Whether you’re working on college applications or trying to figure out what career is best for you, the public library’s College and Career Pathways program is here to help.

     Get customized assistance, with any college- or career-related questions, from one of our trained Young Adult Librarians. Walk in or schedule a virtual one-on-one session today at calendly.com/nyplcollegeandcareer.

     Free. Monday afternoon starting at 3:30 at the Fort Washington branch of the NYPL, in Fort George on 179th Street between Audubon and St. Nicholas Avenues. On Mondays through December.

     Look, listen, sing, and have fun with storytime at the Met cloisters. The museum and Literacy INC shares tales through picture-book readings in English and Spanish connected to objects in the  Cloisters’ collection.

     Recommended for families with children ages 18 months to 6 years. Participants will receive a free book with onsite registration.

     Space is limited; first come, first served.
     Free with Museum admission; admission is pay as you wish for New York state residents, and free for children under 12 with an adult. Tuesday mornings at 11:30 at the museum in Fort Tryon Park.

     School’s out and cool weather makes it easy to stay indoors.

     Explore a bit when you join the Urban Park Rangers for an afternoon of kid-friendly activities and discover the renovated Inwood Hill Nature Center. The session lasts an hour.

     Free. Wednesday afternoon at 1 at the Nature Center in Inwood Hill Park, near 218th Street and Indian Road.

     Wrap up your Christmas season and say goodbye to your tree at Mulchfest. NYC Parks continues the tradition of recycling your Christmas tree, wreath and roping.

     Last year 52,569 trees were recycled. Help top that number! Put on your boots and haul your tree to a Mulchfest location in Lower WaHi or Inwood, and volunteers will mulch your tree into wood chips that to nourish trees and make the city greener.

     Remember to remove all lights, ornaments, and netting before taking the evergreens to a Mulchfest site. 

     Friday through January 11:

     Lower WaHi: J. Hood Wright Park, on 175th Street near Haven Avenue.

     Inwood Hill Park: Isham Street and Seaman Avenue.

     If you want to keep up your tree for the twelve days of Christmas, wait for chipping weekend, when you can take home a tree-mento! The crew will chip your tree and give you your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree. Saturday and Sunday, January 10 and 11, from 10 to 2 in Inwood Hill Park.

     Lace up your spikes for high school racing at the U.S. Marine Corps Holiday Classic. Held on the world’s fastest indoor trak, the meet features dashes, relays, and hurdles. 

     Competitors: The only acceptable spikes allowed on the Armory track surface are ¼-inch pyramid spikes. No shoes with a three spike configuration are allowed. 

     $15–$35; students, $5, and children 42" and shorter enter free. Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     Sketch from works of art in The Met Cloisters galleries and experiment with different drawing approaches. Build your skills with a teaching artist and share your works of art with other teens.

     Thinking of applying to an art high school or college? These classes are a great way to build a portfolio. For ages 12 to 18.

     Museum admission is free, with registration, for teens as part of this program. All experience levels welcome; all materials provided.

     Free with registration. Saturday afternoon at 1 in Fort Tryon Park. On the second and last Saturdays of the month.

     If you can identify a tree by its leaves, how can you identify it when it’s bare?

     Join the Urban Park Rangers for a winter walk around Manhattan’s only untouched forest to learn how to identify trees even after their leaves have fallen.

     Dress for the weather and take a bottle of water (or a thermos of hot cocoa) for the 90-minute trek.

     Free. Sunday afternoon at 1 in Inwood Hill Park. Meet at 218th Street and Indian Road.

     Like all New Yorkers, wildlife in the city loves to explore the parks, like this peregrine falcon near the Hudson River.

     Use the city’s wildlife calendar to learn about what’s happening with Uptown wildlife neighbors each month, and find parks where you might be able to better see them in action.

     Most of New York’s wildlife is not dangerous; however, maintaining a safe distance is the best way to protect your safety and the safety of your wild neighbors. If you see an injured animal, leave the animal where it is, give it some distance, and call 311.

     Can you find the flora and fauna in an Uptown park?

