Family Fun in Jersey Shore

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Top picks across Jersey Shore

Highly rated across categories

Atlantic City North Beach Mini Golf & Bike Rentals

★★★★☆ 4.9 (135)

Mini Golf

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Cape May Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

★★★★☆ 4.8 (1782)

Children's Museums

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North Wildwood Ed's Funcade

★★★★☆ 4.7 (492)

Family Fun Centers

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Atlantic City Monahan Splash Pad

★★★★★ 5 (1)

Water Parks

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Atlantic City Central Pier Arcade and Speedway

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20 city pages

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Ocean City 16 activities Wildwood 13 activities Atlantic City 9 activities North Wildwood 3 activities Cape May Court House 3 activities Cape May 3 activities Brigantine 2 activities Beach Haven 2 activities Mays Landing 2 activities Surf City 2 activities Manahawkin 1 activity Margate City 1 activity Rio Grande 1 activity Ocean View 1 activity Tuckerton 1 activity Cape May Point 1 activity Egg Harbor Township 1 activity Avalon 1 activity Ship Bottom 1 activity Sea Isle City 1 activity

Planning notes

Jersey Shore has 65 family activities across 12 categories and 20 cities. Pick an activity to see top picks, or jump to a city.

Venue notes from Jersey Shore tracks

The Mainland Arcade + Karts

The go-kart track features over 1,000 feet of twists and turns with state-of-the-art electric karts that offer quiet rides and quick takeoffs with zero emissions
The arcade features retro favorites like pinball and Pac-Man alongside modern games

Wildwood go karts

Offers double ride time for regular price during early hours from 10am to noon daily
Go-karts are reported to be faster than those at nearby Adventure Pier according to visitor comparison

Seaport Village Golf & Seaside Speedway Go-Karts

The mini-golf course features a scale model of the Sindia, a famous shipwreck off Ocean City, integrating local maritime history into the game design
The course is designed with high-risk, high-reward hole layouts where most holes feature a guaranteed hole-in-one shot option if players can execute the correct aim

Playland's Castaway Cove

Kids under two years old ride free at the park, making it an affordable family attraction
Located on the Ocean City boardwalk with classic amusement park atmosphere, offering both kid-friendly and thrill rides

Central Pier Arcade and Speedway

Located on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, offering go-kart racing near iconic landmarks like Steel Pier and Absecon Lighthouse
Highly rated venue with an impressive 4.9 rating from 267 reviews, suggesting exceptional customer satisfaction

More venue notes

JiLLy’s Arcade

JiLLy's Arcade has been operating since 1976, making it a nearly 50-year-old establishment on the Ocean City Boardwalk
The arcade operates 7 days a week, year-round, making it a reliable entertainment option even during off-season months

Smile Factory

Maintains a nostalgic token and ticket redemption system, which reviewers note has become increasingly rare in modern arcades that have shifted to digital card-based systems
The arcade is consistently praised as one of the cleanest arcades in the area, with multiple reviewers specifically highlighting this cleanliness as a distinguishing factor

Playcade Arcade

Playcade has been a multi-generational destination for nearly 40 years, with some customers visiting since childhood and now bringing their own families, indicating exceptional longevity as an independent arcade on the Atlantic City boardwalk
The arcade offers a 'happy hour' promotion from 3-6pm where ticket values are doubled, an unusual incentive strategy for arcade venues that encourages repeat visits during specific times

Encounters Ocean City

Mirror maze is a featured attraction that visitors recommend experiencing both forwards and backwards for the best experience
Offers a multi-activity package experience combining mirror maze, laser maze, and time challenge activities in one visit

Mirror Laser Maze

Offers an unlimited play model where customers can go through the maze multiple times for a single admission price (approximately $15 per person), allowing extended play sessions of 45+ minutes
The venue features multiple difficulty levels (easy, medium, and hard) for the mirror maze experience, with staff allowing customers to attempt multiple difficulty levels during a single visit

Island Bowl & Family Entertainment Center

Is an independent vintage bowling center in Wildwood, NJ, featuring classic wood lanes rather than modern synthetic surfaces, preserving traditional bowling alley aesthetics
The venue operates theme nights and special events with deals, positioning itself as an entertainment destination beyond standard bowling in a major Jersey Shore tourist area

Mariners Arcade

Uses a modern Play Card system with loadable credits that never expire, and cards can be purchased online and activated via QR code at iTellers, with 90% of games accepting the system
The arcade offers a VIP membership program providing 10% discount with benefits that are preserved when linking Play Card to account

Ed's Funcade

Has been operating for at least 30 years, with multiple customer reviews mentioning 15+ years of repeated visits, establishing it as a long-standing independent arcade on the Wildwood Boardwalk
The venue hosts the World Champion Skee-Ball 2026 tournament on Labor Day Weekend (September 5, 2026), positioning it as a competitive gaming destination

