FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Campfire Storytelling
Where: Watershed Institute, Pennington
Ages 5 and up can bundle up for a cozy night around the fire listening to stories and roasting marshmallows. Masks, social distancing and reservations required.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Back to Nature: Maple Sugaring
Where: Trailside Nature Center, Mountainside
Get outdoors and discover how real maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees, plus the equipment used to collect sap and create syrup. Masks, social distancing and registration required.
Downtown Cranford Fire & Ice
Where: Downtown Cranford, Cranford
This annual Fire & Ice festival boasts a variety of chicken wings from local restaurants and an ice carver! After your family enjoys their fave sauces, help decide which restaurant will be crowned the King of the Wing.
Nature Story Time
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Kids ages 3-7 can gather for a nature-themed story before visiting one of the nature center’s Animal Ambassadors. They’ll learn how the animal came to live in the center and can ask questions. Masks, social distancing and registration are required.
Maple Sugaring Demo
Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham Twp.
Your family can learn how to identify and tap maple trees, plus collect sap and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. This year’s program will be completely outdoors. Registration required. Every Saturday through March 13.
Chinese New Year
Where: Liberty Hall Museum, Union
This Chinese New Year party will celebrate the Year of the Ox with crafts like dragon puppets and porcelain plates that acknowledge traditional Chinese icons. Registration required.
The Holiday Ramblers: A Benefit Concert for MPAC
Where: MPAC, Morristown and Virtual
Listen to music designed to evoke different emotional reactions from listeners by the Holiday Ramblers. Listen in person at MPAC or livestream instead.
Maple Sugaring
Where: Howell Living History Farm, Howell Twp.
Check out hundreds of sugar maple trees that line the banks of Moore’s Creek on a self-guided tour through the barnyard, woods and Sugar House. There, you can ask farmers questions about the maple sugaring process. Registration required. Ends February 27.
Let’s Get Growing for Kids: Garden DIY
Where: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit
Kids can learn how to build a garden box, grow a pumpkin, create a pollinator garden and make garden art at this DIY program. Masks and registration are required.
All About Owls
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Ages 6 and up can learn about the adaptations of owls, plus inspect feathers, take a walk and meet a special animal friend. Masks, social distancing and registration are required.
Cattus Island Nature Walks
Where: Cooper Environmental Center, Cattus Island County Park, Toms River
Take your kids on a walk at Cattus Island to learn about the island’s animal habitats from a park naturalist. No registration required. Ends March 28.
Stitches in Time
Where: Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel
Ages 8 and up can visit the farm for an informal session on hand-sewing basics, like the five basic stitches or easy mending techniques. If you’re working on a project at home, you can bring that as well. Registration required.
Maple Sugaring
Where: New Weis Center for Education, Ringwood
Spend your Saturday learning about the process, history and ecology of maple sap and syrup. Take a short hike and learn how to identify winter trees, the history of tapping and how sap is collected, tasted and transformed into syrup using an evaporator. Registration required. Ends March 13.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21
Petting Zoo and Unicorn Rides
Where: Imagine That!!! Museum, Florham Park
Drive up to the museum’s parking lot petting zoo, which will have animals like alpacas, goat, sheep, cows, lambs and a miniature zebu. Kids can also hop on unicorn rides before they leave. Registration required.
Nature in All Seasons
Where: Thielke Arboretum, Glen Rock
Bundle up for this winter tree identification walk where your family will learn how to identify tree species from its twigs, bud structure, bark characteristics and more. Masks, social distancing and registration are required.
Maple Sugaring
Where: Watershed Institute, Pennington
Bundle up with your 5-and-uppers to explore the history, folklore and science of maple sugaring. During this hour-long program, you’ll visit the maple trees, discover how to use drills and spiles to tap trees and sample the maple sugar. Registration required.
Celebrate Lunar New Year
Where: Bridgewater Commons Mall, Bridgewater
Bring your family to the mall to see the traditional line dance of the Lunar New Year. Dancers will imitate the animal’s movements to offer good luck and fortune, plus kids can take photos with the lions.
Live Animal Talks
Where: Nature Center, Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood
Families can get a close look at the animals of Jakes Branch County Park, plus learn about each species. Talks are about 20 minutes and only the first eight people to sign up upon arrival will be served. Sessions are at 12:30 and 1:30 pm.
Maple Sugaring
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Check out the nature center’s tapped trees and see how the sap is boiled down to make fresh maple syrup, plus learn how to identify a maple tree, the history behind syrup making and how technology has changed the way sap is gathered. Registration required. Ends March 28.
George Washington Minute By Minute
Where: Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan
Hit the visitor center to learn the details of George Washington’s journey in Monmouth, New Jersey.
ALL WEEKEND
Bergen County Zoo
Where: Bergen County Zoo, Paramus
For the month of February, while the Zoo remains in its off-season, admission will be free! Open seven days per week, your family can visit the Zoo’s animals and maybe catch a peek at the Red Wolf Exhibit, which is currently being built. Note, the train and carousel are closed for the winter.
Walk of Heroes
Where: Maplewood Village, Maplewood
This self-walking tour through Maplewood’s Village and Springfield Avenue storefronts features educational posters of 25 notable African American historical figures from the past and present.
Big Snow Walk
Where: Thielke Arboretum, Glen Rock
Follow the story of an excited and frustrated boy who watches hopefully as wintry weather slowly develops into a big snow. The story begins at the playground entrance at the pool parking lot. This StoryWalk will be up throughout the winter.
