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Experience summer
With only nine weeks left to Labor Day, ideas for getting the most out of the season
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The Fourth of July is behind us, meaning summer is in full tilt.
Summertime is a chance to visit the beach, to tan, and to burn your hard-earned dollars buying things. Or maybe to make some memories with your family.
But summer goes by quickly. Blink and it will be September and you'll have spent the best weeks of the year doing the same old thing.
Here's a list of essential summer experiences, some of the things that make living in southern New Jersey so special.
Think of it as your summer to-do list, if the top of that list contains the command "Go have some fun."
E-mail Dan Good:
Lighthouses
You climb up a spiral flight of stairs ... you keep climbing, and climbing and climbing.
Two hundred steps later, your calves burn. Sweat pours down your face. Was it worth it? It is as soon as you look out onto the land and water. How beautiful! What a wonderful view.
And then you have to turn around and walk down the steps.
Area lighthouses are filled with lots of history, and lighthouse fanatics have several places to discover or re-discover.
Barnegat Lighthouse
Broadway Street and the Bay,
Barnegat Light
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
Cost: $1 for age 12 and older; free for children age 11 and younger.
Info: 609-494-2016 or www.state.nj.us/dep/parkand
forests/parks/barnlig.html
Absecon Lighthouse
31 S. Rhode Island Ave., Atlantic City
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Cost: $7 for adults; $4 for children age 4 to 12; free for children age 3 and younger
Info: 609-449-1360 or
Cape May Lighthouse
Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: $7 for those older than 12; $3 for children ages 3 to 12
Info: 609-884-5404 or
Delsea Drive-In
Where: 2203 S. Delsea Dr., Vineland
Details: This is New Jersey's only drive-in theater, harkening back to the days of teenage shenanigans and bouts of puppy love. Drive-ins are a decaying piece of Americana, but it continues to survive in Vineland. Take the children for a family night - or leave them at home to appreciate an R-rated feature.
Hours: The box office opens 6 p.m., and movies are shown Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Cost: $8 for age 12 and older; $3 for children age 3 to 11; free for age 2 and younger
Info: 856-696-0011 or www.delseadrive-in.com
Lucy the Elephant
Where: 9200 Atlantic Ave., Margate
Details: Lucy the Elephant got a new paint job this summer. It was supposed to take two weeks - but with all the rain, it took five. It's a chance for Lucy the Elephant to look sharp for her 127th birthday celebration on July 18 and 19.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $6 for adults; $3 for children ages 2 to 11; free for children age 2 and younger.
Info: 609-823-6473 or www.lucytheelephant.org
Summer theater
The beach was brutal. Weather stinks. No good movies out, and even if there were, they wouldn't satisfy the desire you have for live performance. So you sit in a stuffy theater, watching a performance of Shakespeare of Neil Simon. This is off-off-off Broadway, but look closely and you'll see some very familiar faces.
Theatergoers have a number of options in southern New Jersey.
Cape May Stage
Where: The Robert Shackleton Playhouse, Bank and Lafayette streets
Schedule: "Say Goodnight Gracie," to July 18; "Social Security" July 22 to Aug. 29; "Visiting Mr. Green" Sept. 2 to 26.
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Cost: $35 for adults; $25 for seniors 62 and older; $12.50 for students.
Info: 609-884-1341 or www.capemaystage.com/contactus.html
Ocean City Theatre Company
Where: Hughes Performing Arts Center, Sixth Street and Atlantic Avenue
Schedule: "Hello Dolly!" Tuesday to Thursday, showtimes 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 2 and 8 p.m. Thursday; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" Aug. 18 to 20, showtimes 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.
Info: 609-525-9245 or www.ocnj.us
Surflight Theatre
Where: Engleside and Beach avenues, Beach Haven
Schedule: "Hairspray" Tuesday to July 26, "Little Shop of Horrors" July 28 to Aug. 16, "The Buddy Holly Story" Aug. 18 to Sept. 5.
Showtimes: 2 or 8 p.m., depending on the date.
Cost: $30 for adults, $20 for children 12 and younger.
Info: 609-492-9477 or www.surflight.org
East Lynne Theatre Company
Where: The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May
Schedule: "Alice on the Edge" to July 25, "The Ransom of Red Chief" July 29 to Sept. 5.
Showtime: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.
Cost: $28 general admission, $23 for seniors or disabled, and $13 for students. 12 and younger free.