     The next time you’re exploring Isham Park, head to Bruce’s Garden. Then, click this link on your cell phone for clues to find the treasures in this prized patch of greenery.

      Isham Park is in Inwood, at 213 Park Terrace East (not West!) and is open every day.

     Where are you going?

     Use a compass rose to help you get there. A video from the Hispanic Society will show you how to make one with a potato, some paint and a few more household objects.

     You’ll also learn a bit about maps through the centuries and how explorers used them to travel to places they’d never seen.

     Here’s a way to make your next outing with the kids a little different.

     Print out a family scavenger hunt booklet and take a walk through Fort Tryon Park’s historic estate remnants.

     Find, draw, and map natural marvels and constructed treasures while you explore the path network that leads from Billings Lawn to the Palisades Overlook.

     The booklet is provided by the Fort Tryon Park Trust.

     Need something new for the kids to do?

     The Hispanic Society of America offers several coloring pages, each based on one of the most famous paintings in the museum’s collection. Recognize the Duchess of Alba? Download the pdf below.

      For adults, the society has posted several lectures here.

¿Necesita algo nuevo para que hagan los niños?
      La Hispanic Society of America ofrece varias páginas para colorear, cada una basada en una de las pinturas más famosas de la colección del museo. ¿Reconoces a la duquesa de Alba? Descargue el pdf a continuación.
       Para los adultos, la sociedad ha publicado varias conferencias aquí.

     The NYPL’s bookmobile provides access to the library’s riches.

      While it used to make a regular stop Uptown, the closest weekly visit is now in East Harlem.

      Of course, there are the branch libraries waiting for your visit. In Fort George you can visit the Fort Washington Branch, which re-opened last year after an extensive renovation.

      The hours are here, Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at East River Plaza, on 117th Street and Pleasant Avenue.

     It’s the fifth day of Christmas, time to give your true love five golden rings. According to PNC Bank, you’ll pay $1,649.90 for them, which is a striking 32 percent more than you would have paid just a year ago.

     Inflation, Fed rate cut expectations and a declining U.S. dollar are sending investors racing for gold and other precious metals. 

     If you were to buy everything in the song, you’d still pay more then the overall inflation rate this year. Even with its small basket of goods and services, the PNC Christmas Price Index grew 4.5 percent, reaching $51,476.12. Merry Christmas!

     Let your kids will experience nature in a hands-on and fun way. From stick bugs to snakes, they can meet the animals that calls Uptown their home.

     Let by the Urban Park Rangers. These are wild animals, so wear clothes that can get dirty.

     Free. Monday afternoon, December 29, from 1 to 2 in the Inwood Hill Park Nature Center, near 218th Street and Indian Road.

     With winter hiatus over, Skyline Conference competition resumes as Yeshiva cagers return to the court.

     The Macs host the Illinois University Titans.

     Monday night, December 29, at 7:30 (note the earlier tipoff) at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     The North Shore Invitational track meet sees prep runners from around the region competing on the world’s fastest indoor track.

     $15–$35; students, $5, and children 42" and shorter enter free. Tuesday, December 30, from 9 to 6 at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     Can you mine geese? It’s the sixth day of Christmas …

     When four misfits from Chuglass, Idaho, are pulled through a portal into a cubic world, they embark on a quest back to the real world with the help of an expert crafter named Steve.

     Jack Black is among the stars in A Minecraft Movie (2025), featured in this month’s Teen Center movietime.

     Free. Tuesday afternoon, December 30, at 3 at the Fort Washington brnach of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street between St. Nicholas and Audubon Avenues.

     Bundle up and join the Urban Park Rangers as they demonstrate a Native winter campsite. You can explore and enter the recently restored Lenape wigwam and enjoy an afternoon by a warm campfire. Kids will learn how to use a bow drill and other methods to start a fire.

     Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and take a thermos of hot cocoa.

     Free. Wednesday afternoon, December 31, from 1 to 2 in Inwood Hill Park. Meet at 218th Street and Indian Road.

