Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Vacation at the museum

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) will be open daily through Sunday, March 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with planetarium shows every hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 12, $11 for seniors ages 62 and older and for students ages 13 through college. Planetarium shows cost an additional $6 for everyone older than 3.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) recommends purchasing tickets in advance during winter vacation, when the museum will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m. to noon. There will be additional drop-in activities focusing on arts, STEM and stories included in the play session, according to a press release. Admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months, $10.50 for 65+.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) has updated its hours for school vacation. The center will be open Monday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to being open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last admission on weekdays is at 3 p.m., on weekends is at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for visitors ages 3 and older. SEE’s website also recommends making advance reservations.

• Spend more time at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4820) with its extended vacation hours. On Tuesday, Feb. 28; Wednesday, March 1, and Thursday March 2, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to its usual hours of Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the extended hours, the museum will have activities including a story time on Wednesday, March 1, at 10 a.m. and a flight simulator for kids 12 and up on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission for children under the age of 6 is free, kids ages 6 to 12 and veterans and their families are $5. Standard admission for visitors age 13 and older is $10.

Movie theater fun

• Sugar up at Theater Candy Bingo at Chunky’s Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.) on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. The live hosted bingo night will have candy and a few Chunky’s giveaways as well as prizes at the end of each round. It costs $10 to reserve a seat (with an included $5 food voucher) and a box of candy to go into the pot. Only one bingo per customer. Visit chunkys.com to reserve a spot.

• Get dazzled by Ben Pratt at his family-friendly magic show at Chunky’s in Manchester (707 Huse Road) on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. Pratt, who has won many awards for his illusions, is a Granite State native who has performed across New England and in Las Vegas. Tickets for his high-energy magic-meets-standup comedy show cost $15 and can be bought at chunkys.com.

Winter festivities

The 31st annual Winter Carnival is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Wasserman Park in Merrimack. The carnival will have a special appearance by Mack, the Police Department’s comfort dog, as well as the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The event will get the family out frolicking in the cold winter air (and hopefully snow) to celebrate the season. There will be warm food and drinks to keep the chill away. The event starts at noon. For more information visit merrimackparksandrec.org/winter-carnival.

Family fun for the weekend

Night out

• Parents can get a night to themselves while kids enjoy activities like theater games, movie time and karaoke dance party at the Peacock Players (14 Court St. in Nashua; peacockplayers.org) on Friday, Feb. 17, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., according to the Peacock Players website. Kids will be entertained by the Players’ staff of performing artists and educators, the website said. The cost is $25 per child. Reserve a spot online for this Friday or for Friday, March 10.

Showtime

• See Gnomeo & Juliet (PG, 2011) at all three area Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham) as part of the “Little Lunch Date” series on Friday, Feb. 17, at 3:45 p.m. Admission is free but reserve a seat with a $5 food voucher.

• The Palace Youth Theatre is putting on a kid-friendly version of the Tony award-winning musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beeon Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester). The show follows the lives of young competitors at their spelling bee and the lives they lead in and outside the competition. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org

Noonan’s new book

• Illustrator and artist Peter Noonan is the featured author for the storytime and crafts event at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 11:30 a.m. He’ll read The Bike Bus: Adventures in the Queen City, which he both wrote and illustrated. The event is free; reserve a spot online.

Winter fun

• The YMCA of Greater Londonderry will hold its second annual Winter Fest on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111). The day will feature snowshoeing, snow golfing, arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt and more, according to the YMCA’s Facebook post. The event is free; donations to the YMCA of Greater Londonderry’s annual giving campaign will be accepted, the post said.

• The Londonderry Conservation Commission is hosting a family-friendly Musquash Field Day on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Commission encourages families to experience local wildlife by taking to the trails in snowshoes, sleds, skis, or mountain bikes. At The Landing, there will be hot dogs, cocoa, cookies, coffee and a fire pit. At 11 a.m. the New England Mountain Bike Association will share an introduction to mountain biking and have some bikes available for people to check out. Use the Hickory Hill Road entrance (12 Hickory Hill Road) to get to the field day. See londonderrytrails.org/musquash-conservation-area.

Vacation camp

The USA Ninja Challenge February break clinic starts on Monday, Feb. 27, at 9 a.m. Kids will learn the basics of balancing, gymnastics and parkour along with building their confidence at USA Ninja Challenge (444 E. Industrial Dr. in Manchester). One day costs $55, three costs $160, and the full five costs $225 for members, $250 for nonmembers. Visit ninjamanchesternh.com to register.

Family fun for the weekend

Kids in history

• The Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org, 622-7531) will present “Help Wanted: Children of the Mills,” a program geared toward school-age kids according to the website, on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12 and children must be accompanied by ticketed adults, the website said. The event looks at the mill jobs for kids as young as 9 in the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. mills during the second half of the 19th century, what jobs they did and what it was like for them, the website said. The event will include a pail lunch and hands-on activities, the website said.

Kids in the show

• The performers of West Running Brook Middle School in Derry will present Moana Jr.on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St. in Derry; pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre). Tickets cost $10 each.

• For teen audiences who want to see teen performers: The Palace Teen Company will present Cabaret, featuring student actors ages 12 through 18, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for ages 6 to 12, $15 for adults.

• And save the date for the High Mowing School middle schoolers (Pine Hill Campus, 77 Pine Hill Drive in Wilton; highmowing.org/hilltop, 654-6003) who will show off their circus skills with their show Circus with a Chance of Meatballs on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for children; bring a donation for the Wilton’s Open Cupboard Food pantry for free popcorn, according to a press release.

Hearts & dinosaurs

• Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) will feature the book How to Catch a Loveosaurus during the storytime on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11:30 a.m. After the story, kids will make a tissue paper heart collage craft, according to the website, where you can reserve a spot for this free event.

• As of the morning of Feb. 7, spots are still available at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) for the Dinosaur Valentine’s Day Party on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. Make dinosaur- and Valentine’s-themed crafts, hear dinosaur stories, meet a costumed dinosaur and take home a treat, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets for $16 per person (kids under the age of 1 get in free).

Give a toothy grin

• All February long, the Children’s Museum is celebrating Dental Health Month. The museum will have tooth-brushing and dental health-related activities and free toothbrushes from Northeast Delta Dental (while supplies last), according to the website. On Wednesdays, Feb 15 and Feb. 22, and Thursday, Feb. 23, the Tooth Fairy and Holly the comfort dog from Haas Dental Associates (in Dover and Derry) will be at the museum to meet guests from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the website said. Reserve a spot to attend the museum in advance via the website. Tickets cost $12.50 for everyone over 12 months old; $10.50 for ages 65+ (children under 12 months get in free), the website said. The museum is open Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon.