Frightfest returning to Six Flags Great Adventure

Jackson, NJ – Fright Fest at Great Adventure is New Jersey’s most popular Halloween spectacle and it all happens each October, right here in Jackson.     Each weekend tens of thousands of people from the tri-state area and beyond descend upon Jackson to take in the the thrill and chills of Fright Fest.    For our family, Halloween is not a day, it’s a season that runs through the entire month of October, it’s a time when kids can be kids and dress up in costumes and be whoever they want to be without having to worry about getting strange looks at the supermarket.

For some kids, frightfest can be downright scary, so Six Flags hands out ghoul repelling whistles that th children can blow to frighten off the evil spirits.   The best part about Fright Fest compared to other homegrown scare adventures is that the staff is great and understand that children are children and don’t need to be frightened to death.  They mostly linger about the moms, dads and teenagers and are typically very friendly and courteous creatures of the night when it comes to the wee ones.  

Beyond the freaks roaming the park (no not the city folks), there’s lots to do and see during Fright Fest, perhaps more than you can pack into a single day.

There’s many exciting activities and shows each year at Fright Fest, but the single most popular performance is Dead Man’s Party, a theatrical stage presentation backed by rock themed ghastly songs on the stage at the Big Wheel.   Dead Man’s Party has in recent years become a cult favorite.    Just a few years ago, DMP would attract a few hundred spectators, but in 2008, crowds of thousands packed the makeshift courtyard elbow to elbow and the show has turned into a concert.   People travel from all over the tri-state area just to see DMP and the cast has built quite a following in recent years.

For the kids they usually have a Looney Toons show at the lakeside theater,  but most kids actually love DMP just as much, if not more.    

There’s haunted trails, some rides get themed makeovers and you can’t miss Professor Slithers in the main courtyard.   It is by far.. hands down the best show for young children during Fright Fest.

Each year at GoKidsNJ, we have complete Fright Fest coverage and this year, that coverage will come to JacksonNJOnline as well.   So if you’re a Fright Fest junkie like we are, check back often for the latest updates, photos, videos and reports from Fright Fest at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson.   You can also check the GoKidsNJ YouTube channel GKNJ for more Fright Fest Videos.

Six Flags Great Adventure   Check out the Fright Fest Ticket Promotions! Jackson Township is home to Six Flags Great Adventure.Visit Jackson and get Discount Six Flags Season Passes.   More Fun.  More Flags.

Best Places For Kids in NJ: Cape May Dolphin and Whale Watching

Wildwood, NJ – There are many options for whale and dolphin watching cruises at the southern tip of New Jersey, but the best choice for kids is the Atlantic Star, a 170 seat boat owned by JJC Boats in Cape May, New Jersey.   While the  Spirit of Cape May, the more popular of the whale watchers, offers the same dolphins, whales and dinner cruises as the Atlantic Star, the Atlantic Star is a smaller and more personal and close quarters experience that also includes a tour of Cape May’s backwater channels and bays.

The Atlantic Star offers several trips each day, starting with a morning educational trip that takes children and students out into the Atlantic Ocean for a first hand scientific glimpse at our local dolphin  population.   The morning tour is an educational experience that is suitable for schools and marine sciences groups.  The morning tour usually a two hour tour which focuses only on dolphins.  The tour also includes snacks and drinks for the children.

In the afternoon, get ready to sail on a three hour tour on the Atlantic Star’s lunch cruise which is a guided tour led by a Marine Biologist on a quest to show the kids dolphins, whales and birds that call New Jersey home each summer.  Snacks, beverages and hot dogs are available for purchase in the galley on the ‘lunch’ tour.

The best time to take a tour on the Atlantic Star is on their sunset buffet cruise which is a combination dinner cruise, whale and dolphin excursion and sightseeing tour of Cape May’s backwaters.   The cruise starts out with a slow trek out to the Atlantic Ocean through Wildwood’s Sunset Lake and Jarvis Sound and past the U.S. Coast Guard station and finally through the Cape May Inlet before reaching the open sea.

