Things To Do in Westwood

At 19,314 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro has the highest summit on the continent of Africa. But if you take it slow and steady, you can make it to the top. Along the way, you'll get a full view of Tanzania's windswept savannahs, and when climbers finally reach Uhuru Peak, it's a rite of passage to stop and look to a sea of clouds below them. On this 12-day, 11-night Mount Kilimanjaro trek, you'll have a fleet of expert guides, porters, and cooks at your side as you make the ascent to the summit. Click to see the full itinerary. Days 1–2 (Thursday and Friday): Your plane will depart from Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) (other gateways are available by request for an additional fee) and touch down at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Tanzania. There, Odyssey Safaris staff will pick you up in a shuttle and take you to the African Tulip Hotel. Feel free to explore the town of Arusha for the day or rest up in the hotel. Day 3 (Saturday): The caravan then embarks on a three-hour drive into Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. For the first leg of the journey, your group will be accompanied by a game ranger, who will act as a mediator and an advisor when you encounter wild buffalo, elephants, or escaped Smokey the Bears along the trail. Guides, porters, and cooks will join the expedition as it follows the Lemosho Route, a remote trail covered in lush vegetation. Throughout the excursion, each trekker will carry only a daypack filled with personal belongings. Days 4–5 (Sunday and Monday): You'll gain nearly 2,000 feet in altitude on Sunday's portion of the trip, which takes you beyond the rainforest level of the mountain. For this stretch of trail, hikers will course through the Shira Caldera, a volcanic cone and high desert plateau. You'll take some time to get acclimated to the altitude on Monday; that leg of the expedition has an elevation gain of only 214 feet. Days 6–7 (Tuesday and Wednesday): The highlight of day 6 is a trek beyond the Lava Tower; afterward, you'll spend the night at Barranco campsite, which is situated above the clouds and has excellent panoramic views. On day 7, campers will reach heights of 13,452 feet in the Karanga Valley. Days 8–9 (Thursday and Friday): After four hours of slow and steep hiking on Thursday, you'll be rewarded for your hard work as you make the final ascent to the summit. That evening, hikers awaken in the middle of the night and forge ahead to Stella Point, located about six hours away, just in time to catch the sunrise. If you wish, you can head up to Uhuru Peak, the tallest point on the African continent at 19,341 feet. After reaching the pinnacle of Mount Kilimanjaro, the group will make its way back down through the rainforest.Day 10 (Saturday): Travelers descend the mountain and head back to Arusha, where they spend their final night at the African Tulip Hotel.Days 11–12 (Sunday and Monday): The group departs from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) on Sunday and arrives stateside on Monday. Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

JCM Baseball Academy fosters the game's future stars under the guidance of owner Justin McKay—an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University who, in 2012, played a major role in leading the team to its best record since 1994. McKay has recruited a staff of fellow Division I–level coaches and players that, together, run numerous programs and camps throughout the year. The JCM's junior- and high-school camps, for instance, focus on the skills and mechanics required to play each position on the field, and also emphasize the importance of remembering to enjoy the game. The camps unfold at FDU's Naimoli Family Baseball Complex, which features state-of-the-art turf to prevent injuries and rival players from planting poison ivy around second base.

The mirth-mages at The Sports Place blend mini golf, batting cages, basketball courts, inflatable playgrounds, and frozen treats into an eldritch brew of family-friendly fun. The GloPutt mini-golf course comes packed with motorized obstacles designed to light up the faces and giggleplexes of any child. Tiny Ted Williamses can test their mettle in one of 17 hardball and softball batting cages, while dribbling kings can preside over two full basketball courts. With no limit on the number of players, the entire family can partake in games of P.I.G., H.O.R.S.E., or B.L.U.E.-F.O.O.T.E.D. B.O.O.B.Y. Meanwhile, the inflatable playground, open Tuesday through Sunday, provides amateur acrobats with space to flip and tumble, dive down mega-slides, and scale slumbering dragons.

Home to the state's largest freestanding bouldering island, New Jersey Rock Gym houses 12,000 square feet of vertical terrain to climb as well as 41 top roping stations. Armed with either day passes or membership, guests scamper up the gym's synthetic summits, hoping to ask questions of the learned ceiling light sequestered at the top of the mountain. While gear is included with some membership options, guests can opt to bring their own materials or rent the individual shoes ($5), harnesses ($4), or chalk bags ($2) they need from the pro shop. New Jersey Rock Gym offers a collection of educational course work in the vertical arts, teaching belay technique to beginners or advanced skills to adults. Children can also take advantage of youth climbing programs, mini camps, and birthday parties before retiring to private refreshment chambers to absorb bottles of electrolyte-infused refreshment. The nearby pro shop outfits climbers with name-brand gear for purchase, while a WiFi lounge transmits terabytes of data into nearby electronic devices or unsecured cyborg brains.

Located inside the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Vendetta Paintball and Laser Combat challenges players to technologically advanced games of laser tag and paintball on a 22,000-square-foot indoor field. Designed to mimic live-action games of Call of Duty or Halo, Battlefield Live laser tag manufactures adrenaline with real-time hit feedback, realistic special effects, and equipment that can simulate 69 different weapons, ranging from AK-47s to banana-cream pies. The facility’s professional-grade indoor PSP paintball field lets gamers improve their hand-eye coordination while simultaneously turning rivals into walking tie-dyed targets.

Opened in 1998, Floyd Hall Arena welcomes skaters of all sizes to practice their axels and slap shots on two NHL-sized ice rinks. In addition to youth hockey and Learn to Skate programs with professional instructors, the rink hosts public skating sessions each week so that casual skaters can loop the rink as their leisure and more advanced skaters can test out prototypes of hand skates. Patrons can take a look at upcoming public skating times by checking the monthly event schedule, found here.

Uptown Sports Complex has received mentions in Sports Illustrated and from LIVESTRONG, and it was voted Best of NY by CBS for children's theater classes: