These Are 76 Fun Day Trips from Staten Island

Need some inspiration for a quick family getaway? Here’s a mega roundup of day trip ideas that are a two-and-a-half hour drive (or less) from Staten Island. Return to your family’s favorite day trip and road trip destinations or try out some new ones! Be sure to contact each venue to learn about Covid restrictions and availability.

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment
Zoos, Aquariums, Whale Watching, Petting Zoos & Animal Fun
Amusement Parks & Waterparks
Theme Parks for Families with Preschoolers
Family Resorts, Waterpark Resorts & Ranches
Museums
Beach & Park Destinations
Fruit Picking

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Wild Wild West City

Stanhope, NJ • 973-347-2355
wildwestcity.com/
Western heritage theme park recreating 1880’s life in Dodge City, Kansas, featuring
live-action shows, stagecoach, train and pony rides, and museum-quality exhibits.

Field Station Dinosaur

Leonia, NJ • 855-999-9010
fieldstationdinosaurs.com
Walk the trail and see 32 life-sized, realistic dinosaurs come to life.

RPM Raceway

Jersey City, NJ • 201-333-7223
rpmraceway.com/race
Features go-kart racing for drivers 4′ tall and up, plus arcade and billiards.

Diggerland

West Berlin, NJ • 856-768-1110
diggerlandusa.com
The only construction themed adventure park in North America where children and families can drive, ride and operate actual machinery.

TopGolf

Edison, NJ • 732-374-4097
topgolf.com
Giant golf facility with over 100+ climate-controlled hitting bays, Full-service restaurants, over 200 HDTV’s and more.

Crayola Factory

Easton, PA • 610-515-8000
crayolaexperience.com/
Explore and learn all about crayons and coloring, plus do art projects and see live demonstrations.

Legoland New York

Goshen, NY
legolandland.com
This brand-new Lego-themed indoor family entertainment center and vacation resort features rides, Lego build-and-play zones, a 4D cinema ninja training camp, robot play center and more.

GlowGolf

Garden City, NY • 516-747-3682
opryglowgolf.com
A glow-in-the-dark miniature golf and laser maze center located in Roosevelt Field Mall.

Palisades Center Mall

West Nyack, NY • 845-348-1000
palisadescenter.com
A four-level shopping center offering over 200 stores, 15 sit-down restaurants, a bowling alley, ice rink, the world’s tallest indoor ropes course, and more.

The Adventure Park at Long Island

Wheatley Heights, NY • 631-983-3844
longislandadventurepark.org
The largest forest climbing park in New York with 10 Trails, 15 zip lines, 5 difficulty levels, and over 140 challenge bridges.

Howe Caverns

Cobleskill, NY • 518-296-8900
howecaverns.com
Journey more than 150 feet below the Earth’s surface, where you’ll take a tour of an underground cavern six million years in the making. You’ll see stalactites and stalagmites, limestone formations, and the underground Lake of Venus.

Zoos, Aquariums, Whale Watching, Petting Zoos & Animal Fun

Turtle Back Zoo

West Orange, NJ • 973-731-5800
turtlebackzoo.com
Featuring a multitude of animals, aviary, butterfly tent, shark and sting ray touch tank, endangered species carousel, treetop adventure course, mini golf and more.

Insectropolis

Toms River, NJ • 732-349-7090
insectropolis.com/
View and touch beautiful and bizarre exotic insects from all over the world.

Bronx Zoo

Bronx, NY • 718-220-5100
bronxzoo.com
The largest metropolitan zoo in the United States and one of the largest in the world, at 265 acres of park lands and natural habitats.

New York Aquarium

Brooklyn, NY • 718-220-5100
nyaquarium.com
Large aquarium featuring an aquatheater, sea cliffs, a new shark exhibit with over 115 marine species and more.

American Princess Cruise Whale Watching

Queens, NY • 718-474-0555
americanprincesscruises.comSpot whales and dolphins in the waters of Rockaway, Queens, New York. Kids can help crew members with official whale and dolphin count.

White Post Farms

Melville, NY • 631-351-9373
whitepostfarms.com
A petting zoo and animal farm, with exotic birds and aviary, inflatable water slides, pony rides, and a giraffe station.

