July
1. Hunt for seashells. Watch for the knobbed whelk, the official state shell.2. Make a masterpiece. Try Ocean City’s Sand Sculpting Contest (7/7; 609/525-9300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/525-9300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting) or the 24th Annual New Jersey Sandcastle Contest, Belmar (7/14).
3. Kick up your heels at Cowtown Rodeo (Pilesgrove; 856/769-3200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 856/769-3200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
4. Tickle your taste buds at the 8th Annual New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival (7/17; Toms River; 732/946-2711 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 732/946-2711 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
5. Stroll on a boardwalk.
6. Enjoy an al fresco movie at the Delsea Drive-In Theatre (Vineland, 856/696-0011 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 856/696-0011 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
7. Be transported at the 28th Annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning (7/23–25; Readington; 973/882-5464 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/882-5464 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
8. Climb a lighthouse.
9. Ride Lucy the Elephant. Or rather, ascend the famous five-story-high National Historic Landmark (Margate; 609/823-6473 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/823-6473 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).August
10. Experience the thrill of a roller coaster or splash of a waterslide.
11. Spy a ruby-throated hummingbird at Leaming’s Run Gardens, as it feasts on nectar before migrating south (North Cape May Court House; 609/465-5871 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/465-5871 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
12. Cheer your favorite minor league baseball
13. Visit the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center to learn about this baseball legend and New York Yankee Hall of Famer (Little Falls; 973/655-2378 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/655-2378 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
14. Learn to swim.
15. Cruise on the historic schooner A.J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship (Port Norris; 856/785-2060 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 856/785-2060 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).16. Watch saltwater taffy being pulled at the Jersey Shore.
17. Pack a picnic and enjoy a free outdoor concert in your town.
18. Take a whale-watching cruise.
19. Be a swashbuckling pirate aboard the Sea Gypsy on the Metedeconk River (Brick; 732/899-6100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 732/899-6100 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
20. Have a blast at the New Jersey State Fair (8/6–15; Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta; 973/948-5500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/948-5500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
21. Go tubing or whitewater rafting on the Delaware River.
September
22. Camp beneath the stars.23. Lose yourself in a tale at the New Jersey Storytelling Festival (9/12; Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton; 609/586-0616 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/586-0616 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
24. Clown around at the 29th Annual Clownfest (9/16–19; Seaside Heights).
25. Bike along the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
26. Step aboard a pontoon boat or paddle your own canoe on the Hackensack River as you learn about the diverse ecosystem of the Meadowlands (201/460-4640 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 201/460-4640 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
27. Visit a wetland. And don’t miss the 28th Annual Wings ’n Water Festival at the Wetlands Institute (9/17–19; Stone Harbor; 609/368-1211 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/368-1211 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
28. Tread quietly at a bird sanctuary. Keep your binoculars handy for a glimpse of the Eastern Goldfinch, our state bird.
October
29. Climb 1,803 feet to the Garden State’s apex at High Point State Park (Sussex; 973/875-4800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/875-4800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
30. Sample lima bean ice cream at the West Cape May Annual Lima Bean Festival (10/9; 609/884-9325 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/884-9325 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).31. Celebrate the cranberry at the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival; New Jersey ranks fourth in the U.S. in cranberry production (10/16–17; 609/698-2501 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/698-2501 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
32. Navigate a haunted hay maze, or go pumpkin picking.
33. Ride a horse, our official state animal.
34. Judge which pet has the best costume at the Third Annual Halloween Pet Parade , Asbury Park (732/775-4801 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 732/775-4801 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; ).
November
35. Visit an arboretum to seek out the official state tree, the red oak.
36. Don a conductor’s hat for the Camden Children’s Garden Train Festival; you’ll find crafts, games, a reading of
37. Listen to the night sounds of the Pinelands at the Moonlight Walk at Whitesbog Village (11/20; Browns Mills; 609/893-4646 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/893-4646 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
38. Learn about
39. Watch skilled equestrians and their mounts during the Turkey Trot at the Horse Park of New Jersey (Allentown; 609/259-0170 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/259-0170 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
December40. Light a menorah.
41. Go caroling at an eldercare facility.
42. Whip up a gingerbread creation and enter it in the 19th Annual Gingerbread Wonderland competition at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum (12/4–12; Morris Twp.; 973/326-7601 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/326-7601 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
43. Harvest your own Christmas tree.
44. Experience history in action on the Delaware River as the 1776 crossing of Gen. George Washington and his
45. Be dazzled by the sounds of a symphony orchestra and voices from a chorus at Video Games Live (12/29–30; Newark; 973/624-3713 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/624-3713 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
January
46. Climb aboard the Pine Creek Railroad at the New Jersey Museum of Transportation for the first run of the year (1/1/11; Allaire State Park, Wall Twp.; 732/938-5524 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 732/938-5524 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).47. Schuss down a slope on skis or a snowboard.
48. Delight in the Morris Museum’s collection of 19th- and 20th-century toys and dolls (Morristown; 973/971-3700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/971-3700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
49. Catch snowflakes on your tongue.
50. Build a snow fort.
51. Attend a story hour at your local library.
52. Scale a rock wall at an indoor family
53. Get fit—take a family-friendly yoga or Zumba class.
54. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about bugs—including
55. Throw a strike (or spare) at a bowling center.
February
56. Ice skate on your local pond (if permissible and safe) or indoor skating rink.
57. Lace up your roller skates for some old-fashioned indoor fun at a Jersey roller rink.
58. Learn about women and African-American aviators at the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey (Teterboro Airport; 201/288-6344 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 201/288-6344 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).59. Go sledding.
60. Take a self-guided Underground Railroad Tour, imagining the danger escaped slaves felt as they were smuggled northward to freedom in the early 1800s (Burlington; 609/386-3993 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/386-3993 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
61. Try cross-country skiing.
62. Learn how maple sugar goes from tree to table at an outdoor educational center.
63. Stargaze at a planetarium or observatory. Or step into your backyard on a clear night and look up. Telescope optional.
March
64. Participate in a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
65. Dance with wolves at the Lakota Wolf Preserve. The Gray wolves will be resplendent in their winter coats (Columbia; 877/733-9653 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877/733-9653 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
66. Eat at a diner before going to a 3-D IMAX movie.
67. Stare down sharks and other species at an aquarium.
68. Board a ferry at Liberty State Park to spend the day on Ellis Island (212/363-3200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 212/363-3200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
69. Celebrate the performing arts during Family Week at the Theatre, with discounted and/or free tickets to all events (3/5–13/11; 973/731-6582 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/731-6582 end_of_the_skype_highlighting). Check out the month-long Stages Festival, too.
April
70. Stroll under Newark’s historic cherry trees at the 35th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival (973/268-3500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/268-3500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).71. Adopt a pet.
72. Hide and hunt eggs to celebrate spring’s arrival.
73. Build a birdhouse for the 2nd Annual Wagner Farm Arboretum Birdhouse Contest (Warren Twp.; 908/647-2332 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 908/647-2332 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
74. Spelunk at the Sterling Hill Mining Museum (Ogdensburg; 973/209-7212 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/209-7212 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
75. Or dig for rocks at the Franklin Mineral Museum (Franklin; 973/827-3481 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/827-3481 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
76. Start a rock collection.
77. Escape to the cool quiet of a waterfall; New Jersey has more than 20.
78. Grow your own soup and salad: plant a vegetable garden.
79. Celebrate the American Shad at the 30th Annual Shad Fest. If you’re not a fish lover, there’s still much to eat, see, and do there (Lambertville).
80. Walk a steel girder, avoid the big blue nose, and take the Wildlife Challenge at Liberty Science Center (Liberty State Park, Jersey City; 201/200-1000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 201/200-1000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
81. Tour a local recycling center in honor of Earth Day.
82. Then help clean up your neighborhood or a local park.
May
83. Learn the old-style European method of crafting cheese from sheep’s milk at the Valley Shepherd Creamery (Long Valley; 908/876-3200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 908/876-3200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).84. Time travel at the New Jersey State History Fair (5/7/11; Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville; 609/777-0238 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/777-0238 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
85. Watch skilled artisans blow glass at the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center (Millville; 800/998-4552 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800/998-4552 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
86. Experience the culture and traditions of Indians in the Americas at the Native American Arts Festival (Rancocas; 609/261-4747 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/261-4747 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
87. Take a nature hike with Mom for Mother’s Day.
88. Visit a living history farm.
89. Fly a kite. Or marvel at the colorful splendor of the Wildwood International Kite Festival (5/27–30/11; 800/992-9732 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800/992-9732 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).90. Be electrified at Thomas Edison’s laboratory (Thomas Edison National Historical Park, West Orange; 973/736-0550 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/736-0550 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x11).
June
91. Savor fresh strawberries at the Annual West Cape May Strawberry Festival (6/4/11; 609/884-9325 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 609/884-9325 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
92. Collect buckets of berries and more at a pick-your-own farm.
93. Visit Morristown National Historical Park to see why New Jersey is called the Crossroads of the American Revolution (Morristown; 973/539-2016 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/539-2016 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
94. Score a hole-in-one playing miniature
95. Watch mibsters (marble shooters) compete at the National Marbles Tournament, Wildwood (6/19–24/11; 800/992-9732 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800/992-9732 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
96. Search for the Common Meadow Violet, the official state flower, at the New Jersey Botanical Garden (Ringwood; 973/962-7527 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 973/962-7527 end_of_the_skype_highlighting).
97. Bake muffins with freshly picked blueberries,
98. Growl, howl, or roar with the animals in a zoo.
99. Go on a high-tech scavenger hunt (geocaching) with Dad on Father’s Day.
100. Or try an old-fashioned scavenger hunt in your backyard.
101. Take a road trip. There are more than 36,000 miles of highways and roads in New Jersey, with a story around every bend.
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