The Great Big List of Fall Day Trips in New Jersey and Beyond!

It's finally here, and it's updated for 2023 - my great big list of fall day trip ideas in New Jersey (and some beyond, too)! Fall is such a great time to get out and explore. There are so many things to do and places to visit. I've compiled this list of handy links, and I've included an interactive Google map, too. You can zoom in on it and click on each destination for more details. The map is printable, too!

No time to look through the list? I update it and add to it every year, so Pin the image below and come back to it later!

You might've seen my Great Big List of Spring Break Day Trips and my Great Big List of Summer Day Trips. This list is similar, with some favorite Fall attractions added in. One of the nicest things to do in Autumn is go on nature walks, so this time I included a section of outdoor hiking ideas, too. Have an idea that's not on my list? Feel free to tell me about it in the comments section below!

Don't forget to scroll down to the interactive Google trip map!

Outdoor Autumn Day Trip Ideas

Please check with each individual venue for seasonal hours and operating times. Some are only open on weekends or during certain months in the Fall, so be sure to double check before venturing there! If I've visited or written a review of the trip listed below, then the link will lead to my post about the venue. 

13Skeletons - Bridgewater, NJ (free lawn display, usually completed mid-October)

Sussex County Sunflower Maze - Sandyston, NJ (open through September, depending on blooms)

Ort Farms - Long Valley, NJ (also offers a sunflower trail, days depending on blooms)

Turtle Back Zoo - West Orange, NJ

Valley Shepherd Creamery - Long Valley, NJ (seasonal tours, check their website)

Jersey Shore Alpacas - Cape May, NJ (must pre-arrange tour time)

Brookhollow's Barnyard - Boonton Township, NJ

Space Farms Zoo and Museum - Wantage, NJ

Alstede Farms - Chester, NJ

Van Saun Park and Bergen County Zoo - Bergen County, NJ

Oasis Family Farm - Robbinsville, NJ

Cape May County Zoo - Cape May, NJ

Popcorn Park Zoo - Forked River, NJ

Camden Children's Garden - Camden, NJ

Howell Living History Farm - Lambertville, NJ

Waterloo Village - Stanhope, NJ

Wild West City - Stanhope, NJ

Field Station Dinosaurs - Leonia, NJ 

The Raptor Trust - Millington, NJ 

Lakota Wolf Preserve - Columbia, NJ (by reservation only)

Frelinghuysen Arboretum - Morris Township, NJ

Grounds for Sculpture - Hamilton, NJ

Six Flags Great Adventure - Jackson, NJ (Fright Fest open select dates in Fall)

Sandy Hook Lighthouse - Sandy Hook, NJ

Duke Island Park - Hillsborough, NJ

Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill - Chester, NJ

Schaefer Farms - Flemington, NJ

Morey's Piers - Wildwood, NJ

Melick's Town Farm - Oldwick, NJ

Storybook Land - Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Diggerland, USA - West Berlin, NJ

Conklin Farm - Montville, NJ

Fosterfields Living Historical Farm - Morris Township, NJ

KidStreet Playground - Bridgewater, NJ
Wightman Farms - Morristown, NJ
Terhune Orchards - Princeton, NJ
VonThun Farms Sunflower Trail - Washington, NJ (depends on flower season- call ahead for dates)

Howling Woods Farm (wolf sanctuary - visits by appointment only) - Jackson, NJ

Black River & Western Railroad - Flemington, NJ (Fall themed rides as well as regular rides - check schedule & purchase tickets in advance)

Diggerland, USA - West Berlin, NJ

State Parks, Forests, Nature, and Hiking Trails 

New Jersey is home to so many parks, hiking trails, and recreation areas. It would be impossible for me to list them all here, so I picked out a few favorites to share.

Spruce Run Reservoir and Recreation Area- Clinton, NJ

Round Valley Reservoir - Lebanon, NJ

Jenny Jump State Forest - Hope, NJ

Hacklebarney State Park - Chester, NJ

Voorhees State Park - Clinton, NJ

Island Beach State Park and Barnegat Lighthouse - Ocean County, NJ

Silas Condict Park - Kinnelon, NJ

Merrill Creek Reservoir - Harmony, NJ

Tourne Park - Denville, NJ

Tripod Rock and Pyramid Mountain - Boonton Township, NJ

The Great Swamp - Chatham Township, NJ
Environmental Education Center at Lord Stirling Park - Basking Ridge, NJ 

