5 Fun Weekend Activities

Woohoo!  The first weekend of summer has arrived, bringing with it a GORGEOUS forecast.  Here are some free or inexpensive happenings for the weekend.  Enjoy!

1.  Verrill Farm's Strawberry Festival.  PYO berries, strawberry shortcake, pony rides, music, burgers, hay rides.  Free admission.

2.  Watertown's Greek Festival.  Greek food (including pastries!), games, music, dancing.  Starts tonight and goes through Sunday.

3.  Riverfest on the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers. Kids can explore the riverbanks, ride boats, listen to music, and more.  These activities appear to be FREE!

4.  Free Beach Party in Acton.  Beach admission is waived for this event which includes hula hooping, sand building, and more fun and games.

5.  Play outside until dusk.  Tomorrow is summer solstice, which throughout my childhood meant playing outside until the sun went down.  Even if it's past your kid's bedtime, let them stay up and enjoy a long day full of daylight.   Some of my favorite memories were getting to play outside until 9 on the first day of summer.  This could be made complete with ice cream sandwiches or ice pops.  :-)

5 Things to Do this Weekend

Lambs at Drumlin Farm

Looking for something to do this rainy weekend?  Here are some inexpensive, indoor ideas to keep you entertained and dry.

1.  Go to the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Sunday morning.  Massachusetts residents get in for free from 9AM until noon.

2.  Meet the Easter Bunny at the Natick Mall.   It's the first weekend he's here.  Don't forget your 30% off coupon for a picture package.  It's a really good deal.

3.  Check out Ben Rudnick and Friends at the Needham Library.  Here's an opportunity to see Ben Rudnick for free.  He plays Saturday at 3:15.

4.   Okay, this one is outdoors, but sounds like fun and I've never been able to go.  Grab and umbrella and head to Drumlin Farm for Woolapalooza on Saturday.  Woolapalooza is Drumlin's sheepshearing festival.

5.  Celebrate spring and grab some fro-yo!  Get this Groupon from Fresh Mango near Downtown Crossing.

Halloween and Fall Festivities Around Boston

Source:  linder6580 from sxc.hu

*Updated on 10/16*

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and there's no shortage of free and inexpensive activities around Greater Boston to celebrate Halloween and autumn!  I'll probably update this as I come across more. Please let me know if you know of any other events!

Saturdays in October:  Lakeshore Learning offers free crafts from 11-3.  10/5 are farm puppets, 10/12 is a pumpkin door hanger, 10/19 is a mask, and 10/26 is a trick-or-treat cup.  There are locations in Newton and Saugus.

October 5-31:  Spooky Hayrides at Wilson Farm in Lexington on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October.   Free!

October 5:  Peirce Elementary School's Pumpkin Patch & Harvest Happenings in Newton.  11 AM.  Pumpkins, cider, bake sale, live music.

October 5:  Homestead Hayfest at Historic Newton.  Press your own cider, churn your own butter, dip candles...it's a lot of fun!  We can't make it this year and are disappointed to miss it!

October 6:  Paddles and Pumpkins in Newton, 2-4 PM.  Sign up for a free half hour of canoeing or kayaking, decorate pumpkins, and enjoy cider.

October 6:  Dorchester Historical Society's Farm Day.  Pony rides, bake sale, kids activities, and more!

October 11:  Watertown Cooperative Nursery School's Pumpkin Sale.  Not just pumpkins!  There are also goody bags, secondhand costumes, cider, and baked goods.  Proceeds benefit WCNS.

October 13:  Hike to the Witches Caves in Ashland.  Enjoy the scenery on a family hike.

October 13:  Halloween event at South Street Diner.  Pumpkin carving and coloring pumpkins, hot apple cider, trick or treating.  Wear your costume!

October 14:  Columbus Day Games at Gore Place.  Explore the 50 acres of Gore Place while following clues and solve a puzzle to win a prize.

October 19:  Mask Magic at the Watertown Mall.  Make a mask and enjoy music with Jean!  There is also a mask contest associated with this event.

October 19:  Fall Harvest Festival at Patriot's Place.  Cranberry harvesting, pumpkin painting, hayrides, live music, and more!

October 19-20:  Newton Harvest Fair.  Amusement rides and more!  Sunday has more activities including pumpkin decorating.

October 19-27:  Kids get in free at Southwick's Zoo if they wear their costume!

October 25:  Halloween Music with Marcie Joy at Henry Bear's Park, Brookline, 5 PM

October 25:  Halloween Fun at the Waltham Library with crafts and face painting.

October 26:  Linden Square Halloween Party.  Parade, storytelling, and treats!

October 26:  Legacy Place's Halloween Event.  We did this last year and Isaac had a great time!  Trick or treat throughout the mall, enjoy crafts, drink cider or pumpkin milkshakes, and more.

October 26:  Halloween Magic at the Waltham Library.  Not scary, great for the little ones!

October 26:  Halloween Party at Burlington Mall.  Goody bags, music, and a costume contest!

October 26:  Halloween Puppets at the Watertown Mall.  Free puppet shows at 11, 1, and 3 near Carter's.

