Grab & Go: Shrimpfest, Scavenger Hunt, and a Green Puppet Show This Weekend

Another weekend is upon us, and we've got five more great things to do with the whole family this weekend in the Grab & Go Kids Planner. There's a puppet show at the Greenable Museum of the Future right here in town (the museum's in the Woodbridge Center Mall). If you feel like packing up the car and hitting the open road, head south to Ocean Township for ShrimpFest or southwest for a wonderful-looking Blueberry Bash in Princeton. A little closer to home, there's also a scavenger hunt for the whole family at the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside, and the Kids Kingdom Traveling Jubilee stops in Rahway River Park on Saturday.

The best part of this weekend's activities? Most of them are completely FREE to attend! So gather up the kids and get going this weekend!

As always, be sure to tell us if you think we forgot something. And if you know of an event that deserves a mention in this planner in the future, be sure to add it to the calendar!

• ShrimpFest of Ocean Township at Joe LaPalaia Park; Deal Rd., Ocean Township; 732-897-1111; Price: FREE; Friday 5-10 PM, Saturday Noon-10 PM, Sunday 10 AM-5 PM

There was a Seafood Festival not too long ago down in Belmar; now we're getting to more specific types of seafood with ShrimpFest in Ocean Township (there's also a LobsterFest and OysterFest in the coming months!). ShrimpFest of Ocean Township will feature themed days, with Friday being Bike Night and Sunday hosting a car show, while Saturday will be a day filled with fun events to be announced. The usual festival staples will be there, too – live music, children's activities, fair food, crafts and vendors, and more. All food vendors will have at least one shrimp-related item on the menu, so be sure to check out the selection all weekend!

• Enjoy a Puppet Show at ; 428 Woodbridge Center Dr., Woodbridge; 732-636-2324; Price: FREE; Saturday, 1 PM

The Greenable Museum (located inside Woodbridge Center Mall, on the upper level near the former Fortunoff location) is hosting a free puppet show Saturday afternoon. “Mariah's Amazing Puppet Show” will precede a tour of the unique museum, which features interactive displays, programs, and exhibits to encourage a green lifestyle. Learn about recycling, sustainability, and going green, all without leaving town!

• Scavenger Hunt at Trailside Nature and Science Center; 452 New Providence Rd., Mountainside; 908-789-3670; Price: See website; Friday 1:30-2:30 PM

An annual tradition at Trailside, the Scavenger Hunt goes off this Friday at 1:30. Test your family's natural history knowledge as you search for pine cones, green mittens, and more at the Center's beautiful grounds. The family that can earn the most points from the list goes home with a prize! As always, stick around after or get there early and check out the exhibits on creatures of the night, American Indians (if you've ever wondered where town names like Hoboken and Matawan came from, this is a great exhibit to check out) and animals indigenous to the Watching Reservation area!

• Blueberry Bash at Terhune Orchards; 330 Cold Soil Rd., Princeton; 609-924-2310; Price: FREE; Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM – 5 PM

Celebrate the New Jersey state fruit down in Princeton this weekend at Terhune Orchard's Blueberry Bash. Pick-your-own-blueberries (blueberries grow on bushes, so there's plenty at kid-height level!), enjoy live country music (12-4 PM each day) and enjoy a relaxing tractor-drawn wagon ride through the grounds. There will also be puppet shows, face painting, pony rides, a blueberry bake-off (with both adult and children categories), and a blueberry buffet!

• Kids Kingdom Traveling Jubilee at Rahway River Park, St. George Ave., Rahway; 908-527-4900; Price: FREE; Saturday, 1-6 PM

If you've ever been to the Union County Music Festival, you're probably familiar with the Kids Kingdom, which sets up shop there every fall. The Kids Kingdom Traveling Jubilee takes that setup throughout Union County in the summer, hitting Rahway River Park this weekend. Expect on-stage performances, crafts, games, science experiments, inflatables, a reptile display, petting zoos (both traditional and “instrumental” - where kids can learn about different musical instruments), fingerprinting, bubbles, bingo, and a whole lot more. Did I mention that it's free? Yeah, that always helps too!