Seaquest

Woodbridge Township, NJ • 732-283-2945
Trumbull, CT 203-502-8337
visitseaquest.com
Offers a unique petting zoo aquarium experience, and the chance to interact with various species.

Amusement Parks & Waterparks

Crystal Springs Family Aquatic Center

East Brunswick, NJ • 732-390-6981
eastbrunswick.org/crystalsprings
Featuring splash pools for small children, two large pools for swimming, water slides and a lazy river.

The Funplex

Mt. Laurel, NJ • 856-273-9061
thefunplex.com
An indoor amusement park and outdoor water park with rides, arcade games, live entertainment and laser tag.

iPlay America

Freehold, NJ • 732-577-8200
iplayamerica.com
Featuring indoor rides, attractions, boardwalk games and one of NJ’s largest arcades.

Related | Aquariums Near Staten Island

Keansburg Amusement Park & Runaway Rapids

Keansburg, NJ • 732-495-1400
keansburgamusementpark.com
Beach-adjacent amusement park with rides, games, food, arcades, go-karts, plus a waterpark with 18 slides and a lazy river.

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ • 732-892-0600
jenkinsons.com
Amusement park rides along the boardwalk plus aquarium, beach-adjacent, fireworks shows, games, mini golf, ropes course and more.

Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari

Jackson, NJ • 732-928-2000
sixflags.com/greatadventure
Featuring rides for kids of all ages and adults, shows, characters, a safari and animal attractions, and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor waterpark (which added its biggest expansion ever for the 2019 season).

Playland Park

Rye, NY • 914-813-7010
playlandpark.org
A historic amusement park, often referred to as Rye Playland, featuring rides for young kids and adults.

Luna Park

Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY • 718-373-5862
lunaparknyc.com
World-famous amusement park located on the boardwalk at Coney Island, featuring roller coasters, kiddie rides and more.

Read Next | 2021 Summer Family Fun Guide

Splish Splash

Calverton, NY • 631-727-3600
splishsplash.com
96-acre Long Island water park featuring 20 water slides, rides, and attractions, including two wave pools, a large Kiddie Area, a lazy river, and a tropical bird show.

Splashdown Beach

Fishkill, NY • 845-897-9600
splashdownbeach.com
Self-proclaimed “America’s biggest little water park” featuring waterpark with slides, rides, a wave pool & play areas.

Hershey Park

Hershey, PA • 718-534-3900
hersheypark.com
Chocolate themed amusement park with rides for kids of all ages, plus a waterpark, games, a zoo, and chocolate factory tours.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

Allentown, PA • 610-395-3724
dorneypark.com
A waterpark and amusement rides for little kids up to adults.

Whitewater Challengers

Lehigh River, Poconos, PA • 800-443-8554
Hudson River, Adirondacks, NY • 800-443-8554
whitewaterchallengers.com
White water rafting for families! Hudson River location has zip lining and paintball, plus white watrer afting for kids ages 7+. Lehigh Valley location offers family style rafting with kids ages 5+, plus camping, biking and more.

American Dream

East Rutherford, NJ
americandream.com
Join your favorite television characters at Nickelodeon Universe, the rink, and DreamWorks Waterpark.

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Theme Parks for Families with Preschoolers

Land of Make Believe

Hope, NJ • 908-459-9000
lomb.com
Waterpark and rides and attractions for children of all ages, even kids under 36″.

Storybook Land

Egg Harbor Township, NJ • 609-641-7847
storybookland.com
A nursery rhyme themed amusement park primarily for families with young children.

Dutch Wonderland

Lancaster, PA • 866-386-2839
dutchwonderland.com
“Kingdom for Kids” themed park with over 30 rides for kids of all ages plus water play area and live shows.

Sesame Place

Langhorne, PA • 215-702-3566
sesameplace.com/philadelphia/
Sesame Street theme park with rides for kids of all ages, as well as a water park, live shows, games, and characters.

Family Resorts, Waterpark Resorts & Ranches

Mountain Creek

Vernon Township, NJ • 973-827-2000
mountaincreek.com
Waterpark and resort featuring 22 rides and world’s tallest double looping slide, as well as mountain biking and an aerial adventure park and ropes course.

