what to do in newark
Jul 5th, 2006, 09:53 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
what to do in newark
what would you do in newark for a day and a half? All day on a Saturday and half day on Sunday. New York? Statue of Liberty? beach? Needs to be kid friendly and we are staying at newark airport. We have never been to New York, but don't know how much we can see in such a limited time. Suggestions grateful.
Jul 6th, 2006, 02:09 AM
#3
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If its a day to be indoors, check out the Liberty Science Center, right in Jersey City.
It is an amazing, hands-on science center that would keep the kids (and adults) entertained and amused for a few hours.
It is an amazing, hands-on science center that would keep the kids (and adults) entertained and amused for a few hours.
Jul 6th, 2006, 04:27 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,720
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you've never been to New York, by all means spend a day there. See the Statue of Liberty, the Museum of Natural History, the planetarium, the Empire State, etc,etc. There's only one New York, and to bee so close and not see it would be a shame.However, if it's a really hot day and the kids want to go to a beach instead, rent a car and drive down to Pt. Pleasant, about an hour from Newark. Nice beach, exciting boardwalk with rides and games. I wouldn't spend the day in Newark.
Jul 6th, 2006, 05:30 AM
#6
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Recommend taking the NJ transit or Path train into Manhattan...go check out statue of liberty of just take the free staten island ferry. Can't get off to see the statue but it's a lovely boat ride around, great views of the statue and New York. Go up empire state if you wnat though takes forever (from what i hear)...it's right next penn station (if you take NJ Transit in).
Jul 6th, 2006, 06:40 AM
#8
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Take the Path train and spend a day in Manhattan.
As for the remaining half-day, go to the Ironbound District in Newark, around the Ferry Street area, and experience the Portuguese/Spanish communities with their stores, bars and restaurants. Have lunch in one of the nice Portuguese restaurant and experience some of that "old country" feel.
As for the remaining half-day, go to the Ironbound District in Newark, around the Ferry Street area, and experience the Portuguese/Spanish communities with their stores, bars and restaurants. Have lunch in one of the nice Portuguese restaurant and experience some of that "old country" feel.
Jul 18th, 2006, 02:51 AM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You don't say when your trip is, or how old your kids are. In any case, I would suggest you let the weather be a guide. If it is really hot, you might want to consider the beach and/or some of the alternatives mentioned below, as trekking through NYC on a blistering hot day may not be a whole lot of fun, especially with kids. If it is raining, then there are like a zillion museums in NYC and also unless it is pouring rain you can still sightsee very easily in NYC as except for views from the Empire State building, most things are seen up-close. Shopping and restaurants are non weather-specific either.
FYI if you have never been to Newark or Newark Airport, the airport is, a s you can imagine, not in the city, but the good news is that is it in the middle of several major highways which means you can get to Jersey City (more below) or the shore easily from there. Unless you are staying at the Marriott which is actually AT the airport, you will be at one of the hotels along a highway strip near the airport and I assume you will have a car because otherwise you will be hotel-bound, as you cannot walk to anything and there is in fact nothing in the neighborhood as there is no neighborhood, it is other hotels and highways. There are no restaurants or shops at all.
1. Beach – as mentioned above, the Jersey shore is quite close, you can reach some very nice beaches in less than an hour. One caveat to this is that you are there on a Saturday and Sunday and you will have some traffic going down on a Saturday morning if you get a very nice day, so it could take longer. Traffic tends to spread out returning back in the evening so is not as much as a problem. I would leave as early as you can get your kids moving. Point Pleasant beach, mentioned above, has a place which has a big beach and a nice boardwalk with rides, games, cotton candy and the whole Jersey Shore experience. The area is called Jeniknson's, take a look at http://www.jenkinsons.com. Other towns which are less crowded, a little bit quieter and maybe nicer would be Spring Lake, Avon-By-the-Sea or Bayhead. Belmar is pretty nice too. Other than Point Pleasant, none of this has a board walk with rides, but Spring Lake and Belmar have long boardwalks for strolling and restaurants along the street. You have to buy a day beach badge for any of these beaches, you can buy them at beach entrances (other than in Bay Head where you have to buy them in town), they range from about $8 in Spring Lake to $6 in Belmar. Children are usually free, some beaches count children as under 12, some under 14 (Jenkinson's says under 5, but then they only charge $2 for kids). Some towns have free parking, some metered.
