Things To Do in New Jersey

The NASM-certified personal trainers at Gifted Bodies strive to improve lives, not just bodies. Driven by the belief that all clients have the potential to become gifted, trainers redefine clients' limitations and push them toward progressive goals with a mixture of firm motivation and compassion. During boot-camp classes and group sessions, which include kickboxing, Zumba, ab work, and yoga, they guide patrons of all backgrounds through invigorating routines.

They also visit homes for one-on-one appointments—as long as they have a 5'x5' space or a permit to punch through drywall, trainers can commence a custom exercise routine. To instill sustainable habits for healthier living, they place emphasis on nutrition as well as gym drills. Troy Samuels, Gifted Bodies' creator and nutritional counselor, likens one's diet to the fuel put into a car: the proper fuel allows the vehicle to hit maximum speed.

JC Kickboxing Academy’s founder, Master Felix Claudio, boasts 35 years of martial-arts and law-enforcement training experience, along with five US National’s gold medals and a place in the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Claudio and his staff of seasoned and certified instructors lead classes for children, teenagers, or adults, tailoring curriculums to augment physical ability and coordination while promoting self-esteem and a deep animosity against punching bags. Adults torch calories in JC Kickboxing Academy's kickboxing program, which fuses martial arts and cardio exercise, or study law-enforcement self-defense strategies in comprehensive combat workshops. An after-school program can pick whippersnappers up from school and transport them to the center, where attentive instructors deliver martial-arts classes and homework help. The eight-week summer camp engages kids with tae-kwon-do lessons, arts and crafts, dance, gymnastics, theatre, and field trips, while distracting them from less desirable summer activities such as watching TV or training the neighborhood dogs to perform West Side Story.

Planet 301 plunges families into a world of friendly competition with two floors and 32,000 square feet of hands-on games and activities. Each three-hour pass turns gamers loose in Planet 301’s fully stocked funplex, unlocking complete access to its bowling and laser-tag arenas as well as acres of classic and state-of-the-art arcade games. After stealthily zapping foes with focused beams and busting piles of pins, patrons can hone real-world skills with a trip to the arcade, working on hand-eye coordination with a game of skee-ball, cataloging new breeds of waterfowl in a round of Wacky Ducks, and helping Donkey Kong register for community-college classes.

Ten Brunswick Gold Crown IV pool tables offer up their ample pockets to shooters' careful aim in Joe Broadway's Billiards & Sports Bar's spacious playroom. Every night until 3 a.m., an Internet jukebox augments the triumphant clamor of hefty breaks with players' favorite songs or high-school geometry lectures. In between games of pool, players can belly up to the full bar for a drink of domestic or imported beer, play a game on the Xbox or PS3 console, or raise the stakes with a free round of darts. Seven large-screen plasma TVs let players keep one eye on the game, and an onsite pro shop lets serious shooters replace their repurposed parade batons with real cues.

Curves is a fitness center designed exclusively for women. Redeem your Groupon at one of the 21 participating locations. Each membership can be used toward unlimited visits and free weight-management classes with trained professionals. The value of this Groupon also includes a one time $99 service fee.

Bob Meyer, who has spent many a tour alongside bands such as Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Phish, and The Allman Brothers, helms Give To Live Guitar Studios, which provides music lessons with a focus on community outreach. He and his staff of experienced, enthusiastic instructors welcome students for lessons in stringed instruments such as guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin, or bass as well as drums, vocals, and keyboards. They teach in all styles, from Bach to rock and roll, and help their students move from basics to live performance, hosting benefit concerts for local charities.