Things To Do

Polar Express Train Ride at Whippany Station

Family

Nov 16-Dec 30: Get whisked away on the Polar Express for a magical, one-hour train ride to the North Pole. Cheerful, dancing hosts punch golden tickets, serve hot chocolate and cookies, and read the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.

16th Annual Colonial Christmas at the Jacobus Vanderveer House & Museum

Arts

Nov 24-25; Dec 1-2: The Jacobus Vanderveer House & Museum, a preserved 1772 homestead, hosts the 16th Annual Colonial Christmas. Festive music fills the air, period decorations adorn the walls, and re-enactors spread cheer. Attractions include a visit from Santa and an exhibition of Revolutionary War artifacts. 

Skylands Stadium Christmas Light Show & Outdoor Village

Family

The spectacular Skylands Stadium Christmas Light Show & Village is back for its fifth festive year! With more than two million dazzling lights on a mile-long drive-through course PLUS a new outdoor village, it’s a must-see holiday attraction for your whole family.

Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Great Adventure

Family

Nov 17-Jan 1: Six Flags Great Adventure lights up the nights as it magically transform into a winter wonderland for Holiday in the Park. More than a million glittering lights, dazzling holiday entertainment, delicious seasonal treats, Santa’s village and many of the park’s rides provide the perfect setting for memorable holiday fun.

Christmas Underwater in Camden’s Adventure Aquarium

Family

December: Did you know that Jersey has the world’s largest underwater Christmas tree? See for yourself at Christmas Underwater in Camden’s Adventure Aquarium. 

Monmouth Museum’s Holiday Model Train Display& Artisans Holiday Gift Gallery

Arts

On November 18, 2018 this merry and mouth-watering juried art show, the popular Holiday Model Train Display and the Museum’s Artisans Holiday Gift Gallery all open with a reception from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Admission is free for this event and open to the public.

East Amwell Historical Society Sixth Annual Holiday House Tour

Holiday

Get a rare opportunity to tour four historic private homes when the East Amwell Historical Society conducts its sixth annual Holiday House Tour on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.

Keyport Candlelight House Tour

Tours

The Keyport Historical Society is conducting its annual Candlelight House Tour on Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 2PM to 7PM. Participants can visit more than a dozen homes and sites in the daylight or after dark.

WizardCon in Newton

Festival

Polish your wand, grab your spell book and rev up your broom as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Jersey has partnered with the Town of Newton and the Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce to announce the return of the much-anticipated WizardCon to Newton, NJ on Saturday November 24.

Lake Mohawk German Christmas Market

Holiday

Dec 1-2: The Lake Mohawk boardwalk will be awash in unique wares during the German Christmas Market. A biergarten, food market, live wood-carvings, all-day entertainment and a special visit from St. Nicholas will get you in the holiday spirit. A portion of the funds raised benefit local charities and organizations.

Holiday CraftMorristown

Holiday

Dec 7-9: Find unique gifts for everyone on your list at Holiday CraftMorristown. This three-day, curated shopping event features the work of 165 artists and craftspeople. There will also be basketweaving and coppersmithing demonstrations. 

NJ Speakers Series: Gloria Steinem at NJPAC

Lectures

Nov 29: Journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem is an internationally recognized icon of the women’s liberation movement. Listen to her lecture at NJPAC as part of the New Jersey Speakers Series. 

Bob Woodward at State Theatre New Jersey

Dec 10: Legendary journalist Bob Woodward is best known for his investigative reporting with Carl Bernstein into the Watergate scandal in the early ’70s. Woodward’s new book, FEAR: Trump in the White House (Simon & Schuster), exposes the inner workings of the current administration.

Stephen Colbert & Meryl Streep Visit Newark

Comedy

Dec 1: Join late-night television host Stephen Colbert and three-time Oscar-winning Jersey native Meryl Streep for an entertaining evening. Proceeds support Montclair Film’s education programs. 

Herb & Milly Iris Gallery Presents: “Decades of Dance” by Patricia Hutchinson at SOPAC

Arts

Thru Nov 23: The Herb & Milly Iris Gallery hosts a new exhibit, Decades of Dance, from New Jersey artist Patricia Hutchinson. This collection features paintings that capture the grace and beauty of dancers’ bodies in motion.

Watchung Reservation & the Visual Arts Center of NJ Present: “Reclamation” by Artist Nikolina Kovalenko

Arts

Thru Feb 12: Artist Nikolina Kovalenko is interested in humanity’s vanishing connection with nature and the consequences our everyday actions have on the environment. Her new exhibition, Reclamation, will be on display at the Watchung Reservation’s Trailside Nature and Science Center.

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit at Morris Museum: “Things Come Apart”

Arts

Thru Dec 2: Things Come Apart, a traveling exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and featuring the works of creative photographer and tinkerer Todd McLellan, looks inside the smartphone and dozens of other everyday technologies.

Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton Presents: “Walter Chandoha” Exhibit

Arts

Sept 23-Jan 6: The exhibit “Walter Chandoha” focuses on the photographer’s seven decades of work. Chandoha is best known for his cat photography, but this exhibition will also feature his New York street scenes from the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey Presents: “Kevin Blythe Sampson: Black and Blue”

Arts

Sept 28-Jan 27: The exhibit “Kevin Blythe Sampson: Black and Blue” incorporates drawings, a site-specific mural, and porcelain sculptures responding to the Blue and Black Lives Matter movements from his perspective as a retired African-American police officer.

Monmouth Museum’s Annual Holiday Exhibition “Fabulous Food”

Arts

Family, Friends, Fun and Food! This year, the Monmouth Museum’s Annual Holiday Exhibition, Fabulous Food, celebrates the intersection of art and food.