Coco Key

Mount Laurel, NJ • 877-494-2626
mtlaurelcocokey.com
Indoor waterpark and resort for all ages plus an arcade.

Sahara Sam’s Oasis

West Berlin, NJ • 856-767-7580
saharasams.com
Indoor & outdoor waterpark and resort with rides and attractions for all ages, plus an arcade.

Great Wolf Lodge

Scotrun, PA • 800-768-9653
greatwolf.com
Indoor waterpark and resort for all ages plus characters and activities for kids.

Camelback Mountain

Tannersville, PA • 570-629-1662
skicamelback.com
Featuring Camelbeach outdoor waterpark, Aquatopia Indoor Water park, plus ziplining and other adventure rides.

Kalahari Indoor Water Park

Pocono Manor, PA • 877-525-2427
kalahariresorts.com
America’s largest indoor waterpark at 220,000 square feet, featuring water slides, spa, wave pool, lazy river, and toddler play area.

Split Rock Resort

Lake Harmony, PA • 800-255-7625
splitrockresort.com
Indoor waterpark perfect for the 12 and under crowd, featuring slides and a wave pool, plus resort activities like a movie theatre, bowling, arcade, mini-golf, sports, beach and lake activities and more.

Splash Lagoon

Erie, PA • 66- 3-SPLASH
splashlagoon.com
Waterpark resort featuring nine water slides, ropes course, lazy river, the largest wave pool in the Eastern United States, plus arcade, lazer tag and more.

Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark

Monticello, NY • 845-397-2500
thekartrite.com
Brand new resort set in the Catskill Mountains featuring the biggest waterpark in New York, covered entirely by the world’s largest texlon transparent roof.

Pine Ridge Dude Ranch

Kerhonkson, NY • 845-626-7345
pineridgeduderanch.com
All-inclusive resort located 90 miles from NYC featuring horseback riding, petting zoo, paddle boating, archery, fishing, sports and more.

Rocking Horse Ranch

Highland, NY • 800-647-2624
rockinghorseranch.com
Resort featuring indoor waterpark, horseback riding, mountain tubing, exotic wildlife exhibit, organized family activities and more.

The Country Place Resort

East Durham, NY • 518-239-4559
thecountryplace.com
Set in the Northern Catskills Mountain, the resort is home to the Zoom Flume Waterpark. Features activities for the whole family.

Villa Roma

Callicoon, NY • 800-627-8455
villaroma.com
All-inclusive resort offering year-round activities for families, including skiing, snow boarding, ziplining, pools, horseback riding, spas, shopping, nightlife, archery and more.

Museums

Liberty Science Center

Jersey City, NJ • 201-200-1000
lsc.org
An interactive science museum and learning center featuring multiple exhibits and the largest IMAX Dome theater in the United States

Newark Museum

Newark, NJ • 973-596-6550
newarkmuseum.org
Museum featuring planetarium, creative play, interactive galleries, science exhibits, fire museum, art collections and more.

Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of New Jersey

Teterboro, NJ • 201-288-6344
njahof.org
View historic aircraft, air and space artifacts, photographs, fine art and an extensive model collection.

New York Transit Museum

Brooklyn, NY • 718-694-1600
nytransitmuseum.org
See a collection of vintage subway cars and retired buses, as well as other bridge, tunnel, and railway artifacts and memorabilia.

New York City Fire Museum

New York, NY • 212-691-1303
nycfiremuseum.org
Observe the history and cultural heritage of the fire service of New York and learn about fire prevention and safety.

Dimenna Children’s Museum

New York, NY • 212-873-3400
nyhistory.org/childrens-museum
The children’s wing of the New York Historical Society is targeted toward children ages 8–13 and uses interactive exhibits to make history fun.

Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum

New York, NY • 212-245-0072
intrepidmuseum.org
Climb aboard the legendary aircraft carrier Intrepid, see the space shuttle Enterprise and the world’s fastest jets and a guided missile submarine.

New York Hall of Science

Queens, NY • 718-699-0005
nysci.org
Featuring over 450 interactive displays that explain science, technology, engineering, and math, plus a 60,000 square foot outdoor Science Playground and Rocket Park.

