11 Free and Cheap Date Ideas to Try in Atlantic City, NJ

Visit the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, just outside of Atlantic City in Galloway, where there are 43,000 acres of protected coastal habitat criss-crossed by nature trails. Animal lovers may catch a glimpse of white tail deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, muskrats, otters, mink, and tons of species of migratory birds. If strolling through the marshland isn’t your thing, you can stay in the car: a wildlife drive offers the chance to go on safari, New Jersey-style.

Cost: $2 per person for walkers/bikers; $4 per vehicle.

Sunset at the refuge | Tony Fischer

Get a little taste of winter at the beach with a visit to the Flyer’s Skate Zone. Admission to the ice rink is cheap, and so are rentals, so you and your date can have a great day full of slipping, sliding, and fun, even if you’re on a budget.

Cost: $10 admission, $3 skate rental

Flyers Skate Zone, 501 N. Albany Ave., Atlantic City, NJ, USA +1 609 441 1780

You’ll be so freaked out you’ll want to hold each other close after a visit to Haunted Tales, the special effects theatre that’s basically a year-round haunted house. With tales about the Jersey Devil and local pirate legends that come to life right there in the theatre, you’ll be just scared enough to have a good time.

Cost: $7.50 per person; $14 per person for coffin ride

Haunted Tales Atlantic City, 1535 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ, USA +1 609 340 8818

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPRwH4KB0dC/?taken-by=hauntedtalesac

The Absecon Lighthouse, that is, the oldest (and tallest) lighthouse in New Jersey and the third-oldest in the country. The building is open for climbing, but with 228 stairs you’ll want to take your time getting to the top. Once you’re up there, though, the views are extraordinary. Your date, once they’re done huffing and puffing, will thank you.

Cost: $7 per person

Absecon Lighthouse, 31 S. Rhode Island Ave, Atlantic City, NJ, USA

The 150-year-old Absecon Lighthouse and restored keeper’s residence | Sam Guirguis

Revisit a childhood love for all things scaly at the Atlantic City Aquarium. You’ll have all day to bond over your love of Groman the Loggerhead Sea Turtle and dare each other to touch sharks and stingrays.

Cost: $10 per person

Atlantic City Aquarium, 800 New Hampshire Ave., Atlantic City, NJ, USA +1 609 348 2880

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb-Q-RNH3ut/?taken-at=1637011

Get in touch with your competitive side at Atlantic City Mini Golf. The 18 holes just off the Boardwalk offer a challenge for put-putters of all skill levels, and you and your date can celebrate a hole-in-one, or laugh off a terrible shot or two.

Cost: $10 per person

Atlantic City Miniature Golf, 35 Kennedy Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ, USA +1 609 347 1661

You’re never too old to have fun at an amusement park, and Steel Pier, Atlantic City’s oldest amusement park, is no exception. If the roller coaster or the slingshot seem like a little too much excitement, head for the 225-foot-tall observation wheel, which features climate-controlled gondolas and unbelievable views of the coastline and the ocean on a 30-minute ride that’s the perfect way to cap off date night.

Cost:

Steel Pier, 1000 Boardwalk Atlantic City, NJ, USA +1 609 345 4893

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeLPIXKl987/?taken-by=steelpierac