Bridgewater, NJ
We go frequently
Kid Street Playground in Bridgewater NJ was recommended by a friend. We headed up there on more than one occasion. Each one was great. It was one of the best and biggest playgrounds we have ever been to. The playground is complete with a ship, a car, giant slides, and most importantly rope swings and a zip line. We had a blast there. Even the older one loves it, and that says a lot!
Lambertville, NJ
June 2012
Howell Living History Farm is always a wonderful place to visit. Located in Lambertville NJ, it is fairly easy to get to (just make sure you use their address from their website: 70 Wooden’s Lane, Lambertville, New Jersey instead of the mailing address that sometimes comes up when you search for them online!).
Mountainside, NJ
At least every month for the last 15 years!
Trailside Nature Center and Watchung Reservation is a wonderful place to visit with your family! However it has seen some changes in the past few years. The old dam has been rebuild into a brand new dam. Lake Surprise does go up and down in water levels through the season. Sometimes it resembles a muddy pond, sometimes a beautiful full lake. The trails are still wonderful, and the forest is still magical. The playground is always fun, and the museum is still fantastic.
West Orange, NJ
A few times a year.
Not far from us is a wonderful zoo, Turtle Back Zoo. We come there fairly often, and love going with friends. It is clean, not too big, but not small either. It is just enough to cover the entire place in a few hours, which is a good thing, especially if you have little ones.
Clinton and Lebanon Township, New Jersey
Every Summer
We love camping! My husband and I used to go with friends before we were married. Then, after we were married, it was with our nephews when they were young, then with our nephews and their friends. After that it was our nephews, their friends and our kids. Now for quite a few years it is just us and our two kids, even though friends and nephews make a brief entrance once in a while, it is mostly just us. However, no matter who we go with, it’s always relaxing and fun. Unfortunately for the last year we haven’t been able to go overnight because of our puppies, but we still enjoy going there for a day and swimming in the lake.
Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
October 2013
Ringing Rocks State Park in PA is definitely an interesting place to visit. The reason it is called Ringing Rocks is if you hit a rock with a hammer or another rock it makes a ringing sound, almost like a bell, but to me it sounded more like pots and pans being hit with a spoon (something my kids loved to do as toddlers).
Scotch Plains, NJ
Summer 2015
UPDATE:
While we have enjoyed this park in the past few years, my kids got to be too old to play there! We haven’t gone in quite some time. However, it’s my home town, and I often hear people complaining that it’s too hot and too messy there throughout the summer. As always you should call ahead (the town of Scotch Plains in this case), and use your discretion when going places.
Hooray, finally a water spray ground in Central Jersey, that is not too far from us! The best part: it is free!
Ponderosa Park is brand new, just opened in 2012, right off Cooper Road in Scotch Plains. It is a beautiful playground with water spraying out of many fountains. So much fun for the kids to play with.
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We love the Nature Center in the Watchung Reservation. When a friend invited us to go for a hike by the Environmental Education Center in Lord Stirling NJ, I jumped right on.
Sandy Hook, NJ
Every Summer
NJ has many beautiful beaches down the shore. There is a beach for every taste, there are party beaches, quiet beaches, beaches with roller coaster rides, aquariums, water parks, hiking, habitats and so much more fun.
Morristown, NJ
March 2016
I just realized that I have never written a word about this place, the Morris Museum in Morristown NJ. We have gone there every year for the past three years. It is a very kid friendly museum, with classes and exhibits that cater to kids, yet it has plenty appeal for adults. There is plenty to see: we have come when they had the Lego exhibition, there are amazing trains, fossil collection and much more. You can spend a good hour walking around and exploring. Their collections and displays change often, and they have several permanent exhibitions, but the heart of this museum is the Murtogh D. Guinness collection of automata and instruments: musical machines and living dolls. It is an amazing collection and nothing of the sort did I see before. They run live demos every Tuesday through Sunday at 2 pm, it is free to attend with admission.