School’s out this week for most New Jersey schools, and if your summer vacay involves air travel out of Newark Liberty International Airport, there are some unexpected kid-friendly options you probably don’t know about.
Inside Terminal A, there are new EWR NTA Children’s Play Areas. One has a whimsical music theme, and the other is a transportation-themed area complete with a ship, a bus and a plane, as well as train tracks to symbolize the facilities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
There is a Children’s Lending Library near Gate 32A of Terminal A where kids can leave a book and take a different one so they have something new to read on the plane. The library was the idea of Sia Malhotra, a local fifth grader.
New Jersey Forest of Firsts is a Terminal A art installation of a digital forest filled with music and interesting facts about New Jersey history. The immersive experience allows families to learn about movies, literature, science, and technology, all with roots in the Garden State.
There’s a sensory room certified by the Anderson Center for Autism that offers neurodivergent travelers and their families some quiet time because we all know how chaotic traveling can be. There is soft lighting, fish tanks and water features in what looks like a lush forest. The room is currently located before security in Terminal A, and a post-security sensory room is being planned, too.
There are other children’s play areas throughout its four terminals. One of the play areas located near the East Pier in the new Terminal A includes kid-sized bicycles, a track, and a ropes course so that kids can get their energy out by running and climbing before (we hope) sleeping on the plane.
Bang Cookies and Tonnie’s Mini’s cupcakes in Terminal A, Firehouse Subs and Smashburger in Terminal B, and Garden State Diner and Uptop build-your-own pizza in Terminal C are all great food and snack options.
You can also bring them to LEGO, Boardwalk for kids’ toys and Ink by Hudson for children’s books and gifts.
Other family-friendly features include nursing rooms and changing stations, pet relief areas and lots of charging ports. And believe it or not, there are lots of selfie spots throughout the airport. There’s a giant NJ in Arrivals on the first floor, the Rutgers “R” on the East Pier, and seasonal spots on the General Concourse.