What to Do With the Kids: September 26–27

Naples turns its village center into a two-day celebration of the crop that defines this corner of the Finger Lakes. The family version is simple: start with a warm grape pie, follow the music and food through Main Street, Memorial Town Hall and the high-school grounds, and let the children choose a few creator booths instead of trying to see everything. Saturday's signature moment is the grape-pie contest judging at noon.

Why it wins: This is a real place-specific festival, not a traveling midway with a local name attached. Food, music and makers give adults a reason to care, while the pie, bustle and easy snack stops keep it tangible for kids. The beverage garden is optional; a non-drinking family still gets the best parts of the day.

Check first: Use the official festival site for the music schedule and grounds information. It is rain or shine and draws serious crowds, so arrive near 10 a.m., expect remote parking and walking, and buy the pie you want early rather than treating it as an exit snack. If the forecast turns, use our Finger Lakes rainy-day plan.

A whole Adirondack village leaning into moose biology, folklore and ridiculous contests is exactly the kind of oddball family outing that can justify a two-hour drive. The event page names a moose-calling contest, “Count the Moose Scat,” current moose research, a craft show, museum open house, guided wilderness activities and a self-guided Moose River Plains drive among the festival traditions.

The honest catch: As of Wednesday, the organizer still had not posted the final 2026 event timetable. The dates are confirmed, but the individual activities above are described as past or typical festival features—not guaranteed slots. Do not promise the kids a helicopter ride or a particular contest until the finished schedule appears. And do not sell the trip as a guaranteed wild-moose sighting.

Check first: Revisit the official regional event page for the final schedule or call the Indian Lake Chamber before committing. If you go, make Indian Lake and an Adirondack scenic stop the point of the day, with the festival as its anchor. Our Adirondacks family guide can turn the drive into an overnight.

This is the practical family winner: two stages, midway rides, children's activities, demonstrations, crafts and enough apple-and-fair food to make the day feel seasonal, all at Brewerton Speedway. It has more built-in kid energy than the big maker festivals and does not consume half the day in the car.

Best version: Arrive in the morning, give each child a defined ride budget before the midway becomes the entire argument, then use one stage show or demonstration as the day's shared anchor. The unusually low carload admission makes this easy to combine with lunch elsewhere if the family runs out of steam.

Check first: Confirm any ride pricing and entertainment times through the current Oswego County event listing. The listing confirms the hours, Brewerton Speedway location and $5-per-carload admission. Use our family parking-lot plan for the midway and crowd handoff.

Saturday's free event packs a lot into three hours: Mobile Museum building and making, sports activities, interactive STEM, Future Engineers challenges, Utica Zoomobile animals, lawn games, chalk art, snacks and a community art project. It runs in the parking lot and ICAN Community Room, so the organizers have at least some rain coverage built in.

Why it fits: The mix is broad enough for a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old without turning the outing into an expensive all-day commitment. Free hot dogs, chips and ice cream are offered while supplies last, but treat those as bonuses—not your guaranteed lunch plan.

Book/check first: The event itself is free, but the official event page says the drawing class requires preregistration and has only 15 openings at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Register first if that is the hook; otherwise arrive near 11 before activity lines and parking build.

More than 250 juried arts-and-crafts exhibitors take over Remsen's Main Street, backed by food and entertainment. The “juried” part matters: this is a destination-scale maker festival, not a handful of resale booths. It works best for families whose children can enjoy demonstrations, odd handmade objects and a snack-led browse.

Who should choose it: Go if the adults genuinely want art and craft, and let each child pick a booth category or small souvenir mission. If the kids want rides and nonstop action, Central Square will be the better family call.

Check first: Download the official 2026 guidebook and road-closure map. Main Street closes to festival traffic at 8:45 a.m. both days, so decide on parking before you reach the village rather than improvising at the barricades.

If the family has had enough vendor tents, ride a chairlift into a Finger Lakes view instead. Bristol Mountain's fall sky rides run noon to 4 p.m. on September weekends. The lift makes the scenery accessible without demanding a big climb, while still delivering the novelty—and mild nerves—that make a short outing feel like an adventure.

Best version: Choose this for clear visibility and children comfortable with heights and an open chair. Keep the day intentionally light: chairlift, view, snack, then a Canandaigua-area stop on the way home. Do not cram it behind the Naples festival; both deserve breathing room and parking time.

Book/check first: Buy through Bristol Mountain's official fall-sky-ride page and check operating status the same morning. Children under 48 inches must ride with an adult age 18 or older; ages two and younger require a parent-provided car seat or child carrier. A breezy forecast is worth taking seriously on an exposed lift.