It’s definitely beginning to feel like fall y’all! Apple fun, barnyard celebrations, hip hop classes, night hikes, and more! Here’s our round-up for weekend fun for kids in Baltimore. Be sure to check the event host’s website for the most up-to-date info and health/safety precautions before venturing out!
Looking ahead to next week? Check out our Community Calendar for what’s happening around town.
Weekend Fun for Kids in Baltimore! September 17-19
ALL WEEKEND
Lancaster Hot Air Balloon Festival
Friday, September 17 – Sunday, September 19 | Times Vary
Bird In Hand, PA
The 10th Lancaster Balloon Festival is back in Bird in Hand, PA for 2021. The festival will be held on Friday, September 17, Saturday, September 18, and Sunday, September 19. The location is 2727 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-In-Hand, PA. The Lancaster Hot Air Balloon Festival will include Hot Air Balloon Rides, Food Trucks, Horse & Buggy Rides, Vendors and more! Visit their event page for daily schedules and details. MORE
Johnny Appleseed Festival
Saturday, September 18 – Sunday, September 19 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Weber’s Cider Mill Farm
Weber’s barnyard will open for the Fall Season with their Johnny Appleseed Festival held on September 18 & 19! Enjoy live music, their retail craft show, and crafts with Parkville-Carney Branch Library (Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM) for FREE! Purchase a barnyard fun ticket (online in advance) for hayrides, duck races, mini mazes, hillside slide, play structures, Boo Barn, farm animals and more. Gem mining, face painting, glitter tattoos, balloon creations, and more available at an additional fee. MORE
FRIDAY
Flying Mammals Night Hike
September 17 | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Oregon Ridge Nature Center
Join a naturalist as Oregon Ridge debunks myths about bats and learn ways you can help them. Then you’ll head out to explore the park for signs of bats and use echolocation technology to locate them before they head into hibernation for the winter. Adults and children 6+. $6 per person ($4 for ORNCC Members). Register in advance. MORE
Girlhero’s Grand Opening Celebration
September 17 | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Girlhero
Celebrate the grand opening of Baltimore’s ONLY boutique dedicated to teens! Girlhero just opened their doors at Green Spring Station and they are ready to celebrate! Bites, mocktails, giveaways, braid bar by Dry Bar Baltimore, DJ, and MORE! MORE
Evening Walk in the Woods & Campfire
September 17 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
Stroll through Banneker’s forest while listening to the night creatures. Sit by the fire and enjoy a good ol’ fashion summer s’more. Adults and kids 6+, $5 per person. Registration required. Please call 410-887-1081 or email BannekerMuseum@BaltimoreCountyMD.gov. MORE
SATURDAY
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
September 18 | All Day
Participating Locations
Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine! On Saturday, September 18, 2021 museums across the nation will adopt the policy of the Smithsonian, opening their doors for free to visitors with a Museum Day ticket. Each Museum Day ticket provides free admission to the ticket holder but you must downlaod a ticket in advance from the Smithsonian Magazine website. MORE
Rise and Shine Pontoon
September 18 | 7:00 am – 8:30 am
Anita C. Leight Estuary Center
Attention early risers! Roll onto the Water Strider for a morning adventure. Catch glorious views while looking for animal families just waking up. Participants meet at Pontoon Pier. This program is for ages 2—adult, under 13 w/adult. Register in advance. MORE
Super Hero Day
September 18 | 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Decadent Desserts Maple Lawn
Super Hero Day! A Decadent Dollar to anyone who comes in costume and remember, not all heroes wear capes! The shop will be decorated with photo ops and they’ll have themed treats all day! MORE
Saturday Trail Running
September 18 | 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Anita C. Leight Estuary Center
Log your miles while enjoying some beautiful scenery with fellow nature enthusiasts! All skill levels/paces welcome. The course is an out and back, single track, approx. 2 miles long (run it more than once if you choose). This program is for ages 8 to adult, under 16 w/adult. MORE
Butchers Hill Fall Flea Market & Craft Fair
September 18 | 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Patterson Park
Free event in Patterson Park near the Observatory — find some great treasures! There will be over 160 vendors including your neighbors and local nonprofit organizations. Plus there will be wonderful music and great food. MORE
FREE Back To School Vaccine Clinic
September 18 | 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
Is your child up to date on school immunizations? Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital is hosting a final free immunization clinic on Saturday, September 18th from 9:00 am-12:30 pm. This clinic is by appointment only. Please schedule your child’s appointment at https://tinyurl.com/9ypyjtpu.
