Fall

I love baking with my kids — except when I don't. Saturday morning I was rushing to finish some desserts I needed to take to our school party, and my eldest was hovering. I said in my sing-songiest, sweetest, most patient voice, 'Please scooch, honey, I can't let you help right now.' Obligingly she scooched over a half-millimeter, and in my rushing was elbowed in the head, and then she cried and I wasn't so sing songy anymore. But still, I do love to bake with them, when I have the extra 83 hours required.

Can you imagine telling your kids to throw on their fairy costumes and run around the neighborhood in the dark ringing strangers’ doorbells and asking for candy? Ahhh...the good old days. But while door-to-door trick-or-treating seems to be quickly becoming a tradition of the past, Halloween remains a children’s holiday to be enjoyed with great gusto–so grab those costumes and celebrate the ghoulish fest with a slew of October 31st events sure to raise everyone’s spirits!

What is a Halloween train, you ask? Across NJ, railroads take you for a fun Halloween ride, with destinations like corn mazes, pumpkin patches and festivals. Some rides are scary, some not so scary, so  whether you've got wee ones or older kids ready for a thrill, there's spooky Halloween fun on the rails of New Jersey.

There is a perfect pick your own pumpkin farm for everyone in New Jersey! If you are looking for a full day of pumpkin picking adventures for preschoolers, a pick your own pumpkin patch that won't bore your 10 year old, or just a quiet old fashioned farm without all the gimmicks and where you actually pick the pumpkin from the vine, you can find it all in NJ.

So what if the first official day of fall was 75 degrees, it's the autumnal season, folks, and with the bright leaves, the crisp air, and the guaranteed 5 lb. Halloween weight gain, come festivals of every shape and color. New Jersey boasts a variety of fests focused on everything from dogs to cranberries, and beehives to pumpkins. Put on your jackets and come celebrate fall!