     Let the winter season inspire your kids to create crafts from objects found in nature. Led by the Urban Park Rangers, the mini-workshop lets kids will experience nature in a hands-on and fun way.

     Wear clothes that can get a bit messy from art projects.

     Free. Friday afternoon, January 2, from 1 to 2 at the Inwood Hill Park Nature Center near 218th Street and Indian Road.

    Share ideas and enjoy hands-on gallery activities that bring medieval works of art to life.       

     The drop-in event provides all the materials you and your child need to think creatively. Best for families with children ages 3 to 11 years.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon, January 3, from 1 to 3 in the main hall of the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. Monthly on the first Saturday through June.

     This month’s full moon will be reaching Super Moon status as it reaches its closest extent to earth. Want to take a look?

     The Urban Park Rangers will be your guides to the astronomical event with telescopes and binoculars for you take take a look. They can also tell you about the solar system and discuss the science, history and folklore of the universe.

     Dress for the weather and take a thermos of cocoa.

     Free. Saturday evening, January 3, from 5 to 6:30 in Inwood Hill Park near 218th Street and Indian Road.

     Throughout the winter, many bald eagles from upstate will fly south to hunt along the open, unfrozen sections of the Hudson River.

     On this walk with the Urban Park Rangers, you will scan the skies to observe some of these mighty raptors soaring above the river or perched along the forest scouring for fish to prey upon.

     Dress for the weather and take a bottle of water (or a thermos of cocoa) for this 90-minute excursion.

     Free. Sunday morning, January 4, at 10 in Inwood Hill Park; meet at Seaman Avenue and Isham Street. Also on January 24.

     Come ready to look, imagine, and create.

     Drop in for free, hands-on family fun to celebrate Three Kings’ Day. Take inspiration from medieval paintings and sculptures to make works of art of your own.

     Families with children of all ages and abilities are welcome; recommended for children ages 3–11 years. Materials are provided.

      Free with museum admission. Sunday afternoon, January 4, from 1 to 4 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Prep runners try out for the Milrose Games at the trials on the world’s fastest indoor track.

     Competitors: The only acceptable spikes allowed on the Armory track surface are ¼-inch pyramid spikes. No shoes with a three spike configuration are allowed. 

     $15–$35; students, $5, and children 42" and shorter enter free. Wednesday, January 7, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

    Do some digging, then get in some riding with your BMX buds and ride the most progressive urban bike park in America, with the help of the New York City Mountain Bike Association.

     There will be light trail maintenance tasks for all ages in the morning. Every volunteer receives a free 20-minute clinic and, in the afternoon, a guided ride throughout the trails from 12:30 to 3. Even better, bikes and helmets are provided, so you don’t need your own.  

     Uptown is the home of the city's first mountain biking course, 3 miles of trails of varying difficulty and a free-ride trail that includes drops, steeps, and berms. The park also features a dirt jump park and pump track, making it a good place to develop different skills at all levels.

     Free. Saturday morning, January 10, from 10 to 3 in Fort George at the BMX trailhead in Highbridge Park, on Fort George Avenue, just northwest of the Buczek Ballfield. Monthly on the second Saturday.

     Let your kids explore life in colonial New York at Manhattan’s oldest remaining house, where the Morris-Jumel Mansion offers family-day programming with a fun, hands-on activity for children and their care-givers.

     Last month, participants made pomanders, citrus ornaments traditionally made with oranges and cloves that filled homes with lovely scents and holiday spirit. In colonial times, making pomanders was a way to keep winter's chill at bay and bring warmth to gatherings.

     All materials will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. 

     Free. Saturday afternoon, January 10, from 1 to 3 in the colonial kitchen in the basement of the mansion; enter on the east side. On Jumel Terrace in Lower WaHi. On the second Saturday of the month.

     Take the whole family to meet the instruments at a petting zoo, when even the youngest listeners can get up close and personal with their favorite instruments before seeing them come alive onstage.

     The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra invites their curiosity before performing an enchanting family concert.

     Narrator Sarah Ziegler will guide you through musical selections from the evening concert, The People Who Inspire Us.