Barnyard Zoo
Where: Abma’s Farm, Wyckoff
On Fridays and Saturdays, head to Abma’s with your little ones for a visit with goats, sheep, alpacas, donkeys, ponies, bunnies, pigs and more. Masks are required.
Elmo’s Furry Fun Fest
Where: The Sesame Place, Langhorne, PA
On weekends through March 21, the Sesame Place will offer new, limited capacity special events that include the park’s rides and characters, plus a scavenger hunt and dance party. This weekend, the park will be decked out for its Mardi Gras Celebrations. Reservations required.
The Rink at Winter Wonderland
Where: Van Saun Park, Paramus
The Wonderland portion of the event is on hold, but the rink is open, with a regulation-sized rink, but many time slots are already sold out. You can still take a spin on the carousel or visit the Bergen County Zoo Train for an additional fee. $5 skate (includes rental). Advanced tickets and masks are required.
ONGOING IN-PERSON EVENTS
Skating on the Square
When: Now-2/27
Where: Palmer Square, Hulfish St., Princeton
Palmer Square’s outdoor, eco-friendly synthetic skating rink is back for another holiday season. Bring your own skates or rent a pair.
Blue Cross RiverRink at Winterfest
When: Now-3/7
Where: 101 South Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA
General admission Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest is free; ice skating, games and rides are pay-as-you-go.
Winter Market
When: Sundays, now-3/28, 10 am-1 pm
Where: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown
Hit the market for fresh foods like cheese, pie, quiche, seafood, pickles, cobbler, soup and more. A number of full-time vendors will be there every week with other part-time vendors rotating their goods into the market, too.
VIRTUAL FUN FOR THE WEEKEND
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Annual Kids Week
When: 2/19
Friday is the last day to experience the Intrepid’s week-long festival tailored toward teaching kids about STEAM through presentations, workshops and demos. There’ll be three themes this week: space and science, nature and music and arts.
Animal Evidence Virtual Walk
When: 2/19
Join the Hunterdon County Arboretum for a virtual walk through the woods. Laura, a senior park naturalist, will look for signs of winter wildlife including tracks, scat, homes and food waste. Registration required.
Candle Making Virtual Workshop
When: 2/19
This weekend, try candle making with your family! Learn how to make custom scented candles with help from a professional and a DIY kit that includes materials like containers, wicks and fragrances. Registration required.
Winter Break Virtual History Days
When: 2/19
On Tuesday, ages 7-12 can join the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden to learn about a specific aspect of nineteenth-century life. With a box of supplies, kids can follow live art, craft, science and cooking demos. There’ll also be scavenger hunts and nineteenth-century games.
Write in Secret Codes
When: 2/19
Join the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum for its free virtual workshop series. On Friday, ages 8-12 can train to be a Revolutionary War spy by exploring options for sending secret messages to other spies. Registration required.
Joyful Fridays: Black Women Artists
When: 2/19
Kids ages 4-8 can make a self-portrait and learn how Black women have used art to tell stories and express thoughts. Registration required.
Small Explorers: Rhythm and Rhyme
When: 2/20
Kiddos ages 5 and under can join Miss Kerry for stories, crafts, games, playtime and museum activities. This month’s theme is “Out of Many, One” and includes a reading of “This Jazz Man” by Karen Ehrhardt. At-home kits will be packed with instruments and musical games and are available for pickup. Registration required.
Goofing Off with King Manor
When: 2/20
Ages 8-12 can explore practical jokes from the nineteenth century, plus make their own prank game with help from the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum.
LEGO Maritime Festival
When: Now-2/21
This year, the USS Constitution Museum is holding its LEGO festival online with fun activities for all ages. Check out Friday’s Challenge Build or Sunday’s Ship Shape Competition.
Purim Virtual Story Time
When: 2/21
Kids can join Queen Ester, played by local character actress Nola Bunny, to learn about the tale of the Queen and other Purim-related stories. There’ll be a story time, plus movement activity and sing along. Registration required.
Virtual Family Workshop: Time Travel with David Hockney
When: 2/21
Hosted by the Morgan Library & Museum, this virtual event explores portraits made by David Hockney over the years, including one of his mother. An instructor will lead you through a sketching challenge to draw a family member’s past or future portrait. Registration required.
Lighting Up Lanterns for Tết
When: 2/21
Celebrate Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, and honor the power of hope in the dark times by participating in this lantern-making workshop. Ages 6 and older will learn how the holiday is celebrated in Vietnam, plus how the lanterns offer cheer and the promise of a better future. Registration required.
Milk & Cookies
When: Now-5/1
The State Theatre is offering a Milk & Cookie (ages 3-10) virtual event, which can be accessed at any point (even beyond the weekend) with a donation of at least $10. Join Aaron Nigel Smith to listen to reggae songs with the founder of 1 World Chorus, a non-profit dedicated to promoting peace through music. You can also check out indie rock star and children’s entertainer Ralph Covert will perform silly music off albums like Green Gorilla Monster & Me and The Rhyming Circus.
Winter Activity Box
When: Now-2/28
Grab an activity box with kiddos ages 4-8 from the Hunterdon County Arboretum, that has a variety of games and activities based on weather, hibernation, trees in winter, animal evidence and owls.
Check our calendar for more events.
If you have upcoming events you’d like included in our digital calendar or considered for future things to do stories, please submit it here.