Top Things to Do with Kids in Nassau this September

Our roundup of fun and free/low-cost things to do with kids in Nassau County, Long Island, this September includes Sesame Street on stage, fall fairs and festivals, and Dora the Explorer at the Long Island Children’s Museum.

Sept. 8

Middle School Manual

Centerport native Scott Starkey will read from and sign copies of his newly released children’s book How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. Starkey draws from his experience as a middle school teacher to recount the adventures of a cowardly young boy who is mistakenly thought of as brave through sheer coincidence. Can he keep up the charade, and how will he deal with the school’s bully? FREE!

Sept. 21-23

Sing to Me, Elmo

What do singing and magic have in common? Elmo! When Elmo gets his furry fingers on Abby Cadabby’s magic wand, everyone on Sesame Street starts singing. In Sesame Street Live! Can’t Stop Singing, the whole stage at the Nassau Colisrum becomes a nonstop musical extravaganza, and everyone in the audience is invited to participate.

Opens Sept. 21

Construction Kids

Kids can explore architecture and construction as they design their own bridges, skyscrapers, airplanes, and more in the Long Island Children’s Museum’s new exhibit, Building Boom.

Fall into Festivals

Summer’s ending, but there’s still plenty of outdoor events to enjoy, many of which are free. Check out these September family favorites:

Sept. 5-7: Grande Festa Italiana, the largest and oldest Italian festival on Long Island, features ethnic foods, rides, prizes, fireworks, and music at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington. FREE!

Sept. 14: Family Fun Night at Coe Hall in Oyster Bay includes a DJ, bocce, and lawn games for the whole family. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner. FREE!

Sept. 15-16: You’ll find beautiful collector cars and great music at Lido Beach’s Spectacular 7th Annual Seaside Car Show.

Sept. 27-30: The Long Island Fair, held on the grounds of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, is a family favorite with old-fashioned crafts, blue-ribbon vegetables, brass band concerts, wagon rides, pony rides, and more.

Sept. 29-30: Bring your leashed dog and meet fellow dog lovers during Dog Weekend at Old Westbury Gardens.

Sept. 29-30: Festival By The Sea in Lido Beach features live bands, giant inflatables, and more outdoor fun. Sept. 29-30.

Sept. 22-23, 29-30

Buccaneers and Buried Gold

In Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure, Dora, her best buddy Boots, and their friends take a trip to Treasure Island. There’s a lot of monkey business as the audience helps them find their way over Dancing Mountain to confront the Pirate Piggies, but it all ends happily onstage with a “yo-ho-ho!” and a barrel of fun.

Cross into Queens for…

Sept. 22-23

Farm Fest

Get ready for pie-eating and corn-husking contests, blue-ribbon competitions, live music, arts and crafts, pig races, and hayrides—oh, and did we mention carnival rides, a midway, the Amazing Maize Maze, and the Big Apple Circus Variety Show? It’s all happening at the Queens County Fair at the Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park, a 30-year tradition in the borough just over the border.