Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Jack O' Lanterns, Thanksgiving Events, Trivia Night, Polar Express Train, Gingerbread House Competition, and More: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Nov 3rd-8th, 2016


Once Halloween is in the books for the year, the fall event schedule begins to narrow as folks turn their attention towards Thanksgiving. We're never happy to see our beloved harvest events fall festivals draw to a close!

We've pulled together a list of some worthwhile activities and events for this weekend and we hope you will enjoy them.

Thank you all for your support of New England Fall Events all season long! We were proud to increase our fall event listings this year to include 1800 individual New England events on our schedule over 32% more than last year!

Our local farms, museums, theatres, community centers, seasonal businesses, and local attractions keep raising the bar each season and we continue to be impressed by the variety of ways to celebrate our favorite time of year. 
Thank you to New England's small farms and festival organizers enough for welcoming New England Fall Events and sharing their bounty with us. We have baked your apples into pies, snacked on your cinnamon doughnuts, carved your pumpkins, laughed on your hayrides, gotten turned around in your corn mazes, sipped your mulled cider, and created a lifetime of memories at your farms and festivals. What a wealth of local bounty we have in our little corner of the country!

Two Noteworthy Winter Holiday Events...in November!
Before we sign off for the season, we'd like to tip our cap to two special upcoming events that have a winter holiday theme but take place in November.
Boston Christmas Festival handmade crafts puppets chickens

The first comes up this weekend--the Annual Boston Christmas Festival and Gingerbread House Competition held at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center Friday through Sunday November 4th-6th. Sure, families are welcome but this shopping extravaganza is intended for adults as it's a very popular, well-attended, annual shopping tradition for many New Englanders. We attended for the first time last year and were impressed by the variety of booths, crafts, makers, goodies, and more that were offered. If you are looking for unique gifts or to check off your holiday shopping early in the season, you will want to make a beeline to this festival. 
Boston Christmas Festival Gingerbread House Competition_New England Fall Events

Even more delightful was the impressive Gingerbread House Competition which auctions off these eye-popping gingerbread displays to fundraise for Housing Families, an important local organization supporting families in transition.
We wrote a soup-to-nuts article about our experience at this festival which will give you a complete overview of the experience, offer strategies for getting the most from the event, family tips, and even super affordable parking alternatives! Read "Gingerbread Houses and Holiday Shopping at the Boston Christmas Festival."

The Polar Express Train Ride is one of the most beloved family traditions in the area and RI's Blackstone Valley is host to the only Polar Express Train in New England this year! 
The Polar Express Train Ride Woonsocket RI_New England Fall Events

With dates starting in November and running from November 18th through December 23rd, you will want to book tickets ASAP as this special event sells out every year. We had a memorable visit last year and continue to appreciate the professionalism, thoughtfulness, and sweet details that this event producer delivers with every event they put on (see our coverage from the American Girl Train Ride for more).
With holiday songs, games, entertainment, a personal visit from a certain bearded someone, picture opportunities with said bearded guy (skip the mall!) and a special Polar Express themed gift, this is a special way for families to celebrate the season with their kiddos.

The Polar Express Train Ride Woonsocket RI_New England Fall Events

As we like to do, we have a complete article chronicling our Polar Express Train Ride experience and to answer your questions, help you plan ahead, and give you a full idea of what fun the train ride has in store for you. Read "A Magical Ride to the North Pole on the Polar Express Train."

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun
As the fall event season draws to an end, there are still a few fall and harvest related activities lined up during the next week. You'll find a smattering of more events on our website and during the coming weeks (but the event calendar seems to go into hibernation as we approach Thanksgiving).
Here are our Weekend's Top Picks (and you'll find even more online).
Here are our recommended activities for November 3rd - 8th, 2016:

Jack O'Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Zoo
Providence, RI      Click for details
Nightly through Sunday, November 6th, 2016

Christmas Festival and Gingerbread House Competition
Boston, MA       Click for details
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 4th-6th, 2016

RI Comic Con 2016
Providence, RI       Click for details
Friday through Sunday, November 11-13th, 2016

CraftWestport 
Westport, CT       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 5th & 6th, 2016

Quince Festival at White Silo Winery
Sherman, CT       Click for details
Saturday, November 5th, 2016

Three Centuries of Thanksgiving Tour at Strawbery Banke
Portsmouth, NH       Click for details
Saturdays and Sundays, November 5th & 6th, 2016

Wagon Ride Weekends at Billings Farm & Museum
Woodstock, VT       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 5th & 6th, 2016

Bounty: Thanksgiving at Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge, MA       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 5th & 6th, 2016

Dog Days at Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge, MA       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 5th & 6th, 2016

Take a Swing at Cancer Trivia Night
Framingham, MA    Click for details
Thursday, November 10th, 2016

Holidaze: The Real Story of Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas Exhibit
Guilford, CT       Click for details
Wednesday through Sundays,
now through December 11th, 2016