Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Maple madness

Celebrate Maple Month in New Hampshire at the Maple Express event at Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com). On Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, the farm is hosting the final weekend of its Maple Express experience, which includes a horse-drawn sleigh ride or a tractor train ride to an authentic sugar shack, where you’ll meet a sugar maker and learn about tree tapping and watch how sap is boiled to make maple sugar and maple syrup. You’ll get a chance for some taste testing too, with syrup served on silver dollar pancakes. After the ride back to the farm, head to the Discover Barn to visit with some animals. Various times are available between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online. General admission is $22; kids 23 months and under are free. Book an entire sleigh for up to four passengers for $199. There’s also a Sugar Shack Live event on Saturday, March 20, at various times in the evening, for $25 per person. The event includes a visit to the sugar shack, where you can sit next to campfires and listen to live music from Dan Morgan. Visit the website to register for either event.

In Warner, the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road) is hosting Maple Day on Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be outdoor demonstrations of sap boiling and tomahawk throwing from 10 a..m. to 3 p.m., an informal walking tour of Medicine Woods at 11 a.m., a cooking demo at noon, and an outside walking tour of the 12-acre campus at 1 p.m. with the museum director. The museum will be open for self-guided tours (regular admission applies, $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $7 for kids 6 to 12, no charge for kids under 6 or for Native Americans), and there will be maple syrup for sale from a local sugar house. The event is weather-dependent. Call 456-2600 or visit indianmuseum.org.

Candy crush

Chunky’s Cinema Pub is hosting a family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo event on Saturday, March 20, at noon and 6 p.m. at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road), and at 6 p.m. that day at its Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.) and its Pelham location (150 Bridge St.). Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Players will turn in their candy to the host to get a bingo card, then play a few rounds to try to win some of that candy as well as other Chunky’s prizes. Visit chunkys.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Enjoy the (likely fleeting) warm weather

New Hampshire’s Audubon centers are still closed, but their sanctuary trails are open for families who want to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. There are miles of trails at the centers in Concord (84 Silk Farm Road, 224-9909) and in Auburn (26 Audubon Way, 668-2045). The trails are open from dawn until dusk. Don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes, as trails may be snowy or muddy. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Love your library

Many local libraries are closed or have limited hours and services, but they’re still offering plenty of fun for kids and families. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) has virtual story times posted on its website, along with monthly interactive virtual activities — March’s is “The Great Flood.” The library also offers age-appropriate craft projects on the second Saturday of each month; materials can be picked up curbside.

At the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., 624-6550, manchester.lib.nh.us) kids can find a new Messy Art project online each Wednesday afternoon. The projects can be done at home with items around the house. There’s also a weekly virtual storytime for kids ages 1 to 5, with a new video posted every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on the library’s Facebook page, with a craft kit based on the weekly theme available for curbside pickup. And each Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., the library posts a new Lego challenge on Facebook for kids and families.

And at the Concord Public Library (45 Green St., 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net) parents can pick up craft kits for their kids; this week’s kit is a St. Paddy’s Bear, available at the library through Friday, March 12, or until supplies are gone (call ahead to see if there are any left before coming to the library). The library is also hosting a St. Patrick’s Day themed virtual storytime on Wednesday, March 17, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Register online to attend.

To discover the virtual events and activities that are happening at your local library, visit its website — most town and city libraries have revamped their programming to offer safe, at-home fun for families.

Art club

Middle school and high school youth are invited to Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) each Tuesday after school from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for a free art club. KJ Art Lab meets each week and teaches art skills, project planning and community development. There is no cost for attendance or materials. New participants are always welcome, though a commitment to regular attendance is requested due to the collaboration on many of the art projects.

Family fun for the weekend

Scientific discoveries

After being closed for renovations for a couple months, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) is reopening on March 5, with hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Occupancy limits have been set for popular exhibits and planetarium shows, and stringent Covid-19 cleaning and safety procedures will be in effect as the museum reopens. This Friday the discovery center will also hold its virtual Super Stellar Friday program at 7 p.m.; this month’s topic is “Mystery & Majesty of Saturn’s Rings.” The event is free, but registration is required at starhop.com.

Walk on the wild side

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) hosts several Wild Winter Walks this month, starting Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, with sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. The program is for adults and families with children ages 6 and up. A staff naturalist will lead a guided walk on the live animal exhibit trail and will talk about how these native animals adapt for winter in New Hampshire. Snowshoes are available at no extra cost, if needed, or participants can bring their own. The cost is $10 per person. Pre-registration is required for all programs at nhnature.org or by calling 968-7194. Other upcoming Wild Winter Walks are scheduled for Saturday, March 13, and Saturday, March 20 (sess

Family fun for the weekend

Bounce and climb
Cowabunga’s (725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659, cowabungas.com) has extended hours for February vacation week, with public play times this Thursday, Feb. 25, and Friday, Feb. 26, from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets must be ordered ahead of time online. The cost is $12 per hour per child, or two hours for $15, or for $19.99 get three hours of bounce time and a kids meal.
Nuthin’ but Good Times (746 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2200, nuthinbutgoodtimes.com) is also open for the remainder of vacation week, on Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Climbing is open to the public during those hours, and there is no time limit. Admission is free for infants, $2.50 for crawlers, $6 for ages 3 and under, $9.50 for ages 4 through 17, and $2.50 for ages 18+.

