Where to take 7 yr old girl guest? - I have no kids, therefore, no idea.

[BrianG]

Add sesame place to your list

Sesame Place

[hrjersey]

I would also say Point Pleasant since you can do beach, rides, games and an aquarium all in one. Do it on a Friday or Monday if you can to avoid the weekend crush.

There's also the water parks - Great Adventure has one. Seaside Heights has one. Dorney Park has one. I know there are others as well.

I also think Liberty Science Center (BTW someone else mentioned the IMAX Theater which is very cool and they have one at Liberty Science Center) and the Statue of Liberty are all great.

You can also go "picking" for whatever is in season. Johnson Farm in Medford is a nice place but there are others around too.

Lots of things to see and do in Philadelphia. I hear the Please Touch Museum is great but I'm not sure if it might be for really young kids.

There is also the Crayola Factory in Easton PA or the Amish Country and Hershey Park.

There is definitely plenty to see and do right here but a weekend in DC would be pretty cool too.

Have a great time...be a kid again yourself.

[Laura NJ]

A great beach day is any of the beaches at Sandy Hook (except the nude one), but watch the traffic as they are doing construction on the bridge that leads to it. Also look around your area for fairs and festivals. There's a fair gong on at the Meadowlands right now (www.njfair.com ?) and there's a 4H fair in Monmouth County at the end of July and I believe two hot air balloon festivals in Somerset County. We always take our niece and nephew to the fairs (since they were 5 and 8) and they love the games and rides. At the Readington Balloon festival they have a special tent where the kids can do all kinds of arts and crafts. Have fun!

[AnthonyB]

Originally Posted by UKOK

Bronx zoo, Imax movie, Mars 2112 (in NYC), Land of Make Believe (Hope NJ), Any mini golf, Chelsea Piers (bowling etc), pick your own strawberries (or whatever), NY Aquarium, Children's museum (Paramus), Funplex (East Hanover). Have a local pool? Kids can spend hours there. Don't feel like you have to cram stuff in every minute. You'll just end up with an over stressed (and therefore annoying) kid.

Excellent advice, especially the last part about not cramming in too much and overwhelming her.

You don't always have to go fancy and expensive, I took my 7 year old to Disney this year and she wanted to spend most of her time at the pool going down the water slide!

A lot depends on your niece and her personality. I would recommend alternating between "big" things and relaxing times at the beach or pool. Best to make a list and see how it goes with alternative options.
Don't feel too pressured to get a set group of things done, kids can be very unpredictable and if you put a tremendous amount of energy and money into trying to entertain her and something doesn't "click" you will end up feeling disappointed and frustrated.

With kids it's smart sometimes to go with the flow.

[RutgersParent]

I would say Rutgers Zimmerli Art Museum would be the best, fun, education and creative, all Piscataway schools 7 or 8 year old girls visited it and love it.

You can take NJ Transit from Midtown Penn Station to get off at New Brunswick Train Station, and just one block away is the museum.

Of course, you may also take the free campus shuttle bus to tour the best university in New Jersey that has Nobel Economics Prize winner, Milton Friedman, in 1976, whose theory is the solution of current economic situation.

Across the museum is the Economics Department at New Jersey Hall (to be renamed Milton Friedman Hall, as I have proposed to President McCormick) where you can tell the great story of this Nobel Prize winner to your 7 year old girl guest. She shall learn a lot and inspired by all she saw and hear. Who knows, maybe some day she will come to Rutgers University study, and may be winning another Nobel Economics Prize some day.

You may take her over Rutgers Campus Bus to Douglas College of woman that has glory history of American women fighting for the rights to vote. Just walk around one of the most beautiful college campus and music library and checking out student centers, you both shall learn a lot.

For a 7 year old girl, a train trip from NYC to NJ to famous university to top 3 university art museum in the US, and woman college, ...etc, will become one of the most inspired trip for her.

[Gerania]

If you're going to the theater, stop by Toys R Us at Times Square. Then you can pop into M&M World because you're in the neighborhood.

New York City Shopping: Toys R Us Times Square (1514 Broadway at 44th Street, Times Square)
M&M's World Times Square (New York City Shopping - 1593 Broadway (between 48th & 49th))

[kart Rider]

Thank you all for great advices! I have checked most of the places you guys recommended on the web. I especially liked advices about not cramming in too much and alternating exciting and relaxing events. I will try to put myself in kid's POV while I'm with her. Thanks to you guys I won't run out of places to take her.