New Jersey Recreation & Entertainment

New Jersey is a home to a preeminent art and cultural center, 24-hour gaming and world-class entertainment, yet it has plenty of wide-open spaces, diverse scenery, and recreational activities for outdoor getaways.

New Jersey's cities offer a wide array of events and cultural activities. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark attracts national and international stars, including Broadway headliners, popular musical groups, as well as world-renowned orchestras and choirs. The Tony Award winning McCarter Theater Center in Princeton hosts a complete season of plays, dances, and music, as well as special series featuring international performers. Atlantic City attracts people from near and far for 24-hour gaming and world-class entertainment. Sports fans will enjoy one of the greatest entertainment facilities in the world, the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ. The complex includes Giants Stadium, home to the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets, and Continental Airlines Arena, home to the NBA's New Jersey Nets and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, two-time Stanley Cup winners. The complex also houses the Meadowlands Racetrack, which hosts thoroughbred racing.

From exploring the white sand beaches of the New Jersey shore to skiing the scenic mountains of the Skylands, plenty of adventures await the outdoor enthusiast. All along the New Jersey's 127 miles of coastline, visitors find quaint shore towns, white sand beaches, and exciting boardwalks, dotted with amusement rides and shopping opportunities. To the east of the southern coastal area are the hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens, and home of the infamous Jersey Devil, an elusive horse-headed creature with a serpentine body who is said to live in the area. The Pine Barrens also offer canoeing, hiking, and camping, along with birding in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Northwestern New Jersey is home to the Delaware River Water Gap, a spectacular, mile-wide gorge carved out of the Appalachians by the Delaware River. A national recreation area surrounding the river, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, encompasses 40 miles of the river and 70,000 acres along its shore, offering endless opportunities for rafting, climbing, hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing. Also in northwestern New Jersey is the scenic Skylands region, home to scenic mountains, picturesque lakes and rivers, and farm valleys. This area offers downhill and cross-country skiing in winter, as well as golfing, fishing, and hiking in summer.

History buffs will enjoy exploring New Jersey's past. Due to it's key location between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey was the location of many American Revolutionary battles. Today, visit the Morristown National Historic Park, and see where George Washington and the Continental Army encamped two winters during the war. Another don't miss is the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, which spawned the motion picture camera, improvements in phonograph recordings, and electric storage batteries.

Related Resources:

• New Jersey State Parks
• New Jersey Travel and Tourism