Hi everyone! Another busy Fall weekend here in NYC with outdoor & virtual events to enjoy with the family.
This weekend check out Indoor Exhibits Reopening Day at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Folk Festival: Dan Zanes + Claudia Zanes Family Singalong!, Journey to the Stars in Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Yard on Governors Island, The Jewish Museum Virtual Art Workshop: Picture This! Pop-Up Collage, BPL Events for Youth and Family: Online Magic, Monster by Tin&Ed at Brookfield Place, “West African Adventures” with Cumbe: Center for African Diaspora Dance, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden: Virtual Halloween Murder Mystery, ScreenPLAY: How to Charm a Sea Monster and Pumpkin Patch at The William Vale.
Don’t forget to check out the long running events like Boo at the Zoo at Prospect Park Zoo, Pumpkin Point on Governors Island, Pumpkin Picking at Decker Farm, Great Pumpkin Path at New York Botanical Garden, Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo, The Amazing Maize Maze® at Queens County Farm Museum, Jack & the Beanstalk at Puppetworks, Biking & Boating at Lakeside in Prospect Park, the Spineless Exhibit at The New York Aquarium and The Nature of Color Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History.
These are just some of the events this weekend so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Wear your mask & have a fabulous weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday October 23rd
“West African Adventures” with Cumbe: Center for African Diaspora Dance
Friday October 23rd 10-1045a. Free. This program is intended for families with children ages 3-6 years old. RSVP here. Take a journey with us through West African culture as we explore the vivacious rhythms, high energy movement, and jewels of knowledge from Nigeria, Guinea, Burkina Faso and more! From viewing the map of Africa, learning oral and movement traditions and creating a joyful community, participants will receive a fun, energetic experience for the whole family. This workshop includes an engaging body awareness warm-up, enriching vocabulary, movement exploration, and a jam session.
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden: Virtual Halloween Murder Mystery
Friday October 23rd 8p. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here (Note: a minimum of 4 tickets must be purchased to form a team.) Families with children 10+ with an adult participant are welcome to sign up as a team. Join us for a virtual murder mystery experience. An unidentified skeleton has been discovered at the Mount Vernon Hotel. Who was killed? By whom? With what? Work with your team of fellow detectives to unravel the mystery and solve the case so justice can be served! This group experience will pit teams against one another to answer trivia questions and solve puzzles as you attempt to solve this fictional murder, involving real characters from 19th-century New York. Once all of the rounds are complete, and points tallied up, the top teams will be revealed!
Journey to the Stars in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday October 23rd 7-9p. Free. Location: Pier 3 Plalza. Gaze across the New York sky and all the wonders it holds. On select Friday nights in August and September, members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will set up hi-powered telescopes for stargazing sessions that are free and open to the public. Weather permitting. Important Information: This event is first come, first served. There will be a socially-distanced queue to use the telescopes. We recommend arriving as early as possible. Participants must wear a face covering at all times.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday October 24th
Indoor Exhibits Reopening at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Starting Saturday October 24th. Museum hours Saturdays-Sundays 10a-7p. Museum admission: $13 per person (children under 1 free). BCM is delighted to be reopening its indoor exhibits on October 24. Make sure you don’t miss a minute of fun by ordering your tickets online in advance and reserving a timed ticket. There are two types of tickets to BCM: Play Session tickets and ColorLab Session tickets. Play Sessions are Saturdays & Sundays at 10a, 1230p, 3p or 5p (90-minute session). Come play in our exhibits! BCM favorite exhibits including Totally Tots, World Brooklyn, Neighborhood Nature, Collections Central and The Nest are open for exploration. For more information on BCM’s exhibits, check out our Permanent Exhibits page. Artmaking in ColorLab are Saturdays & Sundays at 1030a, 130p & 330p. Every weekend, BCM hosts artmaking workshops featuring a muse artist and family art projects inspired by their work. Families attending the 1030a & 1p ColorLab sessions may come up to 30 minutes in advance to play in BCM’s exhibits, and visitors attending the 3p session may stay up to 30 minutes after their workshop. Space is limited to ensure that families can spread out in our art studio. See our ColorLab page for more information on art workshops. Masks required. See website for all the details.
Monster by Tin&Ed at Brookfield Place (Battery Park City)
Starting Saturday October 24th and daily until Saturday October 31st. Free. To celebrate Halloween at Brookfield Place, New York based artists Tin&Ed have created a new inflatable sculpture titled, Monster. Monster is a newly imagined hybrid flower whose gigantic bloom is over 20 feet high and 25 feet wide. For one week only, you are invited to come face to face with this strange new life form which is inspired by carnivorous and parasitic plants and fungi. Monster will be safely suspended amongst the palms in the Winter Garden, keeping all who pass by safely out of its grasp. A specially designed AR filter will allow visitors to become part of the sculpture by bringing out the monster in all of us. Bring Out Your Inner Monster & Redeem a Treat! Snap a selfie with or photo of Monster the Winter Garden and post it to social media tagging @BFPLNY to redeem a goodie bag full of exciting treats from the concierge desk, while supplies last. The BFPL gift bag includes a Halloween coloring book, sweets, offers from BFPL’s shops, a $10 Hudson Eats gift card, and more!
ScreenPLAY: How to Charm a Sea Monster
Saturday October 24th 1130a. Tickets: $12 members, $15 non members. Get ready for an exciting at-home adventure from The Gottabees, the creators of the wildly fun, and always hilarious Squirrel Stole My Underpants. This super-interactive experience allows you to channel your family’s creativity into an inspiring work of participatory art, where you and your kids become part of the story through movement, puppetry, theater, and the irresistible power of being ridiculous. In this installment, you’ll plunge beneath the waves to a magical underwater world. So clear some space at home, jump into your ZOOM square, and get ready for some fun! Please note that space for this event is limited to 20 families. A link for the fun will be sent to your email the evening before the event. ScreenPLAY is best experienced on a laptop. Purchase your ticket here.
BPL Events for Youth and Family: Online Magic
Saturday October 24th 1-2p. Free. For all ages. A magic program with Mark Clearview and a talking monkey! This program, led by a world record holding magician and comedian, has every jaw-dropping magic trick in the book, and includes a comedic twist! Part magic show, that has families working to create the magic by clapping, laughing, or even saying the magic words. Part lesson, as each attendee will learn some magic that they can perform and create at home. View the broadcast at 1p on the BPL Facebook page.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday October 25th
The Jewish Museum Virtual Art Workshop: Picture This! Pop-Up Collage
Sunday October 25th 10-1045a. General $10, Jewish Museum Family Members $5. Register here for Zoom link; One ticket per household. Join us for a virtual family tour and art-making experience inspired by our popular Picture This! series now designed as an at-home opportunity for families. Discover collage and mixed-media works of art in a virtual tour with interactive activities, and create a pop-up fantastical scene using magazine papers, textures, and other found materials. Explore your creativity through this intimate and multi-faceted program focusing on striking art in the Museum’s collection.
Brooklyn Folk Festival: Dan Zanes + Claudia Zanes Family Singalong!
Sunday October 25th 12n. Free. Music for children and families! Dan and Claudia Zanes have been making music with each other since the day they met in the fall of 2016. They created a songbook entitled Dan Zanes’ House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury, which opened the doors to many new conversations with parents, educators, music therapists, and fellow musicians about how to work together to create a healthier, more musical (and ultimately, more festive), society. They bring their music to family shows, school workshops, community singalongs, and folk festivals throughout the U.S. and into Canada, and take their commitment to accessibility and inclusion with them wherever they go. Watch the performance on the Jalopy Theare Facebook page. Check out the full schedule of free performances and ticketed special workshops and presentations here.
The Yard on Governors Island
Sunday October 25th 12n-4p & Saturday October 31st 12n-4p. The Yard is free. Ferry tickets need to be reserved in advance and there are fees. See the website for the details. The Yard, NYC’s only adventure playground located on Governors Island will open to the public. Safety protocols will be different this year due to the current conditions. Timed slots will be available on a first-come first-served basis at the gate. Masks will be required. No more than 30 kids in the Yard and no children under 5. Waivers: Each child will need a separate waiver to participate in either adventure play or family play area. We recommend you fill out the waiver ONLINE HERE prior to your visit. Waivers are also available at the entrance of play:groundNYC and closed-toe shoes are required. See website for all the details.
Pumpkin Patch at The William Vale (Williamsburg)
Sunday October 25th 1130a-3p. Free admission. Bring the whole family to Vale Park to pick your own pumpkins and get into the fall spirit. Cozy beverages will be available including hot chocolate, ciders, and mulled wine. Lots of sizes to choose from and pumpkin prices vary by size.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Boo at the Zoo at Prospect Park Zoo
Daily until October 31st. Zoo hours are: Monday-Friday 10a-5p, weekends & holidays 10a-530p. Included in Zoo admission. Timed entry tickets can be purchased here. Prospect Park Zoo is going batty every day in October with Halloween-themed educational (and fun) decorations. Download a spooky scavenger hunt and see if you can answer the clues as you wander through the zoo. Visit the tombstones of extinct animals in sea lion court and learn why extinction isn’t inevitable with your help! Our Spooky Trail will show you some of our “spooky” neighbors who come out at night. Get creative with your masks and take a photo at one of our beautiful harvest decoration areas.
Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo
Thursdays-Sundays until November 1st. Zoo hours are 10a-5p. Tickets are required and must be reserved in advance. Reserve tickets here. Included with zoo admission. Our annual Halloween tradition is back at the Bronx Zoo. We have family-friendly activities and have taken all safety precautions for you to have a great experience. Come dressed in your Halloween best and enjoy! See the website for all the event details.
