From guided first day hikes throughout NJ parks to free admission to select museums for Bank of America, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank cardholders during the first weekend of the month, these activities during January have no admission fee.
First Sunday of Every Month
Vegan in NJ Monthly Market
American Legion Post 346, Neptune
A variety of vendors selling only vegan food items and products will set up tables every month inside the Legion hall.
Saturdays in January
Creativity Labs: Art for Families
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton
Drop in to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Themes include bold landscapes on January 10, African masks on January 17, color play on January 24, and sculpture forms on January 31.
January 1
Guided First Day Hikes
New Jersey State Parks are celebrating the new year and nation’s 250th anniversary with free, guided, first-day hikes through one of New Jersey’s state parks, forests or historic sites as part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes program. See the full list here.
January 1 – 3
Kringle Cove
Whitechapel Projects, Long Branch
Shop all weekend from different vendors set up each day at The Long Branch Holiday Bazaar. There will be a live DJ, craft workshops and face painting for kids. Kringle Cove will have each room decorated so that you feel like you’re in a holiday movie. Make your own s’mores or order pizza.
January 2 – 3
Holiday Lights
Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange
Take a stroll through the zoo at night, which will be lit up by thousands of sparking lights, plus 50 winter and animal characters. There will be a carousel, touch tank, viewings inside the reptile house, a farm, a pony track, a train and face painting. Make an evening of it and rent out an igloo in the picnic area, where you can sit inside a heated tent and have hot chocolate, s’mores and cookies.
January 3 – 4
Bank of America Museums on Us Weekend
Multiple locations
Bank of America, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank cardholders can receive free general admission to various cultural attractions on the first full weekend of each month.
Here are the NJ museums:
- Hunterdon Art Museum, 7 Lower Center St., Clinton
- Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City
- Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Ave., Montclair
- Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown
- The Newark Museum of Art, 49 Washington St., Newark
Thursdays, January 8 – 29
Nature & Stories
Plainsboro Preserve, Plainsboro
Kids ages 2 to 7 will listen to stories about nature and animals, followed by crafts or activities. Every week will be a different winter nature theme.
January 9
Winter Wonders Storytime and Puppet Show
Princeton Public Library, Princeton
Early Childhood faculty from the Waldorf School of Princeton will put on a seasonal storytime and puppet show for winter, geared toward kids ages 6 months to 5 years old. Amy Shor will use songs, rhymes and fingerplays, using simple handmade puppets and other surprises from the natural world.
January 9-10, 16-17
Fire & Frost Fun Winter Festival
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Watch as artists carve blocks of ice into sculptures, while others breathe and juggle fire. The kids can go on the Find Jack Frost scavenger hunt, while you grab them hot cocoa or cider from the Village Green. The shops and restaurants will be open late.
January 10
Parlor Games for Wintry Weather
Historic Longstreet Farm, 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel
Strategize your best moves while playing Halma and Basilinda, two long-forgotten 1890s board games. We also have old-time favorites like Backgammon, Checkers, and Dominoes.
Winter Wonder Walk
Schermann Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Join a Naturalist for an informal and informative outdoor walk to explore winter’s wonders.
In The Words of Dr. Martin Luther King
Two River Theater, Red Bank
There will be a constitutional sound bath, a discussion on Dr. King’s book “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” and remarks by The Fortune Tellers, Ranney School Diversity Club and New Jersey Orators. Dr. Aaron X. Smith from Temple University will speak about African American studies and Africology. Presented by the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center and Two River Theater, and sponsored by the New Jersey Martin Luther King Commission.
January 10, 17, 24, 31
Soup Stroll
Rahway
Visit the participating restaurants, ask for a Soup Stroll Sample, and then warm up with a free 4-ounce sample of their featured soup. Walk to the next place, and take photos of your journey.
January 11
Schermann Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Grab a pair of binoculars and look for the sanctuary’s winter resident birds.
Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel
Drop in for a quick lesson on crafting two styles of homemade Victorian dolls: corn husk dolls and rag dolls.
Great Bay Boulevard, Tuckerton
The litter cleanup will focus on the stretch of road that gets trash from local travelers, as well as garbage that washes ashore from Atlantic City.
January 16-18
Downtown Haddonfield
Creative ice sculptures will be spread out throughout Downtown Haddonfield. Haddonfield restaurants will be serving their best soups. Live ice carving will take place in Kings Court on Sunday.
January 17
Special Olympics New Jersey Polar Bear Plunge
Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood
Plungers should dress up in costume, break out the plunge props, and make banners and signs before jumping into the icy waters of the Atlantic. After, plungers (and kids under 12) and have lunch inside the convention center. Note: spectators are frees, but plungers must fundraise.
Pier Village Ice Carving Competition
The Blue Wave (Behind Wave Resort) 12 pm – 3 pm
(Rain Date: January 18)
Watch skilled ice sculptors transform massive blocks of ice into stunning works of art. After enjoying the ice displays, spend the day shopping, dining out and gathering around oceanfront firepits to warm up, sip hot cocoa, and enjoy the festive winter atmosphere.
Inauguration Day Free Museum Day
Multiple Locations
Several museums throughout NJ will offer free admission today in honor of the inauguration of Gov. Mike Sherrill.