     Best for children ages 1 through 10 and their families.

     $16.25. Saturday afternoon, January 10, with the petting zoo beginning at 2:45 and the concert at 3. At Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street.

     Yeshiva’s cagers are back from a suburban road trip for big-city basketball.

     The Macs host the Mount Saint Mary Knights. 

     Saturday night, January 10, at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Back from Connecticut, Yeshiva starts a two-game homestand.

     The Macs start by welcoming the Purchase College Panthers.

     Saturday night, January 14, at 8 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     The Mayor’s Cup is awarded to the fastest prep team competing on the world’s fastest indoor track. 

     Competitors: The only acceptable spikes allowed on the Armory track surface are ¼-inch pyramid spikes. No shoes with a three spike configuration are allowed. 

     High school students can attend the the HBCU Showcase College Fair free with a student ID. 

     $15–$35; students, $5, and children 42" and shorter enter free. Saturday, January 17, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     The second game in this homestand sees Yeshiva in action before heading Upstate.

     The Macs host the Bears of St. Joseph’s University Brooklyn.

     Saturday night, January 17, at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     The young adult novel What I Forgot to Tell You is an engrossing coming-of-age love story, without sugar-coating, about two neurodivergent young people dealing with the often unjust, ableist world and their right and ability to find love and joy. 

     The book’s authors, Pamela L. Laskin and Ellen Paige, will read from and discuss their book, which gives voice to characters who are rarely ever heard from in fiction. The story is a resource to open minds to other ways of experiencing the world and everyone’s right to experience love and commitment.

     The book is available here.

     $5. Sunday afternoon, January 18, at 2 at Word Up Community Book Store in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Peek at technique and learn through handling tools and materials how artists from centuries ago created their works of art.

     Stop by for hands-on demonstrations and conversations with conservators and curators to find out in this demonstration, which is connected to the exhibit Spectrum of Desire.

     Demonstrations repeat every 30 minutes. For visitors of all ages. 

     Free with museum admission. Sunday afternoon, January 18, from 1 to 4 in the Romanesque Hall of the Cloisters, in Fort Tryon Park.

     Get some stress out during a creative session of arts and crafts.

      It’s collage night, when you can repurpose old book materials, magazines, and more.

     Supplies & vibes will be provided. 

     Free. Thursday evening, January 22, at 6:30 at Recirculation in Lower WaHi at 876 Riverside Drive near 160th Street. Monthly on the third Thursday.

     Columbia hosts its only track & field meet of the season this weekend.

     Teams from across the region converge in WaHi to compete with the Lions.

     Friday and Saturday, January 23 and 24, starting at 10 a.m. at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     Celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of the  documentary about 11-year-old public school kids, including pupils from P.S. 115 Alexander Humbolt in Lower WaHi, who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way.

     Told from their candid perspectives, the young dancers in Mad Hot Ballroom are transformed from reluctant participants to determined competitors. The film provides insight into the age when becoming a cool teenager vies for position with familiar innocence, all while learning how to merengue, rumba, tango, foxtrot, and swing.

     After the screening the film’s main subjects, including Alejandro (aka Wilson) and Yomaira Reynoso, alond with the director Marilyn Agrelo will be interviewed by Dancing Classrooms’ executive director Eve Wolff.

     $12.72. Friday night, January 23, at 7 at the United Palace in Lower WaHi, on Broadway at 175th Street.

     Yeshiva is fresh off a trip Upstate.

     This weekend the Mac welcome the Farmingdale State College Rams.

     Saturday night, January 24, at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     How do animals know winter is on its way?

     Join a New Canaan Nature Center naturalist to learn from live animals and artifacts, then enjoy activities and some role-playing to learn how animals have adaptations to help them survive. Migration, hibernation, brumation, and staying active are only some of the ways animals survive the coldest season.

     Recommended for ages 4 and older with caregiver.

     Free. Saturday morning, January 31, at 11 at the Fort Washington Library in Fort George, on 179th Street between Audubon and St. Nicholas Avenues.

