School’s out and South Jersey adventure is in. When it’s your turn to play tour guide for your little ones, check out these fun spots to keep everyone entertained (and maybe even learning a little!).
It sounds ominous, but it’s actually tons of fun. Have a sleepover inside Adventure Aquarium and let all those giant aquariums lull you to sleep on a cozy Summer night. The night starts at 7 pm, and includes a self-guided tour, behind-the-scenes visit to the Ocean Realm exhibits, evening snacks and breakfast, plus a stop at the shark bridge and hippo enclosure in the morning.
Have your pre-teens always wondered what life in South Jersey was like 200 years ago? (Or have you ever wanted to clue them into that reality?) Not only does Historic Cold Spring Village host a living history farm that visitors can tour and interact with every day, but kids ages 11 to 14 can also apply to be a junior apprentice at the farm, where they’ll learn an early American trade or craft through the summer. Applications for 2025 are due by June 26 at 4:30 pm.
Some days, we have to give the type-A planning a break – but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. South Jersey has plenty of playgrounds to visit for a morning or afternoon of getting out some energy and breathing in some fresh air. So pack a lunch, or a snack, and head out to one of these great playscapes in the area.
Board the country’s most-decorated Battleship and explore below decks to see where sailors slept, learn how they loaded gun turrets, stand in the room where they planned attacks and learn about the storied history of the ship and its many crewmembers. The interactive tours are available until 4 pm each day, self-guided and guided.
Channel your best Ross Geller (and wait for that joke to go right over your kids’ heads) when you visit a real fossil dig. The Edelman Fossil Park Museum was built on a quarry where real paleontologists actively search for fossils. Not only does the museum have exhibits on the dinosaurs that were living on the property millions of years ago, and an interactive creature room for kids to learn about and interact with animals like starfish and horseshoe crabs, but you can also sign up to dig for fossils in the quarry.
Upgrade your museum experience with an outdoor stroll through paintings come to life and larger-than-life sculptures at Grounds For Sculpture. And keep an eye out all summer long for the park’s children’s events, like toddler-friendly tours of the grounds on June 10, 17 and 24, family open studios (where the whole family can try their hand at making art) and a butterfly bonanza tour (Aug. 2).
Get up-close-and-personal with the Wetlands
Make friends with the creatures who call the Jersey Shore Wetlands home during some of the many interactive presentations at The Wetlands Institute. During creature feature, visitors can touch and learn about animals including horseshoe crabs, turtles and sea stars. Explore the bay during Catch o’ the Day, where participants can help drag a net through the water to find crabs, shrimp, fish and more. And learn how to fish on Saturdays. There are plenty more activities happening every week at the institute.
