What to do with the kids in Moncton Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 (Oct 7 – 10)
Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone! There’s much to be grateful for this year and we hope you find a moment to consider all that’s good and worth celebrating amidst the chaos of life. Now, what you’re here for – ideas on things to do when you want to get out and about this long weekend!
WHAT TO DO WITH THE FAMILY THANKSVIGING LONG WEEKEND IN GREATER MONCTON
It might be Thanksgiving weekend, but Halloween is just around the corner – so it’s Trunk or Treat time at the Sussex Drive-In this Friday & Saturday! The movies showing are Bettlejuice and Don’t Worry Darling. Admission is $13/adults, $9/kids, free for those four and under. Gates open at 5:30pm with Trunk or Treating at 6:30pm. You’re asked to bring lots of candy, hand sanitizer (for those handing out treats)c, and ensure the goodies are individually wrapped. Movies begin at 8pm. (This is the last weekend of the season for the drive in.)
The Moncton Market is holding a special Autumn Festival celebration this Saturday, with inflatables, face painting, and more – including more than 100 vendors as usual! Open 8am – 2pm.
Poley Mountain is open for the weekend, with chairlift rides on Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 4pm. You can also enjoy pumpkin carnival games, lots of photos ops, live music, and more! Free for season pass holders & those aged five and under. Children ages six to 12 are $5, others are $10/each.
Resurgo Place is hosting Doors Open again this Saturday, with three historical properties available to tour. Stop by in any order, between 10am and 4pm. You can explore the former Trites/MacNaughton residence on Church Street, the Masonic Temple on Queen Street, and Sommet Art Park on Botsford Street – all for free, with guides on site to share the stories of these places! This is part of Moncton’s Heritage Week.
This Sunday morning the stables are open for rides at Beloved Miniature Horses. Please note: you MUST book in advance & there were only a handful of times remaining when we checked. Riders must weight 50 pounds or less. A roughly seven-minute ride followed by a visit to the petting zoo costs $12/child; adults/non-riders are free.
The Beaubassin Fire Department is holding an open house on Sunday, 11am – 2pm. BBQ, games, & more!
For the Cars fans, you might want to be at the Moncton Coliseum’s parking lot early Sunday morning. A vehicle decked out to be Lightning McQueen is wrapping up a trip to PEI and returning to Ontario. The car is planning to be at the Coliseum for 8am; please be sure to check their Facebook and/or Instagram for updates, as travel can be tricky, we know!
Up for a little drive?
Crabbe Mountain’s Fall Festival of Colours takes place Saturday & Sunday, 11am-4pm each day. Take the chair lift to the top, then enjoy a self-guided walk or shuttle back to the bottom. Guided mountain bike rides are also an option. There will be beer gardens, photo booths, hay wagon rides, BBQ, food trucks, and more!
We also hear lots of fabulous family revues of Belding Hill Farms in Hampton. This might be the weekend to check them out & enjoy their Fall Family Pumpkin Days. Enjoy the farm animals, scavenger hunts, photo ops, and take home a pumpkin – included in your entry fee! ($5/person over the age of four; one pumpkin per family.) Open 10am – 4pm October 8, 9, 15, & 16 – with a special youth vendor market this Saturday!
Adventurous families might want to book a zip line excursion at Snider Mountain Ranch on Saturday. There are 13 zip lines and six sky bridges to explore, followed by hot chocolate and cookies around the fire then a wagon ride back to the ranch. The experience takes roughly two hours; spaces are limited. There will be two groups, one at 10:30am and one at 1pm. Must be eight years old or older; youth must be accompanied by an adult.
And if you’re up for a trip to PEI, the Beach Goats invite you to join them for a thankfulness session on Sunday – and on Saturday, the 29th annual PEI Giant Pumpkin & Squash Weigh Off is happening with lots of fun activities, including wagon rides, BBQ, and more.
CORN MAZES & PUMPKIN PATCHES
The Green Pig’s corn maze, play area, & pumpkin blaster are open, along with pumpkins for sale. Stop by 9am – 6pm daily, including Thanksgiving Monday.
Milton Mile Farms has a lovely maze for families just outside Riverview. Open Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5pm, with Friday, October 7 adding a special BYOF (bring your own flashlight) event. No scary things in the maze, but you are invited to dress up for your adventure! (7-10pm, $5/person).