The website for Bay Head is bayhead.org, for Spring Lake is springlake.org, for Avon go to http://www.avon-by-the-sea.com, for
For links to other town websites go to www.state.nj.us/localgov.htm
2. Manhattan Cruise – on a nice day, this is a great way to see Manhattan, either as an introduction to the island, the end of a day trip, at sunset, at night or at the end of a day trip. If you have a car, you can drive to Jersey City and park for free in the cruise line's lot, and take boats from there, as NY Waterway runs boats. You can also use NY Waterway to get to and from Manhattan for a day trip, which is a lot of fun and would be easer, IMO than taking the train or the PATH (which is a sort of subway or light rail), esp on a weekend when trains are less frequent. You can take boats to downtown (the World Trade Center) or mid-town. You can take boats from there to the Statue of Liberty. All in all, using NY Waterway is a great way to get around, IMO. For info on NY Waterway and the trips they offer, go to --. You could drive to Jersey City from the Newark Airport area in about 10-15 minutes, would be no traffic on a weekend. You can get directions from the NY Waterway website, and your hotel can direct you to the NJ Turnpike (where you need to start).
3. Liberty State Park – this is in Jersey City, so again if you have a car, would be drivable. Go to – for info. You can canoe and kayak, lots of fun stuff to do. Could be a little jammed on a nice weekend.
4. Ironbound – with all due respect to the Ironbound (I went to law school in Newark and know the great Portuguese restaurants which I continue to visit with colleagues at Newark law firms when back in the US), most of Newark is to say the least, insalubrious. While the Ironbound itself is relatively safe, the city of Newark has one of the highest crime rates in the US. I don't think it is a place for a first-time visitor to go unaccompanied by someone who knows the area, how to get there, where to park, etc. It would be like going to restaurants near Cabrini-Green in Chicago; while there may be some perfectly fine neighborhoods, boy you have to go through some not-so-good ones to get there. It is also relatively treeless and concrete and on a hot summer's day would not be any where on my top ten list of places to go. (The "ironbound" refers to the fact that it is bound on all sides by railroad yards, railroad lines, etc.)
Please also check http://www.meadowlands.com/ to see if there is a ballgame concert or other event going on in the Meadowlands in NJ which you might want to attend on Saturday night. That would be a very close drive from Newark Airport, less than 20 minutes.
Please also check whatsonwhen.com or a similar site to see what may be going on in NYC that weekend which you might want to attend, like a fair, sporting event, concert etc.
For what to see and do in NYC itself, please look at the Destinations guide on this site or get a guidebook (even an old one from a library would be helpful). There are so many things to see and do. Also, without knowing your kids ages and interests, it is hard to make specific reccos. If you want more concrete suggestions for things to do in NYC, please tell us how many kids you have, their ages, and their interests.
FYI if you have never been to Newark or Newark Airport, the airport is, a s you can imagine, not in the city, but the good news is that is it in the middle of several major highways which means you can get to Jersey City (more below) or the shore easily from there. Unless you are staying at the Marriott which is actually AT the airport, you will be at one of the hotels along a highway strip near the airport and I assume you will have a car because otherwise you will be hotel-bound, as you cannot walk to anything and there is in fact nothing in the neighborhood as there is no neighborhood, it is other hotels and highways. There are no restaurants or shops at all.
