Top Fun Things To Do In New Jersey In May
1 - Plan a day trip or weekend getaway to one of the Jersey Shore's top boardwalks with an Amusement park.
Bring the kids along and catch the fun at Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Ocean City, and Wildwood. With the onset of warmer weather and  the unofficial beginning of summer on Memorial Day, this is an excellent time to get out to enjoy the shore before the throngs of vacations descend.
Discover and learn about NJ's other Amusement Parks
2 - Get out an enjoy the outdoors and some exercise with some outstanding scenic hiking
Some of the most popular hiking trails include:
Hiking the Gap. Approach Water Gap Mountain from either Worthington State Park, the Old Mine Road in the National Recreation Area, or from Blairstown on the east side. Take a hike along Sunfish Pond with rocky shores along this crystal clear glacial lake before starting out, stop at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Information Center at Kittatinny Point. Contact (908) 496-4458. Also Mount Tammany offers some spectacular views from the The Kittatinny Ridge (meaning “Endless Mountain” in the Lenape Native American language) comes to an abrupt, spectacular end at Mount Tammany. The 1,527-foot ridge plunges 1,200 feet into the Delaware Water Gap. This river gorge is a NJ natural treasure.The gorge serves as gateway to the Upper Delaware River Valley, a tapestry of folded mountains, tumbling waterfalls and forested bottom land supporting black bear, migrating golden eagles and spawning shad.
For a less mountainous and easier hike, try the Delaware & Raritan Canal. There are two hiking routes. There is the 8-mile hike mostly along a leafy canal towpath from Bound Brook to New Brunswick, New Jersey. And there’s a 20-mile hiking and cycling wooded route parallel to the historic Delaware & Raritan Canal from Bound Brook to Princeton, New Jersey. For information contact Park Superintendent Kingston Office: 609-924-5705
3 - Take a scenic Canoe or Kayak trip and enjoy the outdoors and some outstanding scenery
Some of the popular Kayaking and Canoe trips included:
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area - Located in the northwest corner of New Jersey, the park runs along 40 miles of the Delaware River, including where it cuts through a ridge in the Appalachian Mountains to form the famed “gap.” The park is a magnet for kayak enthusiasts.
Washington Crossing - Delaware River and D&R Canal - Paddle where George Washington crossed the river here with his troops, preparing a surprise attack on the Hessian soldiers in Trenton. Paddle up the canal and cross over to the river for a leisurely paddle back with the currents.
 Wharton State Forest, Pine Barrens - Paddle past remnants of colonial settlers, towering pitch pines and beaver dams.
Discover other New Jersey top Kayaking locatiions
4 - Plan a day trip with the kids to a working farm
Farm markets are not just about New Jersey farm grown fruits and vegetables, the listing has selected farms with are fun and educational for kids with pick your own produce, farm animals, events, and summer camp farms for kids.
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm - Morristown(973) 326-7645. This living history farm has been under cultivation since the eighteenth century offering educational activities and demonstrations of turn-of-the-century - 1920s farming methods and life. Visitors are encouraged to participate in various farm-related activities; they can churn butter, crack corn and feed it to the chickens, and tend the garden.
Howell Living History Farm -
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-3299
A popular living history farm for kids, especially on Saturday's when most of the events occur. The farm offer's many activities for kids to get involved. Since the 1730s, just about every type of farming situation has occurred here. The farm has evolved from a grain producing farm to a dairy farm and over the years various crops have been grown, animals raised, products produced, etc.
Bobolink Dairy -
Vernon, NJ
973-764-4888
The farm includes nearly 200 acres of pasture, several barns, a farmhouse and an apprentice house.They have tours of the farm where you see how cows, grass, rain, sun, chickens, pigs and people can collaborate to make great cheese, bread, pork & beef while increasing soil fertility, sequestering carbon and preserving farmland for the future. Offers raw milk grass-fed cheeses, rustic wood-fired breads, whey-fed pork and grass-fed beef, along with other goodies!
5 - Visit an historical New Jersey Lighthouse
With 127 miles of coastline, New Jersey Lighthouses have played a significant role in maritime history in aiding the safe navigation of ships since the 1700's.
The two most popular New Jersey lighthouses are:
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The Cape May Lighthouse is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the United States and is located on the southernmost tip of New Jersey. Climb up the winding 199 stairs to the top of the 157 foot-tall structure and from the watch gallery take in a fantastic view the Atlantic ocean, the town of Cape May, Delaware Bay, and Cape May Point State Park.
 The Barnegat Lighthouse on the New Jersey shore is the second tallest lighthouse in the United States. The tower light was 165 feet above sea level and It functioned as first-class navigational light until August 1927, when the "Barnegat Lightship" was anchored 8 miles off the coast. Discover other New Jersey Lighthouses
6 - Take a day trip along The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.
The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail is not really a trail, it is a route designed to be leisurely seen by auto for the benefit of the public to provide education, understanding, and enjoyment of natural, maritime, and cultural sites of the coastal area of New Jersey. The trail hugs the coastline of New Jersey and runs nearly 300 miles, being divided into regions from Sandy Hook Region along New York Harbor, south to Barnegat Bay Region, the Absecon Cape May Region, and the Delsea Region along Delaware Bay. You will be able to meander along the area east of the Garden State Parkway from the Raritan  Bay south to the area north and west of Cape May and south of Route 49 tothe vicinity of Deepwater.
Learn More about the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail
7 - Celebrate Mothers day
Mother's Day is a time of recognizing how special Mom is and for making it a  very special day for her.
Mother's Day will be celebrated on Sunday May 13, 2012.
Check out some of the ideas and activities for making it a specialoccasion for celebrating Mother's Day.
8 - Celebrate Memorial day Weekend
Memorial Day is also the unofficial beginning of summer in New Jersey with the  Jersey Shore beach communities coming alive with activities. Check out someof the popular events and activities that are being celebrated on Memorial Day this year
9 - Take in an outdoor music festival
New Jersey has a huge variety of music festivals that are enjoyed by people of all ages and include blue grass, country, rock, jazz, folk, contemporary, and many other types of music. Two of the more popular Music festivals in May are:
Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Washington Street
Observer Highway to 7th Street
Contact: Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs
201-420-2207 Featuring over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers and crafts people with 3 stages of live performance
Seaside Music Festival
May 17, 18, 19, 2012
Seaside Heights NJ
732-701-1022
This FREE to attend 3-day music festival will give bands, fans, families & music industry pros the chance to Start Summer Sooner in Seaside Heights with live performances and events! This year the festival features -Over 130 bands on 14 stages. The music festival supports emerging music with the platform to perform with other talented emerging bands, put on a great show for their fans, and expose their art to new one as well. Free admission at each show fosters the welcoming atmosphere to music lovers who want to catch all of their favorite local artists and discover new music from one end of town to the other.
Discover Other Top NJ music festivals
10 - Take in a Family Festival.
One of the more popular family festivals is
The New Jersey Marathon Festival
May 6, 2012
Long Branch, NJ
http://www.njmarathon.org/
The New Jersey Marathon Festival has something for everyone, with a Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relays, and Saturday Kids and Family Events, plus world-class courses designed for speed, great area restaurants and attractions, and amazing oceanfront scenery!
Discover other NJ Family festivals
Things to in New Jersey for l June | July | August | September |
To check out what's happening in others months, for popular events at the larger venues, visit New Jersey Monthly Events Calendar
For smaller events or local happenings that occur in some of the smaller New Jersey towns, visit the calendar |