American Museum of Natural History

New York, NY • 212-769-5100
amnh.org
One of the largest museums in the world, featuring 45 exhibition halls, planetarium, and library, and a collection of over 33 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts.

Madame Toussauds

New York, NY • 212-512-9600
madametussauds.com
Times Sqaure wax museum featuring life-like wax sculptures of the world’s most iconic musicians, A-list stars, sports legends, world leaders and more.

Books of Wonder

18th Street, New York, NY • 212-989-3270
84th Street, New York, NY 212-989-1804
booksofwonder.com
New York City’s largest and oldest children’s bookstore and the city’s leading specialist in children’s literature, featuring old, rare, and collectible children’s books and original children’s book art, as well as new titles for purchase.

National Museum of Mathematics

New York, NY • 212-542-0566
momath.org
Features exciting, interactive displays and exhibits that provide a place for children and adults of all ages to experience the excitement of math, with a special emphasis on activities for 4th through 8th graders.

Please Touch Museum

Philadelphia, PA • 215-581-3181
pleasetouchmuseum.org
Featuring highly interactive exhibits for purposeful play, with a collection of over 25,000 toys as well as toddler zones, a carousel, and imagination playground.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Cooperstown, NY • 888-425-5633
baseballhall.org
Relive the history of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and women in baseball, and take in the new display of historic baseball cards. Kids can visit the Sandlot Kids’ Clubhouse, an interactive educational area devoted to Little Leaguers who want to learn about the big league.

Sloomoo Institute Children’s Museum

New York, NY
sloomooinstitute.com
A celebration of slime, featuring interactive classes helping children to make and customize their own slime and shops to purchase.

The Slime Factory

Edison, NJ • 848 247 7769
theslimefactory.com
Children become scientists as they can experiment and customize their own slimes in the slime lab.

Beaches & Park Destinations

Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ • 732-892-0600
pointpleasantbeach.com
Featuring arcades and games, beach, restaurants, Jenkinson’s amusement park rides & aquarium, live entertainment, and fireworks shows.

7 Presidents Oceanfront Park

Long Branch, NJ • 732-229-7025
Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park on the Monmouth County Park System website
38 acres including an activity center, a boating launch, fishing, a playground, swimming, sand volleyball, pavilion with snack bar, and restrooms.

Seaside Heights

Seaside Heights, NJ • 732-793-6488
Beach and boardwalk featuring Casino Pier amusement rides, Breakwater Beach waterpark, plus go-karts, mini golf, arcades, games and food.

Ocean City

Ocean City, NJ • 609-399-7082
Two and half miles of boardwalk containing family amusements like OC Waterpark and Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, plus the beach and free entertainment.

Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook, NJ • 732-872-5970
One of New Jersey’s most beautiful beaches, visitors can go fishing, birding, camping, boating, canoeing, have a picnics, take sightseeing tours and eat at local seafood restaurants.

Wildwood

Wildwood, NJ • 800-992-9732
Featuring over 100 rides and attractions including Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks, Ocean Oasis Waterpark & Beach Club, Splash Zone Water Park, games, arcades, food, and restaurants.

Central Park

New York, NY • 212-310-6600
centralparknyc.org
So much more than just a park, there’s a zoo, live free shows, a carousel, kiddie rides (in the summer time only at the Wollman rink), playgrounds and more.

Coney Island

Brooklyn, NY • 718-373-5862
coneyisland.com
Amusement park rides for kids of all ages, games, food, fireworks shows, beach, live entertainment, New York Aquarium, ferris wheel, carousel and more.

Nautical Mile

Freeport, Long Island • 516-377-2200
longisland.com/freeport-nautical-mile
A lively, seaside destination featuring great restaurants, shopping, fishing boats, mini-golf and ice cream shops.

Bushkill Falls

Bushkill, PA • 888-287-4545
visitbushkillfalls.com
Known as “The Niagara of Pennsylvania,” Bushkill Falls is comprised of eight waterfalls within the Pocono Mountains accessible through scenic hiking trails and bridges.

Fruit Picking

Pick Your Own Fruit Farms Find farms near Staten Island and in New Jersey where you can spend a beautiful day picking fresh fruits, berries and veggies with your family.

Pick Your Own Peaches Check out the top five places to take your family peach picking this summer.