The Tri-State area is beautiful around this time of year! I love looking for things to do with my family! It’s especially more fun now that my daughter is 7 years old and we now have our 1-year-old. Every year we try to do something different and we also like going to our favorite pumpkin-picking spot. This year things are a bit tight financially and I figured if I could find free things to do, we could always do more things that we could spend money on. I was surprised to see how many free things there are in the area that are 2 hours or less away. And this is considering I live about 30 minutes from NYC. I thought I would make a list of things to do that are free so I could look back on them and also share them with others who are looking for things to do with their family.
1. Go On A Hike
My husband and I enjoy hiking and it’s always nice to have beautiful scenery to look at! My daughter doesn’t like hiking but I try to make a game out of it. She loves eye-spy or seeing how many different bugs or animals we can find. Our 1-year-old is a bit easier, considering we can put him in a carrier and walk with him. My husband loves to go to the Delaware Water Gap to hike, but it’s too long of a hike with our daughter. We try to find areas that are an hour to an hour and a half total, just for my daughter. We enjoy going to High Point State Park. They have different routes and trails and it lets you know how long each trail is and its difficulty.
2. Sleepy Hollow Day Trip
Definitely look into the activities that are in Sleepy Hollow. Yes, there are some activities that need tickets to participate in but they do have different festivals! The Sleepy Hollow Street Fair is on October 14th! Also, there is the Tarrytown Halloween Parade on October 28th. It’s nice to walk around and take part in with the family.
3. Hoboken Fall Harvest Festival
The Harvest festival will be on October 21st from 11am to 3pm! It is mentioned on their website that there will be free activities for children, such as hay maz, pony rides, petting zoo, a pumpkin patch, horse and carriage rides, inflatables and more!
4. The Addams Family Fun Day in Westfield
The fun day will be on October 16th from 10am to 5pm. Downtown Westfield will have a street closed to cars for a fun day! There will be Addams Family character visits, live performances, Pumpkin Carving Displays, and activities for the children!
5. Scarecrows in the Village in PA
Peddlers Village is an aesthetically pleasing town where they host their annual life-size scarecrows. Not just regular scarecrows, but over 100 of them lines in the pathways of Peddlers Village! Each is made differently with famous characters and some creepy! The parking and admissions are both free!