Allaire State Park: A Dose of History and Family Fun

This is one story in a series where we feature one family-friendly day trip idea a day. Read the entire series and find great ideas for things to do with kids in NJ here.

Allaire State Park has enough to keep the family entertained all day with a railroad ride, a historic village and a network of hiking trails to explore.

Why we love Allaire State Park

The Allaire Village was a thriving early 19th century industrial community known as the Howell Works, producing pig and cast iron.

Restored remnants of that community are open to the public and remain as a general store, blacksmith shop, carpenter's shop, workman's row house, manager's house, foreman's house and a church. The chapel is a popular wedding spot, it's not uncommon on the weekends to stumble upon a wedding in progress.

The kids will love stopping by the bakery for fresh-baked cookies or getting peppermint candies from the dusty general store. Townsfolk in period costume regularly walk around the grounds and are seen at work in the buildings. Let the kids ask them questions and they'll gladly tell them all about what life in the town is like.

The scenic Pine Creek Railroad train ride is another family favorite. The open-air train cars take you on a beautiful breezy tour of the park.

Once you've had enough of the village, go exploring the park's network of foot trails. The most kid-friendly trails are shorter, the Yellow trail is a quick .5 miles, the Red trail is 1.5 miles.

Hours, Pricing and Directions

The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Entrance fees for Allaire State Park are only charged from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. NJ residents will pay $5 per vehicle weekdays and holidays. Non-residents will pay $7 weekends and holidays.

Train tickets are $4 and must be purchased at the train station for people aged 3 and older. Credit, debit cards are not accepted.

The train runs daily from July 2 to August 31 every half hour from Noon through 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and runs until 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

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