Things to Do in Toms River
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
NY Waterway's tours are the prime way to see NYC, whether you see it every day or woke up in Manhattan yesterday with no idea of how you got there. The knowledgeable tour guides make the cruises engaging by dredging up historical details and sharing fascinating facts while dodging mermen and beached JumboTrons. NY Waterway makes it easy to reach the watery way with free shuttle buses that run along popular city routes. At the wave of a hand, the red, white, and blue buses will pick you up and take you straight to Pier 78, where the boats depart. After your tour, the shuttle will be waiting to take you back inland.
Sip the nectar of life while learning how to accurately discern the difference between nutty life and oaky life with today’s delicately fermented deal. For $95, you get one admission to any 2010 premium VIP all-inclusive tour from Long Island Wine Country. Your Groupon is good until year's end and gets you access to whichever event you would like to attend, although a $50 surcharge will apply to the August 14th Summer Never Ends tour with the Lobster Bake dinner. Wine may contain trace amounts of alcohol and other things unsuitable for minors (grapes), so tour-goers must be at least 21 years of age.
As husband-and-wife botanists Nathaniel Lord Britton and Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton explored the majestic Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Elizabeth asked a question that would bloom into something huge.
"Why couldn't we have something like this in New York?"
When the couple returned, they threw themselves into exploring that idea. In 1891, the state set aside land for the project, and private financiers including Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J. Pierpont Morgan matched the city's financial commitments. In 1896, Nathaniel Lord Britton became The New York Botanical Garden's first director.
Today, the garden's mission is to be "an advocate for the plant kingdom," aiming to lead the charge to document every species of plant and fungus on the planet. Varied terrains unfurl across its 250 acres, including rolling hills, waterfalls, and 50 acres of the forest that once blanketed New York City. All told, there are more than a million plants within 50 gardens and plant collections.
Visitors can learn how to manage their own plants at the Home Gardening Center, which opened in 2005, then enter the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory—a New York City landmark that was unveiled in 1902 as the country's largest Victorian-style glass house. Rotating exhibitions and family events give visitors a reason to come back every season, and there are plenty of hands-on activities for kids, such as digging in the dirt until they reach hot magma in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
Just as the Roman god Bacchus represented both wine and revelry together, Pinot Boutique celebrates wine by—how else?—throwing parties. The staff regularly stages wine-tasting events—including the recurring Vino Voyage, held aboard a 19th-century warship, Olympia —and hosts several events amid the exposed-brick walls in its downstairs venue, known as The Cellar. Upstairs, the shop’s main floor is dedicated to fostering at-home celebrations, earning the title Best Gift Shop of 2012 from Philadelphia Magazine. The acclaimed boutique displays accessories such as wineglass charms, corkscrews, and picnic gear to complement an exclusive selection of vintage wines and fresh labels from Pennsylvania's Paradocx Vineyard.
Little Shop of Crafts occupies hands and kindles artistic spirits with a wealth of do-it-yourself pottery and plaster painting as well as mosaic projects supplemented by a multitude of paints and supplies. Crafters choose from more than 700 pieces of pristine paintables and 40 paints, gleaning helpful instruction from staff members about tools, layering methods, and fooling archeologists. Studio time is free, so budding artists may stay for any length of time needed to complete their projects without incurring an extra cost. Ceramic bisque ($19.95+) comes in the form of mugs, cereal bowls, and cookie jars, each professionally finished in a food-safe glaze and kiln fired free of charge. Hundreds of plaster figurines ($15.95+) await adornment by talented hands, after which staff members cover each flame-flanked racecar or NFL-themed unicorn in a long-lasting sealant. Alternatively, mosaic kits ($21.95+) swathe picture frames and other keepsakes in a kaleidoscope of colorful tiles, and customizable teddy bears and T-shirts show off the softer side of artistry. Groupon holders also receive 10% off private parties, and more mature imagineers can stimulate creativity with complimentary wine Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evenings, depending on location.
