Cape May Lighthouse
On the southernmost tip of New Jersey between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean sits the Cape May Lighthouse located in Cape May Point State Park. It is over 157 ft tall and visitors can climb the 199 interior stairs to the top. This 1859 construction of the current Cape May Lighthouse was the third incarnation of the lighthouse. Constructed to withstand hurricane force winds, the lighthouse consists of two layers. The cone-shaped outer layer is nearly four feet thick at the bottom and one and a half feet thick at the top. The inner cylindrical core that supports the cast iron spiral staircase is over eight inches thick.
Automated in the late 1930s when the last lighthouse keeper retired, the beacon is operated by the United States Coast Guard, and still acts as a navigational tool for ocean vessels. The Cape May Lighthouse beacon can be seen 24 miles out on the ocean. Its flash pattern, like its color scheme, is unique to this lighthouse so that it can be identified from a distance. In 1941, the light went out for nearly four years when the Atlantic Coast was on blackout during World War II.
In the 1980s, a program between the Coast Guard and the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) allowed the Coast Guard to lease the lighthouse to a group willing to renovate. Restoration of the lighthouse, which included safety improvements, was completed and the Cape May Lighthouse was open to visitors in 1988 after 50 years of closure. From the top, visitors get a view of the sea, bay and the land that is breathtaking.
The Oil House is equipped as a visitor information center. The Museum Shop is filled with maritime memorabilia and goods. The adjacent Cape May Point State Park offered educational programs at the Education Center. Two miles away, the town of Cape May is a popular New Jersey attraction. Visitors like to discover the Victorian heritage of the area. Another MAC project, the Emlen Physick Estate, an 1879 mansion is a popular attraction. Events such as Victorian Week in October and Christmas Candlelight House Tours in December have turned this summer destination into a year round destination.
The Cape May Lighthouse is open from April through November, and on weekends during the rest of the year. The lighthouse may be closed on major holidays. Tours are self-guided.
Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari
The Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari is an action-packed, thrill-a-minute amusement park in eastern New Jersey. Over 100 rides, three children’s sections, a water park, and a drive-through safari are all part of the fun. One of New Jersey’s top tourist attractions, Six Flags Great Adventure is located in Jackson, New Jersey, between Philadelphia and New York City.
With a host of classic roller coasters, Six Flags’ New Jersey park features its newest coasters. El Toro, at 188 feet tall, has a world-record breaking drop for a wooden coaster - 76-degrees. King da Ka is the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, speeding upwards of 128 miles per hour from an astounding 456 feet. The facedown coaster, Superman Ultimate Flight, features high-banked curves, spirals, and inverted loops. Floorless or inverted coasters? Six Flags Great Adventure has them. If those aren’t thrilling enough try the Stuntman’s Freefall, the erUption (a launcher with rotating seats), or the upside down spinning gondolas of the Spinmeister. The ever-popular water rides include a 60-foot waterfall plunge, a white-water rafting trip on rapids, or the universal favorite log ride.
For children, the Balin's Jungleland section contains a massive play structure that is over three stories tall with platforms, bridges, tunnels, nets, and more. The Bugs Bunny National Park section is home to kid-sized rides and a wooden roller coaster.
Adjacent to Six Flags Great Adventure is the tropical Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, with speed slides, a wave pool, and rivers. If a drive-through safari is your thing, Six Flags Wild Safari's 350-acre zoo is home to over 1,200 animals from over the world, including elephants, giraffe, monkeys, rhinos, and the endangered Bengal and Siberian tigers. Live entertainment, concerts and other special events are featured throughout the year at the parks.
Six Flag’s Great Adventure and Wild Safari is open daily through the summer vacation months, on weekends in the adjacent warmer months, and is closed in the winter.
Liberty Science Center
Liberty Science Center is the leading scientific and technological establishment in the New Jersey/New York area designed to educate using interactive discovery adventures and tools. The educational outreach programs are used to spark imagination and creativity, teaching science while making it fun for people of all ages. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Liberty Science Center is New Jersey’s most popular museum and one of the state’s top attractions.
Since its inception in 1993, the center has attracted nearly a million visitors a year. Undergoing rapid growth, the Liberty Science Center’s expanded facilities are vital to meet the demand for more exhibits and learning opportunities.
The purpose of the Center for Science Learning and Teaching is to immerse visitors into the scientific experience using high-tech tools in classrooms, laboratories, a theater, and in an open forum. This is designed to be more like a scientific research facility rather than a typical classroom One to five day programs may be offered, as well as after-school programs and camps.
The expanded facility will introduce new exhibits in the Liberty Science Center collection. Some of this exhibits include, “Skyscraper! Achievement and Impact”, which explores the science and technology of the structures. Topics address how environments are created and affected by tall buildings. The “Communication” exhibit observes the use of written, spoken, electronic, and symbolic communication and how it is used to knit together a culture. “Eat and Be Eaten” is a fun exhibit that reveals the predator/prey relationships and how some creatures avoid being prey by camouflage and disguise, toxic chemicals, or by being nocturnal. “Built for the Kill” shows how predators detect, capture, and consume prey. “Cheating Death” illustrates how some species adapt to prevent capture once detected. Other exhibits will explore infections and the Hudson River.
The Liberty Science Center is open daily and may be closed on major holidays.