NJ Camping Info: Gateway Region Attractions

Live with action, the Gateway Region has everything for your perfect vacation. Start with historic sites. You'll discover a pre-Revolution house that's now the home of Indian artifacts and colonial toys.. During the Revolution, Washington's troops marched through the Gateway area, and you can follow their footsteps down the road to independence as you wander through towns filled with museums.

Visit Thomas A. Edison's home and laboratories, where you will see some of his greatest inventions. Stop by a museum solely dedicated to the history of flight. Known as one of the cultural capitals of the United States, the Gateway is the home of people from all over the world, whose cultures mingle to produce a rich fabric of life. Here, you'll find theater, dance and the best in classical music.
In a region full of natural beauty, you'll see the jagged cliffs of the Palisades looming 530 feet above the Hudson River. Enjoy the Great Falls of Paterson, where the roar of the water plunging 70 feet into its stone chasm can be heard several city blocks away.

Diversity characterizes the many playtime activities you'll find in the Gateway, plus you are minutes away from New York City. It also houses the Meadowland Complex with its colorful tapestry of sports and entertainment. Restaurants of all types for all tastes, extensive shopping centers with the best of everything, and activities for children of all ages round out a vivid, exciting region. This is truly a gateway to many vacation alternatives. That's who, when people experience all the Gateway has to offer, they keep coming back for more.

Check it out:

Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of NJ Teterboro Airport, off Routes 17 & 46. Dedicated solely to the history of flights, this museum is filled with historic photographs, exhibits and aeronautical memorabilia. (201) 288-6344.

Bayonne Fire Department Museum 10 West 47th Street, Bayonne. Memorabilia relating to more than a century of firefighting. (201) 858-6199.

Bergen Museum of Art & Science Ridgewood & Fairview Ave., Paramus. Hackensack Mastodon skeleton. Children's Discovery room, Nature room, Lenape Indian exhibit, Science wing. (201) 968-1001.

Circle Line Cruises Circle Line, Pier 81, W. 42nd St. at the Hudson River, New York, NY 10036. Erie-Lackawanna Plaza Cove, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Fort Lee Historic Park Hudson Terrace, Ft. Lee. Reconstructed gun batteries and Revolutionary War Museums overlooking Hudson River with New York skyline view. (201) 461-1776.

Great Falls/National Historic Landmark District 65 McBride Ave., Ext. Paterson, NJ 07501-1715, (973) 279-9587. Visitor Center gives tours and information about America¹s first planned industrial city (1791), conceived by Alexander Hamilton and made famous by William Carlos Williams. It embodies almost 200 years of industrial history.

Hamilton Park Boulevard East, 07087 (201)319-6061. Spectacular view of Manhattan on the Palisades. Commemorates the Burr-Hamilton Duel.

Lambert Castle Garret Mountain Reservation, Valley Road, Paterson. Stone castle housing 5,400 piece spoon collection, period furniture and library. (973) 881-2761.

Liberty Science Center Liberty State Park, 21 Phillip St., Jersey City, 07305. Hands-on science museum, orld's largest OMNIMAX Theater. The center includes exhibits on invention and echnology, environment, health, 80-foot high tornado, living saltmarsh, laser light show, touch tunnel, illusion labyrinth, science theater. School groups welcome, ours available. (201) 200-1000.

Liberty State Park/Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island Jersey City on the Hudson River waterfront. Ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from April through December. (NJ Turnpike, exit 14 B). (201) 915-3400.

Meadowlands Sports Complex Giants Stadium Arena and Racetrack. Events all year. (201) 935-8500

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament 149 Polito Ave., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, (201) 933-2220, 1-800-828-2945. Dinner & jousting tournament show featuring over 200 costumed staff, knights of the realm, equestrian display, pageantry, swordsmanship. Four course meal with show.

New York City The Gateway Region is the ideal location to begin your sightseeing trip to New York City. Convenient transportation is available via bus or subway (Path) from many locations in the region. See all New York has to offer including, Empire State Building, USS Intrepid Memorial, live Broadway plays, Greenwich Village, famous museums and more.

NJ Botanical Gardens at Skylands Manor Morris Road, Ringwood, 07456. 96 acres of rock gardens, annual garden and natural areas. (973) 962-7527

NJ Naval Museum Court and River St., Hackensack, 07601. Houses the WW II submarine, U.S.S. Ling, guided tours. (201) 342-3268.

Paper Mill Playhouse Brookside Drive, Millburn, 07041. New Jersey's official state theater. Equity company housed in a handsome new building that replaced the 1790 red brick paper mill destroyed by fire in 1980. Six productions annually. (973) 376-4343.

Spirit of New Jersey Scenic cruises around Manhattan and Statue of Liberty. Corporate and private parties. Brunch, lunch & dinner sightseeing cruises sailing from Port Imperial, Ferry Terminal Weehawken, NJ (866)211-3805

The New Jersey Children's Museum 599 Industrial Ave., Paramus, NJ 07652, (201) 262-5151. Interactive museums for children under 8 and their parents with 40 "hands-on" exhibits including a real fire engine, helicopter, magnets, computers and more.

Thomas Edison National Historic Site Main & Lakeside Ave., West Orange. National Historic home of Thomas Edison and his laboratories. (Closed Monday & Tuesday). (973) 736-0550.

Trailside Nature and Science Center Watchung Reservation, New Providence. Natural history museum, planetarium, visitors center. The reservation also contains riding stables, picnic groves, ball fields and fishing streams.

Turtle Back Zoo 560 Northfield Ave., West Orange. Over 650 animals and birds, pony rides, petting zoo and train ride. (973) 731-5800