Things to do with teens (13–17) in New Castle County

The venue's own age range is 6–17, and its guide calls it strongest for tweens, teens, and mixed-age groups: multi-level laser tag, the Gravity Ropes course, billiards, a 100-plus-game arcade, and a full sit-down restaurant. Read the FUNpass before you pay — on weekdays you choose arcade OR attractions, and the weekend pass drops the arcade entirely.

Go Ape's full Treetop Adventure is the 10-and-up tier — ziplines, rope bridges, aerial obstacles, with height and weight requirements to confirm before you drive over, and it books up on weekends. The 8-mile Little Jersey Trail is the other teen-scale option, listed for experienced mountain bikers and trail runners.

The guide splits this park by entrance, and teens get the far end of it: 7-plus-mile loops, mountain biking on the Middle Run side, and the full Tri-Valley Trail across roughly 3,600 acres and 37-plus miles of trail. Walking or biking in is free year-round; driving in is $5 per Delaware-registered vehicle March 1 through November 30.

The rink's own read on this age: an obvious good time, especially Friday-night sessions when older kids show up in groups. Public skate is $12 adult / $8 child, and the adult rate starts at age 7 — so a teen pays $12, plus $5 for rentals. Buy at bluehens.evenue.net to skip the line.

The parts that skew older are the indoor batting cages (varied speeds, year-round) and the 9-hole par-3; the guide credits the place with genuine teen and adult appeal, not just kid appeal. Both mini-golf courses are shaded and lit for night play, which is what makes a summer evening round work here.

The Middletown and MOT answer, in a belt the Christiana-area venues underserve. Its guide puts laser tag and the arcade on the teen side of the draw, with bowling for the whole group. An all-day attractions wristband covers bumper cars and laser tag; arcade play is a separate card.

Blue Rocks baseball, and the guide's read for this age is simple — cheap tickets and a relaxed setting. General admission seating is on the 3rd base side, Friday home games end in fireworks around 9:30 PM, and Tuesdays are dollar hot dogs. Backpacks aren't allowed and bags must be under 16" x 16" x 8".

For this age the guide points at the walking: the 1.3-mile paved Riverwalk, and the Jack Markell Trail running 5.5 miles from its southern end to New Castle — a real ride or hike, not a stroll. Blue Rocks games and the district's food fill in the rest. The Riverfront Development Corporation says the district drew over 3 million visitors last year, so a nice Saturday is busy.

The museum's own teen-and-up note is the summer Thursday evening: Sculpture Garden Happy Hour with live music, food trucks, and lawn chairs, pay-what-you-can. General admission is free Thursdays 4–8 PM, April through December; the rest of the time youth admission is $6 for ages 7–18, and the 9-acre sculpture garden is free to walk without a ticket.

Philadelphia's hands-on science museum, and the guide is explicit that older teens still find depth in the Fels Planetarium and the rotating special exhibitions. Plan 3–4 hours. General admission is tiered — roughly $25 for a teen — and the planetarium, IMAX, and special exhibitions may be add-on or timed tickets.

The Maker Lab and STEM room are listed for ages 8 and up and called the draw for older kids — building, tech, and tinkering well past what a normal branch offers. Free, though some equipment or programs may need a library card or sign-up. Check the calendar first, and note it's closed Thursdays.

The older-kid list here is longer trails, disc golf, and the fall hawk watch — mid-September to mid-November, with volunteers helping you spot and identify raptors overhead. About 14 miles of trail through Delaware's largest state park. Free to walk or bike in; $5 per Delaware vehicle March through November, free December through February.

Fourteen screens plus Delaware's only IMAX. For this age the guide's answer is the full first-run slate rather than the $4 kids series, with IMAX saved for the releases that earn the premium. Parking is free — the theater's surface lot plus the Commuter Lot on Beech St across the street.