Things to Do in Middlesex

Arthur Murray Dance Studio has been a leading name in franchise dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and the Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, the Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with other classmates as the instructors assess their current skill level and make recommendations on the most appropriate program. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

Nationwide Bowling Centers 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.

Whether they're native New Yorkers looking for a new perspective on their city or tourists from the cloudlands in search of a little slice of home, passengers at Pegasus Flight take in a jaw-dropping view of some of the Big Apple's most famous landmarks. An experienced captain pilots tours that fly past such must-sees as Ellis Island, Chinatown, the Chrysler Building, and the UN. On romantic tours, Pegasus Flight offers dinner at the Chart House Restaurant in Weehawken, and flies a candlelit copter to give a popped question maximum impact.

Armed with rental equipment, guests on All Star Paintball Arena's 13,500-square foot indoor field recharge their guns at three self-fill stations in between rounds spent ducking behind inflatables to dodge incoming splatter. Designed by avid players, the year-round field—heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer—hosts matches five days a week along with occasional cash tournaments and even a recent episode of TLC's Cake Boss. Along with its main playing area, All Star Paintball Arena houses on-site refreshments and snacks in case paint alone doesn’t suffice as friend-splattering ammo. To boot, a fully staffed pro-shop stocks an ever-growing inventory of brand-name gear.

"It's hot in here." When that's all you can think about, you tend to forget about the intense physical exertion involved with a series Bikram moves. But the work does pay off, as practitioners are kicking up their core strengthen while sweating away heaps of calories. Garnering the attention of New Jersey Monthly Magazine and New Jersey Health and Beauty, Surya Yoga Academy's three welcoming studios are a great place for men and women of all skill levels to practice hot yoga and other yoga genres, including Vinyasa or Jivamukti poses. Alongside traditional sessions, the studio's specialized workshops train athletes and runners to maximize their exercise potential, and focused mom-and-baby yoga classes build mother-child bonds and telepathy skills.

The State Theatre was saved, as its website states, from "the ravages of time." Built in 1921 as a vaudeville and silent-film palace, the venue fell on hard times in the 1970s when disco balls replaced light fixtures. In 2003, however, a $3 million renovation restored the State Theatre to much of its original glory, as crews painstakingly rehabbed the ornamental plaster, terracotta exterior, and actor holding cells. Inside the theater, a stunning chandelier sparkles more brightly than ever below the venue's signature dome.