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Includes indoor venues and kid-friendly establishments.
Though I enjoy playdates, I find that I lean towards just going to new places willing to socialize with moms that happen to be there. I could really use your help on indoor play spaces that we have not covered, so if you have a great place to share, please email us at njplaygrounds@gmail.com . We will strive to keep this uncluttered but bear with us in the beginning. Check out our cool map for indoor places, missing one? Comment on this post.
Press the + sign for Chuck E. Cheese and McDonalds if you want to see them on the map
Free Places/Ideas
Let’s face it, we’d love to take our kids to great playspaces everyday, but that can get expensive, especially in NJ. I’ve found that there are great places to go (or join) without having to spend any money.
- Libraries- Check them out, some have great areas for kids to do puzzles and computer games geared toward ages 3-6. Ours in Springfield has a great storytime. They also have resources to publications geared for local family activities (Kids guide, ____county family guide, flyers, etc.). I’ve heard very positive reviews for the library in Chatham as well.
- Malls- I recently visited a very family-friendly mall, Woodbridge Center a (Woodbridge, Middlesex County) and will be posting details soon. Other malls that have indoor play areas include: Garden State Plaza (by the Old Navy) (Paramus in Bergen County) Livingston Mall (by Sears) (Livingston in Essex County)
- Barnes & Nobles- Very kid-friendly. Barnes and Noble (Paramus, NJ) (thanks ira from city-data) and in Clark, NJ both have train tables for kids to play with. Definitely recommended! Menlo Park, Edison, NJ also has a train table (thanks Bob K. from city-data). Rumor has it that Riverside Square Mall does not have it anymore.
- Restaurants/Cafes- Well, not necessarily free, but some are kid-friendly, I’ll need your help to find some of these. A very popular one I had visited had closed recently in South Orange. Yeah I know, completely useless bullet point. Help a momma out, share your favorite cafe to hang out with the kids, I’m beginning to think they don’t exist in NJ.
- McDonalds Playlands- McDonalds has made strides to have more nutritious choices for kids, and they also have some fun equipment. Check out their site for which ones have playlands.
- Gym- ok really not free, but once you join, many of these places have babysitting and the kids can enjoy a change of pace. For example, I go to Connection in Summit (sorta like a YMCA). I volunteer and am a member at the gym, the babysitting there is friendly and will even hang out there for a little bit, using their playground outside their area.
Kid Playspaces – Either recommended or personally visited…
See our Indoor Playground Listing by clicking here or you can browse the categories on the right hand side
Other Indoor Playgrounds links
- FunPlex, Wiggles and Giggles (East Hanover, Essex County)
- FunPlex (Mt. Laurel, Burlington County)
- Children’s Museum of NJ (Paramus, NJ) – thanks Bev for the recommendation
Other websites about indoor NJ playspaces:
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