End of Summer Fun
The kids are back in school, but there are still a few more days left to enjoy the warm weather. Here’s a list of the best ways to make the most of the season’s final days.
1. Go for a swim
Test the waters at some of our local lakes and waterparks—including Graydon Pool (a day pass is $10) and the lake and water slides at Tomahawk Lake before they close for the season on Labor Day.
2. Take a trail or wagon ride
Hit the trails by horse-back, or by wagon. A list of guides and stables that will provide a day of fun and horsing around.
3. Feed your brain
It’s your family’s last chance to see soon-to-end exhibits like the hands-on “Animation” at the New York Hall of Science (closes Sept 2). The Bronx Zoo. “Wild Forest: A Lego Safari” runs until Sept 3. The exhibition Wildlife Challenge in the Liberty Science Center runs through Sept. 6. You’ll crawl, climb and claw your way through tests urban wildlife face every day.
4. Visit Outdoor Art
Governors Island is open through September 30, but two activities—the arcade-themed mini-golf course and the interactive sculpture garden—close on September 23. At the sculpture garden, families can pose inside a giant television screen, walk across a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s face and climb through a jumbo treehouse made of reclaimed materials from the streets of Brooklyn. Here are other outdoor art displays in NJ and NY.
5. Indulge in a frozen yogurt
Treat the brood to one of the new frozen yogurt shops to open in the area. Koa Koa and Red Mango in Ridgewood or Tasti D-Lite in Ho-Ho-Kus.
6. Get drenched at a spray park
New Jersey and New York City are filled with cool-down play spots. If you love taking your kids to playgrounds, you will love taking them to playgrounds with water. Here’s a list of public playgrounds with spray parks, sprinklers, and other water play opportunities.
7. Enjoy a beer alfresco
Drink like the Europeans do at one of these hot “Biergartens” in the area. A good beer garden might leave you wondering why you’re not spending every weekend drinking out of a stein while basking in the sunshine.
8. Picnic at a local nature center
Pack a picnic basket and find the perfect natural setting at one of these wildlife centers: Meadowlands Nature Center, Wyckoff Environmental Center, Duke Farms, Tenafly Nature Center, and NJ Botanical Gardens.
9. Take a day trip
You don’t have to go far for an end-of-summer getaway. Frenchtown, NJ offers river tubing, shopping and fine dining, while Field Station: Dinosaurs takes kids on a trip back to the prehistoric area . Drive a little further to see the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ and the new exhibit KidZone, which encourages children 6 and under to connect with nature by getting hands-on.
10. Check out white water rafting
The world-famous Lehigh River Gorge in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains is home to one of the most popular whitewater rafting trips in the country. Their last dam release weekend is September 1&2.