Try tubing
Let the kids get out some energy outside. For the rest of the vacation week, Pats Peak (686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 428-3245) is open for tubing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $24 for a two-hour session, and advance online reservations are required. Only Pats Peak tubes are allowed and they are included in the cost. Children must be at least 5 years old and at least 44 inches tall. Visit patspeak.com to make a reservation.
McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Ct., Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com) also offers tubing, though reservations are not accepted. Tickets must be purchased at the ticket window, and it is first come, first served. Tickets are $23 for a two-hour session. For vacation week, hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, with sessions broken into two-hour time slots. According to the McIntyre website, tickets go on sale 30 minutes prior to each session, but it is recommended that you arrive an hour to an hour and a half prior to the session to get in line for tickets.

Virtual homeschool
On Thursday, March 4, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (Holderness, 968-7194, nhnature.org) will host its monthly virtual homeschool series for ages 4 to 10. On the first Thursday of each month, participants are introduced to a seasonal topic and are provided with an outdoor investigation to complete at home. The following Thursday, students share their observations and discoveries and “meet” a live animal that connects to the topic. Virtual sessions are held via Zoom, and adults are expected to participate with their kids. The cost is $11 per child per month, or $22 per family per month. Register online or by calling.

Family fun for the weekend

Vacation week fun

Let the kids explore hands-on exhibits that show the science behind motion, light, space exploration, the ocean, human genetics and more at the SEE Science Center in Manchester (200 Bedford St., 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org), which is open daily for the remainder of this week through Feb. 28. Visitors can reserve morning or afternoon sessions in advance, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 to 5 p.m. Pre-registration, either via the website or by phone, is required as capacity for each session is limited. Admission is $9 per person ages 3 and up.

While the hours at theChildren’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; children’s-museum.org, 742-2002) are still limited (Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m.) and all visitors must pre-register online, the museum’s website is full of fun activities to keep the kids busy during vacation. There’s a Books Alive literacy program that includes videos of book characters who visit during storytime (Pete the Cat makes an appearance!) as well as craft activities related to the books and characters. It’s also Dental Health Month at the museum, and there are videos related to that, as well as hands-on activities for those who visit in person. Admission is $11 for adults and children over 1, $9 for seniors 65+, and free for museum members and children under 1.

Socialize and exercise

Every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. the Health Club of Concord (10 Garvins Falls Road, 224-7787) hosts a free Parent and Me Play Date that’s open to the public. Get together with other parents in a safe and fun environment and socialize or just relax while your children play. The next play date is happening Friday, Feb. 19. The club also offers a free kids Zumba class on Thursdays at 10 a.m. when a parent attends the adult Zumba class at 9 a.m. on that day ($15 for non-members; free child care during the adult class). Visit healthclubofconcord.com.

Family fun for the weekend

L.O.V.E. bingo

Have a sweet Valentine’s Day celebration at Chunky’s Cinema Pub. The theater is hosting family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road) and its Pelham location (150 Bridge St.), and on Sunday, Feb. 14, at noon at its Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.). It’s traditional bingo with a little more heart — each round will feature Valentine’s Day patterns, like a heart shape and Xs and Os, and there will be Valentine’s Day-themed prizes for the winners, along with traditional boxes of theater candy. Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Turn in your candy to the host to get a bingo card and play a few rounds to try to win back that candy and more. Visit chunkys.com.

Skate outside

Local cities and towns have outdoor ice skating rinks that are free and open to residents and non-residents. The rinks may be open on and off, depending on the temperatures, so call or check the city’s or town’s website or social media before you go. Here are a few local rinks to check out:

• Bow Town Pond, 3 Bow Center Road, Bow, 223-3920, bow-nh.com.

• Concord has three public rinks: Beaver Meadow Pond, 1 Beaver Meadow Dr.; Rollins Park, 116 Broadway St.; and White Park Pond & Hockey Rink, 1 White St. Call 225-8690 or visit concordnh.gov. When open, hours are daily from dawn to dusk.

• Dorrs Pond, 56 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov. When open, hours are daily from dawn to dusk.

• Ice Skating Rink at Watson Park, 441 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 882-1046, merrimackparksandrec.org. When open, hours are daily from dawn to 9 p.m.

• Kimball Lake, 47 Kimball Lake Road, Hopkinton, 746-8263, hopkintonrec.com. When open, hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Nashua has two public rinks: Jeff Morin Fields at Roby Park, 126 Spit Brook Road (when open, hours are daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for general skating, and from 8 to 10 p.m. for hockey) and Four Corners, behind Holman Stadium, Sargent Avenue (when open, hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. for general skating, and before 11 a.m. and between 4:30 and 6 p.m. for hockey). Call 589-3370 or visit nashuanh.gov.