Bobby Dee's Arcade

Has maintained consistent customer loyalty over 16+ years, with multi-generational families visiting twice annually and accumulating points across years
The arcade owner actively engages with customers at the water gun game most days, with a documented history of helping children win specific prizes they request

Retro Arcade & Fascination

Fascination is one of the only remaining venues in the country where you can play Fascination, a game that has been played since the early 1900s and is described as a unique mash-up of bingo and Skee-Ball
Owner Randy Senna previously appeared on the TV show Hoarders and has operated multiple Fascination venues including Flipper's Fascination and Remember When arcade locations

Ripley's Adventure Maze

The Adventure Maze is a candy-themed mirror maze designed by Adrian Fisher, a renowned maze designer
The Vault laser maze uses Mission Impossible style heist gameplay with green lasers, and has a separate 'Beam Busters' version specifically designed for children 5 and under

Fantasy Island Amusement Park

Features a VR dinosaur safari attraction, combining classic amusement park rides with modern virtual reality technology
The park is known for maintaining claw machines with notably fair and well-functioning grippers, giving players genuinely good odds of winning prizes compared to typical arcade machines

Island Waterpark at Showboat

Is open year-round with an indoor FlowRider, making it one of the few water parks in the Northeast offering winter water park access
The park features a swim-up bar at the Adult Island section, a relatively uncommon amenity for indoor water parks in the Atlantic City region

Island Aqua Park

Uses a timed-slot booking system with hourly sessions, requiring visitors to arrive and check in a full hour before posted closing time to maximize their play time
The park features a large inflatable blob attraction that staff actively help launch visitors on, indicating significant investment in interactive water features

OCNJ Watersports Aqua Park

Operates on tide-dependent 45-minute sessions, making it a unique aquatic venue where ocean tides directly influence operational schedules and water conditions
The park offers specialized SPLASH time slots designed specifically for ages 4-7, providing dedicated sessions for younger children with tailored experiences

Morey's Piers & Beachfront Water Parks

Spans 6 blocks of beachfront with over 100 rides and attractions, making it one of the largest boardwalk amusement parks in the United States
The park features seasonal water parks integrated into the traditional amusement park experience, combining both attractions in a single beachfront venue

Get Air Trampoline Park

Is a franchise operation, indicating it's part of a larger national trampoline park chain rather than an independent venue
The park features a fidget ladder as part of its ninja course offerings, which is a less common agility challenge compared to typical trampoline parks

Boardwalk Bounce

Located near multiple major amusement parks including Trimper Rides and Playland's Castaway Cove, making it a complementary indoor attraction in Ocean City's entertainment district
Positioned as an ideal rainy day activity on the Ocean City Boardwalk, offering an indoor alternative to outdoor beach and boardwalk attractions

Cape May County Park & Zoo

Offers completely free admission with an optional donation model, making it one of the few zero-cost zoo experiences in the region
The zoo houses more than 500 animals across its collection

Atlantic City Aquarium

The aquarium features interactive touch tanks where visitors can touch sharks and horseshoe crabs, with stingrays being the most frequently mentioned species in reviews (111 mentions)
The Atlantic City Aquarium operates on a two-floor layout with expandable exhibits, as evidenced by recent renovations and temporary closures of upper floors mentioned in visitor reviews

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

Located in a restored authentic World War II hangar (Historic Hangar #1) that was part of a genuine WWII Naval Air Station training site
Visitors can touch and interact with many of the aircraft on display, including the ability to sit in cockpits and explore vehicles

Wildwood Historical Society

Houses the largest Jersey Shore town archive of its kind, preserving comprehensive memorabilia and artifacts from Wildwood's entertainment, amusement, and boardwalk history
Features an active Tram Car #8 preservation project with dedicated fundraising efforts to restore this historic piece of Wildwood's transportation heritage

The Museum of Cape May County

Spans three historic buildings including the Cresse-Holmes House, one of the oldest structures dating to 1704, which has been modified to show both Colonial period (1704) and Federal period (1830) furnishings and artifacts
Museum tours are guided-only experiences available exclusively on Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 AM and 12:00 Noon, while a separate gallery offers free self-guided exhibits

Forgotten Warriors Vietnam Museum

The museum is staffed and operated entirely by volunteers, most of whom are former Armed Service Members, creating an authentic veteran-led educational experience
Vietnam veterans receive a special welcome home pin upon visit, providing a unique recognition program for visitors who served in the Vietnam War

Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey

The museum is currently undergoing expansion to add a second floor, indicating ongoing growth and commitment to preserving Harriet Tubman's history
The museum operates on a seasonal schedule, closed entirely in January and off-season from September 17 through Juneteenth, with full summer operations from Juneteenth through September 17

