Amazing Places to Play Indoors in NJ

Updated for 2022!

Whether it’s too hot, too cold, too rainy or too snowy, there are many reasons to stay indoors and play. Sometimes, however, staying home can become overwhelming for kids and parents. There isn’t enough room to run around, the house gets destroyed and, let’s face it, how many crafts and board games can you really play? Luckily, NJ offers some the most amazing places to play indoors. From museums to aquariums to even trampoline parks, New Jersey offers fun ways to learn through play indoors!

Amazing Places to Play Indoors in NJ

Liberty Science Center

The Liberty Science Center, located in Jersey City, is one of my favorite places to visit! There are so many amazing brain boosting exhibits, interactive activities and programs for kids and adults of all ages. Families can spend hours exploring and playing. You can even go for FREE during Bank of America Museums on Us weekends (when you show your Bank of America card)! Read about all the fun activities for preschoolers here.

Paper Street Play

Located in Park Ridge, Paper Street Play is an adorable indoor play space that encourages imaginative play while also helping children to build social, emotional, and life skills. Little ones will love playing in the diner, animal hospital, market, house, and much more. In addition to open play sessions, Paper Street Play also offers special events, music classes, a sensory hour, and more.

Kids Empire

With 3 locations (and 2 more opening soon), Kids Empire offers learning through play all across NJ! The indoor playground offers hours of fun with opportunities for kids to jump, spin, climb, crawl, slide, and more. Kids can also build with blocks and ride child-size cars. Kids Empire has open play sessions and hosts birthday parties.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

The next time the weather stops you from enjoying outdoor play, then bounce, jump, flip and fly at Sky Zone. With locations in 7 NJ towns (and 2 more coming soon), Sky Zone offers hours of fun and excitement. While playing, kids will enhance gross motor skills, balance, coordination and motor planning. They will also boost their self-confidence as well as build social skills as they make new friends. Sky Zone offers open jump sessions along with special events, programs and even birthday parties!

Funplex

There are two amazing locations for Funplex in NJ, East Hanover and Mt. Laurel, both offer incredible indoor play experiences. It is FREE to enter but you must purchase a fun card, wristband or season pass to enjoy all the rides and attractions. Some experiences include laser tag, arcade games, Warrior Course (obstacle course), go karts, Hologate (virtual reality game) and XD Dark Ride. Guest can also enjoy fun rides like Super Twister, bumper cars and Skyscraper. Funplex is open daily.

Northlandz

If your kids love trains, they will love Northlandz. Located in Flemington, Northlandz offers hours of fun as families see close to 100 trains chugging along 6 miles of track. It is a breathtaking sight for all ages. Guests will see replicas of current towns and cities along with historical sites and events. Another impressive part of this amazing museum is the 2000 pipe organ which guests can hear played during their visit.

Lily and Liam Kids’ Indoor Playground & Cafe

This fun and inviting play space has been recommended by several moms, and I can see why! Lily and Liam Kids’ Playground encourages kids to engage all of their senses as they play. They are open Tuesday – Sunday for open play, and offer birthday parties and activity classes.

Tagalongs

Located in Lake Hopatcong, Tagalongs is a unique play place for crawlers to age 10 with endless opportunities for kids to jump, play, and learn. What sets Tagalongs apart, however, is their attention to sensory needs. They offer a sensory room along with many sensory based toys. Tagalongs is open daily and offers special events.

Sahara Sam’s Oasis

You don’t have to travel to the Poconos for indoor water park fun! The next time the weather is too frightful to head outside, pack up the kids and head over to Sahara Sam’s Oasis. Families will have a blast riding, sliding and splashing all day at this amazing indoor water park. There are exciting adventures for all ages from giant slides to a wave pool to splash areas to even The Flow Rider. Located in W. Berlin, next to Diggerland, Sahara Sam’s Oasis is your next must-do adventure!

The Great Story

Located in both Ridgefield and Hackensack, The Great Story offers several play stations that encourage hours of learning through play. Kids can play dress up, explore the giant indoor play structure, jump in the ball pit, play in the large sensory bin, race cars, and so much more. There is also something for the parents! The Great Story has a wonderful Cafe offering delicious food and drinks for the entire family.

Tay & Te Imaginative Play

Tay & Te Imaginative Play, located in Northvale, is a wonderful play place for children ages 0-6 years old that focuses on pretend play. They offer incredible play structures that focus on real life activities. These include a grocery store, gas station, firehouse, library, animal hospital, and more. There is also a lounge area and snack bar for parents.

Insectropolis

Insectropolis is an exciting and unique museum located in Toms River. Visitors have the opportunity to discover and learn about thousands of insects from all over the world. Insectropolis has 6 amazing bug-inspired exhibits where families can get a close up view of the unique and amazing world of insects. Kids will boost their science skills in the process!

Xtreme Energy

Xtreme Energy, located in Englewood, is the perfect family destination since it offers fun for toddlers to teens! Kids can enjoy a ropes course, trampolines, virtual reality, rock climbing, ninja warrior course, and playscape which is a 3-level play maze for toddlers and little kids. While playing at Xtreme Energy, kids will build important gross and fine motor skills while also enhancing problem solving and social skills.

