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Marriott Mount LaurelNewly renovated guest rooms and an ideal location near Philadelphia and all major highways make the Marriott great for all travelers.
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South Jersey Attractions
 If kids had the opportunity to design their ideal play
place, it would probably end up looking like the
Garden State Discovery Museum, a
fantasy-land for imaginations where kids can touch
absolutely everything. In pint-size environments, youngsters
can play at being a farmer, Egyptian king, newspaper
reporter, construction worker or other grown-up activity.
If the kids groan that history is "soooo boring," a few days
in South Jersey where history can be, dare we say
fascinating, just might change their minds. At the
Burlington County Prison Museum, with
its 1811 dungeon, eerie sound-effects, and hangman's
scaffold, the past can be downright spine-tingling. The old
storage rooms and holding cells at
Fort Mott State Park
in Pennsville are a startling reminder of the stark
conditions faced by Civil War soldiers. When you hop aboard
the Three Forts Ferry, which
takes you on a short ride from Fort Mott over to Fort
Delaware, historic performers make the past seem so very,
very real. At the
Old Barracks in
Trenton, with its special events and costumed re-enactors,
history can be awe-inspiring. With its historic grist mills,
workers cottages, general store and other buildings, the
18th century
Batsto Village in
the heart of the
Pine Barrens is a reminder of
life before computers, DVDs and other 21st century luxuries.
Of course, the
New Jersey State Museum
in Trenton features history even older than that. Those
dinosaurs weren't born yesterday! The collection includes
artifacts and fossils dating back to the Cretaceous period
which means they're millions of years old. Then you can wish
upon a star at the Museum's newly renovated state-of-the-art
Planetarium.
When the temperatures rise,
Clementon Amusement Park and
Splash World Water Park offer more
than 50 kinds of adventure. The older kids can test their
level of daring on the thrill rides, little ones can enjoy
gentler rides and on a hot day, everyone will enjoy Splash
World's cooling waters. A little tamer but just as
entertaining is the
Playdrome Recreation Center in Cherry Hill.
Billiards, amusement arcades and a 36-lane bowling alley
will keep everyone occupied for hours. And
The Funplex in Mt. Laurel is 25 acres of
year-round fun. The outdoor amusement rides, go-karts and
golf games are high on everyone's to-do list, but even when
the temperatures drop, families can enjoy indoor arcades,
laser games and other activities.
There's nothing like an occasional shot of adrenalin to
liven up a family outing. If it has horsepower, it races at
Atco Raceway or
Bridgeport Speedway and when
those dragsters, dirt-bikes and other extreme motorsports
engines rev up, it can take your breath away. There's a
different kind of horsepower at
Cowtown Rodeo in Salem County. The nation's
longest-running, regularly scheduled Saturday night rodeo
will bring out the cowpoke in everyone.
In Rancocas, the
Powhatan Renape Nation's Rankokus Indian
Reservation welcomes families to tour its
American Indian Heritage Museum. In addition to tools,
instruments, clothing, weapons and contemporary Native
American artwork, the museum also includes a trip through an
ancestral village and self-guided nature trails.
South Jersey's wildlife and nature centers let you get up
close and personal with creepy crawlies. The
Rancocas Nature
Center and Museum, operated by the
New Jersey Audubon Society, in Mount Holly is a birdwatching
mecca with a self-guided nature trail, native wildlife and
hands-on exhibits.
The education center at the
Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife
Refuge in Medford overlooks a lake and has
hands-on exhibits and graphics about Pinelands ecology and
wildlife. An easy-walking trail winds through woodlands and
wetlands, where deer, raccoon, fox, hawks, owls, bald eagle
and other native species call home. When you arrive at
Palmyra Cove Nature Park, you'd
never know you are just minutes from the hustle and bustle
of Philadelphia. Hidden amid the woodlands, the
environmental education center has hands-on activities for
children and adults that explain what visitors will discover
as they wind through the trails, wetlands and tidal marshes.
Pictured: Garden State Discovery Museum, Cherry Hill
Courtesy Garden State Discovery Museum
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