Free Pool And Lunch At Legendary South Jersey Park This Summer

The 2024 school year is officially OVER! Bring on summer vacation! Sure, it's great to have them home at first, but pretty soon, you'll be looking for anything and everything that's a kid-friendly activity in an effort to get them out of the house for a few hours so they burn off some of that energy.

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While the beach and boardwalk are great, amusement parks and other excursions like that can get pretty expensive fairly quickly. Sometimes, you're not exactly on the hunt for something as glitzy and glamourous for the kids to do, but rather an activity that they will enjoy that will get them out of the house and into that fresh summer air.

Free kid-friendly daytrips in South Jersey

I can't even believe I forgot to talk about this place, but you HAVE to take your kids to Soupy Island at some point this summer.

I grew up in Gloucester County, so many of my friends grew up going to Soupy Island more than a few times during the summer. Growing up, I went to Soupy Island once or twice with various summer camps. Let me tell you, this place is GREAT.

A little backstory: Soupy Island was once used as a sanitarium for children battling tuberculosis. The hospital has since been torn down for decades, but the pool that was in the basement still exists to this day. You and your children can enjoy the two pools on the grounds FOR FREE! Don't worry, it's not creepy or anything.

Don't expect and frills with this place. They have some playground equipment spread out on the grounds that's quite dated, but it will bring you back to your own childhood in a heartbeat. Remember those metal slides? Yep, they have a few of those there. They also have a covered metal slide that children love, as well as a carousel, see-saws, and an updated playground for children, too.

The best part? Free lunch and snacks!

Soupy Island provides visitors with free lunch at noon every single day consisting of, you guessed it, soup! It's been provided by Campbell's Soup Company for years and years. Kids can also get a snack at 10a and 2p every day that the park is open.

There's a specific schedule you must adhere to depending on the ages of the children that you're planning on bringing with you. For example, Tuesdays are for children ages eight and under to enjoy the park. The pool closes at 1:45 and doesn't reopen. The grounds and other activities in the park are open until 3p. Wednesdays and Thursdays are reserved for children 12 and under. On those days, the park is open until 4.

You can find out even more about the little hidden gem of a park in West Deptford, Gloucester County, HERE.