4 Overnight Experiences For Kids to Explore their Adventurous Sides

Want to get away? You don't have to stray far to have a good time with these overnight experiences at establishments throughout the state.

Illustration by Katy Dockrill

Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Drive, Camden
On select Fridays and Saturdays in the winter, kids (accompanied by adults) can spend a night with aquatic friends. The program begins at 6 pm, just after dinner, and includes free run of the aquarium, plus talks and demonstrations. Lights out is from 11 pm to 7 am, when the overnighters roll out their sleeping bags by a tank of their choice. Admission ($65 Fridays; $70 Saturdays) includes a late-night snack and continental breakfast.—RS

Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial
62 Battleship Place, Camden
Measuring more than 887 feet long, the historic World War II and Korean War battleship—berthed on the Delaware River—is one big venue for a sleepover. Overnight visitors (parent and child, or groups) are served dinner and breakfast in a chow line. Overnighters sleep in the sailors’ bunks. For birthday parties, children get a guided tour of the battleship and the chance to ride the 4D Flight Simulator. Overnights are held Fridays and Saturdays; cost is $69 each visitor.—TW

Garden State Discovery Museum
2040 Springdale Road #100, Cherry Hill
Children can enjoy an actual night at the museum with a birthday party or group sleepover. The kids camp out in such attractions as the Storybook Castle, Down the Shore or Into the Night. In the Wildlife Area, they get a close-up view of turtles, tarantulas and scorpions, while a rock-climbing wall offers a test of motor skills. Other overnight activities include jewelry making, mani-pedis, and karaoke. Midnight snacks and breakfast are served. Cost is $35 per child, up to 15 children.—TW

Liberty Science Center
222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City
The 300,000-square-foot interactive learning center stays open overnight on select Saturdays and Sundays from January to April for all-boy, all-girl and co-ed camp-ins, for ages 6-13. Campers participate in themed activities, including presentations, games and 3-D shows. An evening snack and light breakfast are included in the $60 fee for campers and chaperones (at least one adult to every five children required). After breakfast, campers can explore attractions such as the Touch Tunnel, an 80-foot, pitch-black tube; Our Hudson Home, an aquarium focused on the Hudson River ecosystem; and Eat and Be Eaten, an exhibit with real animals that have unique survival behaviors; and the new Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest in the Western hemisphere.—JK

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