Mostly Fun & Free Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend July 12-13: Ocean County Fair, Butterfly Festival, Moon Watch & More!

7/10/14 - By Sasha Muzzarelli

It can be all too easy to start complaining about 90-degree temps and through-the-roof humidity with July upon us, but now is the time to savor the warm and lazy days of the season before it’s over! For some classic summer fun, head down the shore to the Ocean County Fair, take a guided tour of the NJ Botanical Gardens, or sign up for a Family Campfire & Moon Watch at Stony Brook-Millstone Reserve. And if you’re looking to duck inside away from the heat for a few hours, we’ve got you covered there too: take in a kid-friendly performance of Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Surflight Theatre or belt out "Let It Go" for the hundredth time during the Frozen Sing-a-Long at the Kelsey Theatre. Also, you can check out the full list of weekend activities on our Event Calendar.

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Ocean County Fair (Berkeley Township, NJ)
The Jersey Shore is offering up this six-day festival chock-full of classic summer family fun. Lather up with sunscreen and check out rides galore, delicious food, 4-H shows, and live entertainment – all on the schedule for Saturday & Sunday.

Bluebeary Blast Festival (Camden, NJ)
Did you know that the sweet little blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey? Celebrate all things blueberry at the family-friendly Camden Children’s Garden this weekend, where the concession stand will be brimming with fruity treats. Kids can also join the garden staff for age appropriate crafts and a seasonal planting activity.

Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (Beach Haven, NJ)
Add a dose of drama to your shore vacation and take the kids to see the Surflight Theatre’s performance of Beauty and the Beast, Jr.. You know the story - when an Enchantress turns a cruel Prince into a hideous Beast, it's up to Belle to break the spell, and to teach the Beast how to love another before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose. The gentle and clear storytelling make this a perfect first theater experience.

Saturday, July 12th

City of Water Day (Hoboken, NJ)
This annual event at Hoboken’s Maxwell Place Park celebrates the education and adventure of the shared NY/NJ waterfront. Event highlights include narrated boat tours, ferry transit between Maxwell Park & Manhattan, kayaking, paddle-boarding and even fishing. Be sure to stroll through the Waterfront Activity Fair with the kiddos for special children’s activities and live music.

Frozen, The Movie Sing-a-Long (West Windsor, NJ)
Unless you just cannot bear to hear "Let It Go" one more time, this interactive theater event and movie sing-a-long sounds like a kids' dream come true. It includes a costume parade and contest, trivia contest, and a gift bag of interactive things to do during the movie, led by the talented cast of Theater To Go.

Festival of Butterflies (Warren, NJ)
The 10th Anniversary of Wagner Farm Arboretum is celebrated with a Festival of Butterflies in the farm's children's garden. Keep busy with activities for the whole family including two butterfly releases, a petting zoo, arts & crafts fair, and face painting.

Moon Watch & Family Campfire (Pennington, NJ)
Get a feel for the great outdoors with Stony Brook-Millstone’s Family Campfire this Saturday night. Everyone will meet at the Watershed Reserve Pond House to enjoy a cozy campfire, complete with imaginative tales, and of course, tasty s’mores! Then watch the full buck moon rise and take turns peeking through a telescope.

Sunday, July 13th

Botanical Garden Tour (Ringwood, NJ)
If you’re looking for a laid back way to spend a lazy summer afternoon, check out the beautiful New Jersey Botanical Gardens in Ringwood. Take a self-guided stroll or join one of their awesome guides on an easy walk through the trails. Your guide will point out all of the summer flowers and trees in full bloom, answering questions along the way. Great for groups both with grandparents and families with younger kids (ages 2 & up).  

Story Time: Ice Cream Cones for Sale! (Trenton, NJ)
Nothing says summer quite like ice cream! Head on over to the NJ State Museum and Planetarium for the monthly story time and craft activity. This month, you’ll learn about how the St. Louis World’s Fair popularized the ice cream cone in 1904 and the many people who took credit for the idea – and how it all relates to good old Jersey!

PBS Kids Club Thirteen: Ginormous Fun at Field Station Dinosaur (Secaucus, NJ)
Are you a member of Kids Club Thirteen? It certainly has its privileges, including free admission to 13 family events throughout the year, like today's Ginormous Fun Day at Field Station: Dinosaurs. Enjoy face time with 30 animatronic dinos that move and roar, and a full day of activities including shows and games. Read our post about Kids Club Thirteen for details on member benefits and how to join. Free for Kids Club Thirteen members

Check out our GO NJ List, with our top picks of awesome things to do for kids in the upcoming month; GO JULY 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.