Trueman’s Blueberry Farm in Aulac is in full fall mode, with wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, jumbo jumper, potato cannon, a ‘corn you find’ game in the corn maze, and more. Just $10/person. There’s also Thanksgiving specials on pumpkins – $25 for as many as you can fit & carry in the bag they provide! (Regular prices are $6 for carving ones, two small pumpkins for $8, and three minis for $5.) On Saturday, they’ll have an evening opening, with s’mores around the bonfire and flashlight adventures in the maze, along with live music!
Les Petits Fruits de Pré-d’en-Haut in Memramcook has a great pumpkin patch you can visit by wagon ride, Le Verger Goguen (near Cocagne) has pumpkins, apples, and a u-fish pond. And don’t forget the apples!! There are several u-pick apple orchards locally (Belliveau Orchard, Irishview Estates, La Fleur du Pommier, and Uris Williams & Sons Apple Orchard), as well as many around the province that would make a great long weekend road trip!
Find all the details in our post:
MORE OUTDOOR IDEAS
Magnetic Hill Zoo is always a fun visit – and soon it will be time for Boo at the Zoo!
Adventurous families might want to try Maghill Paintball, East Coast Karting, Off Grid Adventure or even horseback riding at Boyle Family Farm.
There’s no season that isn’t fun on our playgrounds or exploring the public art installations around our communities.
Hopewell Rocks & our local national parks – Fundy and Kouchibouguac – are always worth the drive, especially with the autumn colours popping! This is the last weekend the Rocks are officially open until the spring. The parks are a great place to look for the Draconid Meteor Shower this Friday, too!
INDOOR IDEAS
The Riverview Indoor Skatepark is a wonderful place for all ages – check out their drop in options & the youth centre upstairs!
Bowling is always a great family adventure. Fairlanes in Moncton & Bowlarama in Dieppe both offer gutter blockers for kids, and Bowlarama has an awesome arcade section. Don’t forget Riverview is now home to The Marvelous Holy Bowly, too!
Cineplex has theatres in both Dieppe & Moncton. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a G-rated movie playing at both this weekend – including Monday!
Great spaces to appeal to a variety of ages & interests are Hop Skip Jump!, SkyZone, & DIY Studio. Older kids might want to try laser tag at Marco’s Clinic, climbing next door at FitRocks Climbing Gym, or maybe test their wits at Room Escape Atlantic or Mystery Moncton Mystere. The Moncton Sports Dome is open Friday nights for laser tag, Just Dance, Xbox & Nintendo gaming. Tickets are $25/person for unlimited play; children 11 & under must have a guardian with them, but non-playing participants can watch for free.
You can add a touch of learning to your weekend with a visit to Resurgo Place, Doiron House or the Moncton Public Library.
Cabela’s has a 12,000-gallon freshwater aquarium; stop by to see striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, trout, perch, and more!
Check out the Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre in Riverview, the Moncton YMCA at Vaughan Harvey, and the Dieppe Aquatic Centre. Both the Moncton & Dieppe pools are great with littles; Dieppe has a sloped entry with a pirate ship, while the Vaughan Harvey YMCA has a separate kiddie pool. The YMCA Moncton North has an indoor splash pad & playground; non-members are welcome.
The City of Moncton offers free drop in gym time for kids in Gr 5 – 8 at the Crossman Centre (99 Wynwood Drive) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30-4:45pm. The gym is open for Parents & Tots Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am until noon. You can also walk the indoor track WITH a stroller between 11am and 1pm. There’s also indoor walking at the Moncton Coliseum between 9am and 4pm; call 857-4100 for more info.
LOOKING AHEAD
The annual Alma Fleet Launch begins October 14, with a kitchen party and chowder dinner, workshops and live music on Saturday, a lobster boil and more music Sunday, and lots of other great events all weekend long.
Riverview Fire & Rescue is hosting an open house October 15 & there’s a similar event in Memramcook on the 16th.
The Albert County Museum’s annual Ghost Hunting Day event takes place Sunday, October 16. There will be a presentation about the Tom Collins’ trial and a paranormal & wellness fair during the day, followed by a ghost hunting session with Hub City Paranormal in the evening.
The annual Walk to Remember, honouring those lost in infancy and pregnancy, will take place Sunday, October 16.
The Arches of St. George are planning a Fall Carnival on October 22. Watch their social media for more info soon!
Our round up of Halloween events is coming asap – come back to check!
