Things To Do In Freehold

Every October for the past nine years, Field of Terror has opened its gates for thrill seekers bold enough to brave the terrors lurking inside its rural haunts. This year, the farm will host four separate attractions, starting with the Killer Kornfield, a maniacal maze ruled by evil plant-men—failed scientific specimens brought to life by the infamous Farmer Frank. From there, they'll board the hayride into Zombie Town, a community overrun by those who found themselves the innocent victims of Frank's need for human DNA. Should they make it out with their brains intact, passengers will alight to face ghastly horrors in the Unknown Barn, which is rumored to be the very site where the farmer conducted his grisly experiments and hosted his petrifying Friday-night square dances. Visitors will have to navigate the dark, twisting hallways in order to avoid becoming yet another of Frank's victims, and if they're lucky enough to escape, they'll don special protective glasses to make it through Dementia 3D, where chemical exposure has turned some of the farmer's prey into unspeakable horrors.

Every night, the terror of the fields is countered by a host of spirit-lifting activities, including bonfires, DJs, dancing, and nightly hayrides to the pumpkin patch. Those who lose their nerve can detour toward less terrifying attractions such as a straw-bale maze or the family-friendly flashlight maze, which is open each night until 10 p.m.

In the summer, Captain Don Cartwright migrates from Florida to New Jersey to captain fishing trips off Sandy Hook and Raritan Bays aboard his 35-foot boat, the Bill Chaser. Cartwright, who has a US Coast Guard master's license and more than 20 years of fishing experience, helps groups hook everything from striped bass and bluefish to larger catches such as bluefin tuna and shark.

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.

When you set foot inside Centercourt Athletic Club of Marlboro, it's clear the club takes tennis—and other athletic pursuits—seriously. Here, there are five indoor climate-controlled hard courts, a turf field for multi-sport or training rentals, and a fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art machines.

Racing go-karts and glowing laser battles simultaneously challenge and entertain visitors inside iPlay America's 115,000-square-foot amusement facility. Like its outdoor cousins, the indoor fun park houses more than 200 motorized attractions and carnival-style games for the whole family. Interactive amusements, such as the iPA Speedway, place patrons in the driver's seat of a real vehicle, and simulated sessions, including the Kite Flyer, tantalize visual senses with video images and sound effects. Scents of fresh pizza, lobster mac 'n' cheese, and hotdogs waft from five nourishment purveyors.

As the sun sets, cityscapes buzz with neon silhouettes as runners clad in glow-in-the-dark garbs race through the GlowBash 5K's metropolitan courses. But the late starting time and futuristically-clad participants are not the only things that set this race apart from other 5K trots. Competing in teams of two or more, runners must follow ten clues provided at the start of the race that will guide them to a series of predetermined checkpoints and challenges. Depending on the route they take, runners can cover anywhere from 3 to 5 miles in a path that can take roughly 2.5 hours to complete. After the race, each participant receives a medal and access to a post-race party, where they can mingle with fellow runners rather than going home and jogging alone on their human-sized hamster wheel. The race benefits the Wounded Warrior Project.