Endicott-Reardon Family Museum

The museum features a fully preserved 1920s home with period rooms including parlor, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and children's room, offering visitors an immersive look at early 20th-century domestic life
The museum's collection spans over 100 years of memorabilia accumulated by just two families (Endicott and Reardon), making it a highly specialized family-focused local history museum

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse

Built in 1874, making it a historic lighthouse structure that has been carefully restored and now operates as a museum and visitor attraction
Features award-winning gardens with native plants, including a specialized butterfly garden and shade garden, integrated into the historic site

Historic Cold Spring Village

Spans 30 acres and recreates life from 1789-1840, featuring restored buildings including a blacksmith shop, printing press, woodworking shop, basket weaving station, and bookbinding workshop with hands-on demonstrations by historically costumed interpreters
The village operates seasonally with limited weekday hours (Monday-Friday 10am-4pm for walking only, with historic buildings closed), requiring visitors to check the event page for additional dates and hours when buildings are fully accessible

Discovery Seashell Museum

Located at the entrance to Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach, the museum serves as an interpretive center for one of Florida's most significant Civil War-era coastal defense fortifications
The museum features exhibits focused on fort construction methods and coastal defense strategies, providing insight into 19th-century military engineering and architecture

Tuckerton Seaport Museum

Home to the New Jersey Surfing Museum, a unique collection documenting the state's surfing heritage and history
Features 17 historic and recreated structures throughout a recreated maritime village, allowing visitors to explore multiple exhibit spaces while walking outdoors

Brigantine Beach Historical Museum

Brigantine was historically a rum runners drop-off point during Prohibition, with the museum documenting this unique chapter of the island's past
The museum houses a large collection of photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries documenting the island's transformation from a former smuggling hub to a quiet beach community

Pathway to Diversity Bridge

Free admission and free parking model, making it an accessible educational attraction in the Cape May area
Features a boardwalk through woods that opens to a prairie pavilion, creating a naturalistic visitor experience with integrated rest areas and shade throughout

LWG Lasertag

Operates on an actual police training field, providing an authentically designed tactical environment for gameplay
The venue offers themed gameplay events throughout the week including Turn Up Tuesday (music-themed), Wildcard Wednesday (varying rules), Dark Ops (night gameplay), and Tactical Thursdays (weapon/ability acquisition)

Island Mini Golf

Features a spider web themed hole with an automated spider blocking mechanism that attempts to obstruct the ball's path
Equipped with motorized obstacles throughout the course that are noted as well-designed and challenging for adults while remaining accessible for children

Go Fish Mini Golf

Features a live koi fish pond as part of its seaside-themed course, making it one of the few mini golf facilities to incorporate living aquatic elements beyond typical water features
The course is family-operated and notably offers free entry for young children accompanied by adults, contrasting with some local competitors that charge admission for all visitors

Starlux Mini Golf

Features 3 separate 9-hole courses with distinct themes including ocean golf and 3D art, totaling 27 holes of play
The venue offers flexible pay-as-you-play pricing where customers can start a course and only pay for the number of holes completed, as highlighted in customer reviews

Dragon's Lair Mini Golf

Features a unique 10-hole layout consisting of 9 regulation holes plus a special 10th hole designed as a hole-in-one bonus challenge that awards a free game to successful players
The course is priced at only $7-$8 per person for the complete experience, which reviewers consistently describe as an exceptional value compared to other Wildwood boardwalk attractions

Pirates of Wildwood Mini Golf

Features a giant octopus as a signature obstacle, combining pirate theming with 3D blacklight effects
Uses 3D glasses technology integrated into the mini golf experience, creating immersive visual effects including fish that appear to swim on the carpet

Congo Falls Adventure Golf

Features three separate 18-hole mini golf courses within one expansive multi-level venue, allowing players to choose different themed courses on the same visit
The venue features an animatronic gorilla in a helicopter at the entrance that greets visitors as they arrive

Medieval Fantasy Mini Golf

Voted Best Mini Golf in Ocean City, NJ for 10 consecutive years
Features a Goofy Ball Rewards program where players can purchase novelty golf balls and receive $1 credit when returning them for future games

OC Adventure Golf

Is an award-winning independent mini golf course with a unique jungle adventure theme that wraps around an adjacent water park, creating a one-of-a-kind playing experience where water from the slides drips onto the course
The course features a notably challenging free game hole that reviewers claim is the only free game hole on the entire Ocean City Boardwalk that nobody in their family has ever successfully completed

Atlantic City Miniature Golf

Features real waterfalls and world-class landscaping with elevated greens and realistic contours, elevating it beyond typical mini-golf courses
The course is uniquely positioned on the Atlantic City Boardwalk with breathtaking views of Atlantic City and is located across from Boardwalk Hall