Adventure Aquarium

Adventure Aquarium, located in Camden, is one of the most fascinating places to visit in NJ. Families have the opportunity to delve into the world of science, especially marine biology. Guests can explore exhibits with sea creatures from around the world such as penguins, sharks, octopuses, hippos, jellyfish, sea turtles and much more. The KidZone provides a true multi-sensory approach to learning as children are able to play, jump and crawl through interactive exhibits.

The Village Play Cafe

Pack up the kids and head to The Village Play Cafe in Chatham for hours of learning fun! This unique space offers open play for little ones up to age 6. There are themed play structures including pet vet, grocery store, and fire station. They even have a large castle for kids to play in. The Village also offers classes, special events, and birthday parties.

Kid and Caboodle

Located in Morristown, Kid and Caboodle offers a fun, friendly, and welcoming environment for little ones. In addition to a multi-level play structure, this unique space also offers themed stations, a Hinoki bean box, sensory play areas, a dedicated toddler space, and more. Kid and Caboodle offers open play sessions, classes, and birthday parties. There is also a cafe featuring coffee and healthy snacks.

NJ State Museum

The NJ State Museum, located in Trenton, offers a unique educational experience for individuals of all ages. Guests can explore not one, but four exciting museums plus a planetarium! The Archeology and Ethnography section offers a collection of over 2 million prehistoric and historic specimens collected from nearly 100 years of excavation. The Fine Art section has over 12,000 works of art to enjoy and discover. The Cultural History section has over 13,000 artifacts from NJ including flags, tools, furniture and more. The final area focuses on Natural History and includes a Learning Lab where visitors can watch and ask questions as fossils are prepared. The NJ State Museum also has the largest planetarium in NJ featuring Full-Dome-Video and projects more than 6,000 stars.

Exceptional Explorers

Kids can learn, play, and explore at Exceptional Explorers, located in Livingston. What makes this play place unique is that it was created by 2 moms who are also speech and occupational therapists. This means every area is carefully designed to encourage developmental growth. In addition to open play in a beautifully designed play structure, Exceptional Explorers also offers brain boosting classes such as science, art, robotics, and mommy and me.

Morris Museum

Located in Morristown, Morris Museum combines the love of art, theatre and science into one exciting interactive experience the entire family will love. Morris Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am – 5pm (Sundays the museum opens at 12pm). On Tuesdays, the museum stays open until 8pm with pay-what-you-want admission from 4pm – 8pm. Morris Museum offers families the opportunity to explore fun permanent exhibits as well as special and traveling exhibits. Kids are able to tap into the world of science and art while engaging all of their senses.

Imagine That Museum

Imagine That Museum is a fun, interactive and multi-sensory experience that children will LOVE. Located in Florham Park, Imagine That Museum has a wide variety of educational and brain boosting activities for kids such as puzzles, arts and crafts, an instrument room, pretend store, sand box, pretend mail room, pretend animal hospital, real fire engine and airplane, play maze and much more. Imagine That Museum allows kids to have fun exploring and discovering their surroundings while improving their language, motor, social and cognitive skills.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

Located in Lyndhurst, Medieval Times sparks the imagination from the moment you pull into the parking lot and see the magnificent castle. Once inside, kids and parents will feel transported to another world where Kings and Queens ruled the Kingdom and knights had to fight for their honor. Families will be entertained by breathtaking horsemanship, jousting competitions, falconry and more! Read our review here!

Garden State Discovery Museum

Take a trip to the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill where kids can engage in hands-on learning fun. On their website it states, “We are a celebration of imagination for children ages infant through 10 years old!” Now that is exactly what we are looking for at Mommy University. From pretending to be a paleontologist in the Dinosaurium to being lifeguards in the Down the Shore area to dressing up like a prince or princess and exploring a castle, there is something to spark everyone’s imaginations!

*Currently closed due to Covid-19.

 iPlay America

Located in Freehold, iPlay America offers a fun and unique indoor play experience for individuals of all ages. By offering a variety of rides, games and experiences, families can spend all day exploring iPlay. Guests can enjoy rides such as Go Karts, Freedom Rider roller coaster, bumper cars, a carousel and more! Ropes courses for adults AND kids also add to the excitement along with Laser Tag and the VR (virtual reality) Arena. iPlay also offers special events such as concerts, meet and greets, holiday experiences and much more. Learn more on the iPlay website.

Genius Gems

Genius Gems is a unique indoor play experience as it offers hours of learning through play that helps build a love of STEAM concepts. With over 30,000 magnetic tiles along with Ozobots and Cubelets, kids can build, create and play all day long! Located in Millburn, Genius Gems offers hands on play that builds visual, fine motor, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Kids can just drop in for some fun or enjoy scheduled classes such as STEM Enrichment, Coding & Robotics and Science in Spanish. Genius Gems is open 7 days a week, 9am-6pm.

Nature Centers

If you are looking for indoor (and outdoor) fun, make sure to check out your local nature center. They offer tons of hands-on learning opportunities for all ages. From tours to maple sugaring to animal encounters, they have something for everyone. Check out our list of nature centers in NJ for some ideas!

I hope you have enjoyed reading through our list of brain boosting indoor play places. What is your child’s favorite place to explore, play and learn?

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