Kid Activities In Hoboken This Week: Fire Museum Storytime, More

HOBOKEN, NJ — Keep your kids (or young-at-heart friends) busy this summer without going more than a mile or two. Here are some great family activities coming up in and around Hoboken.

Special Storytime At The Hoboken Fire Museum

This Sunday, come meet Jersey City firefighters Rafael Towers (author) and Eli Ramos (illustrator) as they read their new picture book: PANCAKES IN THE MORNING.

The Hoboken Fire Museum has popular storytimes most weekends at 213 Bloomfield St. This one, on July 11, runs from 1:30-2:30 p.m. It's free! Sponsored by Little City Books.

Garden Street School Of The Performing Arts: Kids' Saturday Dropoffs Return

Garden Street School Of The Arts announced that, in addition to their summer performing arts camps and classes, they're bringing back their Saturday evening dropoffs for kids 4 and up. Parents can leave their kids for one low price ($35) and there's a sibling discount for two. They get a movie and dinner.

Find out more by emailing dance@gardenstreetmusic.com to reserve your spot.

Learn About Hoboken's 35 Parks, Dog Runs, And Sprinklers

If you're having a staycation this weekend, why not check out a park in a neighborhood you haven't been to?

Hoboken has 35 parks, totaling 53 acres of open space. You can click a new site to look at the playgrounds, dog runs, water spray areas, and more. Check the website here:
Click here: All about Hoboken's parks

Take A Nature Walk In Liberty State Park

Liberty State Park in Jersey City offers several activities each month: nature walks, history and architecture lectures, and scavenger hunts. This Sunday, you can explore the Hudson River Estuary at 10 a.m.

Find out about other July events at http://www.facebook.com/LibertyStateParkOfficial. Subscribe to get e-mail updates on the park's other events at the bottom of this page. Directions to the park and its parking lots are here.

Links For Baseball Clinics, Gymnastics Signups

Hoboken opened registration last month for summer gymnastics and baseball clinics. Click here.

Check Out Liberty State Park's Newly Reopened Nature Center

The state-run nature center in Jersey City has been closed since Superstorm Sandy, and that's an awful long time. But Liberty State Park's nature center has finally reopened this week. Find out more here.

Celebrate Bastille Day In Jersey City

The French American Academy in Jersey City is organizing an outdoor French market and ceremony at City Hall on Bastille Day, July 14. You can get tickets for free on their website (linked here). The food booths will sell wine, cheeses, baked goods, and more. The guest of honor will be Jeremie Robert, French Consul General in New York.

"On Bastille Day, we will raise the French Flag on the front façade of the City Hall of Jersey City at 12 p.m. 280 Grove St.," they noted. The Academy provides a bilingual education for school-aged children. Find out more about the event here.

American Dream: 2 New Attractions!

Two attractions have opened recently in the American Dream mall: Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center. Find out more: Click here.

Take In A Free Outdoor Concert

Hoboken, Secaucus, and Jersey City all have free concerts coming to their outdoor areas over the next few weeks. These include Tom Petty and Beatles tribute bands, and more.

• See Hoboken concert schedule here
• See Secaucus concerts at Buchmiller Park
• See Jersey City "Summer In The City" concerts here

See Outdoor Movies And Festivals

Hoboken, Union City, and Jersey City have released schedules of movies and other events.

• Get the list of Hoboken Movies Under the Stars, arts festivals, and other Hoboken events by clicking here.
• Check out Jersey City cultural events here.
• Jersey City has a carnival at Lincoln Park. More details are here.
• You'll have to wait a bit, but the St. Ann's Festival will return to Hoboken July 22. Find out more here.

Keep Cool In The Pools

Thinking about a swim? Here is Patch's 2021 list of pools in Hoboken and Hudson County, and their membership requirements. Call to make sure the rules and coronavirus precautions are up to date. Pools Around Hudson County: Where To Swim This Summer

Get Ready For The St. Ann's Festival

The Feast is back! The popular Italian festival will return July 22 with music, food, games, rides, and more. Read more here and watch Patch for updates.

Main Street Pops: Monthly Outdoor Markets

Find out more about Main Street Pops artisan markets, under the Viaduct from Hoboken to Jersey City, here or here.

Take NJ Transit To Summer Attractions

NJ Transit recently announced that it's providing train service to Six Flags Great Adventure, American Dream, Liberty Science Center, and more. Check out njtransit.com/summer for more information.

Liberty Science Center Updates

Got a dinosaur-obsessed child? Among Liberty Science Center's exhibits for all ages, the T. Rex exhibit opened in May. Click here to learn more.

In addition, LSC holds Junior Days for kids 6 and under on Thursdays and Fridays. Click here about the LSC Junior Days and activities.

Click here for admission information, directions, and covid safety protocols. Liberty Science Center is just a short light rail ride (or drive) away in Jersey City. It's located at Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Blvd. Call (201) 200-1000.

Borrow Games And Get Ice Cream On Pier A Park

A new business opened this month at Hoboken's Pier A Park called Play Fun Eat, where you can get ice cream and coffee and rent games for family fun on the pier. READ MORE: Two Ice Cream Shops Coming To Hoboken

Hoboken Historical Museum: Weekly Crafts For Two Age Groups

Hoboken's Historical Museum has weekly art sessions for young kids, and also for kids 3-11. Read on:

• Arts & Crafts: Children ages 2-5 years are invited (with adult, of course) to drop by the Museum three days a week for fun art making in the Museum walkway. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Art materials are provided, and adults must wear masks. Supported by family sponsor, Macy's. Learn more here.
• Let's Play Together! Join artist/musician Issa Sow every Monday at 3 p.m. for a fun hour of creativity with music, art and dance. Held outside in the walkway by the Museum entrance, the program is designed to be inclusive of children ages 3 to 11, across the entire neurodiversity spectrum, so they can learn to play and be creative together. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Drop in or call 201-656-2240 for more information.

New Business For Kids Who Love Sports

Hoboken residents have opened their new speed training facility in Jersey City this week (see photo above) called Hudson Speed School, to help train child and adult athletes.

"We are currently offering 10 percent off any training package with "GRANDOPEN10" for the month of June," noted one of the founders. "In addition, we will be holding our first Summer Clinic (a 4-day, 2-hour class) the week of June 28 (after school ends). Finally, we will have one of our first Open House events for prospective families on Tuesday, June 22 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. to see our space and meet our founders." Find out more here: www.hudsonspeed.com

New Storytime In The Park

Little City Books has announced an outdoor storytime in the park. "Beloved Little City Books storytime reader Laura is back this summer with free outdoor gatherings," they noted. "Classic and new picture books, songs and poems."

Storytime with Laura is Tuesday at 10 a.m., Church Square Park, Fourth and Garden Streets, free, kids aged 0-5. Find out more about Little City Books (which has a great room full of children's books!) here.

Hoboken Summer Camp Signups

Still not sure what to do about camp? For Patch's 2021 list of area camps and camp databases for Hoboken kids, click here: Hoboken 2021 Summer Camp Guide

Hoboken Special Needs Parent Group's Parents Nights Out

Hoboken's Special Needs Parents Group has been having monthly dinners out. Find out more on Facebook here.

Previous Updates: The Hive, Village Tree House, And More

• Need a break? Get coffee in one of these local coffee houses that has a playroom attached for kids. The playrooms can be rented at an hourly rate. Find out more about The Hive and Village Tree House here: Hoboken Family Activities
• See last week's roundup here.

Do you know of any activities, discounts, travel deals, or promotions for local families? Email us to let us know.

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