Once out on the open sea, the Atlantic Star uses state of the art technology to track dolphins and whales, but unfortunately cannot guarantee a sighting with our elusive whale population.   The sights on the tour are amazing as the trip continues south towards Cape May, the Cape May Lighthouse and past the mysterious hulk of the S.S. Altantus.  The S.S. Atlantus was a concrete ship built in 1918 for the United States Navy just after World War I.  While the Atlantus never saw wartime service, it made several cross Atlantic voyages to return U.S. troops home from Europe.  It was later decomissioned and sold to a private investor who had hoped to use the Atlantus as ferry dock to connect Cape May to neighboring Delware, but the ship ran aground off the coast of Cape May during a storm.   Unable to dislodge the ship, it was abandoned and is still visible from the shore and from ocean as the hull of the ship protrudes several feet out of the water.

Another great site along the way is St. Mary’s by The Sea,  a Catholic convent and restored Victorian era hotel that was once known as the Shoreham Hotel but served as a convent for most of its 119 year history.   The hotel was purchased in 1909 by the Sisters of St. Joseph as a summer retreat.   This beautiful building has been under constant attack by mother nature as the sisters have fought against an encroaching shoreline for over 50 years.   Luckily, their prayer power and faith has kept the raging Atlantic Ocean away from their New Jersey treasure.

One of the great perks about taking a trip on the Atlantic Star is the chance for youngsters to actually pilot the ship, depending on the weather and seas of course.   On our trip, all the children were able to steer the ship for a few minutes while the captain gave them quick on the job training on being a ship captain.    Amazingly, the children actually did steer the ship as it was not on auto pilot and they always do a magnificent job at the helm according to the captain.

After working its way around the southern tip of New Jersey and past the Cape May Lighthouse, the ship sets course  around to the quieter side of the Cape May peninsula and into the calmer waters of the Delaware bay.   With the Cape May Lighthouse always in view at some point, dinner is now served.   Don’t expect great things from your dinner as it’s usually catered buffet food from one of Wildwood’s great restaurants served on paper plates with plastic knives.   If you are expecting fine dining, perhaps this wouldn’t be the tour for you.    It’s a fun experience for the children to sit in the galley of a ship eating dinner as the waves move them back and forth.

From the Delaware Bay, the ship heads back inland through the Cape May Canal past the Cape May – Lewes ferry terminal which connects New Jersey to Delaware via a fleet of always running ferries.   There is a chance to have an encounter with a ferry which the children always enjoys as the ship captains blow their horns at each other.

For the remainder of the trip, it’s a quiet venture through the quiet, scenic and  marshy waterways on the west side of Cape May and Wildwood.   This part of the trip provides families with many unique scenic and sunset photo opportunities as the ship meanders through lagoons and channels back to its home port in Wildwood.

Overall the dinner cruise is a combined experience that starts with natural encounters with dolphins and whales, then through the history of Cape May and ends with an eco tour through the backwaters, home to many species of shore birds.   For many children, the best part of the experience will probably be getting behind the wheel of the boat and blowing the horn, they also will enjoy the scenic beauties that surround them.   The staff does a great job to keep the children interested and it’s an all around great family excursion if you’re vacationing in the Wildwood and Cape May region.

The 100 Best things To Do in New Jersey with young children

GoKidsNJ – We have been doing GoKidsNJ for five years now and along the way have been to all corners of New Jersey and admittedly, we have still not seen all there is to see.  Over the next year, we will begin working on our first book “100 Best Places in New Jersey for Children”.   Work began on the project in January, but we are looking for more great family friendly activities.

If you feel your business, park, theater, museum or location is deserving to be in the 100 best places, please call us at 732-833-2365 and let us know about you.   Whether or not you make the published guide, your business will be featured on GoKidsNJ, including photographs and videos on our YouTube video channel.

To participate, you must call us and schedule a visit, provide 4 passes to your establishment for our writer, photographer and 2 children which will attend, as we judge destinations partly on child feedback and since they are the customer, they will have input on the process.

So call us today as scheduling will be conducted on a first come first serve basis in July and August this summer.

email: pstilton@stiltonco.com

address:  GoKidsNJ
6 Kennedy Court
Jackson, NJ 08527

732-833-2365

NJ Day Trip: Popcorn Park Zoo and Rescue Sanctuary

If you’re looking for a place to bring toddlers and younger children and don’t feel like traveling to the Bronx, Cape May or Philadelphia?  Try the Popcorn Park Zoo and Sanctuary run by the Associated Humane Societies.  This small zoo in New Jersey’s Pinelands was started in 1977 as an animal sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals.   They eventually began taking in exploited farm animals and exotic wildlife and now house the largest collection of animals in Ocean County.

