Things to Do in Berkeley Heights

Twenty-two years ago, Mark and Lynn Zientek started New Jersey Partyworks as a small, family-run operation whose costumed characters and clowns entertained at parties, barbecues, and gatherings. Today, the business outfits small soirees as well as big-time special events with rental amusement rides, moonbounces, tents, slides, and interactive games and obstacle courses. Staff members oversee all the rides and revelry, backed by weekly trainings from managers certified in nationally recognized safety regulations and equipment maintenance as well as balloon-animal taxonomy. The company's troupe of live entertainers now includes DJs, stilt walkers, magicians, and caricaturists who help ring in special occasions for crowds of laughing kids and grownups alike.

A two-tiered driving range and two 18-hole miniature-golf courses welcome visitors to Branchburg Family Golf Center’s 27-acre golf complex for game improvement and friendly competition. Each tier at the range comprises more than 30 hitting stalls and features a natural-grass tee area that remains open from April through September. In colder months, 12 recently installed heaters keep golfers cozy or help them sweat off pounds to drop a weight class in golf-cart jousting. Professional instructors roll in when players reach an improvement plateau, offering their keen expertise to develop consistent swings that lead to lower scores.

The center’s two miniature-golf courses summon putts past crashing waterfalls and through lush landscapes, fostering a sense of friendly competition in a pint-sized oasis. When swatting stationary spheres becomes too easy, visitors can head over to the batting facility to work on baseball swings and tackle techniques when charging the mound at a cyborg pitcher.:m]]

Mt. Freedom Golf encourages golfers to fine-tune every aspect of their game with a 39-stall driving range, a miniature-golf circuit, and a nine-hole par 3 course. The par 3 layout features several holes that span at least 100 yards from the tee to the bentgrass greens, showcasing a verdant expanse for clubbers to work their short irons. Players bogey-proof swings at the driving range, where natural-grass hitting areas cater to those who favor a natural feel and provoke artificial mats to crow about how photosynthesis is overrated.

After grappling the yips at the safari-themed mini-golf course, players can seek out putter advice from one three ace instructors. Mt. Freedom also offers a nine-hole Frisbee-golf course that favors those with disc-hurling prowess or enough money to hire a pizza maker as a caddy.

A white mansion rises from a patch of lush green trees and flowering bushes. Inside, potted reeds and vines guide visitors toward rooms painted with petal-like pinks and oranges. This isn't a greenhouse or a nursery but a sanctuary for cultivating mind-body wellness. Here, holistic medicine experts blend Eastern and Western healing traditions to prevent disease and promote vitality. Studio founder Kim Fong, a licensed physical therapist and nationally certified acupuncturist, blends acupuncture with physical therapy to address physical and emotional symptoms without drugs, surgery, or gratuitous noogies. During acupuncture sessions, she and fellow acupuncturist Gregory Carey clear chi blockages by placing fine, sterile needles at specific points along the body's energy pathways. This treatment can be used to address the pain associated with fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, osteoarthritis, and many other ailments.

Calming feng-shui design envelops Health in Motion's yoga classrooms, where experienced instructors impart ancient poses to students of all ages, including children, teens, and moms-to-be. In addition to promoting relaxation, the poses build strength, balance, and flexibility. To complement his acupuncture services, Gregory also offers qi-gong classes, whose deep breaths and gentle movements help correct energy imbalances and metaphysical geometry quizzes.

At Build 'n Blocks, laughter drifts from youngsters, punctuating the buzz of motorized cars and the pop of plastic blocks snapping together. Kids preschool through eighth grade construct catapults, devise chemical compounds to create slime, and develop sparks of interest in science, engineering, and math. The instructors at Build ‘n Blocks stress that the earlier kids dabble in these fields, the greater their learning abilities will be throughout their lives.

While stacking Legos into replicas of cities or assembling mechanized robots with K'nex, kids develop a comprehension of basic physics without watching the Three Stooges try and run an elevator factory. During science experiments, youngsters strap on goggles to investigate and diagnose unknown illnesses, forming the foundation of inquisitive minds capable of problem solving. As they work together on laptops or around tables strewn with drawing and sculpting materials, they also form an aptitude for teamwork and social interactions. The team at Build 'n Blocks also fosters an appreciation for math and science through afterschool programs and birthday parties.

While working with players ranging from toddlers to high-schoolers, the professional coaches at U.K. Elite Soccer, Inc. incorporate individual training and team-focused programs to create well-rounded athletes both on and off the pitch. Their game-based approach to teaching helps younger students learn motor skills, social skills, and coordination, and gives older students the chance to learn how to dribble in Morse code. The instructors also incorporate methods from football clubs around the world, borrowing tricks from footballers in England, Brazil, the USA, Holland, France, Italy, and Germany to augment training courses. Programs run throughout the year, allowing players and coaches to focus on continual development no matter the season.