Indoor playgrounds abound in Middlesex, Monmouth, and other central New Jersey counties, with venues featuring bouncy rooms, arcades, rock walls, imaginative play, and much more. Read on for more than 25 of our favorite drop-in playgrounds in central NJ.
If you're looking for other great indoor activity ideas, be sure to read our rundown on the best New Jersey arcades and check out all the other posts in our Guide to Indoor Play Spaces for New Jersey Kids.
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Note that many facilities are socks-only, have age or height requirements, or require waivers. Check with each facility about their rules and schedules for open play.
Middlesex County Indoor Playgrounds
1. Altitude Trampoline Park — Woodbridge
This trampoline park is the perfect place to play and exercise. Challenge your buddies to an extreme dodgeball match or basketball game on the trampolines, or practice flips into the giant foam pit. There are also tumble tracks, a trapeze, and more.
2. B.B. Grand Slam – South Plainfield
This baseball sports complex has batting cages and pitching tunnels, but there's also an arcade, laser tag area, ball pit with climbers, and virtual reality pods with more than 100 movies to choose from. Camps and private lessons are available.
3. Dave & Busters – Woodbridge
With tons of arcade games and great food, this venue is perfect for all ages to let loose and have some great family fun.
4. Disney Jr. Play Zone – Edison
Located on the upper level of Menlo Park Mall just outside Nordstrom, the Disney Jr. Play Zone is filled with scenes from all your child's faves like Muppet Babies, Mickey and Minnie, Puppy Dog Pals, Fancy Nancy, and more. Slide down racing car slides, play with sliding wall toys, and check out the touch-screen computer games.
5. MiMa Create & Play – Sayreville
MiMa is a unique space for toddlers and preschoolers that combines indoor play with art. The facility is open every day but Monday for indoor play, and features ladders, swings, hanging nets and rings, giant blue building blocks, a painting wall, and more. Aside from open play, families can register for music, art, and yoga classes.
6. Monster Mini Golf — Edison
Step inside the black-lit space and watch your kids' eyes widen at the sight of fluorescent ghouls and skeletons haunting the 18-hole mini-golf course. Designed as a cartoonish graveyard, the simple course features headstones and coffins as obstacles and an enormous, creepy clown face as the final hole. Golf balls glow in the dark so they are easy to spot on the dark turf, and day-glo painted curbs border each hole. The arcade features neon-lit air hockey tables, skeeball lanes, and basketball hoop games, in addition to arcade classics like Pac-Man, race cars, and claw games.
7. The Jumping Jungle – East Brunswick
With eight fun inflatables, slides, and laser tag, kids won't get bored at this indoor play facility. Little ones will also love the toddler area, and everyone can hang out at the arcade, which has a hurricane simulator. Parents can relax and grab a snack in the adjacent viewing center.
8. Supercharge Entertainment — Edison
If your teen loves fast-paced thrills, you'll love Supercharge, which has a huge multi-level go-kart track (kids must be 15 years old to ride on it and meet the height requirements). There's also a two-story arcade, axe throwing (ages 10 and up), bumper cars (ages 5 and up), drop & spin tower (must 42" and 4 years), and virtual reality.
9. Rock 'N Air — East Brunswick
This incredible playground has tons of options for toddlers through teens. Bounce on the tramps, climb the walls, soar over the park on the zip line, challenge yourself on the ninja course, and test your balance on the ropes course. There's also a fantastic toddler zone. Read all about it in our review.
10. Tiny Town USA, Woodbridge Center Mall Center – Woodbridge
There's a small free play area for toddlers and young children under 42" on the lower level of Woodbridge Center Mall, plus a carousel and trackless train.
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There are plenty of challenging climbing structures at Urban Air.
11. Urban Air — Avenel, Millstone
The major draws at this spot are the trampolines and climbing walls, but there's also an indoor playground, a ninja course, and tumble tracks. You won't get bored here!
Monmouth County Indoor Playgrounds
12. All About Fun – Matawan
Each "imagination room" at this indoor playground offers a new and exciting adventure. In the Rock 'n Roll Room, kids can rock out on drums, guitars, and piano mats. The Dazzling Diva Room is filled with dresses, hats, and jewelry. Other play areas include a carnival, general store, vet's office, and Superhero Alley. Kids will also love the Let's Pretend area, which is home to a unique LEGO wall, workbench, and more. Complimentary coffee, tea, and WiFi are available for caregivers.
13. Climbzone – Howell
Ever want to climb Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty? This unique climbing and family entertainment center that opened in summer 2019 has a huge climbing area—we're talking 68 beautifully hand-painted walls with an auto-belay system. Families can also enjoy the arcade, soft play zone, and virtual reality games. Coming soon are a ropes course and a zip line that lets visitors fly across the facility!
14. Discovery Center at Snapology of Monmouth County – Tinton Falls
Explore, learn, and play at Discovery Center, which offers both drop-off (ages 5 and up) and drop-in options. Kids play with thinking toys like KEVA planks, Magna-Tiles, Strawbees, a derby racetrack, a virtual reality station, Imagination Playground blocks, a magnetic wall, and an air graffiti wall. There are also classes, camps, birthday parties, and parents' night out events.
15. iPlay America – Freehold
With rides, arcade games, mini bowling, laser tag, and a 4D theater, this indoor boardwalk is the perfect place to go when the sun won't cooperate. There are a variety of rides and attractions for children of all sizes, including the Just iKids section, where small children can run, climb, and crawl.
RELATED: Bounce Houses and Trampoline Parks for NJ Kids
Jungle Jim and Jane is great for families.
16. Jungle Jim and Jane – Atlantic Highlands
This high-tech play space has lots of unique, interactive options, from projected games in the ball pit to a huge play gym with slides and climbing equipment. You'll have trouble prying the kids off the giant blow-up giraffe "carousel" and the spinning tree swings. The toddler zone is excellent, providing a full experience for little ones three and under.
17. Little Dreamers Play Cafe – Wall
Located at Good Sports USA, this sweet little spot has open play by the session for toddlers. There's a trains table, magnetic building supplies, truck & plane toys and ride-ons, a construction zone, play kitchen, little houses, and more.
Climb up to the tree house at Magic Sky Play.
18. Magic Sky Play – Morganville
Magic Sky is a 2017 Mommy Poppins Bestie Awards Winner, for good reason. Its bright, open layout and creative activities are perfectly suited to a young child's imagination. There are eight large play structures, including a huge tree house with a twisting slide, a climbing cargo net, and lookout points. A "sandbox" filled with plastic pellets lets tiny construction workers dig in. There's even a separate toddler area with its own mini-gym. Eat lunch in the lounge area and enjoy the free WiFi.
19. Play Big Zone – Morganville
This spot has 10,000 square feet of pure fun. Kids will love the Amazing Race 2-story obstacle course, bumper cars, arcade human Foosball area, laser maze, and virtual reality pods. There's a Little Play Zone for younger ones. Be sure to make a reservation for open play, since slots can go quickly at this popular party spot.
20. The Gravity Vault — Middletown, Flemington
With more than 14,000 square feet of climbing wall, this family-friendly sports center is suitable for all ages and fitness and experience levels. Don’t want to climb with the kids? Take a comfy seat in the lounge and enjoy free WiFi while the experienced instructors take them around the vault for some top rope climbing.
21. The Winderwing at the Monmouth Museum – Lincroft
Children can have a magical undersea adventure at the Monmouth Museum's Wonderwing, a permanent exhibition about the sea and the creatures that make it their home. Kids will love the many interactive displays, including a magnetic sea, where they can create an underwater world on a wall mural. Every day is a beach day at the indoor "beach," where foam blocks of sand can be used to create sand castles. Imaginations will run wild as kids climb and explore a pirate ship and lighthouse, climb a tree, slide through a whale, and perform at a tiki theater.
Kids can romp through the pretend city at Princeton Playspace.
Mercer County Indoor Playgrounds
22. Princeton Playspace – Princeton
This indoor playground has tons of activities for little ones, including a train table, the "Mini Princeton" pretend town, a toddler area, a construction building site, and a jungle gym. Caregivers can enjoy free WiFi, magazines, and a microwave to reheat their own refreshments at the cafe that's directly adjacent to the play area. Select nights are drop-off nights for an extra fee. Looks for events like character meet and greets. You can also register for classes like music, acting, preschool prep. bilingual playgrounds, preschool readers, and more. Babysitting is available, too, for an additional fee.
RELATED: Top Free Play Spaces for Jersey Kids
Tumbles' Tumble Zone is a three-story play structure with tall slides and lots of opportunities for climbing.
23. Tumbles – Princeton
Tumbles has a full schedule of classes for kids, but Tumble Zone times are for kids to play in the three-story indoor play structure. Parents can relax and enjoy free WiFi while the kids play.
Hunterdon County Indoor Playgrounds
24. Bounce City — Ringoes
This facility strings together a bunch of small bounce houses, obstacle courses, gaga pit, trampoline basketball, games, and more. There's a toddler zone for kids under 5 as well as an arcade.
Somerset County Indoor Playgrounds
The Branchburg Sports Complex boasts a four-level interactive laser tag arena.
25. Branchburg Sports Complex – Branchburg
Branchburg Sports Complex is bursting with tons of activities for toddlers, kids, and adults. There's a great arcade where kids can collect tickets and win prizes, and a PlayMaze for children ages 3-12 with 82 different play elements including slides, tunnels, and bridges. BSC also has a four-level interactive laser tag arena, which is available for drop-in play and private parties. Tod Squad sessions (held Tues-Thurs) let young children ages 1-4 enjoy the bounce house, soft play equipment, and PlayMaze in a safe environment.
26. ClubAir — Warren
ClubAir is a state-of-the-art indoor trampoline park that offers 13 different activities. Enjoy interactive attractions, augmented reality, obstacle courses, sensory-friendly jumps, volleyball, traverse rock climbing walls, and more.
27. Kids Empire – Watchung, Manville, Woodbridge
With locations statewide, this play center features an enormous play gym. There are big, fast slides, multi-layers of climbing, and even a toddler zone.
28. YESTERcades – Somerville, Red Bank
Older kids, tweens, and teens will love an afternoon at this classic arcade. With oldies like Space Invaders and Pac-Man, adults won't mind chaperoning these play dates at all!
Photos courtesy of the venues
Originally published in 2016 and updated since.