Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Take the family to the museum

Or send the family to the museum — whichever works for your long holiday weekend with people of various ages at home and in need of amusement.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is open Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally Thursdays as well, but not on Thanksgiving. Admission costs $15, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in free). On Sundays, the Winter Garden Cafe offers a special brunch menu starting at 10 a.m. featuring mimosa flights, according to the website. Current exhibits include “As Precious As Gold: Carpets from the Islamic World,” “WPA in NH: Philip Guston and Musa McKim” and “Tomie dePaola at the Currier,” featuring the works of dePaola, writer and illustrator of 270 children’s books.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open Tuesdays through Fridays (closed Thanksgiving) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Current displays and exhibits with hands-on examinations of science include BiologYou. Purchase reservations in advance via the website; admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up. Or …

• On Saturdays, $13 admission price will get you admission to both the SEE Science Center and the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 622-7531, manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum). Admission to just the Millyard Museum costs $8 for adults, $6 for 62+ and college students, $4 for children 12 to 18 and free for children under 12. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the permanent exhibits about Manchester’s history, the museum currently features the “New Hampshire Now” photography exhibit.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820), featuring exhibits about the people and events of New Hampshire’s aviation history, is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

• Find hands-on science and space-related exhibits at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827), which is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 4 p.m. The center recommends purchasing timed tickets in advance; admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors and $8.50 for kids ages 3 to 12 (admission is free for children 2 and under). Planetarium show tickets are also available and cost $5 per person (free for children 2 and under); see the website for the schedule of planetarium shows.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (2 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) requires pre-purchased admission (which costs $11 per person, $9 for 65+ and no charge for children under 1). The museum will be closed Thanksgiving and Friday, Nov. 26, but will be open Saturday (from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.) and Sunday (from 9 a.m. to noon). In addition to weekends, the museum is normally also open Tuesday through Friday with timed admission from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

• And perhaps for the teen whose face is stuck to their phone: The New Hampshire Telephone Museum (1 Depot St. in Warner; nhtelephonemuseum.org, 456-2234) is open Fridays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $7 for adults, $6 for 60+ and $3 for students (1st through 12th grade).

Movies for the family

Another means of getting out of the house: go to the movies.

Playing in theaters starting Tuesday, Nov. 23, is Encanto, a Disney animated movie that is rated PG and features songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Encanto joins other family-friendly offerings in theaters including Clifford the Big Red Dog (PG), which is also screening on Paramount+; Ron’s Gone Wrong (PG) and The Addams Family 2 (PG), which is also available for rent via VOD.

Story, craft & shopping

For you, Saturday, Nov. 27, is Small Business Saturday. For the kids, Saturday is also storytime at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St.; 836-6600, bookerymht.com). The event is free and starts at 11:30 a.m. The book is Hershel and the Holiday Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel and the storytime will also include a wreath-making craft.

Family fun for the weekend

The Thanksgiving spirit

Get into the Thanksgiving spirit with a storytime and craft based on the 2003 book Grateful: A Story of Giving Thanks by John Bucchino, illustrated by Anna-Liisa Hakkarainen, at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; 836-6600, bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP-ing in advance (via the website) is encouraged.

See the trees

Not quite ready to put up your own holiday decorations? Check out the fully decorated trees at the 21st annual Fez-tival of Trees at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord; nhshriners.org). The Fez-tival kicks off online this year on Friday, Nov. 19; in-person viewing starts Saturday, Nov. 20, at the center and runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Monday, Nov. 24; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, through Saturday, Nov. 27 (closed for Thanksgiving); and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, with the drawing of the winners of the trees starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the website. Admission costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and kids 12 and under get in free. Refreshments will be for sale in the Candy Cane Cafe. Visit with Santa Claus on weekends, according to the event’s Facebook.

Run for fun

As we enter the “turkey trot” season of road races, here are a few happening the weekend before Thanksgiving:

The Gobble Wobble 5-Miler, which benefits the American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit 16, will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Goffstown Parks and Recreation (155 S. Mast Road). Registration is $40 for ages 12 and up and $35 for runners under 12, with prices increasing after 9 a.m. on Nov. 19. The cost is $40 for the virtual option, with registration open through Nov. 27. See totalimagerunning.com.

