- For shoppers fond of one-of-a-kind finds, the Spring Craft Market is the place to be this weekend. Come for the 60 odd indie artisans and stay for the live music at the Brooklyn Lyceum.
- If you’re not riding in the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, at least come out to Brooklyn Bridge Park for the event’s inaugural Five Boro Bike Fest, fit for families and beginner bikers alike. Learn key bike repair tips and enjoy live entertainment and prizes all for free.
- The TAP New York Craft Beer and Food Festival kicks off the festivities at Hunter Mountain on Saturday with a top notch spread of local and international brews. Urban Sherpa has a day trip bus package with pick ups at several NYC locations, for $94, which includes your Tap Pass.
- Enjoy brunch in the newly opened garden at iCi in Fort Greene.
- The Saratoga Springs Mardi Gras Festival includes Cajun cook-offs, live jazz, crafts, a kids tent, an “Arti Gras” and more this Saturday, April 30.
- If drinking beer while biking is more your style, hop on The Bike Brooklyn Beer Blitz with Levys Unique NY tours this Sunday, May 1 from 12-4pm.
- Fly a kite with the family at Socrates Sculpture Park this Saturday.
- The Earth Month celebrating continues with the Queens Botanical Gardens’ Arbor Day Festival on Sunday, May 1.
- Sycamore Flowershop and Bar hosts Swing-a-Ling this Sunday, featuring vintage Jamaican sounds outdoors from 7-11pm.
Photo: Courtesy of Mike Pick
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram