For those who still want to go snow tubing, discounted snow tubing tickets can be purchased at: BeenThereDoneThatTrips.com

Time Mission and Activate are my favorite indoor destinations. They’re very similar attractions. Our family enjoyed Time Mission a bit more than Activate. However, Activate is located in the American Dream Mall and is closer to Lakewood. Time Mission is in the Palisades Mall. Activate has a 45-minute option, which is a few dollars cheaper than the 60-minute option at Time Mission. For those who don’t want to walk through a mall, Time Mission has an outdoor entrance not far from the attraction. (Use the Cheesecake Factory entrance, go up to the third floor, and it’s right across the hallway.)

 

 

 

 

Time Mission: Palisades Mall, West Nyack, NY

Our trip to Time Mission was an amazing family experience. From the young children to the adults, everyone enjoyed the challenge.

Time Mission is a social gaming experience where groups of 2–5 people (ages 6 and up) are given tasks to complete. There are 25+ portals, or rooms, with unique challenges to complete in a short time frame. Each portal challenges strength, brains, memory, or speed in a unique high-tech way, utilizing lights, sounds, and other effects. Every player receives a bracelet to scan before entering the room. The scanned bracelet keeps score. The goal is to earn 100 points in each portal by completing the task satisfactorily within the allotted time frame.

We especially enjoyed the portal where we needed to avoid certain colors on the floor while the colors kept moving. Another portal had buttons that light up throughout the room and need to be pressed when lit, and we threw balls at a wall with targets to earn points in another portal. There are so many enjoyable and detailed portals that it’s difficult to mention them all. We repeated the portals we especially enjoyed as well as the ones we weren’t very successful in completing—to see if we can do better the second time around.

Time Mission is an excellent destination for team building while having fun.

 

Address:

Palisades Center

3532 Palisades Center Drive Level 3

West Nyack, NY 10994

Phone Number:

(845) 328-4528

 

Hours:

Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.

Monday–Friday: 12:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

 

Price:

60 Minutes

Monday–Thursday: $29.99

Friday–Sunday: $32.99

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour 35 minutes

 

Website: timemission.com

 

 

 

Activate: American Dream, East Rutherford, NJ

With its fast pace, interactive games, high tech, and challenging tasks, Activate was an all-time favorite among our group. It’s not surprising that visitors keep returning to play the games again and again.

We arrived at Activate and checked in. We were each given an electronic wristband, which kept score for us during our visit. (Each time visitors return, they can access their previous scores from the electronic system and continue earning points.) The interactive technology in each room reacts in real time, keeping score of your successes.

Activate has a variety of rooms with designated challenges. Each room has a particular task or challenge for the players to work on in a short amount of time (up to five people can participate in a room at once). After choosing the room to experience, each player scans their wristband. Then the group reads the directions for the challenge of the room and chooses the level of difficulty and skill (each room has 10 levels to choose from). When it’s time to start the challenge, the group is given 1–3 minutes to complete the high-tech game as a group. The 45-minute time slots offer players a chance to try a variety of rooms or replay the same ones again. Playing the games as a group at Activate requires working together and fosters cooperation and teamwork.

The rooms offer high-tech games using numbers, colors, patterns, marksmanship, and brawn. The short time slots allotted for each game and the fast pace keeps adrenaline pumping and excitement pulsing as players move from room to room and then on to higher levels of the challenges they already completed.

It’s hard to grasp what makes Activate so much fun—trust me on this one and try it to find out.

 

Address:

1 American Dream Wy 156

East Rutherford, NJ 07073

Level 1 Space A

 

Phone Number:

201-636-7588

 

Hours:

10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

It’s advisable to reserve slots online. Last entrance is an hour before closing.

 

Price:

Monday–Thursday: $24.99 per person

Friday–Sunday (and holidays): $29.99

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour

Website: playactivate.com

 

 

Glassworks Studio: Morristown, NJ

Walking into Glassworks Studio is like walking into an alternate glass universe. Wherever you look, there are glass creations and samples. Even the bathroom is designed as an aquarium made of glass creations!

