- The Prospect Park Zoo, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum and more open their doors to the public for a day of free admission on Sunday. [Heart of Brooklyn]
- Chamber pop darlings Ra Ra Riot close out Celebrate Brooklyn’s free summer shows Friday at Prospect Park. [Bric Arts]
- Where can you find 20,000 pounds of lobster this weekend? At the 64th Annual Maine Lobster Fest, which runs through Sunday in Rockland, Maine. [offManhattan]
- Terrapin’s New York State Craft BeerFest returns to the Hudson Valley for a fifth year on Saturday from 2-8pm. [TerrapinRestaurant]
- The Escape to New York music festival descends on Southampton Friday through Sunday, packed with critically acclaimed bands. [offManhattan]
- New York’s only tall ship will be transformed into a party boat on Friday, complete with live music. [Nicky Digital]
- Astoria’s Shore Boulevard closes to cars for the first of three Sundays for a variety of neighborhood activities. [Astoria Park Shore Fest]
- Escape to New York’s three-day festival in Southampton has live music, traditional Shinnecock arts and crafts, and the “world’s biggest brunch.” [DailyCandy]
- Tiny poetry press Boog City has gathered some of the best independent poets to perform in this not-so-tiny festival Friday through Tuesday. [Wilder Sild]
- The New York Green Fest puts on exhibits, forums and a fair in the ultimate eco-friendly festival Friday through Sunday. [offManhattan]
- Amateur sculptures will transform 50 mounds of sand into art Saturday at the Coney Island Sand Sculpture Contest. [NYC Parks]
- Kids curious about the lifestyle in centuries past can get a feel for blacksmithing, spinning and quill-writing at Richmond’s Community Day on Sunday. [Historic Richmond Town]
Photo: Courtesy of Silvia Nittel
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