Pumpkin Point 2020 on Governors Island
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-6p until November 1st. There is no admission fee to the patch/Governors Island but fees for the ferry to the island. See website for the details. Governors Island’s annual pumpkin patch, Pumpkin Point, returns this October! This year’s patch will feature thousands of pumpkins and fall-themed decorations arranged across the Island’s historic Nolan Park. Each visitor will be encouraged to take one pumpkin home with them, free of charge. Pumpkin Point 2020 will be a socially distanced event with plenty of room for visitors to spread out and enjoy the patch. Masks required. See the website for all the details.
Great Pumpkin Path at New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
On display 10a-6p until November 1st (Tuesday to Sunday). Free with Garden admission. All visitors, including Members, must purchase or reserve timed-entry tickets in advance. Purchase tickets here. Discover plentiful pumpkins and hordes of gourds along the twists and turns of our Great Pumpkin Path on the Conservatory Lawn, culminating with some of the largest pumpkins in the world with the arrival of giant pumpkins on October 24. Keep an eye out for a display of whimsical scarecrows throughout the Garden as well. Note: Everyone is required to wear face coverings throughout the Garden grounds.
Pumpkin Picking at Decker Farm
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until October 25th. Tickets online – $6/person (adults and kids of all ages) at the gate – $8/person (availability NOT guaranteed). Admission will be by timed entry ONLY, with a reduced number of tickets sold every hour starting at 11:00am and ending at 4:00pm. Any tickets remaining for each time slot can be purchased on-site on the day-of for an additional $2. Ticket availability is NOT guaranteed for any walk-up sales. Pumpkin Picking at Historic Richmond Town’s Decker Farm returns Saturday, October 3, with all of your favorite autumnal activities! Search the patch for the perfect pumpkin, learn about 19th century farm life, and indulge in delicious fall food favorites, all without leaving Staten Island! See the website for all the event details and to purchase tickets.
The Amazing Maize Maze® at Queens County Farm Museum
Fridays-Sundays 11a-430p (last ticket sold at 430p) in October. Advance Tickets: $12; $8 (ages 4-11) (plus fees). Free for ages 3 & under. Purchase tickets here. Get lost in NYC’s only corn maze! The Amazing Maize Maze adventure begins with a Stalk Talk to prepare you for the 3-acre challenge of finding clues on your way to Victory Bridge where the full vista of Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ masterpiece is revealed. Maze entry will be staggered in order to maintain event capacity.
Jack & the Beanstalk at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Ongoing Wednesdays-Fridays at 4p and Saturdays-Sundays at 1230p & 230p until December 23rd. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each (suggested for ages 3 and up). Jack & the Beanstalk with an original song score adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Call for Reservations: 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com NO Same Day e-mail reservations please. Performances are @ 25% Capacity, Masks Required.
Brooklyn Public Library Vitural Storytimes
Daily usually at 11a & 2p. Free. Sometimes the storytimes are on the Brooklyn Public Library Family facebook page and other times they are on a specific branch facebook page. See the website for all the details.
Biking & Boating in Prospect Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-630p until November 1st. See website for biking & boating rates. LeFrak Center at Lakeside will be open daily for biking, boating, with food and drink available for takeaway from the Bluestone Cafe.
Rollerskating at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Daily 12n-7p until November 1st. Pricing: $6 admission & $7 skate rentals on weekdays and $10 admission, $7 skate rentals on weekends (weekend pricing begins 4p Fridays). Roller Skating is BACK! COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed, including mask-wearing and social distancing protocols. Skating will operate at reduced capacity. Come get moving with us at Lakeside! Lakeside’s outdoor roller skating rink provides fun for kids, tweens, and adults alike. Skate to a mix of pop hits while taking in views of Prospect Park Lake. Skate rentals are available in children and adult sizes. See website for all the details.
Spineless Exhibit at The New York Aquarium (Coney Island)
Daily 10a-4p (park closes 5p) until October 31st. Admission included with ticket. All visitors must reserve a date-specific ticket in advance. Please check Know Before You Go for details. We have great news: The New York Aquarium is reopening on August 27! Buy tickets to see all of your favorite marine animals today and enjoy summer on Coney Island! Explore Spineless, our latest exhibit, and marvel and the jellies, octopus, and more. Come wave hello to Erie the sea lion and Murphy the Harbor Seal. Relax in Ocean Wonders: Sharks! and watch the rays, sharks, and turtles.
The Nature of Color Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Museum is open Wednesdays-Sundays with timed entry tickets are available 10a-4p (museum closes 530p). Exhibit is open until March 8, 2021. Select a General Admission + One or General Admission + All ticket, choose date and time of entry to the Museum, then select The Nature of Color. Reserve tickets here. Our world is awash in color. Color makes the world feel vibrant and alive. But that’s not all. Color helps us make sense of the world. It contains vast amounts of information—about the natural world, and the human world. Come and explore the world of color in this immersive exhibition.