1. Beach – as mentioned above, the Jersey shore is quite close, you can reach some very nice beaches in less than an hour. One caveat to this is that you are there on a Saturday and Sunday and you will have some traffic going down on a Saturday morning if you get a very nice day, so it could take longer. Traffic tends to spread out returning back in the evening so is not as much as a problem. I would leave as early as you can get your kids moving. Point Pleasant beach, mentioned above, has a place which has a big beach and a nice boardwalk with rides, games, cotton candy and the whole Jersey Shore experience. The area is called Jeniknson's, take a look at http://www.jenkinsons.com. Other towns which are less crowded, a little bit quieter and maybe nicer would be Spring Lake, Avon-By-the-Sea or Bayhead. Belmar is pretty nice too. Other than Point Pleasant, none of this has a board walk with rides, but Spring Lake and Belmar have long boardwalks for strolling and restaurants along the street. You have to buy a day beach badge for any of these beaches, you can buy them at beach entrances (other than in Bay Head where you have to buy them in town), they range from about $8 in Spring Lake to $6 in Belmar. Children are usually free, some beaches count children as under 12, some under 14 (Jenkinson's says under 5, but then they only charge $2 for kids). Some towns have free parking, some metered.
The website for Bay Head is bayhead.org, for Spring Lake is springlake.org, for Avon go to http://www.avon-by-the-sea.com, for
For links to other town websites go to www.state.nj.us/localgov.htm
2. Manhattan Cruise – on a nice day, this is a great way to see Manhattan, either as an introduction to the island, the end of a day trip, at sunset, at night or at the end of a day trip. If you have a car, you can drive to Jersey City and park for free in the cruise line's lot, and take boats from there, as NY Waterway runs boats. You can also use NY Waterway to get to and from Manhattan for a day trip, which is a lot of fun and would be easer, IMO than taking the train or the PATH (which is a sort of subway or light rail), esp on a weekend when trains are less frequent. You can take boats to downtown (the World Trade Center) or mid-town. You can take boats from there to the Statue of Liberty. All in all, using NY Waterway is a great way to get around, IMO. For info on NY Waterway and the trips they offer, go to --. You could drive to Jersey City from the Newark Airport area in about 10-15 minutes, would be no traffic on a weekend. You can get directions from the NY Waterway website, and your hotel can direct you to the NJ Turnpike (where you need to start).
3. Liberty State Park – this is in Jersey City, so again if you have a car, would be drivable. Go to – for info. You can canoe and kayak, lots of fun stuff to do. Could be a little jammed on a nice weekend.
4. Ironbound – with all due respect to the Ironbound (I went to law school in Newark and know the great Portuguese restaurants which I continue to visit with colleagues at Newark law firms when back in the US), most of Newark is to say the least, insalubrious. While the Ironbound itself is relatively safe, the city of Newark has one of the highest crime rates in the US. I don't think it is a place for a first-time visitor to go unaccompanied by someone who knows the area, how to get there, where to park, etc. It would be like going to restaurants near Cabrini-Green in Chicago; while there may be some perfectly fine neighborhoods, boy you have to go through some not-so-good ones to get there. It is also relatively treeless and concrete and on a hot summer's day would not be any where on my top ten list of places to go. (The "ironbound" refers to the fact that it is bound on all sides by railroad yards, railroad lines, etc.)
Please also check http://www.meadowlands.com/ to see if there is a ballgame concert or other event going on in the Meadowlands in NJ which you might want to attend on Saturday night. That would be a very close drive from Newark Airport, less than 20 minutes.
Please also check whatsonwhen.com or a similar site to see what may be going on in NYC that weekend which you might want to attend, like a fair, sporting event, concert etc.
For what to see and do in NYC itself, please look at the Destinations guide on this site or get a guidebook (even an old one from a library would be helpful). There are so many things to see and do. Also, without knowing your kids ages and interests, it is hard to make specific reccos. If you want more concrete suggestions for things to do in NYC, please tell us how many kids you have, their ages, and their interests.
Aug 15th, 2006, 11:24 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Website for the ferry is www.nywaterway.com or call 1-800-53-FERRY.
Aug 16th, 2006, 04:18 PM
#13
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 499
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you decide not to venture into New York, Newark has a wonderful museum called -- surprise, surprise -- the Newark Museum. Art, antiquities, restored Victorian house, sculpture garden, planetarium, and kid friendly guides to the collections.
Take a look at the website:
http://www.newarkmuseum.org
Take a look at the website:
http://www.newarkmuseum.org
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
maria_so
United States
93
Dec 9th, 2009 01:31 PM
