All Weekend

Dinosaur Train (Phillipsburg, NJ)
If you have a dino lover in the family, what could be better than a ride back to the Jurassic Period on the Dinosaur Train? Patterned after the hit PBS Television cartoon series, families take an adventurous ride to the Nature Trackers Activity Area where they explore, play and learn about life science, natural history and dinosaurs. Guests will meet their favorite T-rex, Buddy, find real fossils and dig for dinosaur bones.

NJ State Museum Story Time (Trenton, NJ)
On the third weekend of every month, the New Jersey State Museum hosts story & craft time for kiddos ages 4 to 8. Hear the tale of Bartholomew and the Oobleck - bored with rain, sun, fog, and snow, King Derwin summons his royal magicians to create something new and exciting to fall from the sky. What he gets is a storm of sticky green globs called Oobleck, which soon causes a royal mess. Kids are then welcome to get gooey with their own Oobleck creation!

Saturday, August 16th

Kid’s Rock Weekend (New Brunswick, NJ)
Everyone will dance and sing at the NJ State Theatre to the awesome kid's rock band StarFish and Preschool of Rock – where parents have been known to dance in the kid's mosh pit! In addition, the fun and exciting B.A.M. School of Performing Arts students will perform some of their popular musical dance numbers. Throw in face painting, balloon animals and arts & crafts, and you’ve got a pretty great Saturday outing.

For Goodness Snakes (Tenafly, NJ)
Meet the resident snakes on exhibit at Tenafly Nature Center and learn each of their stories and characteristics. Then find out more about these scaly animals and their behaviors. Afterwards, your group will take a short walk with an Environmental Educator to look for snakes in their natural habitat.

Clifford at Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ)
Meet a special guest at Liberty Science Center this weekend – Clifford the Big Red Dog himself! Snap a picture with the guest of honor before checking out the Clifford PBS Kids exhibit that transports visitors to Birdwell Island. Kids will engage in educational exhibits that reinforce "Clifford's Big Ideas" - tangible life lessons that help children navigate their world.

Sunday, August 17th

Open Arms: Family Evening at Garden State Museum (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Head to the popular Garden State Discovery Museum as they host a special evening for families with children on the autism spectrum. Kids can come for free play and discovery with other children on the spectrum and socialize in a safe and interactive environment. Check out the wide range of rotating exhibits or some of the mainstays such as the Dinosaurium, Turtle Bog and Bubble Trouble.

Family Woodland Hike (Ringwood, NJ)
Lace up those sneakers and soak up the last weeks of summer for an easy, child-friendly hike in the NJ Botanical Garden's woodlands where you'll learn a bit about the plants, animals and geology around you in a walk designed to fit the group. All ages welcome but smaller tots may need to be carried.

Rolling Iron Antique Auto Show (Farmingdale, NJ)
For some family fun that’s unique and a little offbeat, head to the Antique Auto Show at historic Allaire Village this Sunday. Time travel through the decades as you walk the rows of historic cars, trucks and motorcycles that are on display. Vote for your favorite car and enter for a chance to win raffle prizes.

Check out our GO NJ List, with our top picks of awesome things to do for kids in the upcoming month; GO AUGUST is full of family fun!

And don't forget: We have additional activity listings in our Event Calendar. And if you are heading into NYC for the weekend make sure you visit the New York City Mommy Poppins events calendar to get the latest on all the fun to be had NYC-style.