Submitted by Nytroman89 t3_11b4xq2 in newjersey
I was thinking about taking my family to New Jersey this summer. We would be traveling from Ontario, Canada. Not sure if we should fly or drive. That depends if there are any hotels walking distance to any of the great attractions
I was wondering what are some great places to take my 8 year old son? He enjoys zoos and any amusement parks
Quick google search shows me there is a six flags and the American dream mall
Go to the beach and boardwalk!!!
It's a long drive, but you'll probably want a car once you get here, since things are so spread out. Six Flags Great Adventure would certainly be fun. Taking him to the beach and boardwalk at Seaside Heights would also be a blast, for an 8-year-old. Diggerland is also a hit with boys that age.
Closer to New York City is the American Dream Mall, Medieval Times, and Supercharged--the world's biggest indoor go-kart track.
Land in EWR, rent a car and Jersey is your oyster, from the northwest corner's High Point park (hiking) and Delaware River (rafting), down to southern-most Cape May's Victorian beach and B&Bs. You'll be delighted at our geographic diversity.
Cape May Zoo is awesome and free, turtleneck zoo also good. Lots of great breweries like Cape May brewery and Kane. Beaches are free at Wildwood, also nice boardwalk at Point Pleasant, Asbury Park, Wildwood too. Expect cold water temps in June up to mid July. Most people don’t even hit the water until August.
Most boardwalks have rides, arcades, mini golf too.
Really depends where you stay, south vs north. Great options in both, if you are doing a beach vacation vs staying inland.
Check websites like Mommy Poppins or fun new jersey for so many lists of options and events.
My personal bias, but a little more money, check out South/central Jersey for a nice beach getaway. Cape May has a 'free'(optional donation at entry) zoo that is really nice, military museum with planes nearby, wineries for the adults, nice shopping. You can drive a bit to hit Story book Land, 8 years old is right on the cusp of Story Book Land being boring so depends what he likes, obviously Six Flags has bigger rides. Diggerland If he likes anything to do with construction trucks. There is the Popcorn zoo, where you throw popcorn at animals but it is small, South Jersey also has The funny Farm which although a little muddy, the animals are all rescues and they are everywhere walking around and you can feed and pet them. Philly zoo is also very large with the Camden Aquarium there as well.
You can still drive a bit for North Jersey and NYC but if I were personally going on vacation to relax I would look further south.
Take the ferry to Ellis Island from Liberty Park.
Six flags great adventure
There's turtleback zoo in West Orange. Could swing by and wave at the Prudential center on your way into the ironbound afterward for some Portuguese food as well.
Diggerland is in south jersey, but if I know anything about Ontario license plates, you're heading down last AC, so it'd be out of the way to head west. Not sure what kind of time you'll be spending.
I forgot to add, I've done and will be doing drive from Jersey to Montreal a bunch. Once you exit Jersey, either from here to Montreal or to Toronto or Ottawa, there's very little to do. Maybe from Ottawa for Niagara you can visit the Finger Lakes, but for an 8 year old, it won't be too fun. Straight through from Niagara is about 6-7h. And upstate NY cops are the worst. So not a great ride, is what I'm saying. Flying, however, to Montreal, for example, you end up hardly saving time over driving, if you just chug through the trip.
I'd drive because you're gonna need a car. Go to wildwood (amusement park vibes on a boardwalk right next to the ocean). That's close to Cape May zoo, which I loved as a kid
Liberty Science Center. It now costs a pretty penny, but your sim is the perfect age for the place and it’s a cool spot for adults too
There's Adventure Aquarium and the Children's Garden [carousel, mini-train, butterfly garden and other stuff] in Camden, then take the Riverlink Ferry across the Delaware to Penn's Landing where you can tour a submarine, look at the outside of the tall ship Moshulu [it's currently a restaurant, no idea if your kid would like it], rent a kayak or paddleboat (the ones you row with your feet), and check out Spruce Street Harbor Park.
You should probably also spend a day at the shore, visit one of the boardwalks, get soft pretzels and water ice and boardwalk fries and a hoagie. There's the beach, but there's places you can rent boogieboards and skim boards if you want (not available everywhere, so check before you decide which beach to visit).
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City Waterfront, Turtle Back Zoo, Montclair, Princeton, Asbury Park (Silverball Arcade is a MUST), Cape May (the zoo there is amazing - don’t miss it), Great Adventure (rides for all ages plus a safari).
Van Saun Park in Paramus is a good place for a day with an 8-year-old kid. There’s a zoo, pony rides, several playgrounds, and picnic tables. Close to NYC and Statue of Liberty, etc.
FYI, the Six Flags is about a half-hour drive from the portion of the Jersey Shore that includes Asbury Park (Point Pleasant is a little bit south, Seaside Heights a little further than that).
If you spend the afternoon at Six Flags, you can head to the Asbury boardwalk for a nice dinner overlooking the ocean.
Patty-Benetardis t1_j9w27e0 wrote
The jersey shore! Point pleasant and Ocean City NJ are both great for kids ( but are far apart). Camden aquarium, liberty science center.