Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

Ski days

Area ski hills are offering special events and camps during New Hampshire’s February vacation week.

• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way in Manchester; mcintyreskiarea.com/kids-vacation-camps, 622-6159) has single-day and five-day camps, which run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for ages 6 to 12. Five-day lessons for ages 4 to 6 (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.) and 6 to 16 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m.) are also available. See the website for pricing for camps and rentals.

McIntyre is also holding its Rail Jam on Sunday, Feb. 23 — rider registration is 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. riders meeting at the top of the park, at noon the GROM Heat (13 and under) starts and then skiers open class at 12:30 p.m. and snowboarders open class at 1:30 p.m. Registration costs $25 and includes a lift ticket during the event; helmets are required, the website said.

McIntyre is open daily; lift skiing hours during vacation week will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and tubing hours will have two-hour sessions starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m.. McIntyre also offers a one-rate fee for lift tickets and rentals during the end of the day until 9 p.m.; prices vary based on start time. See the website or call for each day’s offerings and times.

• Pats Peak Ski Area (686 Flanders Road in Henniker; patspeak.com, 428-3245) offers a three-day camp, Feb. 24 through Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for 7- to 14-year-olds, with and without rentals.

Pats Peak also offers a Pay One Price ticket for skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, rentals and lessons for the end of the day — through 10 p.m. starting at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., price varies based on start time. The promotion runs through vacation week (except for Sunday, Feb. 23).

Art vacation

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is offering a three-day workshop for ages 6 to 12 during February vacation. The half-day workshops are themed “My Favorite Things” and run Wednesday, Feb. 26, through Friday, Feb. 28 — 9:30 a.m. to noon for grades 1 to 3 and 1 to 3:30 p.m. for grades 4 to 6. The cost is $180 ($162 for members).

Visit the museum Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for kids ages 12 and under and $5 for ages 13 to 17, $15 for students and 65+ and $20 for regular admission.

• Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com) has February Break Programs for ages 7 to 14 with morning programs (9 a.m. to noon) for ages 7 to 11 and afternoon programs (1 to 4 p.m.) for ages 11 to 14. Classes are $198 and “rotate through a diverse array of artistic mediums with each class featuring an art activity that aligns with our arctic theme,” the website said.

Air and space

• During February school vacation week, the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will be open additional days — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 25, through Thursday, Feb. 27. The museum will offer the Elite Flight Simulator on Feb. 25 and Feb. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. for kids ages 12 and up, according to a museum release. The museum will also host a story time on Feb. 26 at 11 a.m., the release said.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com) is open daily through Sunday, March 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $13; $12 for ages 13 through college and 62+, and $10 for ages 3 to 12, according to the website. Planetarium show tickets are an additional $7 for everyone ages 3 and up.

Family fun for whenever

New stuff

• Check out two new exhibits at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) that will be unveiled to the public on Saturday, Feb. 15, during the morning (9 a.m. to noon) and afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) sessions. “Little Farmers,” an exhibit designed for children ages 0 to 5, features farm-themed activities “curated specifically for this age,” according to the museum website. “Play Loft” is an open space for active play, such as games like Floor Is Lava, according to the website. Also on Saturday, Lindsey and her Puppet Pals will perform at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Admission costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months old, $12.50 for 65+.

Winterfest

• Squam Lakes Association, 534 Route 3 in Holderness, will hold its Winterfest on Saturday, Feb. 15, from noon to 3 p.m. The free event will include ice skating, sledding, mini golf, scavenger hunts and more, according to a press release (BYO skates and sleds). See squamlakes.org.

Kids on stage

• Londonderry High School will presentFootloose! The Musical at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) on Thursday, Feb. 13, and Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1 and 7 p.m. TIckets cost $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and students. See derryoperahouse.org.

• Franklin Middle School will present Shrek Jr. at the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St. in Franklin; franklinoperahouse.org) on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 & 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and seniors, $8 for students and children.

• Palace Youth Theatre will present Big Fish, the small cast edition performed by student actors in grades 2 through 12, at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $19 for adults, $16 for ages 6 to 12.

