What to do while in NJ

For those looking to kill, er fill a few hours on Saturday afternoon, here are our suggestions. And if you have more time than that, lucky you! I'm happy to give personalized suggestions based on your interests and timing. You can also check out Jersey Kids, a locally-written fabulous website with family-friendly activities in the New Jersey and New York area. And lots of Broadway show reviews.

Short Hills Mall

Short Hills Mall - it's about a 20-25 minute drive from the hotel, though you will likely get lost because driving in New Jersey is very confusing, and sometimes even the GPS isn't so helpful. So leave yourself extra time to get back!

Downtown Westfield

Downtown Westfield - we moved to Westfield for several reasons, and one of them was its awesome downtown. Poke around the stores and get your Carlo's Bake Shop fix, or local favorite Italian bakery Bovella's. The Chocolate Bar has excellent gelato and chocolate-dipped and baked treats. Go shopping in the cute stores - my favorite is the Farmhouse Store, which has two floors of household items and furniture - many of which are hand-made. There's a movie theater if you want to watch a flick, at the Rialto downtown.

Downtown Cranford

Downtown Cranford - just continue down Walnut Street from synagogue, for a few blocks, and you'll be in downtown Cranford. There are fewer chain stores here than in Westfield, and it's a nice downtown. Great coffee place at Rockin Joe's (there's one in Westfield too - NJ chain), and the ice cream at Vanilla Bean Creamery is home-made. There's a great locally-owned cheese shop, Cheese Please, and a movie theater, the Digiplex Cranford.

Liberty Science Center

Liberty Science Center - this is a fabulous (and huge) hands-on science center across from Manhattan and in the same park as the Statue of Liberty. In fact, when taking the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue from the NJ side, it's only a five minute additional drive in the same park. Without traffic (which is a BIG if), it takes about 20-25 minutes to get there. There is OFTEN huge traffic delays - especially around the Bayonne Bridge. And it is a bit confusing to get there - you'll want your GPS as always. If there's traffic, you'll want to plan 45-60 minutes one way. See more of the Liberty Science Center on Jersey Kids (yes, my site - please click on a few ads while you're there).

They're so little!

Statue of Liberty - since I mentioned it, you might be wondering if you can see the Statue of Liberty in around 4 hours, including driving. Well, maybe, but it would be rushed and you won't get to see/do everything. Read more about visiting the Statue of Liberty here, yes Jersey Kids again and also visiting Ellis Island. Click on those ads! A little primer: Ferry tickets are timed and should be purchased in advance (especially for weekends in nice weather). You'd want to leave from Liberty State Park in NJ. If you choose to go, you may not have time for pedestal access or to spend much time at Ellis Island. To figure out if there's enough time for you, determine which ferry you would take and how much time you'd be able to spend on each island. Figure out driving time (30 minutes with parking if there's no traffic and you don't get lost - but you should probably plan extra time because both those things usually happen when I go to that park). You'll have to go through security before getting on the ferry, and again if you visit the pedestal.

Princeton, from our recent visit.

Princeton - Princeton is about an hour away, and it's pretty to walk around. They have a nice shopping strip (and amazing cupcakes) and the campus, of course, has awesome buildings. The Princeton Art Museum is free if you want some culture. You can drive to Princeton, walk around for an hour or two, and get back in time for the evening party.

Grounds for Sculpture - If you're feeling ambitious, head to the Grounds for Sculpture (my review here), a really interesting outdoor sculpture garden. It's big and you won't see it all. It's at least an hour drive with no traffic (I think with traffic it took us about 90 minutes). I hate to send you there without you having the luxury of time to explore, but it's up to you.

Duke Farms - about an hour away, or maybe a little less, this was part of the Duke (of tobacco fame) estates. You can bike around there (borrow a bike if they have any available) or take a tram ride. It's a bit too big to walk around completely. Read my review of Duke Farms here. They have tons of flowers in the conservatory (which you can see in the middle of the picture). See beautiful orchid and wildflower photos on my review. 



Relax/Swim - If you're staying at the Holiday Inn in Clark, there's a pool! If you want to get a massage, there are plenty of options. Westfield has a lovely day spa and the massages are good. That's On the Side. I haven't been yet, but Hand and Stone Massage is very close to the Holiday Inn hotel where many of you will be staying. And you can hit the liquor store and Target on your way out - same parking lot! I go to Massage Envy in Garwood. If you like deep tissue/sports type massages, ask for Clementine. I had a very Jersey experience at Utopia Day Spa in Westfield. They have lots of animal print. These places all do facials too, and most do hair and nails (Massage Envy doesn't do hair/nails).