Turnpike Tikes

Being a summer birthday girl myself and mom to a summer birthday boy, I am well-schooled in the potential lameness of summer birthdays. Who can compete with summer camp, beach vacations and visits with the grandparents? There is an upside to being a summer birthday kid: awesome outdoor birthday parties that’ll lure even the busiest of buddies back into the fold.

Flower Power

Let your birthday boy channel his inner green thumb and invite Michael Bedrick otherwise known as Marigold Mike to the party. The owner of Let’s Bloom Together in Morristown will come to your door equipped with his own supply of pots, terracotta saucers, plants, soil, pictures and paintbrushes. The guy even brings a wheelbarrow. He sets it all up and the best part, he cleans the mess up before he leaves. Mike stays for about and hour and includes a brief wheelbarrow ride for the newly minted green thumbs.

Swim!

Nothing says summer like a day at the beach. Sunrise Lake in Morris offers a party package for $80. It includes beach admission for 10 kids and 2 grown-ups, a 2-hour time block with an activities coordinator and a 30-minute paddle boat or row boat ride for the birthday boy/girl. Food isn’t included, so you’ll have to pack your own lunch for everyone. If it’s a real scorcher of a day, you can rent a beach tent, too.

Details and more summer birthday ideas after the jump.

Painted Ponies

Rent out the Endangered Species Carousel at the Turtle Back Zoo. With a covered area as well as an outdoor plaza, it’ll work even if the weather doesn’t. If you want to add a little color to the day, hire the zoo’s master face painter, Becky McDonald, who does some pretty stellar glitter tattoos, too.

Renting the carousel isn’t cheap ($200 for two hours), so if you’re looking for a more modest birthday bonanza, reserve a spot in the picnic area for a $10 part fee plus the $6 per guest group rate. You’ll need a minimum of 15 people and you can bring your own picnic lunch.

Ride the Pony

Pony ride. ‘Nough said. Abma’s Farm and Market will set you up with a 45-minute pony ride birthday party for the kids. Each partygoer gets a cowboy hat and bandana so she can channel her inner cowgirl (or boy). While some kids ride, others can check out the petting zoo. The farm will give the kids food for the farm animals. Once everyone’s had their pony ride fill, it’s off to the party room for pizza, drinks and cupcakes. The space is good for between 10 and 20 kids, and the $350 fee for the hour and a half long event covers food, drinks, supplies, two assistants and the first 10 kids, each additional kid will set you back another $15. While you’re there you can swing by the farm market and pick up everything from poultry to eggs to fresh baked pies to fruits and veggies.