Today, Stacey Sao of Boston Central kindly tags in with a guest post sharing some of her favorite spots for fall fun (thankfully, the forecast looks good for the weekend so you can take advantage!):

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year in New England; I love taking in the sights of fall foliage against a brilliant October sky, the smells of hot cider, and the crispness of the air. It's the perfect opportunity to create some time-honored autumn traditions with your family so I wanted to share some of my favorite spots to savor the season.
Apple & Pumpkin Picking

There are many local farms and orchards that offer pick your own fruits in the Boston area -- a few of our favorites include:

Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury

Tougas Farm in Northborough

Honeypot Hill Orchard in Stow

Shelburne Farm & Orchard in Stow

Smolak Farms in North Andover

Parlee Farms in Tyngsborough

Carver Hill Orchard in Stow

Belkin Look Farm in Natick

Corn Maze Mania

Work together as a team and try to find your way through a giant corn maze -- each maze is carefully crafted with a specific theme and design. Try your navigational skills at:

The Corn Maize at Connors Farm in Danvers

Marini Farms Corn Maze in Ipswich

The Corn Maze at Kimball Farm (at the Haverhill location only)

The Corn Maze at Sauchuk Farm in Middleboro

The Goss Farm Corn Maze in Dunstable

Corn Maze at Hanson's Farm in Framingham

To find a pick-your-own orchard near you, check out our Massachusetts Apple Picking Guide -- or visit our website to find lots more things to do in Boston with your family.

Image credit: Clare Bloomfield / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When Laurel started using a locker at school, I was immediately transported back to the days where I'd gaze lovingly at magazine cutouts in my locker between periods. Included were the likes of Michael J. Fox, Rob Lowe, and Duran Duran (and yes, I had coordinated pieces of flair for all of these artists on my denim jacket). Subsequently, I was feeling rather nostalgic when I heard that Duran Duran is playing at the Wang Theatre in Boston on October 28. Reps for the show kindly offered me tickets but I wanted to pass them along to one of you awesome readers, so read on to learn how to enter to win! Meanwhile, now I can't get Hungry Like the Wolf out of my head.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Junelle!
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Rules:

Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com with "Duran Duran" in the subject.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Tuesday, October 18, 2010.

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*One lucky winner will win a pair of tickets to Duran Duran, October 28, 8pm at the Wang Theatre in Boston. Sweet!

We're hosting friends today so I'm just popping in quickly to share some fun event ideas for this week, spanning Hispanic culture, green living, babywearing, fossils, a shopping extravaganza, opera for kids, and a lovely event for bookworms young and old. Have a great Monday and to my friends northward, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Image credit: JFK Library & Museum

Today, Stacey Sao of Boston Central kindly shares a guest post including a fantastic roundup of activities for the holiday weekend:

Happy October! This massive event roundup should help everyone get into the autumn groove. There is much to cover so I'll just get to it! On the fall festival scene, there'll be lots to see and do at the Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration in Wareham. If pumpkins are more your thing, you can pick out this year's pumpkin at Pumpkin Day at Bourne Farm in Falmouth. In Providence, families are invited to see thousands of nifty jack-o-lanterns at the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo. It's also the final week to visit the Topsfield Fair.
If you're heading up to New Hampshire to get a sneak peek at the foliage, you can swing by the Pumpkin Festival at Charmingfare Farm in Candia, the Warner Fall Foliage Festival, or the Milford Pumpkin Festival featuring the famous Punkin' Chunkin' Air Cannon.

For Columbus Day weekend, take advantage of the extra day off at the MFA's Annual Fall Open House with free admission and special activities to enjoy. In addition, The Fenway Alliance: Opening Our Doors Day 2011 will be granting free access to 22 other cultural gems in the Fenway Alliance. View the entire list of venues that will be welcoming visitors at no charge this Columbus Day. Additionally, you can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the JFK Library & Museum with a festive Mariachi Band Performance with Veronica Robles free of charge.

For those who love a quest: Partake in a fun, outdoor Columbus Day Scavenger Hunt at Gore Place in Waltham. Or, if you dig archaeology, check out the AIA-Museum of Science Archaeology Fair at the Museum of Science for lots of interactive exhibits. If you are on the hunt for a great deal, swing by Family Swap Day in Somerville with a bag of gently-used clothing, toys, games & costumes, then fill up a bag full of new-to-you consignment treasures to take home. Recycle and rejoice! Finally, if a new pet is what you seek, trek on up to the New England Reptile Expo. You'll find reptiles, invertebrates, and amphibians galore!

