This summer was the summer that I was anticipating since last November because this summer I was not pregnant, I was not delivering a baby, no… I was ready for action. This summer was all about planning fun, enjoyable family activities with the little ones in mind and staying local.
Farms
The great thing about NJ is there are plenty of local farms around, especially near my home. We can drive 10 minutes and witness beautiful, vast farming land and agriculture. They offer fun activities for the little ones such as fresh fruit picking, games, hay rides and fresh churned ice cream. This is a summer activity great for the whole family. My daughter got especially excited to see “Peppa” at Snyder’s Farms located in Franklin Park.
Central Park, NYC
A bit of a drive, but an absolute must if you’re in the city with little ones. This park is huge. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the rickshaw ride — although you have to hustle and negotiate pricing a bit, don’t forget to play hard to get! It’s got a nice, large play area for kids. You could spend all day here and not get bored.
Carnivals
I feel like this summer we visited a surplus of local fairs and carnivals because A. There were multiple ones in the area on different dates and B. My kids loved it. Best part about summer time is riding rides and eating fresh funnel cakes. And that is precisely what we did at all the carnivals we went to. My 2.5 year old daughter was tall enough to ride some of the rides (under 42″), but she rarely rode on anything alone.
Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, Jersey Shore
Another must-do in the summertime in New Jersey is visiting the infamous Jersey shore. There are plenty of beaches and each one has its advantages and disadvantages. This year we visited Point Pleasant Beach which has a nice, large boardwalk called Jenkinson’s Boardwalk. This Boardwalk is filled with fun rides for little ones, plenty of fast food and snacks. The downside is that the beach is not free, and on a busy day, it is very crowded. We prefer the beach to be A. Free!! and B. Empty. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful beach and great fun for the kids. They even have an aquarium!
Other great local activities for the kids:
- Six Flags Great Adventure
- Sesame Place
- Hershey Park
- Strasburg Railroad
- Please Touch Museum
- Local parks play outdoor movies
Hope you enjoyed your summer with your little ones as much as we did! Would love to hear what fun things you did!
Sweet Dreamer 
The beach wasn’t free? Really! It’s the first time that I have ever heard of a pay beach. Unless you count the urban ones. You are so lucky to have farms with beautiful open spaces so close to you. What a splendid summer it looks like you have all had. #DreamTeam x
Yes! It’s ridiculous. We didn’t plan to spend much time on the beach, just wanted to soak our feet in and walk around then head to the boardwalk for games/rides. So didn’t make sense to pay the $5 per head for 30 minutes of beach time. Oh wells, learned our lesson. Thanks for reading!
What a lovely summer you have had! Lovely happy pictures too! #dreamteam May the fun and love continue on!
Thank you for the sweet comment!! 🙂
NJ has a lot more fun things than you’d imagine! I have not heard of snyder farms, will have to check it out next time I’m in the area.
I love seeing what things are in other people’s areas. We are quite close to London so I feel lucky as we have so much to do. Sarah #ExplorerKids
I know right, i love reading about all the activities they have in London. It gives me something to look forward to when we venture over there, one day in the future lol.
Looks like you all had a great time. I love Summer! My kids loves the rides too! Thank you so much for linking up with us on #ExplorerKids x
Yes, we had a really fun summer now that the girls are at a funner age. Thank you! 🙂