We visited Glassworks Studio (for the second time) one early afternoon recently. Being a regular weekday with most people at work or in school, it was nice and calm. During busier seasons and on weekends, it’s advisable to reserve a slot ahead of time. I was at Glassworks with my girls a number of years ago, and they still speak about how much they enjoyed it.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly staff. We were told to choose what we wanted to design. There’s an incredible number of options, including vases, bowls, trays, coasters, circle shapes, heart shapes, picture frames, and many types of specialty items to decorate. Once we chose what to decorate and gained inspiration from the many samples, we were seated with the materials, tools, and instructions. We were told that we can create our own design or trace one of the many pictures they have and use that as the guide.

Whatever you choose to create at Glassworks Studio, whether an abstract design or a picture, ends up looking professional after it’s fused. You don’t need to be an artist, and there’s no right or wrong.

We were shown how to cut the glass, and we were also able to choose from the plethora of cut pieces, all divided by color. We were given goggles for safety while cutting and glue to secure the glass pieces so they stay in place.

Glassworks Studio was purchased three years ago by Charlie and Sherri Schachter, who left their corporate jobs to share their passion for creating beautiful glass projects with the many visitors. As we were working, the helpful staff members kept asking if we needed assistance. They gave helpful suggestions when asked. The Studio is a calm oasis where creativity can blossom. There’s a separate party room for private events and parties.

Once we finished our glass designs, we left them there to be fused. Projects are ready a week later for pickup. For more distant cities, they offer the Carry it Forward program where they try to find someone from your town who visits at a later date to send your project home with.

We had such an amazing experience cutting the glass and creating our masterpieces. We can’t wait to use the plate and tray we designed.

 

Address:

151 South Street

Morristown, NJ

 

Phone Number:

973-656-0800

 

Hours:

Sunday: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Monday: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Tuesday–Wednesday: Closed (private events only)

Thursday 3:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. (BYOB night)

Friday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

 

Price:

Studio fee of $5 per person plus the project you choose

Prices start at $30 per item depending on what you choose to make.

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour 15 minutes

Website: umakeglass.com

 

 

Tac Ops: Princeton, NJ (additional locations in Fairfield and Florham Park)

Tac Ops isn’t your regular laser tag found at many amusement centers. Tac Ops is the real deal. Tac Ops Tactical Laser Tag games take place in a state-of-the-art 10,000 square foot arena and boast many realistic obstacles and scenes set up to make the game as realistic and immersive as possible. Many law enforcement officials train on Tac Ops courses due to the genuine feel of the course and the excellent equipment used for the games. Tac Ops has three locations in New Jersey, and each one has its own theme.

Princeton, the newest location’s battlefield, is called the Heights. It’s designed to look like a city rooftop.

During the 75-minute session, the players start a new game every six minutes, keeping each game exciting. Each game has a different objective. There’s the traditional Team Death Match where the objective is to hit the opposing team. The Elimination Game’s objective is to be the last one alive, and Capture the Flag is to get the other team’s flag. Domination and VIP are another two varieties of games played at Tac Ops.

Each time slot has up to 30 players. Unless you book all the slots or pay for a private event, other people can book at the same time and play the game with you. Although Tac Ops is professional and high tech, you don’t need to be experienced to enjoy the game. The difficulty level can be adjusted based on level and experience and can be enjoyed from age 7 and up.

 

Address:

4437 NJ-27, unit 1A

Princeton, NJ 08540

Phone Number:

862-753-5887

 

Hours:

Reservations are suggested. Call or book online.

 

Price:

Price starts at $25 for a 75-minute session

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour 20 minutes

 

Website: tacopslasertag.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty Science Center: Jersey City, NJ

The Liberty Science Center is even more exciting than I remember from when I was a kid. With four floors of exciting hands-on exhibits, guests of all ages are kept busy and fascinated for hours on end.

