Craving some music and munchies? Both are hot themes on our calendar this week, the second full week of November. Get the little ones movin’ and groovin’ at Mommy & Me Kindermusik, Rutgers Children’s Choir Drop-In Day and Tom Chapin: Sensory-Friendly Performance. Enjoy creating treats at Make Your Own Pizza and Candy Corn Creations. And don’t forget to check out our Event Calendar for even more options!

Halloween is finally here! Costumes? Check! (since August in my house). Trick-or-treat candy? Check! Halloween plans? There are so many to choose from. Head to the 4th Annual Halloween Spooktacular at the NJ State Museum, learn about Historic Halloween Happenings at Fosterfields Farm or conduct some creepy chemistry during the Ghoul School event at Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Reserve. You can also close out October with a bang and watch your jack-o-lantern float away during the Great Pumpkin Sail at Echo Lake Park. And for a little break from the Halloween hoopla, check out the Weeki Wachee Mermaids at Adventure Aquarium or take in a performance of Curious George at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Whatever you decide to do this Halloween weekend, we hope you enjoy it with family and friends. Be sure to check out the full list of Halloween and weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

When I made the move from Manhattan to the New Jersey 'burbs, I craved a small town with a metropolitan feel. South Orange seemed like the perfect spot to make my new home. The tree-lined, gaslight-adorned center of the downtown, known as South Orange Village, is home to both local and retail stores, a variety of family-friendly restaurants, a New Jersey Transit train station and the renowned, state-of-the-art South Orange Performing Arts Center, or SOPAC. South Orange is not only a commuter town, with an easy 30 minute direct ride to New York City, it's also home to Seton Hall University. With a mixture of small town charm and cosmopolitan culture, make South Orange a day trip destination with your family. And while you're in Essex County, check out other small towns, including Nutley and Verona.