Ultimate Guide to Free Stuff

PUBLISHER TOP PICKS for the upcoming season. Explore as many as you can. 

1. Free Movies Under the Stars. Summer offers free movies on the beach, and under the star in your home town, or neighboring town. Many last through end of August. LINK 

2. Free Concert Series & Music Festivals are also offered during the summer months. Grab your chair, blanket and picnic basket. LINK

3. Kids Ride FREE. Ride the NY Waterway Ferry, a great NYC family experience offering Kids under 12 ride the Ferry FREE all Summer. Enjoy panoramic views of the city from the top deck and feel the river breeze as you cruise to Manhattan. LINK

4. FREE Museum Days. Explore history, art, and culture. Many museums offer free days, tours, and activities. Here are a few Rutgers Geology Museum, Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, Heritage Glass Museum, NJ Maritime Museum, NJ State Museum. LINK

5. Explore Farmers Markets. There’s a Fall Flower Festival and Craft Market Aug 31 - Sept 1 in Port Murray.

6. Visit a Historic Village. Historic Cold Spring Village is hosting a village sampler weekend Aug 31 - Sep 1. Historic Allaire Village, part of NJ’s industrial era features 13 original buildings and a living history museum. Plus take in the natural beauty of Allaire State Park with its 200 species of wildlife and hiking and multipurpose trails. Waterloo Village Historical Site is open-air museum situated within Allamuchy Mountain State Park.Take in the sights and sounds of the 19th-century canal town, and an authentic village that was transformed into a living history tourist attraction. Witness working blacksmiths, potters, candle dippers, and weavers.

7. Work on a farm for a day. Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County offers (for a small fee per person) opportunities to meet farm animals, do chores and help prep the farm for the new season. Learn about the farm community, animal life cycles and the care of animals, and the important jobs animals and children have on the farm.

8. Climb the lighthouses of NJ. First week in August is usually Lighthouse Day where activities are offered at many. Check out Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest one of them all.  8/21 11am-3pm is Wacky Wednesday, Free. 8/28 Sailor’s Sunset Fiddle Concert, free! Bring lawn chairs, blankets and coolers. Atlantic City. LINK

9. Boardwalks of the Jersey Shore. Check out the Labor Day Weekend festivities on the Jersey Boardwalks. Wildwood Boardwalk Craft Show Aug 31-Sept 1, Jenkinson’s Boardwalk free Labor Day fireworks display  on Sept 2, Ocean City Boardwalk Aerobatic Airshow Sept 15, 1pm. LINK

10. Go Fishing. NJ offers more than 400 publicly accessible lakes, ponds and reservoirs. There are also miles of public streams and rivers. Late spring, you'll find state run fishing derbies for kids. Check the NJ state website for a list by county.

11. Visit Free Beaches. There's still plenty of weeks of beautiful weather for the beach. Wildwood beaches are 100% free. Enjoy 5 miles of beautiful white sandy beaches. Usually after Labor Day, all NJ beaches are free. LINK

12. Go on a Nature walk.  LINK

13. Smell the scent of Jersey Festivals this month. LINK

14. Visit a State Park. Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land within the NJ State Park System. You’ll find rivers and streams for canoeing, hiking trails (including a major section of the Batona Trail), miles of unpaved roads for mountain biking and horseback riding and numerous lakes, ponds and fields ideal for wildlife observation. The Batsto Lake Trail is one of many magnificent trails in Wharton State Forest, an easy 4.2-mile loop around the lake. Bonus: Visit the historic Batsto Village. Check out our website for our guide to the great outdoors for other amazing finds. Liberty State Park is a huge green space for picnics, recreational sports and views of NYC. LINK

15. Walk through Gardens. Rutgers Gardens is a 180 acre botanic garden of Rutgers University and has a diverse array of 7 gardens, natural habitats, plants, flowers, and farmland. NJ Botanical Gardens have free Sunday guided garden tours to see what’s blooming. Through October 27, 2pm-3:30pm.

16. Visit Animals. Cape May County Park and Zoo is open daily. See over 250 animal species plus you will find a playground, fishing pond, tree aerial obstacle course, hiking trails, and lots of places to enjoy a picnic lunch. Jersey Shore Alpacas is nearby, another small farm focused on agritourism. Feed the Alpacas (but must schedule an appointment).

17. Host a Yard Sale. End of the season is always the best time to get rid of old stuff. Gather unwanted clothes, toys, furniture and other clutter. Then set up tables and put up signs inviting the neighborhood. This cost nothing but a week of uncluttering, and possibly money making. What a great way to get rid of junk!

Email us with other free and fabulous things to do!