Top Ten Indoor Things To Do With Kids

Feb. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- Don’t dread the dead of winter.  Take the kids to one of these fabulous indoor places to jump, play, skate, bowl or climb, and simply have a ball.  You’ll be happy you did…

Some are just a quick jaunt, perfect for afterschool, and others are better suited for a weekend adventure when you have more time.  All are within 35 miles of Red Bank.

Get Crafty: (Crafts and Ceramics):  The greater Red Bank area has two phenomenal paint-your-own pottery and craft studios.  A Time to Kiln, in the heart of Red Bank, and The Pottery House in Matawan.  Stop in any time during business hours, choose a project—pottery painting, glass fusing, mosaic making and more.  A Time to Kiln also has critter stuffing and at The Pottery House, you can make your own silver or clay jewelry.  Your kids will be creatively content for an hour or so.  Bonus: Both have a Starbucks just a few doors away.

A Time to Kiln: 50 Broad Street, Red Bank (732) 450-9525
The Pottery House: 251 Main Street, Matawan (732) 970-7613

Bounce Baby!:  Do yourself (and your furniture) a favor and take your kids to one of these indoor facilities filled with giant inflatables. Kids can bounce till their heart’s content in two huge bounce rooms.  Both R’ Bounce, West Long Branch, and Bounce U, Marlboro, have Open Bounce times that change weekly, so call first before heading out.  Sessions range from $6-$12 for one hour to an hour and a half. Scoop:Bounce U is opening an Eatontown location this Spring.

Bounce U: 165 Amboy Road, Morganville (732) 972-6862
R’ Bounce: 175 Locust Avenue, West Long Branch (732) 483-6971

Bowl in the Fun Lane (Bowling):  Dust off those bowling shoes and get rolling at one of these bowling alleys. Brunswick Zone, Hazlet, andAMF Strathmore Lanes, Aberdeen, are great places to take your kids and a few friends for an afternoon they’ll remember.  Put to rest those thoughts of dark and dingy bowling alleys of years past.  These businesses are clean and bright, with helpful and friendly staffs.  And fear no tears for your tiny tots as both have bumper bowling.  The small arcades are also a nice diversion when waiting for other bowlers.

AMF Strathmore, 1061-G Route 34, Aberdeen (732) 566-7500
Brunswick Zone, 1400 Route 36, Hazlet (732) 264-0800

Skate a Figure Eight: Get in touch with your inner Dorothy Hamill and take the kids to The Red Bank Armory Ice Complex.  Open Skate sessions are on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM. Moms say, “This is not your typical cookie cutter ice rink.  With brick and an oak wood finish it is truly a beautiful place that they keep spotless.”  The Friday night open skate at 8:00 PM is popular for tweens and teens.  Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for kids under 12 and $4 for skate rental.

Red Bank Armory Ice Complex, 76 Chestnut Street, Red Bank (732) 450-9001
Go Mini Golfing:   This is no ordinary mini golf course. Monster Mini Golf is a glow-in-the-dark putt-putt monstrosity, and your kids will think it’s super cool.  The main event is the 18-hole course with monster décor (some that move and growl, so beware!). After the game, kids will enjoy the arcade, where they can win tickets and redeem them for prizes.  Don’t forget to wear white.

Monster Mini Golf, 314 Rt. 9 N, Marlboro (732) 414-2900

Play in one of these Arcades (Amusements, too):  Too cold to play outside?  Take the kids toChuck E Cheese’s Middletown or Chuck E Cheese’s West Long Branch.   Ok – hold the moans for a day.   The truth is, what kid doesn’t love to hang with Chuck E?  The Middletown Chuck E Cheese was recently remodeled and is clean and open.  Both have a toddler area that is semi enclosed by booths, with a playscape. Older kids will enjoy the video games galore, skee-ball, hoops, and roller coaster simulators.

Kids too old for Chuck E?  Take them to the very unique Silver Ball Museum in Asbury Park.  Your kids will have a blast as they blast into the past playing pinball games from the 1950s-1980s.  All games are on free play.  Some are good for preschool age, but most are geared toward 7 and up. Cost: $10 for one hour.

Love arcades but love rides, too?  Try FunTime America to get your amusement park fix in the dead of winter.  FunTime has rides, like the Himalaya (a small rollercoaster), and bumper cars.  It also sports arcade games, a giant playscape, a rock wall, simulators and even laser tag.   If the kids need a break from all the action, FunTime even has an arts and craft area.  Moms say this place lives up to its name.

Chuck E Cheese’s, 310 Highway 36, West Long Branch (732) 542-4300
Chuck E Cheese’s, 1107 Route 35, Middletown (732) 615-9091
Silver Ball Museum, 1000 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park (732) 774-4994
FunTime America, 111 Highway 35, Cliffwood (732) 583-4600
Enrich Their Education at a Museum:   Have a child under the age of six?  Plan a jaunt to Monmouth Museum’s WonderWing. Kids can explore a pirate ship, perform in a Tiki theater, climb a tree and lighthouse, slide through a whale, play in a kelp forest and listen to a waterfall in its exhibit on sea creatures and their homes. Cost $7 per person.  Kids under two are free.  Older kids, ages 7-12 should check out the Becker Children’s wing.

Monmouth Museum’s WonderWing, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft (732) 747-2266
Reach New Heights—Rock Climb:  If your kids (ages 6 and up) like a little adventure, they’ll love rock climbing at Garden State Rocks, Morganville.  This indoor gym has rock walls up to 30 feet high, a bouldering island and even a cave.  Instructors will help your kids get in their gear (special rock climbing shoes and a harness), belay them up the wall, and teach them the basics of how to climb. Call for drop in times.

Garden State Rocks, 705 Ginesi Drive, Morganville (732) 972-3003
Roller Skate:  Get your skates (and grove on) as you move to some tunes at Roller Magic in South Amboy.  Ok, so the décor (circa 1965) could use a pick me up, but your kids won’t notice and roller skating here is pure fun, fun, fun.  Kids can choose between traditional roller skates and roller blades.   If they get tired skating, they can try their hand at bowling in its four-lane alley.

Roller Magic, 270 North Stevens Avenue, South Amboy (732) 727-1122

Spend a Day at the Aquarium:  Take a ride to Point Pleasant and enjoy an afternoon at Jenkinson’s Aquarium.  Your kids will leave talking about the main attractions: the sharks, seals and penguins.  (Try to see at least one feeding.) The touch tanks are also a crowd pleaser. This small—as in perfect for young kids—aquarium is right on the hoppin’ Point Pleasant boardwalk.  Cost: $10 Adults, $6 Kids 2-12, FREE under 2.

Jenkinson’s Aquarium, 300 Ocean Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach (732) 892-0600

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