Looking for free things to do with the kids this summer? New Jersey has plenty, from beach sunrises and outdoor movies to waterfall hikes, spraygrounds, festivals, fireworks and free zoo visits. Here are some ideas to add to your summer list.
1. Visit one of New Jersey’s spectacular waterfalls. They’re especially impressive the day after a rainstorm. You can plan a hike and a picnic, or just enjoy the views.
2. Plan a visit to one of New Jersey’s state parks—many are free to explore, like Liberty State Park in Jersey City, Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan and Cape May Point State Park.
3. Get up close to the animals at Cape May County Zoo. Admission and parking are both free. There’s a huge playground and picnic area outside the grounds that are free, too. Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton is also free, and has 100 exotic mammals and majestic birds on the grounds.
4. The Raptor Trust Bird Rehabilitation and Education Center in Millington is a great place to see hawks, owls, eagles, vultures and falcons that have been rescued and rehabilitated. Walk the grounds for no charge, or ask for a staff-led talk for groups (cost applies).
5. Try out a new playground. Here are some of the most unique playgrounds in the state.
6. What says summer more than an outdoor carnival or festival? Many have free admission so you can spend your money on funnel cake or 50/50 raffles.
7. Take in a beautiful sunrise at the beach. Check the times for twilight and sunrise.
8. Channel your inner marine biologist at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center where you can get your feet wet and rescue a stranded (mock) dolphin or sea turtle.
9. Have you been to a sprayground yet? Grab bathing suits and take the kids to one near you.
10. Explore the outdoors, indoors, at the Warren E. Fox Nature Center, which is part of the Pinelands in South Jersey.
11. Tour a lighthouse; Sea Girt Lighthouse is free, but Barnegat Lighthouse charges to climb the lighthouse in summer, though the park itself has no entrance fee.
12. Grab your helmets (and a picnic lunch) and go for a family bike ride at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. You’ll peddle through the “Living Lab” of scenic meadows, woodlands, wetlands and lakes.
13. New Jersey has lots of spectacular gardens with free admisison. A treasured part of the 180-acre Rutgers Gardens is the bamboo forest. Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is the largest public iris garden in the country, and is a living museum of botanical preservation. Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown feels like an escape to Italy. Morven Museum & Garden will occasionally offer free admission to the grounds.
14. Take a trip to The Wildwoods for any of their free activities and festivals (most of which are outdoors on the beach or downtown) – like Ultimate Frisbee, the Kustom Hod Rod & Muscle Car Show, Captain Kidd Pirate Day and the downtown farmers market.
15. Catch a fireworks display in Wildwood on Fridays, Seaside Heights on Wednesdays, and on select Saturdays in Atlantic City near Tropicana Resort.
16. The Soar & Shore Airshow in AC returns to “ooh”s and “aah”s as the whole family delights in watching expertly skilled pilots dip and dive over the Atlantic Ocean May 29 to 31. Find a spot anywhere along the Atlantic City beach and boardwalk to view the amazing demonstrations in the sky. Toward the end of the summer, another airshow comes to Wildwood September 11 and 12, with special tributes planned for the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and America’s 250th birthday.
17. Go crabbing at the Jersey Shore.
18. Get in on the fun at a National Night Out celebration by you, where the kids can meet local law enforcement while playing games, getting free snacks and jumping in a bounce house. NNO is held the first Tuesday of August each year; this year, departments will celebrate on August 4.
19. Take a hike through one of these beautiful trails.
20. See the famous (and scary!) Tripod Rocks. The whole family can do this easy walk in the woods to see the three piled rocks that look like a balancing illusion. One may have developed from a Wisconsin glacier, while the other could be a signpost from the Native Americans.
21. Hike down the Shore Trail at the Palisades Interstate Park and swing on a swing over the Hudson River.
40. See nearly 5,000 different species of seashells at the Discovery Seashell Museum in Ocean City. Or, bring your bucket and go shelling along the shoreline on your own.