Info: 609-884-5898 or www.eastlynnetheater.org
Cape May County Park and Zoo
Where: 707 N Route 9, Cape May Court House
Details: The ultimate in free entertainment, the Cape May County Park and Zoo gives families and animal enthusiasts a chance to see some of the world's most exciting animals. Lions. Tigers. Zebras. You can feed the goats, and the peacocks like to show off their colorful feathers. Last week, the zoo relocated Rocky the Siberian tiger to a new exhibit with a pool, waterfall and landscaping. The zoo also cares for 13 flamingos from singer Michael Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch.
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily.
Cost: Free. Donations accepted
Info: 609-465-5271 or
Amusement parks
If you like extreme rides, roller coasters, boardwalk locale and beach visuals, this is your realm. Extreme rides toss you in the sky. Roller coasters twist you down a track. The children enjoy the ferris wheel, the mouse ride ... well, they pretty much enjoy everything.
Morey's Piers
Where: 3501 Boardwalk, Wildwood
Hours: Noon to 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to midnight Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday. Hours for specific parks vary.
Cost: 85 cents for single tickets, $50 for 36 tickets (Morez Card), $100 for 170 tickets (Super Duper Value Package), $150 for 275 tickets (Family Super Value Package) $150.
Info: 609-522-3900 or www.moreyspiers.com
Steel Pier
Where: 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City
Hours: 3 p.m. to midnight Monday to Friday, noon to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: 75 cents for single tickets, $25 for 35-ticket book, $50 for 80-ticket book, $100 for 200-ticket book
Info: 609-345-4893 or www.steelpier.com
Playland's Castaway Cove
Where: 1020 Boardwalk, Ocean City
Hours: 1 to 11 p.m. daily.
Cost: $1 single tickets, $30 for 44 tickets, $45 for 70 tickets, $60 for 95 tickets, $120 for 210 tickets
Info: 609-399-4751 or
Gillian's Wonderland Pier
Where: East 6th Street and Boardwalk, Ocean City
Hours: Noon to 11:30 p.m. daily.
Cost: $1 for single tickets, $20 for 30 tickets, $50 for 75 tickets, $100 for 160 tickets
Info: 609-399-7082 or www.gillians.com
Fantasy Island Amusement Park
Where: 320 Seventh St., Beach Haven
Hours: 6 p.m. to close, normally between 11 and 12 p.m. daily. The park opens at 2 p.m. Fridays.
Cost: 75 cents for single-ride tokens, $15 for 20-token roll, $30 for 40-token roll
Info: 609-492-4000 or
Storybook Land
Where: 6415 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township
Details: A southern New Jersey staple for more than 50 summers, Storybook Land is the ideal family amusement park destination. The Egg Harbor Township park pulls inspiration from some of the classic fairy tales of yesteryear. Park highlights include Bubbles the Coaster, where bubbles actually shoot out as you go over the first hill. It's an exciting ride that's not too scary for younger riders. The Storybook Seaport is one of the newer additions, a cool-down area on the hottest summer days.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sundays.
Cost: $20.95, plus tax for each child or adult; free for children younger than 1.
Info: 609-641-7847 or
Kohr Bros. orange vanilla swirl ice cream cone
Ocean City and Wildwood Boardwalks
The kids are screaming, everything on this vacation costs more than you budgeted for, the sunburn on the back of your knees makes every step painful, and your flip-flop strap broke. No matter. Savor a cone of orange and vanilla serenity, and see your problems melt away for a few moments. Kohr Bros. stands dot the boardwalks in Ocean City and Wilwood.
Hours: Varied.
Cost: $3.50 for a small cone, $4.25 for a large.
Info: www.kohrbros.com
Fralinger's Taffy
Bally's Park Place, 1901 Boardwalk
Tennessee Avenue and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City
326 Washington Ave. in Cape May and 1100 Boardwalk, Ocean City.
You pull the ends of the taffy apart and the candy strings. You put a wad of it in your cheek and it slowly dissolves. It sticks to your cheek and crevices of your teeth, then you reach for another piece and unwrap its tasty goodness. A piece of Fralinger's taffy - or taffy from any other candy shop along the Boardwalk - is the perfect embodiment of southern New Jersey, and the perfect gift for friends and family back home.
Hours: 9 a.m. to midnight, weather permitting
Price: $6.99 for 1 pound of assorted taffy
Info: www.fralingers.com
Posted in LIFE on Sunday, July 5, 2009 6:00 am Updated: 6:35 am.
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