NJ Indoor Playgrounds

WELCOME TO OUR INDOOR SECTION!

Rainy Day? Do your kids need somewhere to run around and burn off some steam?

Check out our curated lists below!

We are spending time this year cleaning up our outdated list of nj indoor places to play but need your help.

If we are missing your favorite place, comment below and we will review them and add them as needed!

Browse the areas of indoor places to play by using the accordion style menu below.

Are we missing your favorite playplace? Let us know by commenting below! We are going to be adding to this list so bear with us while we include more great places to play!

Featured NJ Indoor Place to Play

Grand Opening of The Little Gym in Lodi, NJ! **1/4/2024**

Bergen County Highlight

The LIttle Gym- Lodi

Starting at 4 months old, your children can experience the encouragement and support to help them grow into strong, healthy, independent people. And we support you too as you guide your children through all of life’s adventures. You build a community and your kid’s get some serious fun – that’s what we call a Double Win! From crawling to cartwheels, and handstands to handsprings, watch your child progress and build skills for whatever their future holds.

The Little Gym of Lodi

4 Memorial Dr, Lodi NJ
201) 677-3870 |

Website

More Indoor Places to Play!

Check out these family fun centers across the Garden State! Click on the + sign to expand each region!

Free Entertainment

Let’s face it, we’d love to take our kids to great playspaces everyday, but that can get expensive, especially in NJ. Besides our Free Places to Play listings, 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 no longer has playlands- if I am wrong please let me know.
  • 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.

Comment below if you have a new place to share, we will add it to our map! for historical context you can actually see comments from 2011 when we first started, and warning for our veterans, it might give some nostalgia. 

 Thanks for checking us out. If you have an indoor place we haven’t covered let us know!!!

30 Comments

  1. Lisa

    Surprised not to see Clown Around in Flanders listed. Has open play multiple times per week (specializes in birthday parties). Very clean indoor play place for kids under age 7. We always have a great time there!

    http://www.clownaroundinc.com/Home.htm

  2. Miss Lois

    Baby Power Forever Kids has open gym times for member and non members. Please check the web site for schedule and prices. Great for children 6 months – 5 years.

  3. Cathy

    What is the website Miss Lois?
    Am looking for a place to hold my son’s 2nd birthday. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

  4. Joan Naughton

    Hi. First of all, thank you for creating this wonderful site. We just moved to NJ from Texas about 6 weeks ago and your site is helping us find fun indoor places to visit.
    I wanted to add 2 that we have fun in. Chick Fil A in Hamilton, NJ is a delicious fast food restaurant with nice clean play area. Also Pump-It-Up in Hamilton! NJ. Fun, fun, fun bouncing n jumping open play several days of the week. Great for birthday parties.
    Hope this is helpful for someone.
    Thanks again,
    Joan

  5. Iz P

    Just wanted to share a new indoor playground I found: iPlay in Freehold, NJ
    And one that has been around a while, but not sure if it is still open: space odessy 2000 in Englewood, NJ.

    I love this site! Thanks for sharing and making our family life richer!!!

  6. Jeannine

    Wonder Wing at the Monmouth Museum (Brookdale Community College Campus)
    My kids love it!

  7. Sara

    A great new children’s indoor play center has just opened in Andover, NJ. It’s easy to get to and offers a huge indoor climbing structure, open play space, boy and girl themed play room and a safe toddler play area. It also has an awesome 50’s themed diner and an adorable grocery store, both kid sized down to the shopping carts and chrome diner stools. They also have two huge party rooms and will do all the hard work for busy parents. Check it out!
    http://chuckle-time.com
    https://www.facebook.com/ChuckleTimeAndover

  8. Samantha

    Don’t forget Grandslam on Oak Tree Rd. Edison. There is even a coupon in the Kid Stuff book for the playscape.

  9. Julie

    What about south jersey??? There’s Jelly bean jungle, Monkey Business, kids play lounge, funplex…

  10. Carolyn

    There is a bouncy house place with the Disney Characters on it in Nortvale, NJ called Jumping Bean.

  11. Ammy

    I just moved to Nj and I have twins 16 months. I am looking for indoor playground for babies close to bergen county. i checked but could not find any:(…

  12. Michele

    Ammy, there’s Kidville in Englewood, but I think you have to be a member first. I heard another place in opening in Englewood, something like Jump U on Grand or Broad Avenue and I think it’s going to be drop in.

