4 free things to do this weekend with kids

Photo above by Drew Hays used by permission via Unsplash.

Halloween is almost here! Along with dressing up in your favorite costume and going trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, here are four free events to keep the littlest Pittsburghers busy.

Friday, Oct. 29, noon to 4 p.m.: Legendary Beasts Day Camp at Assemble

PPS kids have a half-day on Friday. So the brilliant minds at Assemble will be exploring legends from around the world and the beasts associated with them on Friday afternoon, and kids in grades 3-5 are invited. Along with other activities, kids will create a plaster cast of a beastly footprint. Registration is free for Garfield residents. Folks from other neighborhoods can pay half-price $10 or the full $20 fee.

Friday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m.: Boo-tanical Bash (virtual)

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will bring Halloween happenings to your home in the virtual Boo-tanical Bash. Kids can dress up and show off their costumes in a Zoom parade. The event includes a kid-focused spooky storytime, a show-and-tell of creepy creatures and lots of opportunities for energetic, creative movement. Registration is free.

Saturday, Oct. 30, 9 a.m. to noon: Riverview Park Trail Work Day

Join trail stewards and the Friends of Riverview Park on the last Saturday of each month (May-October, so this is the final session!) to work on trail projects and make Riverview Park even more beautiful. Please meet at the Visitors Center in Riverview Park.

Saturday, Oct. 30 and Sunday,  Oct. 31: fall fun at Harvest Valley Farms: 125 Ida Lane, Valencia
This small family farm located in Middlesex Township, Butler County, has been celebrating the fall season in a big way for more than three decades. On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., you’ll find this full-time working produce farm transformed into a fun-filled, pick-your-own pumpkin festival.

Harvest Valley Farms has a long history. Art King is a second-generation farmer; his son and business partner David King is third-generation. Art says their Fall Festival attracts “hundreds and hundreds” of families for seasonal pumpkin fun.

There is no admission fee to participate in activities including hayrides, a cornstalk maze, a straw tunnel, face painting, farm animals and more. Listen to live music and watch a chainsaw carving demonstration.

“I call it family fun on a real farm,” King told Kidsburgh. “We do it for the kids.”