We're just saying goodbye to September and already the Halloween season seems to be upon us. (As any kid can tell you, you can never start celebrating too early.) We've already begun updating our NYC Halloween Fun Guide since lots of big seasonal favorites are about to start, like the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden's Haunted Pumpkin Garden and Historic Hudson Valley's Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze.

Speaking of jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkin picking season has arrived. Find out where to grab great gourds less than an hour from midtown Manhattan or check our Farm Guide for other pumpkin places on Long Island, in New Jersey and Western Connecticut. Pumpkin picking is a wonderful activity for next week's Columbus Day holiday weekend.

If you're still trying to plan your activities for this weekend, you have a bunch of truly exceptional events to choose from, including World Maker Faire, the Dumbo Arts Festival and the Morningside Lights Illuminated City Parade. That's my daughter and her friends in the photo, beaming proudly about the wire skeleton they made for a clock tower lantern in one of the free preparatory art workshops. We can't wait to see it lit up on Saturday night! Here's what else we covered this week on our NYC site:

Fall has officially arrived, which means cooler weather, colorful foliage and our seasonal class deals post. We've got awesome discounts on some really popular programs, like 25% off classes at the Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos, and up to 61% off at Chess NYC. Speaking of classes, we also updated our list of free kids' enrichment programs with info about a new no-cost art class at Upstairs on the Lower East Side. Every time we hear about a new free class, we add it to the post, so it's a good one to bookmark.

Fall also brings Columbus Day, and our Travel site has a wonderful roundup of family travel deals for the holiday weekend and beyond, plus lots of great suggestions for where to go. You don't necessarily need to travel far: Our New Jersey site has a list of 25 fun and mostly free things to do in Hoboken, and we just shared our favorite apple picking places in Eastern Connecticut and Hartford County. You can find posts about apple orchards throughout the tri-state area in our Pick-Your-Own Guide.

We also added a new culture post to our Fall Fun Guide: The best new museum exhibits for kids opening this autumn, including interactive installations at three of NYC's children's museums. Here's what else we covered this week on our NYC site:

Back in July, we wrote a post about Summer Play Streets, blocks that are temporarily closed to traffic and opened to fun in neighborhoods throughout New York City. Play Streets are a great way for kids to get out there and run around, especially in communities that don't have easy access to high-quality parks and playgrounds.

Play Streets are sponsored by various nonprofits like the Police Athletic League and the NYC Parks Department. Transportation Alternatives—an organization dedicated to reclaiming urban streets from cars for cycling, walking and playing—helps residents request Play Streets for their communities. This week, T.A. is holding free info sessions with everything you need to know to get a Play Street in your area for summer 2013.