    There used to be another playspace in Englewood called Cutie Patooties that was pay as you go – they say they closed to relocate, but I haven’t heard anything since that happened a couple of months ago.

    I’m all the way up in north of the county, and if you’re willing to take a little drive up the river to just over the state line into Rockland with them, there’s a pretty good one called The Playroom in Nyack for their age which is drop-in. http://www.theplayroomnyack.com. Another one in that ares is called Wee Play in Nanuet, but when it’s a rainy day it gets crowded and the place is a zoo!

  13. Jennifer

    Also in Bergen County try Bounce U in Paramus which has open play schedule. And there’s also Jump On In in Hasbrouck Heights. Good luck!

  14. coleen

    For free indoor play in morris cty, the mcdonalds in rockaway has a nice clean play area and rockaway mall has a small free play area right outside of camp illiff

  15. Jacqui

    Great huge place in Hackettstown, All Play. Bounce stuff and lots of pretend structures, ride on stuff, etc. Closed Mondays but open play almost everyday.

  16. Mel

    Theres also the free playgrounds in ikea – and the childrens section has little play area too.

  17. Mel

    We love local nature centers – tenafly and flat rock (englewood.). They both have indoor kid spaces with animals, books and toys. Last time we were at tenafly nature center, the volunteer got out all the animals and let my kids hold them. It was great – and very educational.

  18. Wenqi

    We went to Jersey Gardens on August 30th, 2013, the indoor playground was demolished, so they don’t have any place for kids to play indoor any more for now.

  19. Connie

    Does anyone know of any good indoor play centers for toddlers near Hunterdon County? Kid Junction in Branchburg recently closed and I can not find anything local.

  20. admin

    Just added to the map, but did not review- Lafayette NJ’s Play Central, link here

  21. Meghan

    Riverside Kids Gym in Mansfield/Hackettstown, NJ has Open Gym hours every weekday. Indoor gym sessions offer supervised open play with no reservations or memberships needed. Riverside Kids has full size equipment such as bars and balance beam as well as a turf area that is sometimes available for sports activities. If your child loves to climb, balance, jump and swing then they would enjoy their time in Open Gym! Payment is by the hour: $6/members; $7/ non members.

  22. Connie

    Kid Junction in Branchburg has been closed for over a year now. Such a shame as there isn’t any good indoor play places in Hunterdon county.

  23. paula

    How about places for 2 year old to go during winter around Margate, NJ (south jersey). I am desperate.

  24. Mark Little

    I am the owner of Play Day Place in Forked River. We recently opened at the end of September of 2014. We are over 5000 square feet and feature a 3 tier soft play structure, rock climbing, bounce houses, a toddler room, and interactive projection games. We have Open Play for $10.99 + tax 7 Days a Week. Our website shows our available open play times. We do 100% private birthday parties where you rent the entire facility for a 2 hour duration starting at $200 for up to 10 children. Check out our video tour on youtube as well at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6ymMhJSdYU

  25. Jen

    In response to Paula’s “plea”- I used to live in Linwood, and took my little one to Bright Stars in EHT. It is very clean and safe. They offer many classes for kids which are excellent (both my young one and middle schooler took classes there), but they offered open play, pay as you go, three days a week. Very reasonable pricing, staff member present in gym area, tons of space and equipment. I remember that one day was pretty crowded, but other than that it was great. I moved to north Jersey about 3 years ago so I’m not sure about the open play. I know they are still there – as I said, they had a great gymnastics program and the owner is really caring and definitely “knows her stuff”. Check it out!

  26. Mark

    In the center of Ocean County is Play Day Place. They have a bunch of cool stuff and even go as young as 1 year olds. And they actually have stuff for the young ones and the older kids. I have 4 kids of different ages and they play there for hours. Bounce houses, rock climbing, virtual game mat and a Velcro wall.

  27. Cynthia

    MiMa create and play is amazing. It’s in Sayreville (central Jersey) super clean and lots for kids ages 9 months and up to do…they post on Facebook for special arts & crafts and events too

  28. Paramus

    In Paramus on Route 17, they have opened “The Arena” which is a playspace to practice sports and can be rented out for birthday parties.

  29. Sheila

    Hey Cynthia, we want to add Mima create and play to our map, do you have some pictures you can share from a parent perspective? I’d love to include them in our site!

  30. Richard Thelen

    Barnes & Noble in Clark, NJ, has closed.

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