Things To Do This Weekend in New Jersey, February 26-28

Watch a virtual Pokémon concert with Post Malone or head outdoors to tap maple trees before the syrup season ends.

Liberty Science Center Facebook

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26

LSC Junior Days
Where: Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Every Thursday and Friday is LSC Junior Day at Liberty Science Center, which means ages 6 and under can hit the Science Dance Party twice per day, visit the Wild About Animal exhibition and even explore more shows in the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium.

Family Swamp Stroll
Where: Great Swamp Environmental Education Center, Chatham Twp.
Grab your mittens! The entire family can take a peaceful walk in the swamp while learning about the wildlife and plants that live there. Registration required.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27

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.

Back to Nature
Where: Trailside Nature Center, Mountainside
Ages 4 and up can spend time in Union County’s largest park, the Watchung Reservation, for a “Cool Camouflage” program where they’ll learn about the flora and fauna that can disguise itself to match its surroundings.

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.

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.

Vic DiBitetto
Where: MPAC, Morristown and Virtual
Snag tickets to this comedy show (with both in-person and virtual viewing options) featuring Vic DiBitetto, known for his comedy style that’s a cross of Rodney Dangerfield and Ralph Kramden.

Skating on the Square
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.

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.

Sing-a-long with Princess Belle and Queen Elsa
Where: Imagine That!!! Museum, 4 Vreeland Rd., Florham Park
Outside, Princess Belle and Queen Elsa will sing to the kids, plus hand out a treat and tiaras to each child. After, the kids can hit the open play area which features a new pet vet center, LEGO racing, train exhibit and more.

Tracks in the Snow
Where: Watershed Institute, Pennington
Ages 6 and up can join education director Jeff Hoagland for a winter hike on the Watershed Reserve’s trails to explore animal tracks. He’ll teach your kids how to identify tracks, trails and other signs of animals. Registration required.

maple sugaring
Reeves-Reed Arboretum

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Signs of Spring Walk
Where: Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton
Head outside with horticulturist Louise Senior for a tour of the grounds and gardens as you look for signs of spring, like tree buds, birds, nests and bugs. Registration required.

Maple Sugaring Fest
Where: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit
Bundle up your kids and take the whole family outdoors to hike the trails and learn about the steps needed to turn tree sap into maple syrup. Registration highly suggested.

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.

ALL WEEKEND

Mr. C’s Train Exhibit
When: Roseland Free Public Library, Roseland
The library’s interactive train exhibit allows kids to work the controls and move trains along cute, light-up villages. Controls are sanitized after every use. Exhibit is appointment-only for half an hour.

Winter Activity Box
Where: Hunterdon County Arboretum, Lebanon
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.

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 throughout February.

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.

Sesame Place Facebook

ONGOING IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES

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 ACTIVITIES FOR THE WEEKEND

Lotion Stick Making Virtual Workshop
When: 2/26
Grab a DIY Kit to make your own custom scented lotion sticks with your family. These travel-friendly moisturizers will be made with natural oils, butters and fragrances from the comfort of your kitchen. Registration required.

Blending the Two Worlds with Medium Catherine McCall
When: 2/26
Medium Catherine McCall will host a virtual event centered around a night of messages and love. As an intuitive, she’s hoping to bridge the two worlds and help heal those looking to connect with their loved ones.

Garden Discoveries: Feathered Friends in Winter
When: 2/26
The Van Vleck House and Gardens is hosting an online class meant to inspire little ones to learn about the environment around them. Class will begin with a circle time and story, then a guided activity and Q&A. Students will be encouraged to go outside with a parent to complete an outdoor activity at the end of class. Registration required.

Pokémon Day Virtual Concert
When: 2/27
Celebrate 25 years of these cute pocket monsters with a concert featuring Post Malone and other surprises on YouTube, Twitch and the Pokémon website.

I Spy… A Sugarbush!
When: 2/27
Duke Farms will teach kids ages 4-8 about sugarbushes, sugar maple trees and the animals that also love its delicious sap. Kids will learn how trees are tapped and how to identify maple trees and sugar bushes, then they’ll head outdoors to make their own discoveries. Registration required.

Chinese New Year Virtual Event
When: 2/27
Celebrate the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar with two hours of free virtual events like a play by Chinese Theater Works, Mandarin storytime, shadow puppet play and crafts and more. Registration required.

The Art of the Dog, Portrait Workshop
When: 2/27
Join the Morven Museum & Garden’s Debra Lampert-Rudman to learn about the history of dog portraiture before drawing your own dog (or other pet). Students can then email their portraits to Debra, who will provide a traced image of your pet on archival watercolor paper that allows students to create a likeness of their pet using watercolor pencils.

Harlem Renaissance and the Art of Collage
When: 2/27
Local artist Kenneth Lewis Jr. will explain the history of the Harlem Renaissance and the collage work of Romare Bearden, then prompt students (using supplies found at home) on how collage can be used as an art form. Registration required.

Crazy Quilting Virtual Workshop
When: 2/27
Kids can learn how old items like clothes, sheets, curtains and scraps can be turned into fun, quirky quilts. They’ll also learn about the significance of quilting in African American history, like the origins of quilting in African culture. DIY kits can be picked up in Montclair. Registration required.

BAMkids Film Festival
When: Now-2/28
This annual fest can be celebrated virtually, with family-friendly shorts, interactive art workshops, performances, dance parties and other activities.

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.

Check our calendar for more events. 

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