Enchanted Fairy Festival
September 18 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Cousler Park (York, PA)
See Magic, Meet a Unicorn, Frolic through bubbles. Learn to be a Pirate. Dance like no ones watching. Listen to the bands. See a Belly dancer. Ask a mermaid how to talk to a dolphin. Dress up, Dress up, Dress up!!! Be a princess, pirate, troll, fairy or other creature. They will have music, activities, lots of vendors, food trucks and things that they came up with in our own imaginations! MORE
Migration Celebration!
September 18 | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cromwell Valley Park
Join Cromwell Valley Park as they celebrate the fall bird migration! Live Birds of Prey, Bird walks, Hawk counting, Garden tours, crafts, and more! FREE! Donations are welcome! Registration NOT required. BRING YOUR OWN BINOCULARS. MORE
Community Wellness Celebration
September 18 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Irvine Nature Center
Irvine Nature Center presents a free “Community Wellness Celebration” on Saturday, September 18, from 10 am-noon, taking place on its 211-acre property in Owings Mills. The event features outdoor mini-classes in Tai Chi, Mindfulness & Mental Health, Art in Nature, Hiking Boot Camp, Yoga and more. Irvine’s Community Wellness Celebration will include live music by Phillip McKnight & Forest Therapy and hands-on activities for children and will offer the public a chance to try out a variety of new Fall classes as part of Irvine’s “Health and Wellness Through Nature” series. MORE
Touch-A-Truck
September 18 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland
Join Boys’ Latin School for their Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, September 18 from 10-11:30 am, current and prospective BL families will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of things on wheels, from big trucks and construction to equipment to safety vehicles and more! Register online in advance. MORE
VIRTUAL | Lights Out Baltimore: Community Science Saturday
September 18 | 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Hosted by the Natural History Society of Maryland
Every 9 seconds a bird dies from colliding with a building. Lights Out Baltimore is a nonprofit project of the Baltimore Bird Club, a local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society. Our goal is to make Charm City safe for migratory birds by turning out decorative lighting in the city during peak migration seasons, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and to advocate for bird-safe building design that makes glass and windows visible to birds. MORE
Happy 100th Birthday Govans Branch!
September 18 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Enoch Pratt Free Library Govans Branch
Come and celebrate the 100th birthday of the Govans Branch with us. Enjoy a musical concert, door prizes, and treats to go! MORE
VIRTUAL + IN PERSON | Turtle Dance Music: Tails and Tales! A Music, Bubble and Comedy Dance Party
September 18 | 11:00 am – 11:40 am
Enoch Pratt – Forest Park
Flap your wings, jump up and down like five little monkeys jumping on the bed, and roar like a polar bear! This performance celebrates famous children’s stories and songs about animals including a few written by adults on the autism spectrum! The show will also celebrate biodiversity–the more wild our planet is, the healthier it is! Kids will dance, sing, laugh, use their imaginations and connect with new friends. This show is crafted to be inclusive for all children, including children on the Autism Spectrum, and a great time for parents and caregivers! Each song in the 40-minute show is accompanied by hands-on, visual, and sensory experiences designed to help kids learn and have fun at the same time. This outdoor program is limited to 10 participants and pre-registration is required. To register, call the Forest Park branch at (410) 396‑0942. To view the virtual event, click the website. MORE
Baltimore Rhythm Festival 2021
September 18 | 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Baltimore City Public Charter Montessori School
Baltimore Rhythm Festival: A Spirited Day Celebrating the Power of Rhythm and Community in Baltimore City. The festival begins at noon with a blessing and prayer and continues all afternoon with two stages, workshops, children’s activities, open mic, vendors, and the festival drum jams that are like no other. MORE
Cookin’ in the Cabin
September 18 | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
Explore Early American cooking and foodways with our Foodways 1790 culinary historians. Using a wood burning hearth and cob oven, they will demonstrate the cooking techniques used by Benjamin Banneker and his Patapsco Valley neighbors. A free, drop-in event for all ages. No registration required. MORE
