If you're ever at a loss of what to do, pack up the car, buckle in the kids, and head to the Garden State to catch a children's show, explore a hands-on exhibit, browse through a museum, or for more excitement, head to an amusement park or a water park. In the winter there are day trip or weekend trip resorts with lodging for snow tubing and skiing.
Get a $25 Ride Band at iPlay America every Wednesday and Friday. Plus, Kids Eat FREE at our new restaurant, The Bistro, with the purchase of a ride band. Learn more.
Essex County Environmental Center
621 B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ
Provides bird and nature programs for all ages and groups including Saturday family programs, and a summer nature day camp. The facility is a wooded wetland habitat with access to the Passaic River which makes for an interesting and affordable site to book a naturalist led field trip for all ages ق toddler through senior --- for groups, scouts, schools, and
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
73 Kahdena Road
Morristown, NJ
This living history farm has been under cultivation since the eighteenth century. As part of the Morris County Park Commission, the 200-acre farm offers educational activities and demonstrations of turn-of-the-century - 1920s farming methods and life. Visitors are encouraged to participate in various farm-related activities whenever appropriate at this National Register Site. They can churn butter, crack corn and feed it to the chickens, and tend the garden. Staff are dressed in period attire and interpret the lives and roles of Foster family members, domestics, and farm laborers. They perform a daily regimen of farming and domestic chores and raise livestock and crops by historical methods.
Lakota Wolf Preserve
89 Mt. Pleasant Road
Columbia, NJ
Hear the howling of wolves echo through the mountains of the Delaware Water Gap in Knowlton Township, Warren County, NJ. Photo opportunities of a lifetime and the experience of watching and listening to packs of Tundra, Timber, and Arctic wolves will be yours. View wolves here in the East in a natural surrounding for the first time in over a century. Bobcats and foxes also reside at the reserve.
Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park
222 Jersey City Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ
Children are natural scientists, curious about everything around them. By encouraging their interests and exposing them to new ideas, parents or caregivers can help them develop intellectually. Liberty Science Center offers many memorable experiences for children, found in every exhibition area. The new Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium and LSC Giant Dome Theater is the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Only three others in the world, wo in Japan and one in China are bigger.
Mountain Creek Resort
200 Route 94
Vernon, NJ
A rear round resort offering skiing, snow tubing, water tubing, mountain biking and more. Either for day trips or multi-day with lodging available.
Medieval Times Castle Dinner & Tournament
149 Polito Ave,
Lyndhurst, NJ
The most famous theme restaurant on the east coast. Great family jousting fun. Eat with your hands and drink from a Goblet as you watch some serious Jousting on Horseback. The imaginative new entertainment spot was based on the true medieval tradition of royal families inviting guests to a festival and feast to watch Knights compete on horseback.
Sterling Hill Mine Tour & Museum
30 Plant Street
Ogdensburg, NJ
The mining museum features a 1,300-ft underground walking tour through the mine where visitors can discover the equipment used while the mine was in operation and exhibits on the mining process including the 5,000 sq./ft. Zobel Exhibit Hall with over 20,000 mining related items, the miners lamp room, the shaft station, mine galleries dating to the 1830's. Also, for children the Rock & Fossil Discovery Center with fluorescent mineral displays, fossils, gemstones, carvings, and everyday objects, and more. They also offer educational group tours for school classes, scout groups, summer camps, vacation tour groups, snack bar and gift shop, etc. 1pm Public Tour Everyday the museum is open.
TreEscape Aerial Adventure Park
414 County Road 517
Vernon Township, NJ
Set among the wooded forest of Great Gorge, the park offers a range of challenges for adventurers of all ages and levels. From the rope walks to the zip lines, and all the climbing elements and obstacles in between, TreEscape is the perfect journey for families, small parties, large groups or just the outdoor enthusiast.
Turtleback Zoo
560 Northfield Avenue
West Orange, NJ
The Turtleback Zoo, houses 500 animals of 200 different species. Focusing on New Jersey wildlife, the collection includes cougars, bison, eagles, and wolves, all of which were originally found in the state. Other animals include elk, llamas, white-tailed deer, otters, owls, sea lions, and others, as well as domestic animals that kids can feed. Attractions like a pony ride and train ride add to the fun and excitement of visiting the animals. A number of special events take place here throughout the year, with activities and exhibits for everyone.
River Tubing on the Delaware River
Big Bear Gear River Tubing Center
Cooley Tract of the D&R Canal State Park on Route 29.(Approximately 0.9 miles south of the Kingwood boat launch)
Fun for the entire family. Offers Delaware River tubing rentals and kayak with river access in Kingwood, NJ. Enjoy a cool, relaxing and adventure-filled day floating down the beautiful Delaware River
Duke Farms
80 Route 206 South
Hillsborough, NJ
A model of environmental stewardship and showcases its natural, horticultural, and historic resources to inspire visitors to become informed stewards of the land. Offers Weekend Children's interactive tours of the gardens designed to appeal to their love of fun and na
iPlay America
110 Schanck Road
Freehold, NJ
iPlay America offers fun for the whole family in a themed indoor environment. Boardwalk style rides, the IPA Speedway, 4D Theatre and Cosmic Laser Tag are just a few of the main attractions! The park includes a massive arcade, featuring state-of-the-art gaming technology with over 200 traditional and cutting edge arcade games! The experienced, friendly event planners at their family entertainment center in Freehold, NJ, have plenty of unique celebration and birthday party ideas to make any occasion truly exclusive. Let iPlay America help you arrange the most memorable birthday ever for your family and friends.