The museum is divided into sections, with exhibits that correlate to their themes. There’s a section on energy and another on the different species found in the Hudson River, including a touch tank where children learn about and can touch star fish, clams, and other species found locally. The Infection Connection area teaches all about infections and disease. The Touch Tunnel is a spooky and fun section where you see if you can leave the pitch-black tunnel just by feeling your way out.

The Infinity Climber is suspended 35 feet in the air and is lots of fun to climb through. The section showing live animals in their habitat is a bonus. The Skyscraper section teaches all you need to know about planning and constructing skyscrapers. Visitors can also try walking across a beam 18 feet above the ground. There are so many more exhibits; they’re too numerous to enumerate. Go visit and see for yourself.

 

Address:

Liberty State Park

222 Jersey City Boulevard

Jersey City, NJ 07305

Phone Number:

(201) 200-1000

 

Hours:

Hours vary by day. Check online or call for current hours.

 

Price:

Adult: $36. If purchased in advance online, it’s $31.

Adult: $31. If purchased in advance online, it’s $26.

3D Movies and Planetarium Show: $8 each

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour

 

Website: lsc.org

 

 

 

Crayola Factory: Easton, PA

It’s been a number of years since I’ve visited The Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania, although family and friends keep reporting how much their children enjoyed their visits.

Crayola boasts more than 20 exciting, hands-on attractions. There are projects to be made, crayons to be melted and reshaped, and Model Magic to be molded into your very own creation. The Water Works section offers kids the chance to be the captain of their own crayon boat through a working lock and canal system. There’s also an indoor playground. Our favorite part of the Crayola Experience was watching the demonstration of how crayons are made in real time.

The Crayola Factory keeps updating the stations and activities and offers an original experience to satisfy every age.

 

Address:

30 Centre Square

Easton, PA 18042

Phone Number:

(610) 515-8000

Hours:

Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Monday–Friday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour 40 minutes

Price (Age 3+):

$30.99 per person. Get $3 off per ticket when selecting a future date to visit online.

Admission is required for every guest entering the attraction. Kids 2 and under get in free. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Website: crayolaexperience.com

 

 

Catch Air: Paramus, NJ (multiple additional locations)

When my toddler had a day off from preschool, I wanted to do something special and age appropriate. I decided to visit Catch Air with a friend (for him and for me). It was an excellent choice. We visited the location in Paramus, which is quite far from Lakewood. The Jersey City location is a bit closer.

When walking into Catch Air, you feel like you’re in an underwater bubble of colorful fish in all shapes and sizes and many other water and nature designs.

There’s a tremendous soft play area with multiple slides between climbing areas, a zipline, trampolines, and a ball area with a multi-level climbing structure that has ball guns to use on the unsuspecting people below.

The baby area is a gated-in area with room for babies to crawl around; there are softer toys, a mini slide, and interactive toys on the low walls.

There are interactive electronic games for the children to play, such as throwing balls onto targets on a large screen and riding a “bicycle” through different scenes.

The spinning cups were one of the kids’ favorite activities. They kept running back and asking us to give them a spin.

Catch Air is extremely parent-friendly, and parents join their children wherever they are on the floor. Every person entering, both child and parent, needs to pay, so it’s not an especially cheap trip, but it’s definitely a fun one.

Address:

Rt 4 #102

Paramus, NJ 07652

Phone Number:

201-620-2125

Hours:

Sunday–Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Thursday–Friday: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.

 

Price:

Children Age 1–2: $15.99

Children Under 1: $15.99 (free if with paid sibling)

Children Age 3+: $24.99

Price per adult: $7.99

Weekend & Holiday Price:

Children Age 1–2: $17.49

Children Under 1: $17.49 (free if with paid sibling)

Children Age 3+: $26.49

Price per adult: $7.99

Distance from Lakewood: 1 hour 15 minutes

Website: catchairparty.com