Things To Do In Hasbrouck Heights

What began in 1975 as one inner-city gym in Highland Park, Michigan, has since evolved into a global health-club organization with locations in 17 different countries. Powerhouse Gym equips weightlifters and cardio bunnies alike with all they’ll ever need to keep—or create—a tight and toned physique. The gym offers equipment outfitted with personal TVs as well as a cast of certified and knowledgeable personal trainers. Depending on location, members will also have access to group fitness classes, such as yoga, Zumba, and Les Mills BodyPump, as well as 24-7 turnkey access to the facility.

Since its 1965 founding in Venice Beach, California, Gold's Gym has dotted the globe with more than 600 locations where professional athletes and exercise newbies gather under the umbrella of personal strength. Nearly 3.5 million Gold's Gym members chart and aim for their fitness peaks, perspiring beneath the gaze of certified personal trainers or pedaling beside peers at cycling sessions. In a diverse lineup of group classes, patrons strengthen cores with Pilates, finger-paint pictures of ninjas in martial arts, and amp up heart rates along to the pulsating soundtracks of Les Mills routines.

Many Gold's Gym locations stockpile futuristic amenities, such as cardio machines with individual iPod docks and televisions that help keep patrons motivated.

The Garden State Rollergirls, New Jersey's all-female, flat-track roller-derby league, is comprised of local teams of strong, sexy skaters. The object of a game is for a player to skate around the track while offensively and defensively hitting and passing girls on the opposing team. This intoxicatingly entertaining sport plays by mottos such as "bruises are badges of glory" and "skate like the badass, tough-as-nails rollergirls we are," which is why each player has a pseudonym to reflect her style of play such as "Lady Vengeance," "I Don't Care Bear," and "First Derby, Might Have Just Wet My Pants."

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.

Battista Dance Studio’s experienced instructors teach students of all ability levels a variety of dance moves, including ballroom and club-style salsa. Learn to bust your best boogie in a one-on-one setting during two 30-minute lessons, prepping left feet for professional dance competitions and everyday ballroom bopping. Lessons take place inside a sprawling, chandelier-adorned 12,000-square-foot studio, where aspiring Astaires can cut a hardwood floor—but only if they repair it afterward.

Susan Quinn. Amy Ernst. Sam Watson. To some, these are the names of great dancers, but to Deana Careccio-Gentile they are former teachers. Over her more than 25-year career, Careccio-Gentile has been a focused and accomplished dancer. It's only in the last six years that she has turned to teaching, and she came into the role with the same high industry standards with which she approached dancing professionally. Her supporting staff at DDA Dance Academy includes four former Rockettes, a former Miss North Carolina, Broadway veterans, and a finalist from the second season of So You Think You Can Dance. Together, the team guides students to perform with precise technique, yet the classroom atmosphere always feels fun and encouraging. Programs range from 30-minute dance classes for 2.5- to 5-year-olds to Zumba and Pilates for adults. Other classes include ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and tap for kids aged 6 and up, though the staff makes exceptions for younger kids who prove they can drink Gatorade out of their sippy cups without spilling.