Summer Sizzle
Looking for family-focused activities to round out your summer fun? You don’t need to travel far, bust the budget, or host a lavish barbecue for family and friends. The best options this season are closer than you think.

Hands-On Learning

If you like your science served up hot with a side of adventure, think of Liberty Science Center on the Jersey City waterfront as a Las Vegas–sized buffet. Whether you experienced the Center years ago (before its $109 million upgrade and reopening in 2007) or are a newcomer to its charms, you’ll be awed at every turn and impressed by the Center’s philosophy: to inspire visitors—especially children—to take informed action in their daily lives, through interactive demonstrations of how science and technology transform the world. Within the confines of the Center’s many exhibits, you can dodge sneezes and make an Infection Connection to learn about how humans and microbes interact; explore new forms of communication with digital “spray paint” on a graffiti wall or by trying out a new language through the use of karaoke; or observe such live animals as geckos, alligators, fish, and tortoises. The newest exhibit, “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters” (running through mid-January), lets visitors get inside earthquakes and tornadoes and discover how people cope with their aftermath. The Center showcases separate, kid-friendly areas for even the littlest learners, as well as an 88-foot IMAX movie screen, a digital 3-D theater, and a new Pulseworks Motion Simulator. Visit www.lsc.org for more information.

Animal Planet

If you haven’t explored the Turtleback Zoo since you were a kid (or since your kids were kids), it’s time to get back to nature. Located in West Orange’s beautiful South Mountain Reservation, the zoo has undergone a complete transformation: there are more animals than ever before, and antiquated cages have been replaced by larger, more natural habitats. (In 2006, Turtleback even received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for adhering to the highest standards for zoos nationwide.) There is a 4,000-square-foot reptile center, a new interactive aviary with hundreds of Australian birds, and a renovated penguin exhibit. Kids will especially enjoy the new picnic pavilion and animal-themed playground, and will be delighted by a ride on the Conservation Carousel, featuring 32 rare and endangered animals. Can’t get enough in one afternoon? Ask about hosting a party or other special event at the zoo. To learn more, click to www.turtlebackzoo.org.

Showtime!

Why travel to New York City’s Great White Way when there’s a little bit of Broadway in your own backyard? Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse has been a New Jersey institution for more than 70 years, and has featured on its stage such luminaries as Gloria Swanson, Jean Stapleton, Tom Bosley, Chita Rivera, Betty White, Dom DeLouise, William Shatner, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Stiller, and Ben Vereen. The Paper Mill has helped launch the careers of Christine Ebersole, Kristin Chenoweth, and Anne Hathaway, among others, and has been the starting line for dozens of productions that went on to Broadway runs and national tours. You’ll never know who you’ll see—or discover—next. The Paper Mill, one of the few theaters in the country that is fully accessible to people with disabilities, recently wrapped its summer production of The Full Monty and is gearing up for its fall season, featuring Little House on the Prairie and On the Town. Tickets are on sale now for these shows and special holiday presentations, as well as a winter production of Lost in Yonkers. To purchase tickets or to learn more about upcoming performances, go to www.papermill.org.

Flights of Fancy

The QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning has become a summer staple in the Garden State. Now in its 27th year (July 24–26 in Readington), the festival is one of the nation’s largest gatherings of hot-air balloons. This year’s highlights include a Darth Vader balloon from Belgium; Pandy, a 100-foot-tall panda; Clown-N-Around, a 110-foot-tall clown with a 30-foot hat; and a jumbo golf ball that’s a sure shot for any lover of the links. Balloon launches are 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., weather permitting. Musical guests Kool & The Gang, Michael McDonald, and Al Jardine’s Endless Summer Band add to the fun and festivities. For liftoff, check out the event’s Website at www.balloonfestival.com.

Art Appreciation

Artist Amy Charmatz’s paintings may be informed by her own disabilities, but the images and emotions her work conveys are more about the ability to embrace life. Charmatz makes use of bright colors, striking outlines, and captions to express the autobiographical truths she has come to learn in life. Author, critic, and humorist Joe Queenan has referred to Charmatz’s work as “faux primitive,” though the artist herself believes her work is more childlike in its simplicity. Decide for yourself by visiting The Gallery at the Summit Free Public Library (through July 31).

America’s Pastime

What’s as American as apple pie? Baseball, of course. And at Riverfront Stadium in Newark, with views of the Manhattan skyline, you can get back to basics with the Newark Bears, members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. Every one of the 6,200 seats in Riverfront is a good one; here you can get up close with players, get a bird’s eye view of a play at the plate, and easily come across a fly ball. Catch the excitement at www.newarkbears.com.

Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower & Menlo Park Museum

A 13-foot replica lightbulb sits atop the 131-foot Memorial Tower, where more than 400 inventions—including the electric lightbulb and phonograph—were developed by the famous scientist. Many of these inventions are on display. (www.menloparkmuseum.org)

New Jersey Museum of Transportation

Locomotive lovers big and small will enjoy this collection of historical railroading equipment, but what they’ll love most are the rides aboard a full-size diesel train. (www.njmt.org)

Liberty Hall Museum

Journey back in time at Liberty Hall mansion, which centuries ago welcomed such distinguished guests as George and Martha Washington and Alexander Hamilton. Discover the forgotten letters of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Admire Victorian-era fashions or sip tea on the glass-enclosed porch, then finish with a garden tour that includes some of New Jersey’s oldest trees.
(www.kean.edu)

Insectropolis

Beetles and spiders and caterpillars, oh my! Get up close and personal with bugs of every shape and size from all over the world at this fun and unique insect learning center. Watch busy buzzing bees in an observation hive, take in ants foraging for food and building tunnels in a nest—even touch a tarantula or scorpion if you have the nerve! (www.insectropolis.com)

Adventure Aquarium

There are thousands of fish here, as well as penguins, alligators, and seals. For more adventure, travel through the rain forest, immerse yourself in a shark tank, and walk through a free-flight aviary. And whatever you do, don’t skip the hippos! (www.adventureaquarium.com)