     New York City is the site of ancient earth-shaking and earth-shaping events. The bedrock that anchors the city’s skyscrapers tells a story of a place going back more than a billion years.

     Join the Urban Park Rangers and discover the three strata that serve as the foundation for our island: Manhattan Schist, Inwood Marble, and Fordham Gneiss.

     Wear comfortable shoes for this hour-long excursion.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, January 31, at 1 in Fort Tryon Park; meet in Inwood at Broadway and Arden Street.

     Yeshiva was on Long Island Wednesday but now they’re back at home in another Skyline Conference matchup.

     The Macs host the Mariners of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

     Saturday night, January 31, at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     The 2025–26 season is winding down for Yeshiva, so take the chance to cheer them to the end.

     The Macs welcome the University of Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins in the final mid-week matchup.

     Tuesday night, February 10, at 8 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Say goodbye to Yeshiva’s seniors as the season comes to its close at home.

     The farewell Uptown matchup sees Yeshiva host the Sarah Lawrence Gryphons.

     Saturday night, February 14, at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Yeshiva’s Fort George campus on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Columbia’s women’s lacrosse team opens the home season this week.

     The Lions of Manhattan host the Lafayette Lions of Easton, Pennsylvania, in the second match of 2026.

     Wednesday, Feburuary 18, at a time to be announced later at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

      The Lions’ lacrosse team continues its three-game home stand this weekend.

      Columbia welcomes the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in what’s likely to be an early aftenooon match.

      Sunday, February 22, at a time to be determined later at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

     It may be chilly but it’s still lacrosse weather.

     Columbia takes on the Howard Bison in another mid-week matchup.

     Tuesday afternoon, Feburary 24, at a time to be determined later at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

     Is your teen interested in the sciences? Maybe she’s thinking about a career in medicine?

     If so, consider the Lang Youth Medical Program at the Columbia Medical Center. It’s a free opportunity to expose high school students to the science of medicine and aims to inspire teens to achieve their college aspirations through hands-on learning and mentorship.

     It’s open only to students in WaHi who attend a Community School District 6 school. The program meets on seventeen Saturdays through the year and during the entire month of July. Find out more here.

     The deadline for the next session is in March.

     In its final non-conference match, Columbia invites a MAAC opponent.

     The Lions host the Rider Broncs this week.

     Wednesday, March 11, at a time to be announced later at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

      Conference season opens in women’s lacrosse this week.

      Columbia hosts Brown in the Ivy League matchup.

      Saturday, April 4, at a time to be announced soon at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

     Ivy League lacrosse continues in Uptown.

     This week, Columbia hosts Princeton in the conference competition.

     Saturday, April 11, at a time to be announced latter at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

     Take the whole family to meet the instruments at a petting zoo, when even the youngest listeners can get up close and personal with their favorite instruments before seeing them come alive onstage.

     The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra invites their curiosity before performing an enchanting family concert.

     Narrator Sarah Ziegler will guide you through musical selections from the evening concert, The Places That Inspire Us.

     Best for children ages 1 through 10 and their families.

     $16.25. Saturday afternoon, April 18, with the petting zoo beginning at 2:45 and the concert at 3. At Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street.

     It’s senior day when Columbia’s lacrosse team closes out the season.

     The Lions host the Crimson in the final regular-season match.

     Saturday, April 25, at a time to be announced later at Wein Field in Inwood, on 218th Street at Seaman Avenue.

     This performance invites kids to move and sing along with Elmo and his friends as they dance, stretch, and play along to songs  including “Sunny Days,” “Elmo’s Got the Moves,” and “Letter of the Day.” Everything from yoga to cartwheeling will be on display.

     $41.80 to $79.20. Saturday afternoon, June 6, at 2 at the United Palace in Lower WaHi, on Broadway at 175th Street.

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakkopoch (“edge of the water”).

     This 2025 celebration featured the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Kalpulli Huehuethlatholi Aztec Dancers, drummers from around the world, international food, and crafts.
     Free. Usually on the first Sunday in June from 11 to 6 in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.