A rainy Memorial Day weekend doesn’t have to ruin your holiday if you pivot from the beach towel to the vibrant indoor options available across the coast. Here are five engaging, indoor ways to spend your rainy weekend here at The Jersey Shore.
👾 Tap Into Nostalgia at the Silverball Retro Arcade
This living museum, located right on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, features over 150 fully operational pinball machines and classic arcade video games dating from the 1930s to the present.
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- What makes it great: Instead of inserting coins, you purchase an hourly or all-day pass for unlimited free-play on all machines.
- Location: Silverball Retro Arcade, 1000 Ocean Ave N, Asbury Park, NJ
- Bonus: It features an indoor snack bar serving classic boardwalk comfort foods like pizza and funnel cakes.
🛠️ Create Custom Keepsakes at Hot Sand Studio
Escape the downpour by making your own glass art pieces directly on Cookman Avenue.
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- What makes it great: This public-access glassblowing studio offers walk-in activities where you work alongside a professional gaffer to blow your own glass bubble, mold a drinking glass, or cast paperweights.
- Location: Hot Sand, 550 Cookman Ave, Asbury Park, NJ
- Keep in mind: Your glass creations must cool down overnight, so you will need to pick them up later in the week or arrange for shipping.
🏪 Explore the Massive “Metropolis” at Bell Works
If you want to spend hours walking around indoors without being confined to a traditional mall, visit the massive, historic Eero Saarinen-designed complex in Holmdel.
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- What makes it great: Known as a “metropolis in suburbia,” this quarter-mile-long indoor glass atrium features a diverse selection of boutique shops, restaurants, coffee spots, and virtual reality lounges.
- Location: Bell Works, 101 Crawfords Corner Rd, Holmdel, NJ
- Bonus: There is plenty of space for family members to stroll, sit, or get drinks inside at the indoor bar outposts.
🎟️ Catch a Live Indoor Theater Production or Indie Film
The coastal towns host excellent theatrical and independent film venues perfect for hiding out from a storm.
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- Theatrical Stage: Look up showtimes at local spots like the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan or the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank to catch professional musical tributes and plays.
- Indie Cinema: Grab popcorn at The ShowRoom Cinema on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, an intimate theater specializing in critically acclaimed independent, foreign, and art films.
🏎️ Play at a Massive Indoor Amusement Park
When high-energy fun is required, move the traditional outdoor boardwalk amusement experience entirely inside.
- What makes it great: Multi-acre climate-controlled entertainment complexes offer a full day of distraction, featuring full-scale indoor go-kart tracks, multi-level laser tag arenas, theme-park rides, and boardwalk-inspired skill games.
- Location: iPlay America, 110 Schanck Rd, Freehold, NJ