Things To Do In Elizabeth

The history of Liberty Hall Museum stretches back more than 200 years. The original 14-room Georgian home was built in 1772 and served as the home of New Jersey's first elected governor. As the years passed, Liberty Hall became the home of governors, senators, entrepreneurs, and congressmen as it slowly expanded into a 50-room mansion. Presidents George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, and Gerald Ford all stayed here. Collections of antique furniture, toys, tools, and ceramics from several generations fill the rooms.

Today, Liberty Hall Museum gives visitors an inside look at what life was like during America's early days, when the Founding Fathers were drafting the Constitution and Betsy Ross was sewing the Statue of Liberty’s gown. Inside the home, you’ll see historical fashions and furnishings; outside, ancient trees shade a carefully maintained English-style parterre garden. The onsite firehouse, added in 2005, serves as an educational center, where youngsters can don firefighter gear and play on a fully restored antique fire truck.

With sails extended high, the sailboats of Sail the Hudson catch breezes, their captains navigate the waters around New York Harbor. As sailing voyages pass Manhattan's cloud-brushing skyscrapers, passengers interact with the captain and take in fiery sunsets over the rippling water.

Lissette Brandao has a wealth of national and international experience, including spending her college career at Rutgers, playing semi-professionally in the US, and playing internationally for the Portuguese Women's National Team. But she doesn't keep everything she's learned to herself. Instead, she teaches youngsters and high-schoolers the world's game, from basics to advanced, through team training, camps, and private lessons. To ensure she delivers the highest possible quality to the youth she teaches, she has certifications from organizations such as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the US Soccer Federation.

Nationwide Bowling orchestrates a cacophonous symphony of clanking pins and cheering bowlers at 11 modern bowling centers located throughout New Jersey. Center size varies from the Hudson-Bayonne location where 60 lanes with automatic scoring, a grill, sports bar, and arcade games accommodate armadas of bowlers to Garden Palace, which houses 16 lanes, a bar, and a snack shop. At all locations, staffers host birthday parties and corporate events and organize leagues for competitive bowlers or people who just like to chuck heavy objects as hard as they can.

The Maplewood Theatre's name hovers above the marquee in an art-deco script over a row of lights, conjuring up nostalgia of the classic cinemas of yesteryear. But the retro-style facade doesn't mean that the movies are also throwbacks. Instead, the modern movie screens flicker with first-run films. The theater's 3D capabilities allow patrons to slip on glasses that make them feel as if they're in the middle of the action or to protect their eyes when they accidentally dunk their faces into 3-D popcorns.

After realizing that their methods developed championship talent on their youth baseball teams, coaches Troy Carrington and David Cardona decided to combine their programs and open The Hit Factory Baseball and Softball Academy. Their drills unearth athletic potential by focusing on strength, conditioning, speed, and agility during personal instruction sessions. The product of the duo's techniques is apparent in the players who cycle through an indoor facility that includes a turf field outfitted with bases and batting cages that toss baseballs, softballs, and softball questions.