The 25th annual Oyster Festival at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay gets started today and runs through Sunday. There will be pirates and tall ships, a treasure hunt, rides and a petting zoo and even fireworks on Saturday night. Parking and admission are free, and it's one of the east coast's largest waterside festivals. The grounds are open Friday evening from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the rides only. On Saturday, they open at 11:00 a.m. and continue through the 7:00 p.m. fireworks show. Sunday also starts at 11:00 a.m. and the pirates head for the sunset at 6:00 p.m.

Over on Nassau County's south shore, the Rock Hall Museum in Lawrence will be hosting their annual Fall Festival. On Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., kids can explore a range of colonial-era crafts and foods, as well as enjoying live music and pony rides. In the same neighborhood, Hempstead Lake State Park will be hosting a Freshwater Fishing and Children's Festival from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. There will be instructors and loaner rods for kids to try their hand at freshwater fishing in Hempstead Lake, as well as a magic show, pony rides, a casting for pumpkins contest and, of course, the carousel.

Further east on Saturday is the Town of Islip's annual Apple Festival at the Islip Grange in Sayville. In addition to pony rides (those ponies are getting a workout this weekend) and scarecrow-making, there will be a pie eating contest. The apple-themed fun continues on Sunday with the Huntington Historical Society Apple Festival. Tours of 1795 Kissam House will complement games and stories for children, cider making and a puppet show.

There are a few animal-related activities this weekend as well. The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium Fall Fair is being held on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition to fishing for kids, there will be demonstrations, games and food. Also on Saturday out on the east end, the South Fork Natural History Museum presents a show on Long Island's native reptile and salamander species (there is a difference!). There are two different times -- shows for kids under the age of seven run from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and those seven and over can attend from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children, museum members are free. Finally, the Sweetbriar Nature Center presents Fall Forest Fun on Sunday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A guided walk through the grounds helps kids to identify the deciduous trees and learn about the native animals that live at the nature center. Admission is $5.00 per person.

Don't think that we forgot about Halloween. If your kids need to get a head start on their candy gathering, the Trick or Treat Trail at Camp Edey in Bayport opens this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday kids can wear their costumes and walk a ghoul-filled trail. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the cost is $10.00 per child. Sagtikos Manor is hosting a Fall Festival and Haunted House on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be live music, pumpkin decorating and haunted mansion tours that are appropriate for all ages. Admission is $10.00. At Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown, there will be a Happy Halloween Tour of the historic cemeteries at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Visitors interested in the tour should meet at the Blydenburgh-Weld House. Saturday night in Setauket brings the Three Village Historic Society's Spirits Tour. Groups depart from the Caroline and Setauket Presbyterian Churches every fifteen minutes starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 per person and pre-registration is strongly recommended. Visitors will encounter actors portraying the ghosts of people buried at the church cemeteries.

If you're already suffering from goblin fatigue, you can head over to the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum on Sunday for their Sink or Float? program. Kids can design and test their own boat designs and learn about the physics of buoyancy. Program times are 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and admission is $8.00 for non-members, $3.00 for members of the museum. Also on Sunday, the Nassau County Museum of Art is hosting a celebration of the Vanderbilt Races. There will be exhibits and sales of vintage automotive art and memorabilia as well as an auction of classic cars. If you're in an automobile frame of mind, this weekend is also the Long Island Auto Show at Nassau Coliseum. Admission is $10.00 for adults, but on Sunday children under 12 will be admitted for free.