Weekend Getaways in NJ
By Pam Teel
Spend a day, spend a weekend, but get those kids off the couch! With sum- mer coming quickly, parents will be scrambling to line up fun and inter- esting activities for their kids to do. Tell them to put down their hand held gadgets and their cell phones and get out there- breath in the fresh air, have fun, and expand their minds! Here are ten suggestions of things to do with your kids during the summer months.
Adventure Aquarium in Camden-
Fun for all ages. Nearly every exhibit has a touchable component. There are also many hands on exhibits in the kids’ zone for kids 6 and under. There are over 8,500 aquatic species, a large collection of sharks, two massive hippos and more. www. adventureaquarium.com/
Cape May County Park and free
Zoo- A haven for endangered species including two snow leopard cubs and baby bison. They have a carousel, rock wall and a scenic train ride and more. Enjoy the beach where you can hunt for white diamonds (clear quartz rocks in the sand) www.capemaycountynj.gov/1008/ParkZoo
Lakota Wolf Preserve- Columbia, NJ. Close to the Pennsylvania bor- der. An incredible animal sanctuary with a staff on hand to educate you on the behavior and life of a wolf. There are live tundra, Timber, British Columbian, and arctic wolves living amongst the wooded forest. https:// www.lakotawolf.com/
Milk and Cookies- A lively interactive storytelling and music series for kids and families with Saturday performances located on the second floor of the State Theatre in New Brunswick. https://www.stnj.org/educa- tion-and-community-engagement/for-families/milk-and-cookies
Liberty Science Center- Plus the new state of the art indoor Planetar- ium. The largest one in the western
hemisphere. Visit the Liberty Science
Center website or call 201 200- 1000
for tickets and time. www.lsc.org
Jenkinsons Aquarium- Come and spend a day with the penguins, tur- tles, birds, sharks, seals, sting rays and more. Located on the boardwalk at Pt. Pleasant Beach. Afterward, stroll the boardwalk for fun things to do and see. https://jenkinsons.com/ aquarium/
The Field Station in Leonia -If your kids love dinosaurs come to this NJ outdoor dinosaur themed adventure park. 30 plus animatronic dino- saurs, newly expanded trails, many interactive stations scattered along the trail. A real draw for the budding paleontologists. https://fieldstation- dinosaurs.com/
Diggerland- A Theme Park for construction loving kids- Kids can’t get enough of trucks and dirt. The amusement Park is located in West Berlin, NJ. Ages 2 and up. a child friendly truck yard featuring a 5-ton military
vehicle that rides over rough terrain called operation battle truck,
dump trucks, ground shovels, excavator express, turnpike trac-
tors and more. Rides are height appropriate. Bigger kids 42” and higher can enjoy and array of other attractions. There is a 4-story rope course and a rock wall to climb also. https://www.diggerlandusa.com/
Storybook land- A magical amusement park for preschoolers and tots. It has rides and attractions geared to the under ten crowd. It’s like stepping into a fairy tale. It’s Located in Egg Harbor. https://storybookland.com/ Turtle Back Zoo- It’s located in West Orange and newly renovated. Be- hind scenes tour, mini golf safari, zoo train ride, boating and waterfront, pony rides, red panda, endangered species carousel, tree top adventure zip line, aviary, animals, butterfly tent, prehistoric playground and more. https://turtlebackzoo.com/