Planning a trip to New Jersey with kids and wondering where to go and what to do? Well, I’ve got you covered! Our family of 6 just went here and had the best time. In fact, it was our first roadtrip as a family of 6, so that made it extra special. There is so much to do in New Jersey, and we only had 48 hours so we couldn’t get to everything. However, we maximized our time, and it was a weekend well spent. We stayed in the East Rutherford, New Jersey area, so we could take advantage of all the fun at American Dream. Here’s a round up of all the things we did (plus things we didn’t get to do), helpful tips for planning travel with multiple children, and more. I’ve broken it all down into a sample itinerary for you to duplicate. Although this wasn’t our exact order of events, I’ve reordered activities in a way that I think flows a little better.

New jersey itinerary: day 1

Start the day with Breakfast — A full day of fun with kids requires fuel, so get a full night’s sleep and ease into the day. Be sure to drink water so you’e hydrated. If there is breakfast on site at your hotel, that’s a bonus because you can go and grab breakfast, and then get dressed for your activities from there.

DreamWorks Water Park — Our roadtrip taught me that 1 - 2 big activities per day is sufficient. Our first big activity was to DreamWorks Water Park at American Dream. This big activity was big fun for all, including my 15 month old twins. In fact, it was their first time at a water park, and they absolutely loved it! Here’s a few things to note about the park:

• It’s inside of the mall, but it’s big. It’s actually the biggest indoor water park in the U.S. Also, don’t let it being indoors fool you…it’s hot! It has an 81 degrees tropical climate all year long, so you can enjoy this park whether it’s May or November.

• There is a wave pool, water slides, kiddie area, lazy river, hot tub and more. Lots to do and all the water fun for the kids to enjoy (and tire themselves out, too).

• Complimentary vests are offered for all ages/sizes, to ensure the kids safety. The twins kept their vests on, and this helped them to float, which was the cutest thing to watch.

• They have food options on-site. It’s a good idea to take a break half way through and to hydrate the whole day because again, a full day of fun requires energy.

• They offer private poolside cabanas and sky boxes for a fee. Unfortunately, they were sold out of those when we went, so we didn’t get to enjoy this amenity. However, I would definitely do this next time because my family is larger, so having a dedicated shaded space for us to relax (especially the twins) would have been a bonus. We did however make do with the free chairs that were offered and utilized the stroller to let the twins relax and get some shade. (The roof is all glass, so lots of sunshine peeked through). I think if we had the cabana we would have stayed all day.

Eat & Play at Dave & Buster’s — After a trip back to the hotel to shower and rest, end your evening at Dave & Buster’s at the Willowbrook Mall. My ‘bigs’ were able to run around and have fun playing games, while hubs and I grabbed a table with the twins and put in our food order. This worked out perfectly because it took about 35 minutes for the food to come, which gave the bigs a good amount of playing time. Then we all enjoyed dinner together, and they were able to play some more.

New jersey itinerary: day 2

Start the day with Breakfast — Same as with day 1, ease into the day and get breakfast before you hit the ground running.

Nickelodeon Universe —We didn’t get a chance to enjoy this indoor amusement park, which is right beside DreamWorks Water Park. However, I’ve heard good things, and it looked like a fun time from what I could see. There are over 20 rides, so lots of fun for the kids.

Shopping at American Dream — Now, this is a mall mall! Lots of great stores, and since you’re already on-site, why not grab a few things once you leave Nickelodeon Universe.

Dinner at Rail’s Steakhouse — End your trip with a good dinner at Rail’s Steakhouse. They have complimentary valet parking and have 3 levels. My husband and I enjoyed a date night in the speakeasy, or if you’re bringing the kids, you can all enjoy dinner on the covered patio or in the main dining room. The food was excellent! My husband had the New York Strip, and I had the petite filet mignon. We shared asparagus and mashed potatoes. We would definitely dine there again.

Planning and Travel Tips

• Have Help: I’m so grateful my mom came with us. This helped us during the car ride, with the twins, allowed us to have a date night, and was helpful during all of our activities, so there was enough adult coverage for all the kids. I don’t think we’d ever travel without her until the twins get much older.

• Surviving the Car Ride: My bigs have been on plenty of roadtrips, so they are used to traveling for hours. However, the twins don’t typically ride in the car for more than an hour and a half. The drive was around 4 hours, and while they did pretty good overall, there were definitely moments where I wanted earplugs hahaha. Thus, my lesson learned is to take a break every 1.5 - 2 hours to give them time out of the carseat. Other tips for traveling with toddlers are to pack overnight diapers, so you don’t have to change diapers often if they fall asleep. Speaking of sleep, next time we will probably travel around their nap time because we didn’t this time. Also, have the in car entertainment, as well. We brought their tablets to play movies, which helped some. The last tip is to have milk and snacks on deck to keep their little bellies happy. Other than that, just have patience when they need it. I would definitely take them on a roadtrip again, but I think 5 hours is our maximum at this age. Now, when it comes to the vehicle itself, definitely get a roomy SUV or van if you don’t already own one. In our case, we have a huge truck so that was helpful to have leg room. We usually keep both carseats on the second row, but for this trip we put 1 car seat on the 3rd row and another on the 2nd row. This was a game changer because it did 2 things: 1) separated my bigs who argue when they are around each other for too long lol, and 2) it allowed for 1 adult on each row, which was helpful for when the twins were cranky.

• Hotel for family of 6: We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fairfield Hotel & Suites. While this wasn’t a 5 star hotel, it worked for a short roadtrip, especially because we had a large suite. My lesson learned is that we will always have to have a suite like this while the twins are young because it provided ample room for them to run around. An alternative option would have been an adjoining room. Our room had a dining area, kitchenette with sink and fridge, living room with a full size pull out sofa, King bedroom with a door, spacious closet and large bathroom with a shower, soaking tub and double sinks. Another bonus of the DoubleTree are the complimentary hot chocolate chip cookies…delish! There was a fitness center on site that the kids loved and an indoor pool. This is perfect for families who want to enjoy activities on site. Lastly, there was a restaurant on site, which we dined at for breakfast.

• Nearby Stores and Attractions: Less than 5 minutes from our hotel was a shopping center and mall that had Target, Cheesecake Factory, BJ’s, movie theater, Dave’s and Busters and so much more. We were able to get gas, lunch, milk for the twins from Target and take the kids out for a fun evening, all because there were things to do nearby. The last thing kids want to do is spend a lot of time in the car getting from point a to b, so I highly recommend staying where things to do are nearby.

Let me know what you think about our 2 day itinerary. What other ideas would you add to this list? Are you thinking of going to New Jersey with your kids? Let me know in the comments.

Have a glowing day!