Best of Jersey 2010: Recreation

In the warmer months, there are no shortage of recreation activities offered in NJ. Our readers have a few unique choices of their own...along with some staple favorites.

Posted March 15, 2010

AMUSEMENT PARK (OVERALL)
Bigger is indeed better at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, largest of the nineteen Six Flags parks in North America. Its thirteen serious thrill rides include record-setters: El Toro (steepest drop, 76 degrees, of any wooden roller coaster in the country) and Kingda Ka (tallest, 45 stories, and fastest, 128 mph, coaster in the world). Don’t miss the neighboring 350-acre drive-through Wild Safari and the tropical-oasis water park, Hurricane Harbor. The new seven-story funnel-shaped ride, Tornado, opens in May. (1 Six Flags Blvd, 732-928-1821, sixflags.com/greatadventure)

RUNNERS-UP: Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach; Fantasy Island Amusement Park, Beach Haven; Land of Make Believe & Pirate’s Cove, Hope.

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AMUSEMENT PARK (RIDE)
Tallest, fastest, most high-tech—all well and good. But when it comes to roller coasters, our readers are loyal to classic thrills. With a 105-foot drop, the Great White at Morey’s Adventure Pier in Wildwood “is one of the all-time best wooden coasters around,” writes reader David Essenthier of Pennsylvania. “It grabs you from the moment you leave the station and does not let up until the very end—everything a wooden coaster should be.” (3501 Boardwalk, 609-522-3900, moreyspiers.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson; El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson.

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AQUARIUM
Touch slinky invertebrates, watch African penguins swim in a 17,000-gallon pool, catch a “4-D” flick. It all happens at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, where the possibilities are as endless as the ocean. Exhibits include Touch-a-Shark, where you can (carefully!) run your fingers over some predators of the deep, and Seal Shores, where you watch trainers feed the seals breakfast and learn to communicate with the flippered mammals by hand signals. Good thing the aquarium is open 365 days a year—you can’t take it all in in a day. (1 Riverside Drive, 856-365-3300; adventureaquarium.com).

Runners-up: Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Point Pleasant Beach; Atlantic City Aquarium, Atlantic City.

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BIKING TRAIL
What was once a railroad right-of-way is a bicyclist’s delight. Monmouth County’s Henry Hudson Trail is beloved for its paved, tree-lined pathways, mostly flat terrain, and scenic views of wetlands, streams, and fields. The two paths—the North covers ten miles, the South twelve—run east-west parallel to Route 36 and will soon be connected for a continuous, lovely, long ride. (Various entrances, 732-842-4000, monmouthcountyparks.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, Hunterdon, Mercer, and Somerset counties; Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area, Monmouth County; Patriots’ Path, Morris County; Barnegat Branch Trail, Ocean County.

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BOARDWALK
Sure, it’s got the requisite games, rides, and mini-golf. But the Point Pleasant Beach Boardwalk offers much more. Pet a stingray at Jenkinson’s Aquarium. Sip a mai tai as the sun sets over Martell’s Tiki Bar. You can even hear Old Blue Eyes where Water Street meets the boards at the Sinatra House, which plays the legend’s hits for the enjoyment of passersby. (Boardwalk extends from Broadway to New Jersey Ave, pointpleasantbeach.org)

RUNNERS-UP: Wildwood; Ocean City; Asbury Park.

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CANOEING & KAYAKING
A two-hour canoe rental from the Cranford Canoe Club is one of the better ways to spend $20 taming a hot summer day. “When customers get back to the dock, they’re stressless,” says Ralph Circelli, proprietor of the circa-1900s club in Cranford. The placid Rahway River meanders for a seven-mile tour featuring lush greenery, deer, turtles, riverfront homes, and blessed peace and quiet. (250 Springfield Ave, 908-709-7285, cranfordcanoeclub.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Delaware River; Round Valley Reservoir, Lebanon; Island Beach State Park, Ocean County.

