50 Things to Do in Middlesex County

Middlesex County is officially part of Central Jersey (and yes it exists!), and there are plenty of reasons to drive to the middle of the state. Whether you’re looking to be outside in nature, want to hit the theater or dine at a top-tier restaurant, here are 50 fun things to do with you and your crew:

1. For any fan of fishing, the Misty Morn Fishing Party Boats is the spot for large group and party fishing, being able to accommodate up to 66 people. Of course, you don’t need to find 66 people to fill this family-owned boat, so take the family out, day or night, for some fun-filled fishing in South Amboy.
2. With the fall season here and the winter season soon to arrive, every kid looks forward to tubing, sledding, and snowshoeing outside once the snow sticks to the ground. Thompson Park in Monroe/Jamesburg lets families bring their own snow gear to the designated sled hill near Grove 4 Picnic Area to play in the snow. But with the weather being so unpredictable, if there is no snow, this is an excellent park for hiking, walking, picnicking, and bringing the kids as there’s also a playground, dog park, bocce courts, tennis courts, a baseball field and a small zoo.
3. For those who want the outdoor experience but need more activity than going to a park, head to Legacy Riding Stables to ride a horse. There are riding lessons and guided trail rides through Sayreville’s Capik Nature Preserve, with an option for pony rides and parties. Trail rides range from a half-hour to an hour-and-a-half while riding lessons range from 30 to 60 minutes. For those who want both, Legacy Riding Stables offers a Riding Lesson and Trail Package for two people to have a half-hour lesson and a one-hour guided trail ride.
4. Do you love the outdoors but want to be on your own two feet? Middlesex County has multiple spots to go hiking. Davidson Mill Pond County Park in South Brunswick has more than two miles of trail through fields and forests. John A. Phillips Preserve in Old Bridge has approximately five miles of trails with a self-guided Nature Trail option. To get the whole hiking experience, travel between towns with the Ireland Brook Conservation Area as the several miles go through both South and East Brunswick with open meadows and forests to be seen.
5. Head to Bowlero in North Brunswick for your bowling needs. Order food straight to your lane. After, go play pool or at the arcade, and there is an entire wall of TVs. This bowling alley surrounds you with neon lights for a competitive or relaxing game atmosphere.
   

   

    

6. For the golfers out there, Topgolf in Edison has a high-tech driving range plus lounge. If you prefer mini golf, there’s Monster Mini Golf in Edison for a glow-in-the-dark experience that not only covers the course with monsters but also the walls and ceiling. For those who are more of a professional golfer, head to Tamarack Golf Course in East Brunswick for its two 18-hole championship golf courses and a driving range. The Meadows at Middlesex in Plainsboro is another spot to find an 18-hole golf course where you can book your tee time.
7. Elite Billiards in Edison is the go-to spot for anyone who enjoys playing a game of billiards. Your group can choose from table tennis or snooker for $8 per person per hour. It’s open until 2 am every day and is BYOB.
8. For those who are on the more creative side, there are multiple art studios for painting in Middlesex County. The Artist People in East Brunswick offers fundraisers, corporate events, and parties, but if you just want to go with the family or friends, check their calendar and choose a date. Here, you’ll be able to learn how to paint on either canvases or wine glasses on a girl’s night out or select the Mommy and Me sessions or the kids’ weekly art classes. Pinot’s Palette is another option as it offers paint and sip: a BYOB experience with the company providing wine glasses, ice, and bottle openers as you learn how to paint what’s planned for the day.
9. For live music, visit South Amboy’s Blue Moon on Thursday nights for live blues music, or on Fridays and Saturdays for different live entertainment. 
10. Stress Factory Comedy Club in New Brunswick is the perfect place to sit back and laugh at the live comedic performer on stage. Some of the comedians who perform here include Bill Bellamy, David Nihill, Louis Katz, Martin Amini and Michael Rapaport.
    
11. Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick performs live theater with shows that range from “Memphis” to “Check Please” to “She Kills Monsters” to “The Toxic Avenger.” Their version of “A Christmas Carol” is a holiday favorite.
12. Whether or not you bring the kids, arcades are in. The Parlor at Hailey’s in Metuchen is a mix of an arcade studio and a pub. The Woodbridge Center Mall houses Dave & Buster’s with hundreds of games, and if you get hungry, there’s a restaurant within the arcade room to grab some food.
    
13. The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park is a museum dedicated to Thomas Edison with original artifacts on display. Listen to his phonographs that are more than 120 years old, and enter the 1938 Edison Memorial Tower, where you can learn about Edison’s inventions and then walk through a 36-acre state park.
    

