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LIVE MUSIC · Downtown, Asbury Park

The Stone Pony

The temple. Summer Stage on Sundays.

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PARKS · Downtown, Jersey City

Liberty State Park

Skyline + Statue of Liberty views. Best sunset picnic in the metro.

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BEACHES · Pier Village, Long Branch

Sandy Hook

Federal-land beach with skyline views and a lighthouse.

PARKS · Branch Brook, Newark

Branch Brook Park

Four thousand cherry trees in April. The bloom is an event.

LIVE MUSIC · Downtown, Jersey City

White Eagle Hall

Restored 1910 hall turned indie-music venue. Best sightlines in JC.

BEACHES · The Beach, Cape May

Cape May Beach

Wide, clean, Victorian-lined. Family-beach gold standard.

ARCADES · Boardwalk, Asbury Park

Silverball Pinball Arcade

200+ pinball machines, beach-block. Heaven, basically.

LIVE MUSIC · Montclair Center, Montclair

Wellmont Theater

1920s playhouse turned mid-size concert venue. Acoustics hold up.

LIVE MUSIC · Broad Street, Red Bank

Count Basie Center for the Arts

Grand 1920s theater with perfect mid-size acoustics.

PARKS · Downtown, Trenton

Grounds for Sculpture

Forty-two acres of modern sculpture. Go slow.

MUSEUMS · Downtown, Jersey City

Liberty Science Center

Biggest planetarium in the western hemisphere.

BEACHES · Pier Village, Long Branch

LBI Beach (Barnegat Light)

Fishing, jetty walks, the least-crowded stretch on LBI.

LIVE MUSIC · Downtown, Hoboken

Maxwell's Tavern

Legendary indie venue. The room where Nirvana once played on a Tuesday.

THEATERS · Springfield Ave, Summit

Paper Mill Playhouse

Regional stage that launches shows straight to Broadway.

MUSEUMS · Downtown, Newark

Newark Museum of Art

Tibetan gallery alone is worth the trip.

THEATERS · Journal Square, Jersey City

Loew's Jersey Theatre

1929 movie palace saved by volunteers. Classic-film nights.

PARKS · Boardwalk, Atlantic City

Steel Pier

Ferris wheel over the Atlantic. Yes, the corn dogs are good.

LIVE MUSIC · Main Street, Freehold

PNC Bank Arts Center

Lawn-seats summer amphitheater. 60/40 at sunset.

BEACHES · Pier Village, Long Branch

Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park

Skate park + surf break. Young-adult Shore day.

COMEDY CLUBS · Downtown, New Brunswick

The Stress Factory

Working-circuit club with nationals most weekends.

LIVE MUSIC · Downtown, New Brunswick

Starland Ballroom

Mid-size standing-room venue. Loud rooms, tight curfews.

ARCADES · Broad Street, Red Bank

Yestercades

Flat cover charge, 100+ classic cabinets.

THEATERS · The Green, Morristown

Mayo Performing Arts Center

1937 art-deco room. Dance, comedy, national tours.

COMEDY CLUBS · Downtown, Westfield

Levity Live

Club-circuit room that pulls marquee tour stops.

MUSEUMS · Montclair Center, Montclair

Montclair Art Museum

Small collection, big curators. Friday evenings free.

BOWLING ALLEYS · Broad Street, Bloomfield

Bowlero

Black-light lanes, dusk-disco weekends, best group-outing bet.

MINI GOLF · Boardwalk, Wildwood

Barnacle Willy's Mini Golf

Pirate-themed course you played as a kid. Still rules.

COMEDY CLUBS · Downtown, Newark

Carolines at NJPAC

Proper stand-up room in Newark's arts quarter.

ARCADES · Boardwalk, Wildwood

Dockside Arcade

Skee-Ball with tickets that still mean something.

LIVE MUSIC · Downtown, Trenton

The Mill Hill Basement

Intimate subterranean room. Jazz sets you stumble into.

MINI GOLF · Downtown, Westfield

Bowcraft Mini Golf

Family-run since 1945.

BOWLING ALLEYS · Downtown, New Brunswick

Carolier Lanes

24-hour on Fridays. League-team-night perfection.

ESCAPE ROOMS · Springfield Ave, Summit

Mission Escape

Six rooms, rotating themes, genuinely hard.

MUSEUMS · Main Street, Madison

Museum of Early Trades & Crafts

Tiny, sharp museum housed in a Romanesque library.

BOWLING ALLEYS · Broad Street, Red Bank

Erie Lanes

Cosmic-bowl birthday-party staple.

ESCAPE ROOMS · Downtown, Jersey City

Clue Chase

Team-building-night staple. Book the Victorian room.