Allamuchy Mountain State Park - Hackettstown, NJ

Cheesequake State Park - Matawan, NJ

Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJ

Stokes State Forest - Branchville, NJ

Wawayanda State Park - Hewitt, NJ

High Point State Park - Sussex, NJ
Sandy Hook Lighthouse - Sandy Hook, NJ

Handy link (find them all here!):

  New Jersey State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites

Merrill Creek Reservoir - Harmony Township, NJ

Indoor Autumn Day Trip Ideas

Morris Museum - Morristown, NJ

Silverball Retro Arcade and Pinball Museum - Asbury Park, NJ

Jenkinson's Aquarium - Pt. Pleasant, NJ
Lucy the Elephant - Margate, NJ 
Montclair Art Museum - Montclair, NJ
Sterling Mining Museum - Ogdensburg, NJ (tours daily, check website)
Northlandz Train Museum - Flemington, NJ
Liberty Science Center - Jersey City, NJ
Battleship NJ - Camden, NJ
Adventure Aquarium - Camden, NJ
Whippany Railway Museum - Hanover, NJ
Imagine That! - Florham Park, NJ
Thomas Edison Center - Menlo Park, NJ
Newark Museum - Newark, NJ
Franklin Mineral Museum - Franklin, NJ 
Garden State Discovery Museum - Cherry Hill, NJ
Old Barracks Museum - Trenton, NJ
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum - Wildwood, NJ
Medieval Times - Lyndhurst, NJ 
American Dream - East Rutherford, NJ

New Jersey SEA LIFE Aquarium - (American Dream) East Rutherford, NJ

LEGOLAND Discovery Center New Jersey (American Dream) East Rutherford, NJ

Tac Ops Tactical Laser Tag - Florham Park & Fairfield, NJ 

Pennsylvania and New York Autumn Day Trips

Please check with each individual venue for seasonal hours and operating times. Some are only open on weekends or during certain months in the Fall, so be sure to double check before venturing there! If I've visited or written a review of the trip listed below, then the link will lead to my post about the venue. 

Pennsylvania

AAA Auto Museum - Hershey, PA
America on Wheels Auto Museum - Allentown, PA
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia - Plymouth Meeting, PA
Crayola Experience - Easton, PA
Dorney Park's The Haunt and Planet Snoopy - Allentown, PA 
Mercer Museum - Doylestown, PA
DaVinci Science Center - Allentown, PA
Hersheypark (Hersheypark After Dark and NEW! Dark Nights) - Hershey, PA
Hershey's Chocolate World - Hershey, PA
Hershey Gardens - Hershey, PA
ZooAmerica - Hershey, PA
The Hershey Story Museum - Hershey, PA
Crystal Cave - Kutztown, PA
Lost River Caverns - Hellertown, PA
Lehigh Valley Zoo - Shnecksville, PA
Philadelphia Zoo - Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia, PA
The Franklin Institute - Philadelphia, PA
Sesame Place (The Count's Halloween Spooktacular) - Langhorne, PA
Turkey Hill Experience - Columbia, PA (near Lancaster and Hershey)
Kids Castle Playground - Doylestown, PA
Knoebel's - Elysburg, PA
Dutch Wonderland - Lancaster County, PA
Bushkill Falls - Bushkill, PA

Sesame Place - The Count's Halloween Spooktacular - Langhorne, PA

New York

One World Observatory - New York, NY
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum - New York, NY
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - Queens, NY
Children's Museum of Manhattan - New York, NY
New York Botanical Garden - Brooklyn, NY
Bronx Zoo - Bronx, NY
Central Park Zoo - New York, NY
New York Aquarium - Brooklyn, NY
Long Island Aquarium - Riverhead, NY
Coney Island - Brooklyn, NY
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum - New York, NY
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - New York, NY
LEGOLAND Discovery Center - Westchester, NY
American Museum of Natural History - New York, NY
American Girl Place - New York, NY
The Ride NYC - New York, NY
The Guggenheim - New York, NY
The Vessel at Hudson Yards - New York, NY (outside viewings only)

LEGOLAND New York - Goshen, NY (Brick or Treat for fall)

RiseNY - New York, NY

One World Observatory - New York, NY

How to work the interactive map: 

Click on the map to view locations. You can zoom in or out, or click on each location to view website link. All locations are marked with a dark red tree icon. The green tree icons are the state parks, hiking, and reservoir locations. If you click on the small square symbol at the top left of the map, you can view a drop down list of all locations on the map. The map is shareable and printable, too!

Happy Fall, y'all!