Bell Works, Holmdel
There will be 350+ tables featuring some of the top vendors from across the tri-state area. There will be a Trading Card Game tournament during the event.
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
Inside the planetarium, learn about supermassive black holes and the effects they have on galaxies.
Seagrove Area Parking Lot, Cape May Point State Park, Cape May Point
Bring gardening gloves and hand clippers so you can help clean up the park area from invasive species, native vines and shrubs before the migratory birds and Monarch butterflies return in the spring.
Battery Gunnison, Gateway National Recreation Area, Highlands
This historic structure in Sandy Hook will be open to the public today, and you can meet members of the Army Ground Forces Association, access the interior of the battery, and learn about the systems that have been restored. Gun No. 2 will be open to visitors; experience the handling of the M1900 6-inch seacoast rifle.
RCE of Burlington County, Westampton
You’ll get free pizza and snacks after volunteering on a number of service projects that benefit the community.
Alms Center, Bridgeton
Members of the American Littoral Society will lead you in a cleanup of the wooded area along Pamphylia Avenue.
The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University, Atlantic City
Read parts of Dr. King’s speeches and reflect on his life and legacy. There will also be a performance by Atlantic City High School’s choir and live jazz band, followed by lunch for everyone who reads.
January 17 – March 8
Lunar New Year at American Dream
American Dream, East Rutherford
Celebratory events include a youth talent competition, K-Pop dance competition, concerts, fashion shows, a spring festival gala, a Lunar New Year spectacular, the lighting of the Dream Wheel, a phtoography contest, opera night, and a Sunflower Lantern Festival Gala.
January 19
Newark Museum of Art, Newark
Admission to the museum is free today, so you can explore the theme of “Stronger Together” through performances, hands-on activities, and other special events for the day.
Martin Luther King Statue, Newark
Join hundreds of community members for a march from the MLK statue to Newark City Hall and back to the statue.
January 24 and 31
Lockwood Lobby in the Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Princeton favorite Jeff Trainor will perform songs from animated favorites alongside classic pop and soul in a music- and movement-based class for kids.
January 25
Cranford’s 250 RevolutionNJ Flag Raising
Municipal Council Chambers, Cranford
After a brief ceremony indoors, a flag raising will be held outside of the municipal building, featuring a color guard, members of the VFW, local scouts, live re-enactors, a bagpiper and the Cranford High School Choir.
January 30 – February 1
Greek Winter Feast
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Egg Harbor Twp.
There will be authentic Greek food and pastries, cocktails, Greek dance performances, and DJ entertainment.
January 31
Ice Harvest
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Neighbors once called Howell Farm the “ice farm” because they could buy ice from the pond to keep their milk cool on the way to the train station on Pleasant Valley Road. Come by to see the tools and technology that made ice harvesting a successful business at the turn of the 20th century with demonstrations of ice cutting, hauling, and handling. You can help pull ice blocks up the ramp to the ice house, chip ice to make ice cream, and make an ice candle to take home. Ice cream and snow cone samples will be available in the afternoon, and food will be available at the farmhouse for purchase.
The 33rd Fire & Ice Festival
Downtown Mount Holly
Watch ice block carvers, participate in a chili tasting contest, make winter crafts, buy from area artisans and vendors, sample delights from the food trucks & beer tent, photo ops with characters, learn from Revolutionary War Re-enactors/demonstrators, watch dog sled demonstrations and more.
Groundhog Day Celebration
The Watershed Institute, Pennington
Join Watershed Wally the Woodchuck as he celebrates winter but looks forward to the return of spring. Learn all about groundhogs, enjoy a hike to a groundhog hole, and try your hand at chucking wood with a catapult or trebuchet. There will be treats by the campire.
Rutgers Geology Museum Open House
Rutgers Geology Museum, New Brunswick
The theme of this year’s open house (the 58th consecutive) is minerals. Lectures and activities include New Jersey’s role in mining, a Stickersaurus book reading, fun with fluorescence, a presentation about Mars, and nature-themed crafts. The open house will include a gem, mineral and fossil show where you can buy gems to take home.
Revolutionary Pieces Jigsaw Puzzle Competition
Monmouth County Library, Manalapan
Celebrate National Puzzle Day by joining the first jigsaw puzzle competition at the library, where teams will race to complete a 500-piece puzzle.
Peter Rabbit Party
Cotsen Children’s Library, inside the Firestone Library, Princeton University campus, Princeton
The Cotsen Children’s Library gallery will transform into an English cottage and garden where 2- to 6-year-olds can serve tea, plant carrots, and learn more about Peter Rabbit’s creator, Beatrix Potter. Master Gardeners from the West Trenton Garden Club will help you to start a garden of your very own.
Ongoing Through 2026
Springsteen in Long Branch: An exhibition telling the story of Born to Run
Long Branch Arts & Cultural Center, Long Branch
Fifty years ago, Bruce Springsteen wrote the “Born to Run” album in West End, Long Branch. A new exhibit showcases his life at the Jersey Shore through photos, posters, album promo materials and artifacts – like his green drum set from his first band, and a replica of the guitar used on the album cover.
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