For kids on stage

• Look Both Ways: A Tale Presented in 10 Blocks, part of the Cap Center’s educational series, will be on stage in the Chubb Theatre of the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. The show is 63 minutes with no intermission and is suggested for kids in grades 5 and up and families, according to the website. “10 blocks. 10 unique tales. There’s something for everyone across these 10 vignettes about identity, compassion, fear, and friendship — as told through puppetry, dance, music, projections, audience participation, kamishibai (paper theater), and more,” according to the website’s description. Tickets cost $8.

For kids on screen

Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) has two special kid-friendly screenings on the horizon. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 11:30 a.m., catch How to Train Your Dragon (PG, 2010) as part of the Little Lunch Date Series.

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 11:30 a.m. Dog Man (PG, 2025) will screen on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 11:30 a.m. at a sensory-friendly screening with lights up and sound down.

Save the date

• Dartmouth Health Children’s Battle of the Badges, a hockey game featuring firefighters, police officers and first responders, will take place Sunday, March 16, at 1 p.m. at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St. in Manchester; snhuarena.com). Presented by the Elliot Perry Foundation, the Battle of the Badges “proceeds are used to help kids with critical services such as support when they are in pediatric intensive care and management of chronic illnesses, as well as patient and family support services,” according to Dartmouth Health Children’s website, childrens.dartmouth-health.org, where you can find Battle of the Badges information under events. Tickets cost $16. Find more about the Elliot Perry Foundation at elliotperry.org.

Family fun for whenever

Winter fun

• The Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship is slated for Friday, Feb. 7, through Sunday, Feb. 9, at White Park in Concord. According to the website, 95 teams participate in the event, which also features games, a rock wall, bonfires, live entertainment, food trucks, ice and snow sculptures and more. The event also includes the Shinny Classic for youth hockey teams, the website said. See blackicepondhockey.com and check the event’s social media pages for weather-related updates.

Family music

• The Nashua Chamber Orchestra will hold a Family Concert on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St. in Nashua; nashualibrary.org). The orchestra will play “Concerto for Two Violins” by Vivaldi; selections from Carmen; “The Waltzing Cat”; “Trumpeter’s Lullaby” and Leopold Mozart’s “Toy Symphony.”The event is free and open to the public. See nco-music.org for more on the orchestra.

At the museums

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) will hold a Community Discovery Night on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event, whose theme will be “Celebrating Black Influence in Science,” will feature food, music and science activities, according to the website, where you can register for this free event so the Center can plan the food.

• The Last Ice, a short documentary by New Hampshire science teacher Greg Stott and Vermont filmmaker Nick Natale, will screen Friday, Feb. 7, at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord (starhop.com) as part of this month’s Super Stellar Friday programming, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Stott, the 2023 NH Charitable Foundation recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical award, used his sabbatical to make a film about the last ice age and its effect on the Connecticut River Valley, according to the website. Admission costs $13 for adults, $12 for 62+ and ages 13 through college, and $10 for ages 3 to 12.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) will hold a Valentine’s Day Dance Party with musical guest Mr. Aaron on Sunday, Feb. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $18 per person. The dance party will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The afternoon will also feature Valentine’s crafts as well as play at the museum. Go online for tickets.

Also at the Children’s Museum, save the date for Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The museum will also celebrate the opening of two new exhibits: Little Farmers and the Play Loft. Saturday playtimes are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months old and $12.50 for 65+.

On screen

• O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square 12 (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) will hold a sensory-friendly screening of Dog Man (PG, 2025) on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 10 a.m. The house lights will be higher and the volume a little lower, according to the website.

• The “Family Movie Night” movie at the Flying Monkey (39 S. Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. is 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $3 for everyone 3 and older, according to the website, which said the family movie nights also feature a special kid-friendly menu (yes, there are chicken tenders).

Indoor ice

• Everett Arena in Concord (15 Loudon Road) has public ice skating Sundays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $6 admission (free for age 3 and younger), $6 skate rentals and $5 helmet rentals. See concordnh.gov for details and info on other activities at the arena.

• For public skating at the JFK Memorial Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester), see the calendar at manchesternh.gov. This weekend, public skate is Sunday, Feb. 9, from 2 to 4 p.m. Skate rentals cost $5.