    

14. The Zimmerli Art Museum is located on Rutgers’ campus in New Brunswick, with thousands of different time periods’ artwork to view and admire. Some of the featured artwork is Art of the Americas, European Art, Russian Art & Soviet Nonconformist Art, Asian Art, and Original Illustrations for Children’s Literature. Within the museum, families can enjoy entertaining and educational programs, including art classes, tours, artist talks, music programs, teacher workshops, and summer art camps.
15. At The Grape Escape in the Dayton section of South Brunswick, create custom wine by participating in the process. You’ll be able to crush the grapes, press, rack, and bottle the wine to truly make it yours, including a custom label. Some other make-your-own options include balsamic bottling, olive oil bottling, mozzarella making, and ravioli making if wine isn’t your forte.
16. Spend the night throwing it back to the 1980s at South Amoby Arena’s Rollermagic. If you get tired, there are plenty of seats in the off-viewing area, which has tables, perfect for eating any food packed for a break.
    

    

17. If you’re in the mood for some theater, the State Theater New Jersey in New Brunswick hosts concerts, plays, comedians, Broadway series, dog shows, films being played to a live orchestra, singer-songwriters, and so much more. George Street Playhouse is another theater in New Brunswick that offers a variety of shows to attend, including “The Pianist,” “Having Our Say,” “The Club,” and “Tick, Tick… Boom!.” Next, there’s the Cabaret Theater, which is put together by Rutgers University students, including the acting, directing, choreographing, designing, writing, technical work, and marketing. The Cabaret Theater hosts four productions every year (plays and musicals). Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center has a schedule of everything from mediums to music to magicians.
18. Ice skating is a winter tradition for most people, and Middlesex County has the best rinks to put those skates on. The Roosevelt Park Family Skating Rink is an outdoor skating rink in Edison that hosts thousands of families a year during the winter months, and when it’s fall or spring, it’s the perfect spot for roller skating. ProSkate Ice Arena in South Brunswick offers so many ways to fulfill those skating needs: skating lessons, hockey lessons, birthday parties, and the option to just show up, rent skates, and hop on the ice. Old Bridge’s John Piccolo Ice Arena is one big rink perfect for large groups to go skating together.
    

    

19. Rutgers Gardens in North Brunswick is a botanical garden, open year-round, where you can go on a walk or hike, bike, and admire the flowers and other plants in Rutgers’ “living museum.”
20. Middlesex County has an endless amount of routes to take if you’re a biker. Thompson Park, White Trail at Cheesequake State Park, and the Deleware and Raritan Canal State Park are the locations to go for both short- and long-distance bike trials. Middlesex County’s website offers some suggested bike trails to take for those who want to bike miles on end.
21. With every park comes an excellent birdwatching view to choose from. Bird enthusiasts can choose from Rutgers Ecological Preserve and William Warren Park, Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, Cheesequake State Park, Raritan Bay Waterfront Park, Helmetta Pond, and Jamesburg Conservation Area to find a quiet spot to try and view some of the birds that might not have been checked off yet. Birdwatching will bring those interested some time on the quieter end.
    

    

22. New Brunswick has an installation of Johnson Seward sculptures. so as you walk along George Street admire the artwork, read the plaques and even take a selfie with the sculptures of the world-renowned artist, who inspired Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Twp. (Mercer County).
23. One of the lesser-known free museums is the Rutgers Geology Museum, which offers guests the chance to see exhibits and collections, listen to public lectures, and take tours to help educate those on the natural world.
    

    

24. Head to a farm. Von Thun’s Country Farm Market in South Brunswick (there’s a Washington Twp. location in Warren County, too) is open spring through fall and offers pick-your-own fruit, educational field trips, greenhouse flowers, and a farm market that offers a variety of options to choose from. Stults Farm in Cranbury offers pumpkin picking for the fall and sells more than 20 fruits and vegetables to choose from. Giamarese Farm & Orchards in East Brunswick is a farm that offers hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, pick-your-own products, and a farmers market selling hay, mums, cornstalks and more.
25. There are many shopping malls to choose from to spend the day trying on clothes, eating lunch, playing virtual reality or even going to the aquarium, like Menlo Park Mall in Edison, Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge and Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick.
26. There’s lots of mystery in Middlesex. All In Adventures Escape Rooms at the Brunswick Square Mall or Amazing Escape Room Edison bring together a group of people to solve a puzzle to figure out where the exit is in the room.
27. East Brunswick offers an indoor park made of trampolines so kids who visit Jumping Jungle can bounce all day long without the fear of falling off onto the grass. Jumping Jungle also offers laser tag for parties.
28. Starland Ballroom in Sayreville hosts more than 100 musicians and bands every year on their main stage.
29. Cornelius Low House in Piscataway is a 1741 Georgian manor still standing as a historic place. The house was part of the port community, which you can learn about through exhibitions and shopping in the East Jersey Old Town Village.
30. The county has lots of lakes for kayaking, from North Brunswick to Jamesburg to Cheesequake Creek to East Brunswick.
31. If fishing on a boat doesn’t sound as stable as doing it on land, go fishing at ponds at Davidson’s Mill, New Brunswick Landing, Ireland Brook Park, Roosevelt Park Pond, Raritan Bay Waterfront Park and Donaldson Park.
32. The Fields Sports Complex in East Brunswick is an indoor sports area for any athlete, as there’s a field for flag football, soccer and lacrosse.
    

