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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523 |
SUMMER IN NEW JERSEY:
Trenton, N.J. (May 1, 2003)—Thousands of people come to New Jersey during the summer months to visit the Jersey Shore - 127-miles of white sand beaches, lined with busy boardwalks and quaint shore towns. In addition, there is "more to love in New Jersey" for families - including amusement parks, minor league baseball, rainy day experiences and historical attractions, where every member of the family can experience what life was like, back in the day. When it comes to summer in New Jersey, there are many stories to tell. Here are some suggestions: ·Amusement Parks - A Little of the New Blended with the Old-Fashioned A wonderful state deserves a super roller coaster, which is exactly what debuts this spring at New Jersey's major theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. Superman: Ultimate Flight will be unveiled at Great Adventure, which includes scores of other theme rides as well as Hurricane Harbor Water Park and the Wild Safari Animal Park. Keansburg Amusement Park in Keansburg celebrates its 100th season in 2003 - the facility has added more than 20 new rides over the past several years to remain current. The Land of Make Believe in Hope has been entertaining families for more than 40 years with its attractions, including its million-dollar Action River Ride. Your favorite fairy tales will come to life at Fairy Tale Forest, Story Land Park in Oak Ridge, where more than 20 decorated cottages depict scenes from popular nursery rhymes. Clementon Amusement Park and Splash World Waterpark in Clementon combine the latest in high-tech thrills with a turn-of-the century charm. The state also features three well-known boardwalk amusement piers - Morey's Piers in Wildwood, Gillian's Wonderland Pier and Island Water Theme Park in Ocean City, and Jenkinson's Beach Boardwalk and Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach. Take Us Out to the Ballgame - In New Jersey Some things never get old - like the thrill of almost catching a foul ball or eating a hot dog at the ballpark. Baseball fans can have major fun at minor league prices when they see any of New Jersey's eight professional baseball squads. Major league prospects will be developing with three major league affiliated franchises, the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees Double-AA), Lakewood Blue Claws (Philadelphia Phillies, Single-A) and New Jersey Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals, Single A). Then there are the State's five independent league organizations: the Camden Riversharks, Newark Bears, Atlantic City Surf, Somerset Patriots and New Jersey Jackals. You'll sit close to the action for about the cost of a movie ticket - and have a good chance of meeting a player or snapping a picture with the team mascot. Let History Come to Life in New Jersey In New Jersey, it's possible to bring the family to a number of attractions designed to demonstrate life in the "good old days". For example, you can see what a family farm of the 1900s was like at the Howell Living History Farm in Titusville and learn what a soldier's life was like 200 years ago from role players wearing 18th Century outfits at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton. The decorated Battleship New Jersey, used in conflict during World War II and the conflict in Korea, is now docked in Camden as a floating museum on the Delaware River. To see artifacts from earlier military times, noted American Revolution sites are open to the public, such as the Red Bank Battlefield and Princeton Battlefield State Park. If you want to see what life was like for everyday folks, you can take a steam locomotive train ride aboard Black River and Western Railroad in Ringoes or the Pine Creek Railroad in Allaire. A visit to the 19th Century era "living historical farm" in Fosterfields of Morris Township will make you appreciate the work that went into growing crops more than 100 years ago. Hands-on exhibits at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison allow a glimpse into a recreated Colonial kitchen, shoemaker's shop and a collection of 18th and 19th Century tools. Other trips back in time include Historic Batsto Village in Hammonton, where you can see workers demonstrating the crafts of weaving and pottery making, and the nation's last operating zinc mine, Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg. Nature and Animals - right here, in New Jersey They might call New Jersey the 'Garden State', but there are plenty of places to see exotic animals, too. Take, for example, the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge, and its 7,500 acres and home to an enormous variety of plant and animal life. New Jersey also has four zoos - the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, Popcorn Park Zoo in Forked River and Cape May County Zoo in Cape May. One of the largest fish tanks in North America can be seen at the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden. Included in Aquarium admission can be a pass into the Camden Children's Garden, a four-acre interactive horticultural Park with themed exhibits. The nation's longest running Saturday night rodeo is located in New Jersey, too - the Cowtown Rodeo in Woodstown. Although Lucy the Elephant in Margate isn't a real animal, the 65-foot high wooden elephant is one of New Jersey's best-known landmarks, and worth the visit.
A rainy afternoon doesn't need to be a wash out in New Jersey. It can offer an excuse to venture indoors to the State's largest museum. The Newark Museum in Newark includes 80 galleries of art and science, a mini zoo, planetarium and a sculpture garden. You might enjoy a current exhibit, Dynamic Earth: Revealing Nature's Secrets!, which highlights hundreds of specimens from the Museum's 70,000-object Natural Science Collection. The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City offers 1,600 square feet of interactive exhibits and the nation's largest IMAX® Dome Theater. Additionally, the State is home to a host of hands-on discovery facilities for children, including the Wonder Museum in East Windsor, the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill and Imagine That! in East Hanover and Lincroft. The Monmouth Museum, features exhibits for children such as Westward Ho!, a journey that offers museum goers a hands-on look at the lives of 19th Century settlers. At Northlandz in Flemington, there are a myriad of indoor attractions to appeal to any child, ranging from an exhibit of more than 200 collectable dolls to a one-mile indoor train tour through a miniature world. Airplane lovers will appreciate a visit to the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum in Teterboro. Fans of astronomy and the space sciences will enjoy an out of this world experience at the Robert J. Novins Planetarium in Toms River. More information on these attractions - and everything else that New Jersey has to offer - can be obtained by contacting the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism, at 1-800-VISITNJ (847-4865); or by checking the Web site at www.visitnj.org.
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