10 best activities for Central Jersey outdoor winter family fun

Enjoy winter in Central Jersey over the next several weeks by using this guide to 10 top events and activities that offer outdoor seasonal fun. 

Much of the family fun will take place throughout or later in the season, but kicks off this weekend with the Lambertville New Hope Winter Festival, as well as ongoing adventures at Duke Farms in Hillsborough; Round Valley Recreation Area in Lebanon, Spruce Run Reservoir in Clinton, and Roosevelt Park in Edison.

Winter activities and family fun at Duke Farms, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Wednesdays, 112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough. Free admission www.dukefarms.org

Duke Farms’ 18 miles of trails wind through woodlands and meadows, past fountains and sculptures, around lakes and lagoons. Along the way, dozens of interpretive signs and audio tours explain the history of the property, the significance of the native habitat and the stewardship practices in use. Many of the trails are wheelchair accessible and friendly to strollers. 

It’s also considered by local outdoor enthusiasts to be one of the best Central Jersey spots for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, but if you don’t have that equipment, another fun family thing to do is geocaching. The fun, outdoor treasure hunting game uses GPS devices to locate hidden containers. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the hidden cache. For more on geocaching, visit www.geocaching.com/play.

Dukes Farms family fun also includes programs that teach animal survival, identify a variety of flying species, offer tree adoption, explore the abundant life within dead logs and limbs, and edu-tain with a Sustainability Scavenger Hunt. 

Saturday Outdoor Adventures, 2 p.m. Feb. 24 (“Nature Scavenger Hunt”) and March 17 (“Searching for Green”), Watchung Reservation’s Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside. Donations appreciated www.ucnj.org/trailside

Upcoming family programs at the nature center of the 2,000-acre Watchung Reservation will allow families with children of all ages to take part in themed nature hikes and talks. “Nature Scavenger Hunt” will feature a search for an old bird nest, a red berry and an animal footprint. Participants will work together to find something that is soft, something that flies and an animal that says its name. “Searching for Green” will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in search of spring’s budding leaves, evergreen trees, ferns and moss. Both programs are 45 minutes.

The state’s largest park also is a sweet spot for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing if you’ve got the gear. Kids also will get a kick out of the Deserted Village, which is as beautiful as it is weird, especially covered in snow. How to get there and other info is available at http://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/deserted-village/.

Sledding at Tuccamirgan Park, 64 Capner St., Flemington (flemingtonraritanparks.org/); Cheesequake State Park, 300 Gordon Road, Matawan (www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/cheesequake.html); Echo Lake Park, off Springfield Avenue, Westfield (ucnj.org/parks-activities/), and  Duke Island Park, Old York Road, Bridgewater (www.somersetcountyparks.org/parksfacilities/dukeisland/dukeislandpk.html).  Free

Is there anything more fun for a kid in the snow than sledding? I know my kids enjoyed sledding even more when I joined them, especially when they were real little. These spots consistently are considered best in each of Central Jersey’s four counties. Parks are open during daylight hours.

Snowboarding in Round Valley Recreation Area, 1220 Stanton Lebanon Road, Lebanon. Free www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/round.html

There aren’t any legit spots to go snowboarding with anything like a genuine slope in Central Jersey except Round Valley. However, there’s no lift so be warned, the schlep back up the hill is rough but the ride down is oh so worth it. However, younger boarders may need a tow in a sled, which Round Valley also is great for, along with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Outdoor Family Skating Rink, 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., 3 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Roosevelt Park, 151 Parsonage Road, Edison. $6, $5 per child, an additional $5 for skate rental and $10 for helmet suggested for beginners and required for children younger than 7. www.middlesexcountynj.gov/About/ParksRecreation/Pages/PR/Family-Skating-Rink.aspx

The outdoor Family Skating Rink in beautiful Roosevelt Park overlooks a lake. Each winter, thousands of people swarm to the rink to experience outdoor ice skating right in their own backyard. The newly expanded Skate Zone Café offers a kid-friendly menu of chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, mozzarella sticks and grilled cheese sandwiches. The rink is available for birthday parties and private events. Skating lessons also are available. In the spring and fall, the rink offers roller skating.

21st annual Lambertville New Hope Winter Festival, various times through Jan. 28, throughout Lambertville and New Hope. Admission prices vary, but several events are free. www.winterfestival.net

During the past 20 years, Winterfest has become more about eating and drinking than the outdoor family fun that inspired it, but there’s still a lot to enjoy in the crisp fresh air, including Kalmia Club Winter Fun on Jan. 21 in Mary Sheridan Park, a Winter Bird Walk, New Hope Historic Walking Tour and Lambertville Historic Walking Tour on Jan. 27, Canal & River Walk on Jan. 28 and ice sculptures throughout both towns. Indoor family fun includes puppetry, ballet, musical theater, and museum tours.  

During those 20 years, the festival has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, including nearly $42,000 in 2017 with paid events, such as a concert, chili cook-off, Karaoke night, Hawaiian luau, Blues & BBQ event, Taste of Winter Fest and Revolutionary Pub Crawls. Local parks and recreation departments, first responders, social services, historical societies, chambers of commerce, schools, scholarships, theaters, churches and libraries received the funds.

“Nature-infused Yoga,” 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Saturdays from Jan. 27 through March 17, Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville. $12 for members, $15 for non-members; $88 and $112 for all eight classes. community.njaudubon.org/SchermanHoffmanCalendar

Yoga is a great way to relax, connect with yourself, and increase flexibility and strength. Explore the connection between yoga and nature in this 75-minute class. No experience is necessary. All levels are welcome, including teens 15 and older. Arrive 10 minutes early and bring a yoga mat if you have one. Some will be provided. Free morning nature walks precede the yoga class from 8 to 9 a.m.

Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 16 to 18, Friends of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Helen C Fenske Visitor Center, 32 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township. Free friendsofgreatswamp.org

The Great Swamp’s Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to learn about birds and to get started birding. Bird watchers of all ages and skills are welcome. The efforts of citizen scientists to identify and count birds will be sent to Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Highlights will include games for kids and crafts, such as food drive boxes decorated for Morristown Interfaith Food Pantry and bird feeders. At 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, a free guided walk entitled “Common Feeder Birds” will be held.

“Windows of Understanding,” daily through Feb. 15 throughout New Brunswick and Highland Park. Free www.windowsofunderstanding.org

New Brunswick Community Arts Council, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and the Highland Park Arts Commission have banded together on “Windows of Understanding.” The public art installation unites local artists, organizations and businesses to promote compassion and awareness around social justice issues. Two dozen storefront windows showcase works of art that address cultural identity, faith-based initiatives, environmental conservation, homelessness, food insecurity and youth mentoring. Most installations will be on view along Church, George, and French streets in New Brunswick, as well as Raritan Avenue in Highland Park. The project launched on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is a great way to turn youngsters onto art and justice.

Ice Fishing, dawn to dusk when frozen, Spruce Run Reservoir, 68 Van Syckel's Road
Clinton. Free www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/spruce.html

Well, one good thing about weather that continually remains in the teens and colder is a potential feast for ice fishermen and their families. Few spots in the state are as plentiful as Spruce Run. More than 29 species can be caught.

READ: Dead and buried in Central Jersey

READ: Five places to go ice skating in Central Jersey

Staff Writer Bob Makin: 732-565-7319; bmakin@gannett.com