Mostly Fun & Free Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend July 26-27: Railroad Days, Hot Air Balloon Festival, Bug Hike & More!

7/23/14 - By Sasha Muzzarelli

New Jersey offers up plenty of reasons to get going and get outdoors this July weekend! Check out the spectacular QuikCheck Festival of Ballooning with hot air balloons filling the sky, sample delicious Italian eats (zeppole anyone?) at the St. Ann’s Italian Festival in Hoboken, get up close and personal with insects during A Bug’s Life at Tenafly Nature Center or explore historical train models during Railroad Days at Historic Cold Spring Village. And if you’re up for a nighttime adventure, reserve your spot for an Evening Campfire & Hike at Valley Crest Preserve – s’mores included! 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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QuikCheck Festival of Ballooning (Whitehouse Station, NJ)
The annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning is something very special, offering a wide variety of entertainment from colorful hot air balloons ascending twice daily to 3 headline concerts, to world-class children's entertainment, to hundreds of arts & crafters, to food vendors from around the world, fireworks and balloon glows!

Kelsey Theatre Summer Performance Series (West Windsor, NJ)
Kelsey Theatre has an awesome summer show line up – check out performances of the classic musical Meet Me in St. Louis this weekend. Based on the 1944 Judy Garland movie, theater-goers will travel back to the turn of the 20th century when the World's Fair comes to St. Louis and change is afoot for the Smiths, a proud local family.

Storybook Festival (Camden, NJ)
The Storybook Gardens come alive inside the many fairytale-themed exhibits at the Camden Children’s Garden. Make a fun book craft, attend a reading of children’s classics and plant your own magic beans to take home. Plus, you can meet PBS' Super WHY and Super Reader Princess Presto on Saturday, July 26th.

St. Ann’s Italian Festival (Hoboken, NJ)
A Hoboken favorite for over 100 years, St. Ann’s Feast is the epitome of a summer festival! It’s got everything kids (and grown ups) will love - rides, games, amazing food and live bands performing on the main stage every night. And definitely don't miss out on their famous zeppole.

Saturday, July 26th

Family Fair at Theater Square (Newark, NJ)
Back for its second year, this outdoor celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center features arts and crafts, yummy treats, tours, contests and demonstrations. Onstage entertainment includes dance, music, drumming, Zumba and more.

Campfire & Evening Hike (Lebanon, NJ)
Head to Valley Crest Farm & Preserve as the sun sets this Saturday for a family-friendly evening campfire and hike. Make 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 some of the forest's native inhabitants.

A Bug’s Life (Tenafly, NJ)
Take a walk on the park trails with a Tenafly Nature Center Environmental Educator, turn over logs and rocks to investigate the invertebrate world. Millipedes, centipedes, beetles, ants and sometimes salamanders can often be found in the woods. Use magnifiers and bug boxes to take a closer look at the world beneath a log. A must do for little bug lovers!

Sunday, July 27th

Explore the Estuary (Jersey City, NJ)
Visit Liberty State Park on Sunday for a hands-on exploration of the estuary and surrounding waters in the Hudson River. You never know what wildlife you may find! After your class, take a stroll along the waterfront for amazing views of lower Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Railroad Days (Cape May, NJ)
Railroad Days at Historic Cold Spring Village is the perfect outing for children (and adults!) interested in railroad history, model and toy trains, or just enjoying a unique collection in a historical setting. In the Village Welcome Center, under the Friends' Pavilion and along the Village's shady lanes, visitors will find presentations and displays all about the locomotive.

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