I begin my review of Lewis Morris County Park with a word of caution: the park does not have a playground, much to the disappointment of my 5-year-old daughter. While plans are in the works for a new play space (the previous one was removed several years ago), you won’t find any brightly-colored jungle gyms, slides, swings, or climbing walls here. 

That said, Morris County’s second-largest park still offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun. You can swim, hike, bike, and even ski during a day trip to this four-season park. So with all that Lewis Morris has to offer, chances are your kids won't even miss the slides and swings.

Read on for more about this historic park. Find even more great day trips in our NJ Day Trip Guide, or check out our Parks & Playgrounds Guide to discover a new-to-you playground.

Calling all Mouseketeers! A Disney Junior Play Zone—the first and only one in the Northeast—had its grand opening at Menlo Park Mall this past weekend. Located on the upper level near Nordstrom, the brand-new, FREE indoor play space features all your kids’ favorite Disney Junior characters—Mickey Mouse and Friends, Puppy Dog Pals, Muppet Babies, and more—in interactive displays, climbable play sets, and a variety of games and activities. 

New Jersey families are no stranger to the hustling and bustling Menlo Park Mall. Located near several major highways, the shopping mecca is the perfect place for our region's inaugural Disney Junior Play Zone (the other three locations are in Texas malls). Already home to other family-friendly favorites including Rainforest Cafe, Color Me Mine, and Build-A-Bear, this 1.26-million-square-foot shopping destination now offers parents of young kids yet another reason to visit.

Read on, and get ready to play ‘til you drop!

Yes, back by popular demand, Dino Dig has returned to Liberty Science Center for a third fossil-filled summer! From now until September 3, little explorers are invited to sift through 35 tons of sand in the museum's completely transformed backyard in search of T. rex bones and teeth, an egg nest with a baby Maiasaura, and even a 6-foot-long Triceratops skull. Aspiring dino hunters will be wowed as they unearth replicas of fossils first discovered by Jack Horner, the famed paleontologist who inspired Jurassic Park.

Just one mention of "dinosaurs" and my own 5-year-old, pint-sized paleontologist was all in for a trip the much loved exhibit. So, with two of her best buds in in tow, we traveled back in time 66 million years via Route 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike, to see what we could dig up ourselves at LSC.