Summer in the Garden State continues after Labor Day, marking the vibrant boardwalks, sprawling…read moresands, and memories made by the Atlantic. Over 90 miles of coastline stretch from Sandy Hook's gentle wilderness in the north to Cape May's Victorian charm in the south. Nestled within the Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Beach is a hidden gem that graces a 7-mile scenic barrier peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, offering both ocean-side and bay-side experiences. Unique among Jersey beaches, Sandy Hook is famed for its wild beauty, wildlife, and opportunities for outdoor recreation, where my partner and I visited South Beach as first-timers and the Shore this year today. The weather was ideal, as it was neither excessively hot nor lacking in sunshine. It was less crowded around 8am, and parking was free. The walk to the beach was easy and not as far as Gunnison. There is a comfort station. It's a clean, serene beach with great waves for swimming and plenty of space to relax. We always pack a cooler with food and drinks. It is a carry-in/carry-out policy where one picks up after yourself to keep the beaches clean. Beyond the sand, there are many historic sites to see, from old military buildings to historic lighthouses, making it a perfect mix of nature and history. Everyone needs a beach day once in a while.

Nice beach Disgusting restrooms you can barely stomach…read moregoing in There was a wetzelpretzel truck on site

Checked out this historic park in Inwood. Isham Park is located on Broadway alongside the 207th…read moreStreet Subway. Lots of history about this. First it was owned by a local family. Then it was donated to the city and became one of the many parks. Before you go it helps to learn some things about the history and the area around. It's a 20 acre historic park created by gifts to the city from the William Bradley Isham estate and his family. The park once extended to the Harlem River, but now equals the original Isham estate after the creation of Inwood Hill Park and reconfiguration of the area streets. Isham was a leather merchant. Later he became the vice-president and later a director of the Bank of the Metropolis, and the president of the Bond and Mortgage Guarantee Company, a member of the Down Town Association, the Metropolitan Club, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New England Club, the New York Botanical Garden, and the New-York Historical Society, and among other things. In 1862, Isham rented a house and property on this site from the estate of Dr. Floyd T. Ferris, a physician who died seven years earlier. The two-story house was built in the 1850s and was an interesting brick and frame building, having a spacious central hall with a winding staircase and gallery from which the rooms extend in three wings. It was used for various civic activities, including a museum and a place for the Daughters of the American Revolution for meetings, but was torn down in the 1940s due to its deteriorating condition. Two years after renting it, Isham bought the property as his summer estate. It also included a greenhouse, a stable, and a cold spring, one of the few natural sources of fresh water in the area. When Isham was having a wall constructed along the Broadway edge of the estate, a worker found an old milestone that read "12 Miles from New York." Isham had it built into the wall, just north of the entrance to the estate, where it still exists. Unfortunately the original lettering has worn away though. On its southern end are some exposed marble outcroppings which date from the Cambrian period. This is a popular location for college geology classes to visit. A public garden is in the northeastern corner. The rest of the park has trees and brush growing pretty wildly, although the center of the park at the top of the hill is a lawn good for picnics and stuff. Easiest way to get here is take the A Train and get off in Inwood. It's basically just next to it and there's no need to find parking spots. There's often festivals and other things.

Isham Park is located in Washington Heights. Great park to take the dogs for a walk in. Some stairs…read morein certain areas. Lovely flowers in the spring time.

Beautiful place for a quick walk. There is a cute coffee shop across the street. Definitely a must…read morecheckout if you're in the area. I'm

A nice experience in nature yet not being far from civilization. There's something for everyone in…read morethe family to do, fish, play tennis, be on the playground & they have a covered area

My little queens were tired of the same playgrounds. My bro's yelp review and pix impressed us all…read more We parked right in front and my kids (ages 3 and 5) ran to the castle-themed jungle gyms and had fun and freedom for the next 2 hours. There were so many structures that all the children had plenty of personal space. Special features included a roller-based slide, a zip-line, and a rope climb. It's an excellent playground I can add to the rotation. Come out and play! NOTES/TIPS: **Picnic tables, plenty of benches, and 2 porta-potties on-site. **If the main parking lot is full, additional parking is 200 ft. away. **The playground is next to a basketball court, baseball field, and soccer field.