Jenkinson's Boardwalk
Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ
Jenkinson's Boardwalk offers your family a wide range of activities. Whether you are visiting for the day or the entire summer, you will always find something to excite every member of your family. This park is especially popular for small children. It's a great place for a child's first amusement park experience. At the southern most end of the amusement park you will find the larger rides. Teenagers and kids at heart alike will be thrilled by rides such as the our new Swing Ride, Himalaya, and Moby Dick.
Jersey Shore Pirates
Riverfront Marina
Princeton Avenue (next to Windward Beach Park)
Brick NJ
Your mini mates will have the opportunity to dress-up like pirates, get face painted with pirate “tattoos”, and learn some pirate lingo before setting sail for an an hour and fifteen minute pirate adventure. They will learn the rules of the Sea Gypsy pirate ship, read a treasure map, discover a secret message in a bottle, and work as a team to defeat the enemy pirate who has stolen the keys to their treasure. Prepare to man the water cannons to win back the keys from nemesis Pirate Pete!
Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
Humane Way at Lacey Road
Forked River, NJ
Popcorn Park Zoo is truly one of a kind. It was established in 1977 as a refuge for wildlife, exotic and farm animals that were abused, ill, injured, handicapped, elderly or exploited. Each animal faced a questionable future at best. Located on 7 acres in New Jersey's beautiful Pinelands, Popcorn Park offers an environment of safety, wonderful care, and peace to its residents, a diverse array of animals unfortunate enough to need a rescue, but lucky enough to wind up here.
Rapter Trust
1390 White Bridge Road
Millington, NJ
A premier wild bird rehabilitation center that includes a hospital with state-of-the-art medical facilities, quality exterior housing for several hundred birds, and an education building. Visitors are able to view at close range the many hawks, eagles, falcons and owls that are permanent residents at the facility. They offer a variety of educational programs that can be adapted for age groups from pre-k to adults. A great activity for groups including schools, scouts, and nature clubs.
Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson, NJ
NJ's most popular and largest amusement park including the Hurricane Harbor water park, and the Savannah Sunset Resort and Spa ---an overnight oasis offering exclusive panoramic views the 350-acre Wild Safari home to over 1,200 animals from 6 continents.with one of the largest drive through safaris.
Their new featured attraction is the THE FLASH, a vertical velocity, super boomerang coaster where you experience micro gravity as you run upside down, almost 100 feet off the ground. Zoom through a 180-degree twisted drop followed by a Zero-G roll back to the vertical tower, reaching speeds of up to 59 miles per hour.
Adventure Aquarium
1 Aquarium Drive
Camden, NJ
A wonderful day trip with the kids. Features aquatic animals with opportunities to explore life underwater through up-close animal encounters, interactive touch exhibits, and the chance to see and learn about some of the ocean's rarest and most fascinating species,
Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
62 Battleship Place
Camden, NJ
A great attraction for kids 6+. Spend a night on the legendary Battleship New Jersey's overnight encampment program. They can accommodate groups and families of all sizes up to 300. Stow your gear in a locker --the same lockers that held sailor's personal belongings when at sea. Sleep in bunk--just like enlisted sailors."Chow down" in the Crew's Mess Hall and you can even purchase a personalized "Dog Tag."
Big Kahuna's Indoor/Outdoor Water Park
535 N. Route 73
West Berlin, NJ
A free standing indoor water park open year round.
It features over 70,000 square feet of indoor water park attractions under a state of the art retractable roof.
Guests visiting Memorial Day through Labor Day will also have access to the outdoor water park, including wave pool, leisure pool, cabanas, and Shipwrecked Tiki Bar.
Cape May County Zoo
4 Moore Rd
Cape May Courthouse, NJ
Over 430 different individual animals which covers around 250 different species. They have Lions and Tigers, but no Elephants. It’s FREE (they ask for a donation when you enter)
Clementon Park - Splash World
144 Berlin Road
Clementon, NJ
Clementon Park is a huge amusement park complex featuring a "Theme Park" with coasters, thrill rides, and arcade games, and "Splash World" with rapids, "Big Wave Bay" wave pool --- and more.
Diggerland USA
100 Pinedge Drive
West Berlin, NJ
A construction themed adventure park where children and families can drive, ride and operate actual machinery. Each machine has been engineered for safety allowingآ children as small as 36" to operate with little or no instruction.
The Island Waterpark @ Showboat Hotel
801 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ
Located in the family friendly Showboat Atlantic City Hotel, this new addition opened in the summer of 2023, labled as the "world's largest" oceanfront water park" is an enormous 120,000-square-foot water park that features slides, a lazy river and a surf simulator.
The waterpark has a retractable glass roof allowing visitors to use the attractions regardless of weather. A multi-level bar sits in the center of the park, with gift and food stores along one of the park's
Morey's Piers
3501 Boardwalk
Wildwood, NJ
A huge family boardwalk amusement park located on three piers, featuring thrilling rides, water parks, food, and a variety of boardwalk fun filled attractions