Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
Here is the first in our occasional series we’re calling TREAT OF THE DAY. We’ll highlight a place for treats, mainly locally owned companies.
We’ve been to Cliff’s Ice Cream in Ledgewood twice now, and it’s a really fun stop. Plus, USA Today claims it’s the best ice cream in New Jersey.
The kids and I were filmed Monday for a segment on Good Morning America, called Sneaky Teacher. One of the beautiful things about living close to New York is that they need “talent” (in this case known as middle-American families) to film once in a while in their features, and if you’re within driving distance, you too can be considered. I can’t figure out how to embed the video here, so here’s the link to Good Morning America’s Sneaky Teacher segment with Jersey Kids.
Want to know how we were chosen? What’s it like to be filmed by Good Morning America? Read my personal blog post on how we got onto Good Morning America and what it was like shooting. 
Did you know that Newark’s Branch Brook Park has thousands of cherry blossom trees, with more variety (and number) than those in Washington DC, which is so well known for their trees.
The Cherry Blossom Festival is coming up in April, and it’s popular, with 10,000 visitors a day at the peak.
Aside from just looking at the blossoms, come for some activities, including:
April 9 – bike race – the Cherry Blossom Challenge.
April 10 – 10K and one mile fun run
On April 17th, check out Bloomfest, with lots of events, including Japanese cultural demonstrations, live music, kids’ activities, crafter’s marketplace and food. Free admission, open from 11-5. Activities are mostly around the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center.
If you’re looking for some New Jersey history, and a chance to see what things were like in the 1700-1800s, head over to the Miller-Cory House in Westfield, NJ. (And read on to see what to do in downtown Westfield when you’re done).
The house was built in 1740 – on 100 acres of land. You wouldn’t believe it now, since it’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood where most lots probably don’t exceed .3 acres on average. Inside you’ll find the house with typical period furniture, and kids can see what a kitchen with no electric dishwasher looks like! Pots and pans hang from the walls, the floor is uneven and the walls wood-paneled.
The house is open on Sundays in fall through spring, or for prearranged group programs on weekdays. It’s staffed by volunteers – including a lot of elementary school teachers. They dress up and lead kids in crafts, read stories and talk with kids about the theme of the week. There’s also open-hearth cooking demonstrations in the building next door. Continue reading “Miller-Cory House Museum – and kid-friendly downtown Westfield”
I’d heard good things about the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ, but kept hesitating to go because my daughter Dori isn’t a big zoo fan. We finally decided to take the plunge – and even Dori had a fabulous time. It was a manageable size, and the exhibits were really well done.
Highlights:
Continue reading “Review: Turtleback Zoo and Discount Tickets”
“He said he was in Paris. He said it was urgent I come.”
“To Paris?” I asked.
“No, to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey…”
This Jackson, NJ location is the is the largest Six Flags in the country. Woo hoo! Having been to several in California, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It was clean, the employees were helpful (except one) and the other visitors weren’t quite as skanky as at other Six Flags parks. Continue reading “Review: Six Flags Great Adventure – Plus Discount Codes”
—Jersey Kids review of Six Flags new Wild Safari Park is here – 2013 review)
This New Jersey park claims to be the largest drive-through safari outside Africa. It’s 350 acres, and it does take awhile to drive through. You’ll see something different each time you go through, but at least early in the day, it’s cooler for the animals and you may see more of the 1,100 that live there.
(Of note: on August 30, 2012 Six Flags announced that Wild Safari would close to individual cars starting in the 2013 season. Instead, the park will become a regular Six Flags theme park attraction – Camp Aventura – where guests will ride in open air vehicles driven by park employees. Guests may be able to hand-feed or pet some of the animals. For an extra fee, guests can zip line over the camp. Read the review of the newly opened attraction here.)
Admittedly it was a bit odd in the beginning and end, because you can see Great Adventure rides in the background. It’s hard to picture these animals in the wild, with the Kingda Ka coaster doing its thing. But once you journey a little further inside, you forget about the amusement park (you can’t see it anymore) and just focus on the animals.
It’s a nice park – with signs in each area telling you what animals you’re seeing. They apparently have a CD/DVD you can buy (CD to listen to in the car, DVD to watch at home) – but I didn’t see anything about this on the website. Continue reading “Review: Six Flags Wild Safari in New Jersey”
When SpaFinder recently ran its $50 specials, I looked for spas in my area to test out. I chose La Salon in Millburn.
The facility:
I arrived a few minutes early for my 10 a.m. weekday appointment, and walked in at the same time as the person opening up. The waiting area consisted of a basic chair next to the front door. I arrived before my therapist, JoJo.
La Salon tries to be upscale, but it’s not. They run a hair salon downstairs and have a handful of massage rooms (plus a manicure area) upstairs. The massage room door had a small glass window on it, with no curtain or covering. When I changed, I was a bit self-conscious that someone might walk down the hall and look into the room. I was supposed to lie down on my stomach on the table, using a bath towel to cover up with (instead of the usual large sheet). While it was cozy, it’s a bit harder to cover yourself up with a towel when you’re lying on your stomach.
If you’re looking for some clean, family fun, and your kids are on the younger side, head to the Land of Make Believe in Hope, New Jersey. They have lots of kiddie rides and a fun water park good for both younger older kids.
The park is quite manageable for families with young kids. It’s not too big (but not so small that you’ll get bored). The rides are geared toward kids age 6 and younger (preschoolers will be quite happy). 
My 8 year old was bored with most rides, and I was surprised that my 6 year old was happy to ride them.
The Rides: Expect everything from a carousel to a small tilt-a-whirl. The mini roller coaster was fun for us – it goes in a loop and is good for the younger set. There probably 15 rides.
Attractions: We didn’t check out the arcade, Haunted Halloween House, jump houses or Dog Pound (games). There’s also a train circling the park and a hay ride.
The Show (Middle Earth Theater): The park put on a very cute interactive show featuring any kid and adult who wants in. Dori and I were part of it, and we could choose our part. The skit was funny and the kids had a great time dressing up and acting in it. Zack had fun watching. They said they want to do it again next time we go.
Okay, then. Here’s my review of the State Fair Meadowlands – with kids.
LIVE SHOWS – the shows are all free with admission. We saw the Sea Lion Splash – very cute. They have three sea lions who jump, dance and do other tricks for you. The show is about 15 minutes long and kids can stand up front to watch. We missed the BMX Stunt Show, which looks like fun. It goes through the end of the fair. Hypnotist, Steve Bayner is funny. The Batcopter aerial show runs daily, and you can get a 2 minute ride for $30. The racing pigs were a lot of fun, also about a 15 mintue show. Check the schedule before going – the shows change daily. Continue reading “The New Jersey State Fair – with Kids”