On the music and theatre scene, The King & I is playing at the North Shore Music Theater. This show is a real crowd pleaser with lots of singing, dancing, and an amazing set. At the Regent Theatre in Arlington, SteveSongs (aka Mr. Steve from PBSkids) is back in town for a fun new CD Release Concert. And on the literary front, the Wellesley Players will be performing Little Women, the Musical.

Lastly, the food truck craze that's been sweeping the nation will be hitting Metrowest in Framingham on Sunday. Enjoy your favorite foods to the tunes of live music at the WBLX Monster Food Truck Festival at Shoppers World.

For lots more family-friendly event choices this month and all year long, visit BostonCentral.com.

Image credit: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! After knocking off a huge deadline on Friday (that was hanging over me all of September), it was so wonderful to decompress and enjoy the weekend with Laurel and Violet. Even though I miss Jon when he's away, I find it really fun to fly solo with the girls -- we had the best time! Anyhow, I wish you all a lovely week, and if you're looking for stuff to do, here are some fun event ideas for this week, spanning haunted happenings, salamanders, autism education, reading initiatives, stargazing, trains, and eco-living. Enjoy!

Image credit: How Stuff Works

Hooray for October starting tomorrow! Kick off the new month with any or all of these 11 event picks that caught my eye:

1. A cool event for small and large cyclists.

2. Of course you want to see a revolutionary street spectacle of never-before-seen proportions.

3. Just say yes to healthy local food for all.
4. And also this local food festival for kids and families in Cambridge.

5. A fall forest festival in Franklin Park.

6. My first priority at this harvest festival would be procuring apple cider donuts.

7. So much craftiness in store at Lowell Open Studios.

8. Salem is ready to rock the haunted happenings.

9. I could use advice on how to resurrect our teeny tiny garden from the experts at this harvest festival and perennial divide.

10. Yay for fresh pressed cider!

11. As a fan of the Little House books, I think Laurel would love to learn how to churn butter at this Homestead Hayfest.

Image credit: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When it comes to baby and kids stuff, I'm all for recycling. Subsequently, I'm thrilled to serve as a guest curator for Swap.com's Family Swap Day next Saturday, October 8, in Somerville. Whether you want to outfit your kid for Halloween or score books, toys, clothing, and other family-friendly items, simply bring a bag of items to swap, enjoy the family activity room while we get the goods sorted, then come load your bag full of new finds! I'll be roaming the event, and also wielding my face painting skills, so please come say hi! Now, for two cool deals:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winners Darlene, Kate, and Joanna!
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1. Want to be one of three winners to receive a pair of tickets to Family Swap Day? Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com (with "Family Swap Day") in the subject line by Monday, October 3 to enter win.

2. If you'd rather lock in your tickets now, use code BOSTONMAMAS to receive 50% off your ticket.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! After waking up feeling sick after a strange night of sleep, I'm hoping to turn the Monday blahs around ASAP and wish you all a fantastic week. If you're looking for stuff to do, here are some fun event ideas for this week, spanning hands-on science experiences, exploration of things that go, the state of birthing (this one's for the grownups), puppetry, outdoor fun, and music. So much fun to be had!

Image credit: Puppet Showplace Theatre

I hope you're all having a fantastic week and are gearing up for a fun weekend. If you're looking to head out for an adventure or two, here are 11 fun weekend picks that caught my eye. Enjoy!

1. Over 60 cultural attractions offering free admission this weekend? Sweet!

2. A must-attend for jazz lovers.

3. Party on in Allston.
4. Rock out while helping kids in need.

5. Fun on the farm in Waltham.

6. Show your Watertown pride.

7. Fall fun in Marblehead.

8. I don't actually eat Fluff, but it's hard not to love the enthusiasm behind this festival.

9. Get up close and personal with raptors.

10. Inspire young authors to create stories.

11. I love David McPhail. A workshop with him this Sunday might be worth a trip northward.

Image credit: Harvard Museum of Natural History via Smithsonian magazine