The 23rd annual Novemberfest for Nashua Children’s Home will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at 11:33 a.m. at Mine Falls Park in Nashua, near the Pine Street Extension entrance. The 4-mile race is followed by post-race fun at Martha’s Exchange (185 Main St., Nashua). Registration is $25 and closes on Nov. 19; see gatecity.org.

Find more races happening next week and through the rest of the year in last week’s story about road races. See hippopress.com to find the e-edition of the Nov. 11 issue; the story by Meghan Siegler starts on page 10.

Catch a show

As mentioned last week, Free Birds(PG, 2013), a Thanksgiving-themed animated movie about two turkeys trying to stay off the menu (featuring the voices of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson) will screen as part of the “Little Lunch Date” series on Friday, Nov. 19, at Chunky’s Cinema Pub theaters in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.), starting at 11:30 a.m. Secure a seat by purchasing $5 food vouchers for attendees at chunkys.com, which said the lights will be only slightly dimmed for this kid-friendly screening.

• Kick off the holiday season with The Nutcracker presented by the Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 21. Shows are Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.

Family fun for the weekend

Science Thursday

As mentioned in last week’s Kiddie Pool, there are some science opportunities for kids who have this Thursday, Nov. 11, off school.

• From noon to 2 p.m., SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) will host the UNH students from Team Cooke, who are taking part in a research project that will go to the International Space Station. They will be at SEE to discuss doing science experiments in space and lead hands-on activities, according to the website. Make reservations for museum admission online; sessions are available at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Admission costs $10 for visitors ages 3 and up. The center is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Planetarium (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open Fridays through Sundays (with admission times at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) during the school year. It will also be open Thursday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day). Go online to reserve a time slot; admission costs $11.50 for adults, $8.50 for children (ages 3 to 12), $10.50 for students ages 13 through college and for seniors.

Or head outdoors

Or make your discoveries outside.

• In the Nov. 4 issue we list some of the spots to get in a little hiking. Find a rundown of locations (many of which offer online maps for trails of varying degrees of difficulty, some with some stroller accessibility) on page 21 in the issue, the e-edition of which you can find at hippopress.com.

• And speaking of the big outdoors, another spot for an outdoor excursion is the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill in Bedford; efjh.org, 472-4724). The farm is open daily from dawn to dusk. See a map of their trails on their website.

Indoor fun

If you’d prefer to spend some family fun time indoors, check out the Oct. 14 issue of the Hippo, which features a listing of area bowling alleys, which open at noon or earlier on Thursdays. See page 12 for that story. On page 10 of that same issue you’ll find a rundown of local arcades where you can introduce your kids to the glories of Pac-Man and Skeeball.

Meet Zoom Squirrel

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) will hold a Book’s Alive program on Friday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 13, all about Zoom Squirrel, star of author and illustrator Mo Willems’ Unlimited Squirrels series. The program will feature Unlimited Squirrels storytimes and a visit with a costumed Zoom Squirrel, according to the website. Admission requires advance registration for either the 9 a.m.-to-noon or the 1-to-4 p.m. time slot on either day. Admission costs $11 for everyone over 1 year of age ($9 for age 65+).

For the theater kids

• The Community Players of Concord’s Children’s Theatre Project will present All Together Now!, a show being performed by theater companies around the world to celebrate the return of live theater, on Friday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m., according to communityplayersofconcord.org. The show will feature current Children’s Theatre Project teen performers as well as adult alumni performing songs from Come From Away, Waitress, Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll and Hyde, Godspell, Guys and Dolls, Matilda, Newsies and more, the website said. Shows take place at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $15 via the Community Players of Concord website.

Upcoming dates to save

• Make plans with the littlest kids for a free screening of Free Birds (PG, 2013), a Thanksgiving-themed animated movie about two turkeys trying to stay off the menu (featuring the voices of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson) on Friday, Nov. 19, at Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.). The show, part of the theaters’ “Little Lunch Date” series, starts at 11:30 a.m. Secure a seat by purchasing $5 food vouchers for attendees at chunkys.com, which said the lights will be only slightly dimmed for this kid-friendly screening.

• If you’ve got a ballet-loving kid, it’s time to get those The Nutcracker tickets. The Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre will present its production of the classic Christmas ballet at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 21. Shows are Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.