20 Amazing Things To Do This Summer in New Jersey and Beyond

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. - June 16, 2015 - PRLog -- With approximately 90 days of summer headed your way, filling your family’s schedule with enough fun-in-the-sun activities is no small task. Fortunately, we’ve got 20 great things to do to give you a head start.

Bring the Family (or not) for a summer-only outdoor dining experience: Pull up a stroller and chow on down-home BBQ eats at Demarest Farms with live music (starting thursdays June 25th get there early to snag parking) or leave the kids at home and dine refined at Grounds for Sculpture’s Moonlit Tour and three course dinner at award winning Rat’s Restaurant (only two available dates left this summer so book early).
Workout Al Fresco: Stretch out on the lawn with Bergen’s beloved yogi Brenda Blanco at Kaplen JCC on the Palisades’ 4th Annual Yoga on the Green and snag freebies and feel good. Or if you love summer nights, get your celestial yoga fix at Powerflow Yoga’s Yoga Under the Stars, held at Whole Foods Market Ridgewood on Thursdays in June and July where all you need is a mat and good vibes to participate.
Book a Pirate Experience: The eye patch he’s been sporting in kindergarten is your clue that you should head over to the Jersey Shore Pirates Experience down in Brick Township, NJ. The just under two hour experience kicks off with facepainting and getting in costume before boarding the The Sea Gypsy, a pirate ship where kids will read treasure maps, get lessons in “pirating”, fire water cannons and hunt down a sunken treasure.
Cruise the Hudson (and eat a lobster roll): Dreaming of fresh Maine lobster but don’t want to take the trip? No matter. Step aboard North River Lobster Company’s floating lobster shack at Pier 81 in Manhattan and feel like you’ve headed up the east coast for great raw bar, lobster and burgers. Dine at picnic tables and take in city views as you and the fam chow down New Englander style.
Take a Hike: Time to get outside and wander. All you need is sunscreen, water and bug spray and you can head over to Ramapo Reservation and stroll around Scarlet Oak Pond or to MacMillan Reservoir or take a light hike to one of the peaks for perfect family Instagram snaps. Feeling a little more adventurous? Take a beautiful ride up the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain State Park, for miles of trails, lakes, museums, picnic and a really cool historic merry-go-round your kids will swoon over.
Pier 13 Hoboken: If you haven’t been to ‘Boken in a while you definitely want to park it there for a day. Head right over to the dog-friendly, kid-friendly, baby-friendly Pier 13 for easy eeeeeats from your favorite Food Trucks, ogle at the twenty-somethings working out and sipping al fresco at the piers’ end then wander over to the original Carlos Bakery for a treat to take home.
Snack on a Gourmet Food Tour in NYC: Young foodies can take their knowledge of Italian food to a whole other level, (like learning what a ‘Puntanelle’ is) during Passport to Eataly, which kicks off on June 11th and gives kids ages 8-12 a tour of their New York marketplace, learning about and sampling the best and freshest Italian imports along the way- kids get their “passport” stamped at each station they visit, while mom & dad hit the cafe and toil around the shop pretending they are on an Italian getaway!
Head South for Art and Elmo: If you’re up for a really full day or two, head south west to Sesame Place, for tons of rides and activities for every kid, plus awesome concerts like Kidz Bop Live and Curious George in the park this June. On your way, detour over to The Crayola Factory in Easton PA, where the kiddos can create their own crayons, Doodle in the Dark, make Drip Art and tons more activities.
Bake a Cake Like The Cake Boss: Food Network Stars in training should head to be trained by the boss. That’s right, Carlos Bakery offers aspiring bakers classes teaching the tricks of the trade all year long with different themes. Kids can bake Beach Themed Cakes, Groovy Girls Cakes, Bow & Dot Fondant Cake which all teach different techniques like how to make a butter cream rose and roll out fondant. Bonus: You keep what you make!
Hit the Jersey Shore for Lobstahhhh: Whether you love lobster in rolls, just tails, slathered in butter or the whole body cracked open roe and all, you and fam should probably head to Bradley Beach’s 7th Annual Lobsterfest. The family friendly event takes place the last weekend in June and boasts live music, a huge beer and wine garden, kids activities- plus it’s FREE!
Take in Some Hot Air: Usually you need to head to the southwest to see a great display of hot air balloons. But once a year you can catch them right here in the Garden State at Quick Check’s Annual Festival of Ballooning. Think twice daily mass ascensions of up to 100 special shape and sport hot air balloons, jamming live music, non-stop family entertainment, hundreds of vendors, great food, fireworks, a balloon glow, and more.
Peruse Modern Art then Chow Down at a Brand New Food Court: The newly opened Whitney Museum in the hot Meatpacking District in NYC should definitely be on your summer to do list. Besides fun, engaging modern pieces and outdoor installations, they have a roster of programs for kids of all ages and families that will make it fun for all.  More good news is that you can hit the 8,000 square footGansevoort Market hosting 25 food vendors selling everything from Ed’s Lobster Bar to Tacombi Tacos and Luzzo’s Pizza.
Doze with the Dinos: Thrill your dino-lover with an overnight adventure surrounded by them. Field Station Dinosaurs offers their Dozin’ With the Dinos night two times this summer in August with limited spots that book up early. It includes lantern lit trails, a 3D Movie, a Campfire, S’mores and more thrills.
Cheer on a Local Team: Sometimes heading out to see the Yanks or Mets can be a hassle. Between the traffic and the ticket prices, it can leave us a little less than cheery. But there’s another way to root for the home team. Snag tickets to the local Rockland Boulders and have a thrill and an up close experience. Not into baseball, check out our local RedBulls in Harrison NJ- and get psyched up for soccer season.
Visit a Water Park: Hot weather calls for cool rides. Families love Splashdown Beach Water Park in Fishkill NY which is small enough to navigate with the littles in tow. Or checkout the brand newAquatopia Indoor Water Park or it’s outdoor sister park Camelbeach- with enough fun to last a whole weekend.
Go Western Style (close to home): If you’re looking for an action packed, western themed overnight family stay, check out Rocking Horse Ranch, which boasts horse adventures, outdoor water sports and something for everyone in the fam. Or day trip it closer to home and head over to Wild West City, a western heritage theme park, where kids can feel like they’ve stepped into a western movie set.
For the entire list or more information, visit http://bergenmama.com/