The zoo is home to over 200 rescued animals which range from roosters to bengal tigers.  As you enter the park, you can purchase a box of popcorn which you can feed to all of the animals.  Many of the domestic animals such as the pigs, goats, sheep and horses eagerly await handouts from parkgoers.   As you walk around the park, geese, ducks and squirrels have become so accustomed to human presence that they will usually eat out of your hands.

Some of the more exotic animals in the park include Bengali, a bengal tiger and his three bengal tiger friends, a black bear, african lions, wallabies and monkeys.  You can get close enough to all of the animals for some great picture taking and some great memories without the travel.

Farm animals at Popcorn Park Zoo include horses, cows, sheep, goats and rabbits.  The steer at the park is huge!  If you’ve never been up close and personal with a cow that is nearly eight feet tall, you’re in for a surprise. 

The best thing about Popcorn Park is that these are not show animals purchased for display like at most zoos, they are animals that have been rescued from many different situations in which they were abused, neglected or exploited.  The folks at the Associated Humane Society are offering these animals a second chance at life and the money you spend goes directly towards benefiting and caring for these animals as well as the rescue and placement of future animals at the sanctuary.

Older children might be bored with the lack of “high end” exotics, but if your child has never been to a zoo, Popcorn Park Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary is a great place to break them in and makes for a great Jersey Shore day trip.

For more information visit: http://www.ahscares.org/default.asp

Jamaica: A Taste of the Island (Hunter Travel Guides) (Paperback)

This guide to the food of Jamaica includes restaurants, resorts and hotels, as well as recipes, gourmet food stores and mail order speciality outfits. It is part of a series written for the gourmet traveller and includes recipes for local dishes and cocktails.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Regional Delights Kingston The capital city of Kingston lies on the south shore, a metropolitan area of over 800,000 residents that’s visited primarily for business rather than pleasure. Within this sprawling metropolis, however, beats the true heart of Jamaica. Travelers interested in the culture and history that define this island nation must make time for a visit to Kingston, the largest English-speaking city south of Miami. Kingston is not an easy city to love. It’s big, brash, and boisterous. Crime is a major problem, one severe enough that some taxi drivers won’t even venture into the downtown region (more on that later). Life spills out fro (more…)

Japanese Travel Pack (Hugo) (Hardcover)

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

Quebec City (Ulysses Travel Guide Quebec City) (Paperback)

Here is the only guidebook available in English on romantic Québec City. This guide reveals everything about the magnificent architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and about Québec City’s finest restaurants, fabulous museums, lively festivals and exciting nightlife.

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Toronto (Ulysses Travel Guide Toronto) (Paperback)

From avant-garde to haute-couture, cafe culture to fine dining, Toronto has it all. Discover the very best places to go, to see, to do, be seen in, with this fully updated 4th edition of a bestselling guide. The best hotels, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs – to suit every budget Top twelve fours For walkers, cyclists, or by public transport Sights star-rated so you can spot “must-sees” at a glance Extensive list of shops, from malls to boutique 12 detailed maps to help customize your trip

About the Author
The Ulysses Travel Guide Editors have literally scores of years of experience in checking out venues and resorts, and a wealth of experience in writing about them. Travel better, enjoy more with Ulysses Guides.

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Spanish Travel Pack (Hugo Cassette Language Course) (Hardcover)

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

Hunter Travel Guides Bucks County & the Delaware River Valley: Alive! (Bucks County & the Delaware River Valley Alive) (Paperback)

Doylestown, Lambertville, Princeton, New Hope – this brand new Alive! Guide spans the region surrounding the Delaware River in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The area thrives with cooking schools run by master chefs, wineries and brewpubs, talented artist communities, antique stores, cinemas showing offbeat films, romantic inns and great restaurants. This guide unveils the treasures, as well as local adventures, from ballooning and mule-barging to shad-fishing. Index. Maps.

From the Publisher
Up-to-the-minute Alive Guides cover every aspect of travel in each exciting destination – places rarely covered by otherguidebooks! Alive Guides focus on hotels and restaurants, with descriptions based on repeat visits by well-traveled authors.Establishments are rated with the unique Alive rating system, so you can find one to suit your taste and pocketbook. Particularattention is given to shopping in the exotic regions, with details on local artists, cut-price de (more…)

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