Sandbar Mini Golf

The mini golf course is built on the former site of a family-run business also called 'Sandbar' that operated before the golf course was established
Course design features rocks placed in the middle of each hole as the primary obstacle, creating a repetitive and minimalist challenge design

Ocean's 18 Mini Golf and Bar

Combines mini golf with a full bar service, allowing players to enjoy cocktails while golfing - an unusual hybrid entertainment concept
The course features glow-in-the-dark ambiance with an oceanic theme, creating a distinctive nighttime entertainment atmosphere

North Beach Mini Golf & Bike Rentals

Features an interactive craps table golf hole, a unique themed design element that incorporates Atlantic City's famous casino history into the mini golf gameplay
Located on the newest section of Atlantic City's boardwalk with oceanfront views adjacent to the Absecon Inlet and historic Absecon Lighthouse, offering a scenic oceanside setting

Pirate Island Golf Ocean City

Golf is a rare standalone 18-hole mini golf course located off the Ocean City Boardwalk, independent of major franchise chains, offering an alternative to the smaller boardwalk courses
The course features immersive theming elements including animated pirates, a replica pirate ship, pirate jail, rope bridges, waterfalls, and themed music throughout all 18 holes

Tee-Time Golf

Has maintained its $5 per person price point for an exceptionally long time, making it significantly cheaper than competing boardwalk courses like Pirate Island ($13.50) and Congo Falls ($13.50)
The 20th hole features a Rube Goldberg machine final hole with a mechanical ball return contraption that transports the ball through a marble run-style track back to the clubhouse, creating an entertaining spectacle for players

Haunted Golf

Is part of a mini golf empire by the same creators, including Pirate Island Golf and Congo Falls Adventure Golf, demonstrating a successful franchise model for themed mini golf courses
The course features interactive animatronics including a skeleton animatronic at the entrance and a morphing portrait that changes from a beautiful woman to a scary face, enhancing the immersive haunted hotel theme

Pirates of the Golden Galleon Golf

Features three animatronic characters that interact with visitors: two crocodiles named Chewy and Albert, and a talking parrot named Chief that engages in banter
The 19th hole offers a free game reward if players achieve a hole-in-one, creating an 'extremely well earned free games' mechanic that requires skill to unlock

Goofy Golf

Features a non-functional spinning frog that was once used as an interactive free game feature - players had to putt balls into the frog's base as it spun to earn a free game, and the frog still occasionally says 'Goofy Golf' despite no longer spinning
At $5.00 per person per round, Goofy Golf is noted by multiple reviewers as an exceptional value compared to other Ocean City mini golf courses, with some describing it as a 'giant steal' and 'incredible and commendable' pricing

Hartland Golf & Arcade

Has been a fixture in Ship Bottom for decades, making it a long-standing landmark in the community
The owner is notably welcoming and generous, with documented instances of giving extra arcade prizes and candy to children even when they have few tickets

Mr. Tees 36 Hole Mini Golf

Offers exceptional value with 36 holes of mini golf for $10.00 ($8.00 for 18 holes), allowing players to experience two complete 18-hole courses
The course recently underwent a theme refresh approximately 2 years ago, transitioning from a Victorian gardens theme to a dolphins/beach-themed design

Young's Skating Center

Operates year-round with specialized adult-only skating sessions on Wednesday evenings (7:30-11 PM) exclusively for ages 18+
The rink features notably efficient air conditioning, with a visitor comparing it to being 'the coolest rink' visited that summer, indicating superior climate control for roller skating comfort

Atlantic City Skate Zone

Operates year-round with an NHL-sized ice rink, making it a rare facility in an area where ice rinks are few and far between
The rink offers skating aides and walkers to assist beginners, with staff noted for being particularly friendly and helpful with first-time skaters

Dealy Field Roller Hockey Rink

Outdoor roller hockey rink located on the bay in Sea Isle City, NJ with scenic waterfront views and proximity to fishing piers and kayak launches
Cement surface with high friction requires users to bring push brooms for debris removal, especially on intensive skating days due to rapid debris accumulation from bay location

Hockey rink

The rink features lights that allow skating to continue past sunset, extending play into evening hours
Located in Wildwood near the back bay area, the rink benefits from bay breezes that provide natural air circulation

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Mini Golf in Jersey Shore

Children's Museums in Jersey Shore

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Water Parks in Jersey Shore

Go-Karts in Jersey Shore

Skating Rinks in Jersey Shore

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Trampoline Parks in Jersey Shore

Zoos in Jersey Shore

Mazes & Adventures in Jersey Shore

Aquariums in Jersey Shore

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Top picks across Jersey Shore

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Planning notes