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Nov 1, 2023 12:38 pm EDT | Updated Nov 1, 2023 12:40 pm EDT

CONNECTICUT With Halloween 2023 in the rearview mirror, Connecticut families in search of weekend outings can finally focus on dinosaurs.

The "Jurassic World Live Tour" show comes to Hartford's XL Center Friday through Sunday, Nov. 3-5. Described as an "exhilarating and unpredictable live, family entertainment experience that brings the wonder and thrills of Jurassic World to generations of fans," the tour has been wowing audiences with more than 24 film-accurate, life-sized dinosaurs. Friday's first showing is at 7 p.m., with shows Saturday at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available online here.

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Dino-fans who show up one hour before showtime can see their favorite thunder lizards up close, and catch a photo op with one of the l'il darlings. Because who needs T. Swift when you have T-Rex?

If in your house, like in ours, eating the last Nestle Crunch bar in the big orange bucket means it's time to get serious about Christmas shopping, you are so in luck. The 37th Annual New England Christmas Festival drops down the chimney at Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention Center on Friday, and stays there through the weekend.

The shopping extravaganza is the largest arts and crafts festival in New England, and offers more than 350 art, craft and specialty food artisans who come together once a year for three days only. The one-stop yule shopping destination will offer fashion, fine jewelry, seasonal decor, spa products, children's clothing, toys and more items, in all price ranges, that will not be found on store shelves, according to promoters. It's 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are here.

We're guessing The 1st Annual Holiday Market in the Barn at Little Dipper Farm in Brooklyn, CT won't be quite so sprawling as the Mohegan Sun layout, but is still worth a look-see from shoppers hoping to get the jump on Santa. The organizers promise "lots of wonderful local artisans, crafters, and makers," along with live music and good food. The market will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 499 Wolf Den Road. Admission is free.

Too early for candy canes and ugly sweaters? We hear you, and suggest you join the crowd at the Apple Theory Fest in North Haven on Saturday, where everyone will be clinging to every last autumn leaf. Visitors will be sampling a variety of hard ciders from Apple Theory Cidery, including unique American flavors and single-varietal traditional heirloom ciders from Connecticut orchards. The cider-meisters will also be freshly pressing sweet cider on the day of the event, for a non-alcoholic alternative. There'll be heirloom apples to taste and take home, goats to cuddle and Instagram with, and apple-centric baked goods created by the Get Stuffed Food Truck, The Tasty Sprinkle and Cakes By The Pound. Other local vendors will be selling honey and maple syrup products ideal for the New Englander who refuses to bid fall adieu. The cider-lover's paradise will be open 2-6 p.m. Saturday, at 118 Quinnipiac Avenue.

Finally, aesthetics and mathematics collide atGrace Farms in New Canaan Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and it promises to sound glorious. "Beauty & Logic" is a series of musical conversations led by saxophonist, mathematician, and Grace Farms Music Director Marcus G. Miller. In Saturday's edition, "Flow, Information & Quantum Physics," Miller and his band will be joined by theoretical physicist and professor of physics at Brown University,Stephon Alexander. Tickets are available online here.

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Dinosaurs, Quantum Mechanics & Hard Cider: Just Another Weekend In CT - Patch