    

33. The Girl Scout DreamLab opened this month in North Brunswick to help empower young girls in the STEM areas. There are different interactive experiences including workshops, a space for troup meetings, a room to record podcasts, and ways to work on their scout badges and projects.
34. Show off school spirit at a Rutgers football game. During halftime you can watch the marching band and see the Scarlet Knight mascot on the field. RU Rah Rah!
35. Middlesex County EARTH Center partners with Rutgers University to provide programs about local agriculture development and the environment through guided tours and different gardens and arboretums.
36. During the summer, Edison hosts Plays-in-the-Park with three different musicals performed outside at Roosevelt Park. In October, the program offers an indoor kid’s musical and December presents the production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
37. Try some dancing, karate, cheerleading, Ninja classes or gymnastics at Head Over Heels in Parlin and East Brunswick (also Middletown in Monmouth County). Your kids can take classes to become either more skilled or to just have fun. There are also fitness day programs to kids to get exposed to different kinds of activities.
    

    

38. Supercharged Entertainment New Jersey in Edison offers a go-kart track, gaming arcade, axe throwing, a drop and twist tower, and a virtual reality experience. The go-kart track is the largest one in the world that’s offered indoors, and if your group gets hungry, head over to Burgers and Brew, which is a family-friendly restaurant to grab a bite to eat.
    

    

39. For date night, choose Cuzin’s Seafood and Clam Bar, as it’s the best place to get fresh seafood that’s imported daily and to be in a Miami-meets-New York-meets-New Brunswick upscale atmosphere. The seafood tower and tomahawk steak are menu must-tries.
    

    

40. For dinner and a show, head to Orchard Park in East Brunswick for its Comedy Supper Club on the Orchard Terrace. There are theme nights throughout the week, in addition to a DJ on Saturday nights and brunch on Sundays.
41. With this county being so large, there are numerous parks to frequent for a picnic, hiking, walking, photography, or just to get some fresh air. Some of the larger parks are Thompson Park in Monroe, Donaldson Park in Highland Park, Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park in the Sewaren section of Woodbridge, David B. Crabiel Park bordering on Milltown and North Brunswick, and Merrill Park in the Colonia section of Woodbridge.
42. Music-in-the-Park is an annual free concert series that takes place throughout the summer. The 2023 season included Raritan Bay Waterfront Park in South Amboy, Thompson Park in Jamesburg, Spring Lake Park in South Plainfield and Medwick Park in Carteret. 
43. The summer is one of the best times to visit Middlesex County, as there are multiple fairs going on. The Middlesex County Fair at the fairgrounds in East Brunswick offers every classic fair activity and more: rides, games, food, pig races, circus acts, jugglers, vendors, and so more. Then there’s the North Brunswick Youth Sports Festival, which has a petting zoo section, rides, games, BMX show, fireworks, live music and more.
    

    

44. After Thanksgiving, at the same location as the county fair, there’s a Winter WonderLights show. With more than 1.5 million lights, it’s New Jersey’s largest drive-through light show for the holiday season. Bring the whole family to see this wonderland of animated light fixtures that celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali and Kwanzaa.
45. Are you or your kids interested in insects? In July, celebrate National Moth Week with different mothing events to help contribute to the posting of moth photos, studies, and observations. The event was founded by the East Brunswick Environmental Commission more than a decade ago and has spread worldwide.
46. Thompson Park’s Animal Haven is a zoo-like area where you can see pigs, goats, an emu, deer, peacocks, turkeys and other animals enclosed in the park. 
47. Whether or not you sign up your child for the Kids- and Teens-in-the-Park, you can watch their presentation of a live theater show at the Warren Park Amphitheatre in Woodbridge.
48. Middlesex County offers multiple dog-friendly areas. Ashton Brewing in Middlesex Borough offers house-made treats for all four-legged friends. There are Off Leash Dog Areas throughout the county where you can safely let your dog loose to mingle with other dogs. 
49. There are lots of conventions that take place for super fans. Creation Entertainment hosts Stranger Con in June, where there are photo and autograph opportunities with the cast of “Stranger Things,” merchandise for sale, karaoke, trivia games and cosplaying contests. The New Jersey Toy Show hosts Collectorcon in August, where fans can buy items from more than 150 vendors selling vintage and collectible toys, Funko POP!, comic books, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards, video games, records, and pop culture memorabilia. Christmas Con is coming up in December, starring Christmas movie actors from Hallmark, Lifetime and GAC. The New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison also has CatCon, the Great Food Expo and the Ultimate Women’s Expo, among others.
    
50. There are lots of cute downtown areas, including Metuchen, Cranbury, Milltown and Highland Park. Most of these towns hold author events, pro wrestling shows, concerts, farmers markets, winter markets, haunted downtown events, car shows and restaurant weeks.

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