Peter and the Wolf with the BSO and Wordsmith
September 18 | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Chrysalis at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods
Join Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a part of the FREE Community Concerts at the Chrysalis! On Saturday, September 18, the BSO, in partnership with the Inner Arbor Trust, will present a free, outdoor performance at The Chrysalis in Howard County at 1 pm. Created with budding music enthusiasts and their families in mind, the 45-minute program, under the baton of BSO Assistant Conductor Jonathan Rush, features recognizable favorites of John Williams’ “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. and Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice alongside the BSO’s retelling of Prokofiev’s Peter and Wolf with lyrics and narration by Wordsmith. Gates open at 12:30 PM. FREE but registration required. MORE
Pony Play Date
September 18 | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Farmyard
Head to The Farmyard for their annual play date that’s ALL ABOUT HORSES! Get close to some of your favorite Farmyard equine and jump into hands-on activities like a horse-drawn carriage ride, pony rides, pumpkin pictures with princesses, horse grooming, demonstrations and more. Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes and get ready for some fun crafts and local vendors, too! Admission is $12/adult and $10/child. You must complete a liability form and additional measures will be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. MORE
Vibe Tribe Dance: Kids Hip Hop Workshop
September 18 | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Movement Lab
An hour long, kids hip hop dance session. This class is for beginners and will be broken down step by step. Dancers will warm up, learn choreography, and cool down. For ages 6-12! MORE
Twilight Family Stroll
September 18 | 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Ever wonder what happens at the Zoo after hours and the lights go out? Bring your friends, family, and flashlight for this guided tour of the Zoo as the sun goes down. Learn how to use your senses at night and how animals are adapted to life in the dark. MORE
Lead On, Harriet!
September 18 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Chesapeake Children’s Museum
Take a “ride” on the Underground Railroad” with a famous “conductor” from Maryland. Dress for outdoor activity. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Please ask about group rates. MORE
SUNDAY
Bel Air Festival for the Arts
September 19 | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Shamrock Park
The 2021 show will mark the 54th annual Bel Air Festival for the Arts, sponsored by the Bel Air Recreation Committee. With 350 artisans and craftspeople, the show represents one of the largest one-day events in Harford County, Maryland. MORE
Painting with the Earth
September 19 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Oregon Ridge Nature Center
Join Oregon Ridge Nature Center for a Naturalist led art class to learn how to make paints from natural materials and paint using ancient techniques. Adults and children 12.+. $4 per person ($2 for ORNCC Members). Register in advance. MORE
STEAM Sunday Workshops at Chesapeake Arts Center
September 19 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Chesapeake Arts Center
Echoes of Nature is joining Chesapeake Arts Center this fall for monthly free STEAM Sunday workshops. Each workshop will include a visit from one or more of their live animal ambassadors! Pre-registration through the CAC website is required and space is limited. Registration opens approximately 4 weeks prior to each workshop. MORE
Crayfish: The Stream Dweller
September 19 | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Cromwell Valley Park
Search under the rocks and in the banks of Cromwell’s park streams for these little burrowers and learn all about their important role in stream ecology. Wear shoes and clothes that can get wet. Ages 8+. $2 members /$4 non-members. Registration required. MORE
Community Concert Series: John Lamkin Favorites Jazz Quintet
September 19 | 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Join the John Lamkin Favorites Jazz Quintet for an outdoor, family-friendly, COVID-safe jazz performances in the BMI’s covered pavilion this summer. This series is made possible by the Maryland State Arts Council. Free, no registration required. MORE
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