October 26:  Wellesley Trick-or-Treat Parade.  For kids aged kids 0-8.  It will start at 11 am at Dorset Tea on Washington Street, followed by games in Clock Tower Park and a visit from the Wellesley Fire Department!

October 26:  Spooktacular Trick or Treat Parade in Natick.  Go through Downtown Natick and trick-or-treat!

October 26:  West Newton Safe Trick-or-Treat.  Trick-or-treat in West Newton Square and enjoy events at Hip Stitch and Joanne Langione Dance!  (no link at the moment, but email me at krissym at yahoo dot com if you have any questions...this is in my neighborhood)

October 26 & 27:  Halloween Party on Castle Island. Haunted castle, trick-or-treat bags, storytellers, and balloons!

October 27:  Boo Bash at Square One Mall in Saugus.  Trick-or-treat, photo ops, and other Halloween events!

October 27:  Pru Boo at the Pru!  Trick-or-treat for charity, plus magic face painting, and plenty of other fun!

October 27:  Arsenal Mall Trick-or-Treat. Entertainment, tattoos, and free cider, too!

October 27:  Trick-or-Treat @ The Street.  Chestnut Hill's new outdoor mall is having a costume party with free food, the Stacey Peasley Band, and more!

October 29:  Halloween-themed Storytime at Showcase Cinema Deluxe at Patriot's Place.  Includes a character visit and a brief movie.  The story is shown on the big screen...lots of fun!  (And for lunch afterwards, kids eat free at Qdoba on Tuesdays!)

October 30:  Gross Halloween Crafts at the Watertown Public Library for grades K-5.

October 31:  Trick-or-Treat at Puppet Showplace in Brookline.  Make a puppet, show off your costume, and have treats.  Free!

October 31:  Halloween Fun for Kids Under 7 at the Boston Public Library.  Come in a costume for Halloween themed stories and songs.

October 31:  Scary Stories at the Cambridge Public Library.  Ages 5+.

October 31:  Jungle Jim's Halloween Show at the Watertown Public Library for grades K-5.

October 31:  Get a free cider donut at Russell Orchard if you show up in costume!

October 31:  Free monster pancakes at IHOP for kids.  Locations in Brighton, Harvard Square, Dedham, Revere, Saugus, and more.

October 31:  Trick or Treat Arlington.  Trick-or-treat at the stores in Arlington!

October 31:  Mall-O-Ween at the Woburn Mall.  Trick-or-treat and watch Lucky Bob, the magician and juggler!

Our Fall Bucket List

As I crossed off most of the items on our summer bucket list, I started thinking of fun stuff for us to do this fall.  Fall is my favorite season so I'm looking forward to plenty of fall fun!

Touch-a-Truck is always a good time!

Here's what I'm looking forward to...

• Apple picking.  We actually paid a visit to Tougas Farm last weekend and we LOVE Tougas, but it was a bit too early for most of the apples and we mostly picked peaches.  The peaches were awesome, by the way!  But, I love the full fall experience - hot apple cider afterwards, warm cider donuts, etc.  For that experience, there's nothing like Russell Orchards.  Plus, there's wine tasting for mommy and daddy, tons of farm animals, and hayrides on the weekends.
• Pumpkin picking.  I have never been pumpkin picking before, but I'm going to make it my mission this fall.
• Touch-a-Truck.  Last year we had a blast at Newton's Touch-a-Truck, which is on September 22 this year.  Kids can explore an ambulance, moving truck, fire truck, and more.  Food trucks are also there so bring an appetite.  If you're not near Newton or can't make it that day, most cities have their own Touch-a-Truck day, usually in the fall.  I may do some digging and find out when other areas are holding their Touch-a-Truck and do a separate post.
• Nature walks.  Fall is the perfect time for nature walks.  Not too hot, not too cold, and in New England it's as picturesque as can be.  I'm on the lookout for some new trails that would be doable with kids.
• Castle Island.  This is actually a carryover from my summer bucket list.  Summer went by too fast and we never had the opportunity to hit up Castle Island.  I'd love for us to watch the planes take off, walk around the fort, play at the playground, and top it off with cheap eats at Sullivan's.
• The zoo.  Ideally, Southwick's.  It's the best zoo I've been to since moving here.  If I can't make it to Southwick's, maybe Franklin Park Zoo.  Franklin Park and Stone Zoos have great discounts on the first Saturday of the month - if you get there before noon, adults get to pay the kid's admission!
• Harbor Islands.  This is another carryover from my summer bucket list. We are sitting on a Groupon that expires in about 6 weeks.
•  Visit a new Mass Audubon location.  You will quickly learn that I am a huge fan of Mass Audubon.   After having a wonderful time at the Wellfleet location, it dawned on me that I am not using my membership to its fullest.  This fall, Isaac and I will be exploring at least ONE Mass Audubon location that we haven't been to before.  We do love Drumlin Farm, but there's so much more out there that we haven't visited!
• Newton Harvest Fair.   Rides, pumpkin decorating, and fall fun?  Count us in.  Learn more.