’ll see something new each time you visit, plus you will learn how to discover the night skies from your own backyard.
Super Volcanoes
Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University, Glassboro
Saturdays, through April 1
Adults will love the narration by Benedict Cumberbatch, while kids will get a kick out of flying down to Neptune’s frigid moon Triton, Jupiter’s moon Io and Yellowstone National Park.
Night Forms: Infinite Wave
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Select dates, through April 2
This after-hours, multi-sensory light and sound experience uses projection mapping that enhances the art and sculpture park, creating a dynamic show to stimulate the senses.
Daffodil Days Festival
Historic Village of Allentown, Allentown
March 25 to April 2
More than 5,000 daffodils will be planted by volunteers all across town. A parade on March 25 kicks off a full slate of more than 30 activities (many free) and boutique shop specials. Meet King Alfred Daffodil and his court amongst the blooms of Sensi Park with free activities for children. Join in the Welcome Spring Gala for an elegant evening in the Olde Mill set to the music of the McAllister Trio. You can meet the Easter Bunny and witness chocolate making, too.
Easter Bunny Express
Black River and Western Railroad: Flemington station
Saturdays – Sundays, March 25 – April 8
Hop aboard a round-trip train ride from Flemington to Ringoes, where your kids will go on an egg hunt. They’ll also meet Peter Cottontail aboard the train for a brief photo op.
Easter Bunny Express
Whippany Railway Museum, Whippany
March 26, April 1 and 2
The Easter Bunny and helpers will be on board the train greeting everyone during the 45-minute round-trip ride along the historic Whippanong Trail. Kids will receive a special gift from the Easter Bunny while riding aboard the train.
Rolling Railway Easter EGGspress
DiDonato’s Family Fun Center, Hammonton
Select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through April 8
Hop aboard the train through Spring Village where you can meet the Easter Bunny, go on an egg hunt, and giggle through the Spring Hedge maze. Kids will get a free snack, plus an Easter prize. There will also be a giant slide and the inflatable 40-foot obstacle course. You can add on a game of bowling or shop at the pop-up snack and toy cottage.
PEEPS in the Village
Peddlers Village, Lahaska, PA
Every day, through April 23
The colorful display dedicated to everyone’s favorite marshmallow Easter candy includes over 90 creations of wall art, dioramas and sculpture, featuring the popular Pennsylvania-made bunnies and chicks, and carefully handmade and contributed by Philly-area residents and organizations.
The Orchid Show
New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY
Select dates, through April 23
During the day, families can view the thousands of orchids on the grounds of the botanical gardens. On select nights, adults 21+ can attend for a special view-and-sip option.
Sunday Morning Snuggle Sessions
Coombs Barnyard, Elmer
Sundays, through April 30
It’s been a long winter without human interaction, so brings the kids to hug a donkey, sheep, goats, pig, chickens, bunnies, cats and a goose.
Hidden Gems
Nancy Thompson Learning Commons, Kean University, Union
Through May 8
A geode may look like an “ugly rock” but once they are broken open, there are beautiful crystals inside. The freestanding sculptures in this exhibit are inspired by rock structures created with multiple parts of cast, assembled and carved resin.
Trail Riding Program
Mercer Meadows Equestrian Center, Pennington
Saturdays, through mid-May
Kids (and adults) 12 and up can go on a leisurely 45-minute horseback trail ride around the Mercer Stables property. No riding experience is necessary. You must book in advance.
Morning Walks
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Saturdays, through May 27
Enjoy a quiet morning at the sanctuary walking the trails with an NJ Audubon staff or Associate Naturalist. These walks are informal and informative; birds, trees, tracks, wildflowers, reptiles and amphibians are a few of nature’s wonders waiting for you to discover.
The FRIENDS Experience: The One Near Philadelphia
King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia
Through May 29
Sit on the big orange couch at Central Perk, hang out in Joey and Chandler’s apartment, sit at Rachel and Monica’s kitchen table and read the 18-page letter – front and back – at this awesome experience that brings the Friends set to you!
Growing in the Garden
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown
Second Saturday of the month, through June
This hands-on art program for children age 4 and older and their caregivers includes a story, a visit to MHHM’s gardens, and an art project.
Disney 100: The Exhibition
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Through August 27
Disney fans will love this behind-the-scenes look at their favorite characters, movies and theme parks. Walk through 10 different galleries that will immerse you in sight, sound and touch.
Thomas and Friends Explore the Rails
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through September 4
Kids can learn, play and solve problems while finding themselves in locations from the beloved TV series. Younger kids can practice counting objects, comparing sizes and learning colors. Older kids can practice their math skills, learn basic engineering concepts, discover science ideas through play, and see how technology works to keep engines running.
Spring has officially arrived, so see nature in all its beauty at a flower festival. There are lots of other great activities to do outdoors as well.