Drove in around 12 noon on a Friday, noticed right away that although there was plenty of parking,…read morethe playground was packed. Benches for eating are at the entrance located close enough to watch your kids playing basketball or on the playground. This playground is neat... truly a castle inspired theme. Great for playing peekaboo with your toddlers with many mazes to get lost in and still be sure your child is safe and can't fall out the sides (too easily). There's also a slide that can be climbed which my son was very intrigued with, once he got to the top he'd jump on the big boy slide and come out the other end, he's 14 months so there's really so much for him to explore. There's also bigger slides for older kids, different monkey bars to climb, kiddie and big kid swings, little castles with benches and tables to picnic in, and plenty of benches surrounding the playground for parents to hang out in. We lived up to our mantra: PLAY HARD NAP HARD! Baby was knocked out as soon as we got in the car so I must say it was a good day. My name is Francis and I approve of this playground. YSA (yelp service announcement) When you come here punch into your GPS this address: 651 Shunkpike Rd. Chatham NJ otherwise you will get lost.

4.5 stars I recently…read morerevisited the Deer Lake Club with friends who are members, and I had a lovely afternoon. We drove up and down through winding suburban roads and almost drove right past the entrance to the club, as the sign was just a small red deer on a post. We drove down the dirt path and arrived at the gate, where a young student needed to check us in. For some reason he was having a tough time locating our names on the guest list, but eventually was able to allow us to enter. There were two parking lots that were essentially full, but we were able to catch someone as they were leaving for the day. We grabbed our bags and headed over to the small beach area, where there was a section blocked off for shallow swimming with a lifeguard present. They even allowed rafts and floaties in that part of the lake. Beyond the designated swimming area was a beautiful, massive lake where they were having a race that afternoon and where people typically enjoyed boating. There was a pier for fishing, as well. Food was not allowed on the beach, but there were plenty of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs scattered across grassy areas that were reserved for that purpose. In fact, though they had a snack bar with ice cream, grilled foods, and snacks, they even allowed people to bring their own meals. In addition, my friends told me that they had been able to secure a locker for this summer, after an extended period of being on the waitlist. By having on-site storage, they were able to keep all of their chairs, floats, umbrellas, etc. only a few steps from the beach, rather than needing to drag everything home full of sand and to track down a place to keep it all. Lastly, I learned that the lake had various events, like movie nights. Deer Lake Club really seemed to care about its members with its slew of amenities. Plus, it was just a very peaceful and pristine place to relax during warmer months.

Such a darling place. So relaxing and fun for kids and teens. I wish it were a little closer so…read morewe could go more often.

Pier 25 was such a fun spot in New York City! The mini golf was honestly a lot of fun and playing…read morewith the city all around you made it even better. The views were great, the atmosphere was relaxed, and it was a nice break from all the walking and sightseeing. I also loved being right by the water and getting to enjoy the NYC views while playing. Definitely a fun activity if you're looking for something different to do in the city, especially if you're into golf!

It was like fun I guess. They only had 5 ball colors, I think it was white, brown, black, yellow,…read moreand orange, which was like pretty lame. I ended up using the yellow verity ball. The course was fine I guess. It didn't really offer anything special, but there wasn't anything wrong with it. On one of the holes, there was a squirrel, which I thought was pretty funny. Overall it was a fine course, no blue, green, or purple balls though.

Somehow well maintained. Entrance fee per car. See images and videos for reference. Some roads are…read moreunder construction.

The only thing keeping this at 4 stars is that they allow bad behavior on occasion-lots of people…read morelittering, parking where they shouldn't, illegal drinking, etc. Thank God we're now in 'local summer', so the crowds lessen. Otherwise this park is a gem!

Five stars for the GEESE who live here. I just love them. They're so fun to watch as they swim and…read morebathe and bask and splash around and honk as fly come in for their expert water landing. That's the main reason I come to this park just to watch them and photograph them. I'm hoping they'll have babies in the spring. That would be adorable. Who doesn't love baby geese?

This is such a lovely park. There is a skatepark, a walking area, several play areas for kids,…read morethere is a giant pond where a bunch of geese hangout. They also have a dog park, and a public fire pit! I have never seen a park with a firepit! I love going for walks here and swingin on the swings. There is also a decently clean bathroom but usually no toilet paper.