Top Picks for This Weekend
Lace up your skates and glide over to two local ice rinks, opening Fri. for the season. The Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest in Philly features ice skating, holiday light shows, shopping and food & drink for all – in addition to special Skate with Santa sessions every Sat. & Sun. through Dec. 21. Norristown, PA’s Elmwood Park Zoo also debuts its Outdoor Ice Skating Rink, open Wed.-Sun., which features a synthetic ice that resembles the real thing and lets families take to the rink whatever the temperature.
Take a break from the shopping frenzy and round up the whole crew for Black Friday Madness at Wilmington’s Delaware Children’s Museum, Fri.-Sun. Not only can you nab the best deal you’ll find on DCM memberships all year long, but kids can let loose while they create colorful pies, experiment with food’s density, explore chemical reactions, go on a museum-wide treasure hunt, learn about air resistance and dive into underwater adventures.
It’s a literal block party at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture’s new Constructing Play: Classic Building Toys exhibit, open with FREE admission this Fri. through Jan. 29. Discover the history of traditional kid faves, see local venues in mini (toy) form and track how the classics inspired today’s popular toys – like the ones included in our Holiday Toy Test. Practice your building skills with Hands-On carts and return each Sat. for family workshops.
More Local Events the Kids Will Love
Create ornaments using items found along this nature hike to decorate your home and the evergreen trees outside during Bucktoe Creek Preserve’s Black Friday Celebration in Avondale, PA Sat.
Meet Jan Brett, author of holiday kid-favorites like The Mitten, The Hat and her new book The Animals’ Santa, at the Children’s Book Signing Sun. at Haverford, PA’s Children’s Book World. Hedgie will be onsite for photo ops.
Hot apple cider, hayrides, s’mores by the fire, special guests and an array of Christmas trees and wreaths bring home the season during the FREE Cider Fest Sat. at Camden-Wyoming, DE’s Fifer Orchards Farm & Country Store.
Explore the new Enchanted Castles and Noble Knights exhibit at Chadds Ford, PA’s Brandywine River Museum of Art, find out who lives inside a castle and decorate your own palace during the Creative Castles Family Program Sat.
Shopping on Small Business Saturday? Join the FREE Holiday Celebration in downtown Ardmore, PA for a “win the window” scavenger hunt, wish list-making, Santa’s arrival on a fire truck, visits with the big man in red, carols and a tree lighting.
The holidays aren’t the only source of magic at Philly’s Parkway Central Library Sun. Catch the FREE Magic by POLY! program for illusions, comedy and audience participation.
Drop by Broomall, PA’s Marple Sports Arena to partake in sing-alongs and character photo ops when you bring the kids to Meet Elsa, Olaf and the Ninja Turtles Fri.
Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Enchantment unfolds onstage at the Academy of Music when the current Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella comes to Philly through Sun.
Explore 19th-century holiday traditions with Thanksgiving Weekend Family Activities at Wilmington, DE’s Hagley Museum and Library Fri.-Sun., complete with period parlor games and holiday crafts.
Take advantage of FREE admission and hands-on family painting during Wide Open Weekend at WheatonArts and Cultural Center in Millville, NJ Fri.-Sun. For extra seasonal spice, watch artists attempt to create the world’s largest fruitcake in glass Fri.