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FISHING (FRESHWATER)
Even though Peapack-Gladstone’s Natirar Park has only been open only 3 years, its two-mile-long North Branch of the Raritan River fast became a favorite of serious fly fishermen and father-son day trippers alike. Though the river isn’t stocked, its home to plenty of trout, catfish, and bass. “Before, it was this big secret,” says Somerset County Parks ranger manager Dave Dendler. “It’s got 400 acres, a beautiful babbling stream, great views, and you really forget you’re in central New Jersey.” (908-722-1200, somersetcountyparks.com.)

RUNNERS-UP: Lake Hopatcong, Mt. Arlington; Ken Lockwood Gorge, High Bridge/Califon; Round Valley Reservoir, Lebanon; Audubon Lake, Audubon.

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FISHING (SALTWATER)
They say serious anglers never reveal the best spots to fish, but Sandy Hook is too big and too good to be kept a secret. “You have miles of beach available to you, plus the bayside,” says Jeff Dement, a surf-fishing instructor and director of the Sandy Hook-based fish-tagging program of the American Littoral Society. “And Sandy Hook is a peninsula, which tends to focus fish.” Striped bass, bluefish, and fluke are common. Diehards go the extra mile, literally: Fishing the Sandy Hook Rip, at the very tip of the peninsula, requires a three-quarter-mile trek through the sand, but has been known to produce mantle-worthy fish. (732-872-5970, nps.gov/gate)

RUNNERS-UP: Island Beach State Park, Berkeley; Long Beach Island.

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GOLF COURSE (PUBLIC)
It’s not often a course can call itself both public and of championship caliber, but Hominy Hill in Colts Neck can. Designed by famed (and Jersey-based) golf architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course, operated by Monmouth County, has hosted two USGA championships, features 140 bunkers, and boasts extremely well-maintained, challenging greens. “It’s a championship course for sure,” says director of golf Alan Roberts. “Making good shots isn’t too difficult, but if you stray, you’ll pay the price.” (92 Mercer Road, 732-462-9222, monmouthcountyparks.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Ballyowen Golf Club, Hamburg; Charleston Springs, Millstone; Paramus Golf & Country Club, Paramus; Ocean County Golf Course at Atlantis, Little Egg Harbor.

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HIKING TRAIL
Reader Kim Kahn of Maplewood sums up why so many Jerseyans love hiking in Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation: “It’s a peaceful, quiet escape, with wild turkeys and deer, and a view of NYC.” The largest park in the county offers 19 miles of hiking and walking trails, 27 miles of paved carriage roads, a popular dog park, picnic areas, the west branch of the Rahway River, and several scenic overlooks. There are encounters with history, too: From the popular Washington Rock overlook, George Washington monitored the movement of British troops during the Revolutionary War. (essex-countynj.org)

RUNNERS-UP: Hartshorne Woods Park, Monmouth County; Ramapo Mountain Reservation, Bergen County; Batona Trail, Burlington County.

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HISTORIC SITE
In Sandy Hook (a Gateway National Recreation Area), Fort Hancock has served as an indispensable defense since the 1700s and is now a National Historic Landmark. The 103-foot-tall lighthouse here is the nation’s oldest operating beacon, opened in 1764. At the Fort Hancock Museum, a tour of the keeper’s quarters and barn will give you a sense of what it was like to operate that lonely lighthouse.

Runners up: Thomas Edison National Historic Park, West Orange; Allaire State Park, Farmingdale; Cape May.

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KIDS’ DESTINATION
What would the Wildwood Boardwalk be without Morey’s Piers? Bawww-ring! The second-generation family-owned business offers three piers of fun, including two world-class water parks, plus more than 100 thrill rides, coasters, games, and kiddie rides—the largest seaside amusement center in the western hemisphere. And the Morey focus on safety, cleanliness, and friendliness means a stress-free visit for parents as well. (609-522-3900, moreyspiers.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Liberty Science Center, Jersey City; Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, Point Pleasant; Candyteria, Asbury Park.

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MINIATURE GOLF
You won’t find any windmills or plastic giraffes here. With 28 acres of trees, flowers, ponds, streams, gazebos, fountains, and waterfalls, Pine Creek in Ringoes may be the Pine Valley of miniature-golf courses. Choose from two different eighteen-hole layouts. After your round, refresh yourself in the Danish-style clubhouse (available for parties and corporate events) or on the garden patio, with its fine view of the grounds. (394 Hwy 31 N, 609-466-3803, pinecreekgolf.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Castaway Cove on Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, Point Pleasant; Miniature Golf at Paramus Municipal Golf Course, Paramus; Monster Mini Golf.

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MUSEUM
The Newark Museum, which just celebrated its centennial, has often been called a hidden gem for its world-class American, Asian, African, and classical art galleries, its natural-science exhibits, and kids’ attractions—to say nothing of its programs and workshops for children and adults. (With 80 galleries, it’s also our state’s largest museum.) “Where else in New Jersey can you enjoy a planetarium show, visit a Tibetan altar, and tour an historic home or a mini zoo all in one afternoon?” writes reader Jeri Goodman of Elizabeth. (49 Washington St, 973-596-6550, newarkmuseum.org)

RUNNERS-UP: Montclair Art Museum, Montclair; Liberty Science Center, Jersey City; Paranormal Books & Curiosities and Paranormal Museum, Asbury Park; Museum of New Jersey Maritime History, Beach Haven.

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NATURAL WONDER
At 77 feet high and 280 feet wide, the Great Falls send up to 2 billion gallons of water a day plunging over the precipice of the Passaic River at Paterson. The falls have earned the awe of many—including Alexander Hamilton, who harnessed the water power to a mill system in the 1790s; President Obama, who last spring signed the bill designating the 35-acre Falls area a National Historic Park; and plenty of visitors: “I remember how my father would take out-of-town relatives to the Great Falls,” writes reader Frank Sanchez of Sparta. “He was so proud of the Falls!” (Great Falls Historic District Cultural Center, 65 McBride Ave Ext., 973-279-9587, patersonnj.gov)

RUNNERS-UP: Delaware Water Gap; Jersey Shore.

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ZOO
Taking its name from a formation the Lenape Indians called Turtle Back Rock in South Mountain Reservation just east of its grounds, Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange first opened in 1963. Since then, the zoo has undergone many renovations, including the addition of an animal hospital, a reptile center, an educational center, a picnic pavilion, and an animal-themed playground. Reader Marianne Barreiro of Maplewood can attest to all the changes. “I saw the zoo almost close its doors many times, but it is now better than ever,” she writes. “At 48, I am still a member, and my kids love it too.” (560 Northfield Ave, 973-731-5801, turtlebackzoo.com)

RUNNERS-UP: Cape May County Zoo, Cape May Court House; Van Saun Park Zoo, Paramus.

It was an exhaustive process made possible by the Internet. For the first time, we asked readers to vote on our website for their Jersey favorites in four categories: food and drink; shopping; health and beauty; and recreation.

Click on the links below to find the reader-submitted winners in those categories:

Food and Drink

Shopping

Health and Beauty

Recreation

Click on the following links to read our Best of Jersey Editors' Picks selections:

Queen of the Alley—Kelly Kulick

Unsung Hero—Chris Smith

On the Frontlines—Jersey Men and Woman in the Armed Forces

Veering Toward Stardom—Vera Farmiga

Helping Haiti—Jersey Residents Respond to Crisis Abroad

Great Skates—New Jersey Devils Olympic Team Members Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner

Almost Super—The New JERSEY Jets Triumphant Run At A Championship

Local Man, Global Mission—Ray Chambers

Had A Shad—Jersey's Unique Shad Festival

A Place In The Sunset—Sunset Beach at Cape May

Rock Solid—Jon Bon Jovi

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