Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend August 9-10: Butterfly Festival, S'mores Campfire, Frog Fest & More!

8/6/14 - By Sasha Muzzarelli

Before we know it, the leaves will be changing colors and school schedules will consume our days. So round up the troops during these warm and carefree weekends in August and have some summer fun! Get outdoors (and maybe get a little dirty!) as you learn about amphibians at Poricy Park’s Frog Fest, roll up your sleeves for some planting and weeding during Garden Time at Liberty State Park or sign up for S’mores Galore campfire and sing-a-long at Tenafly Nature Center. August in Jersey is also brimming with family-friendly festivals like the Peach, Pirate & Princess Festival at Camden Children’s Garden, Butterfly Festival at Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association or Salt Water Day at the Laurence Harbor. Also, you can check out the full list of weekend activities on our Event Calendar and don't miss our Summer of Play Guide with 100s of ideas for a fun, playful, and tech-free summer!

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Peach, Pirate & Princess Festival (Camden, NJ)
A Mommy Poppins favorite, Camden Children’s Garden is packing in the fun before summer’s end. Check out their Peach, Pirate & Princess Festival and celebrate the fruit of summer with crafts, a planting activity and a treasure hunt. Then take in a special performance of Snow White put on by the Discovery Theater.

Saturday, August 9th

Butterfly Festival (Pennington, NJ)
It's all things butterfly this Saturday at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. Highlights include: butterfly exhibits, insect zoo, hay rides, interactive enviro-zones, butterfly parade, kids music by Miss Amy, live music from The Dadz, local food and artisans, nature walks, butterfly art gallery and more.

Salt Water Day (Laurence Harbor, NJ)
A fun filled family day at the Laurence Harbor Waterfront, with live entertainment, great food, craft and retail items, games and fireworks. And a Sand Castle Contest with categories for kids, families and individuals – doesn’t get much more summery than that!

Family Campfire & Evening Hike (Lebanon, NJ)
Pre-register for the family campfire at Valley Crest Farm & Preserve and make some great summer memories. Roast s'mores around the campfire as you learn about local nocturnal animals' adaptations to the night life. Then head on to the trails to look, listen and call for the forest's native inhabitants.

Just Jersey Food Truck Festival (Randolph, NJ)
If you still haven’t experienced getting gourmet grub from a truck, definitely check out the Just Jersey Food Truck Festival this weekend. Go hungry for a fun-filled family day featuring 20 gourmet food trucks, a beer garden, live music, free face painting, go kart party racing and more.

Summer Craft Fair (Ringwood, NJ)
Head to the beautiful New Jersey State Botanical Gardens this Sunday for a summer craft fair. Browse over 40 booths with crafts including jewelry, pottery, sculpture, art, kids' stuff and all kinds of unusual goodies. Lots of great food and drink too!

Sunday, August 10th

Garden Time (Jersey City, NJ)
The Nature Interpretive Center at Liberty State Park always has great workshops going on and this Sunday is no exception. Get your hands dirty weeding and planting as you spend the morning sprucing up the gardens around the classroom building. Treat yourself to a stroll on the park’s boardwalk after all your hard work and take in the awesome views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Frog Fest (Middletown, NJ)
If you’ve got a curious little amphibian lover in the house, check out the ‘Frogs are Cool’ Frog Fest at Poricy Park. All ages are welcome to explore amphibians at different learning stations. After class, take a stroll around Murray Pond to see if you can spot some frogs in their natural habitat.

S’mores Galore (Tenafly, NJ)
Celebrate International S’mores Day at Tenafly Nature Center by roasting marshmallows around the campfire. Make ‘em the traditional way or create your own with a variety of candies and cookies. Then join in for fun campfire stories and songs

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

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.