41. Check out the Frog Pond at Buttermilk Falls Natural Area and try to catch one!
42. Build a sandcastle. We’ve got tips! You can also watch the pros work during Wildwood Crest’s sand sculpting fest on July 10.
43. Casino Pier in Seaside Heights holds all sorts of free events for kids – like character meet-and-greets, sing-alongs with mermaids, the new Jurassic Pier Adventures, Family Fun Nights, and superhero parties.
44. Cruise nights are all the rage – not road rage! – for young and old car enthusiasts alike. Flemington, Somerville, Smithville and Manasquan have classic car nights scheduled throughout the summer.
46. Catch some waves at Crystal Beach, Downtown Beach or Manasquan Inlet, the best beaches to body surf in New Jersey.
47. Butterfly gardens and parks are a beautiful way to experience nature before the Monarchs migrate to Mexico.
48. Beat the heat at one of NJ’s museums, like the Rutgers Geology Museum and Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick, the recently reopened Princeton University Art Museum, one of the best pop culture museums in the country (the Doo Wop Experience Museum in Wildwood), the Charles J. Muth Museum for baseball at Hinchliff Stadium in Paterson, plus our State Museum in Trenton, which let you in for free.
Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton; Liberty Science Center, Jersey City; Montclair Art Museum, Montclair; Morris Museum, Morristown; and The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, are part of the Bank of America Museums on Us Weekend, which grants free admission to cardholders on the first weekend of every month.
49. Is it too early to think about Christmas? If not, there are Christmas in July events religious and non-religious families can enjoy.
50. Soar into space inside the New Jersey State Museum’s Planetarium, where the shows are good for a variety of ages and feature state-of-the-art Full DomeVideo. The William D. McDowell Observatory in Lyndhurst welcomes up to 15 would-be stargazers (age 10 and up) each Wednesday evening on a drop-in basis.
51. Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Twp. has free Saturday programs year-round, with summer activities like an ice cream party, honey harvest and fiddlin’ contest.
52. Big Brook Park in Marlboro is open for real-life fossil hunting, looking for shark teeth and gravel bars. Wear waders and use a hand strainer and explore the waters (carefully!).
53. The metroburb at Bell Works in Holmdel has lots of space for kids to roam, along with a basketball court, an exercise area, green space, and weekly farmers markets.
54. BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, the largest Hindu temple outside of India, lets you see its incredible gardens and structures. You can take a free, guided walking tour of the Mandir (temple).
55. Drumthwacket, known as “the People’s House” and the residence of NJ’s governor, is open for tours on Wednesdays.
56. Animal lovers will see goats, pigs, horses, sheep and donkeys who live at Funny Farm Rescue and Sanctuary in Mays Landing, which provides food, shelter and other necessities for hundreds of animals in need. Or sign up to take a rescue dog on a joy ride from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, where the puppies basically beg for some snuggles or walk in the park.
57. Mount Tabor in Parsippany-Troy Hills takes you back in time, with its Victorian buildings and rustic structures. Take the kids on a self-guided walking tour using your phone to scan QR codes at 20 signposts. There’s also a community playground, and a mile-long trail you can hike together.
58. Kids will be interested to learn that dinosaurs once roamed the land, Colonial people were accused of witchcraft, and missiles were fired during the Cold War from the grounds of Riker Hill Art Park in Livingston. Visit the observation deck — the highest point in Essex County — for spectacular sunset views and info about the park’s military history. Aside from the stunning large-scale sculptures is a 16-acre fossil site with preserved dinosaur tracks, a community garden, and a stenciled walking labyrinth.
59. Liberty State Park in Jersey City has 1,200 acres of green fields, beautiful waterfront, all-ages recreation areas, walking and biking paths, historical sites, and plenty of places to picnic.
60. At the former commercial and residential village of Batsto Village, which was known for its iron and glass production in the late 1700s throughout Burlington County, you can learn about the history of the town from inside the Visitor Center, or take a tour around the historic village loop. You’ll see the old general store, gristmill, ice and milk house, farm and horse stables, Blacksmith and Wheelwright Shops. The post office is  one of the four oldest still operating in the U.S.
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