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THE STATE I’M IN is a yearly column about my once-a-month New Jersey trips.

⤓ Issue #3:
1. ATLANTIC CITY-This seaside-resort city is the first place most people think of when they hear about New Jersey. I, a non-gambler, had as much fun (maybe more so) than most people who came to gamble.
2. BRANCH BROOK PARK, Newark-This was a day of surprises for me as I walked through a park that looked like an enchanted land during cherry blossom time.
3. DEY MANSION, Wayne-George Washington slept here in 1780. Here, he used this solidly built, Georgian house as his headquarters.
4. OCEAN CITY-This family oriented, shore-resort town offered a more relaxing atmosphere along its boardwalk compared to Atlantic City.
5. KEYPORT-Located along New Jersey’s third coast, the Raritan Bay, Keyport included a downtown with retail stores and restaurants in different price ranges—not just upscale.
6. MOUNTAIN CREEK WATER PARK, Vernon-Between the water slides and tube rides as well as the wave pool and other water amusements, there is something for almost everybody to feel refreshed about here.
7. SPACE FARMS ZOO & MUSEUM, Beemerville-Although the combination of a zoo and museum of old-time Americana sounds unorthodox, it does work to entertain and enlighten visitors of several ages from toddler to elderly.
8. BATSTO-Because of its somewhat isolated location in a wooded area, this former iron- and glass-making town made me feel like I traveled past a few centuries.
9. EDISON NATIONAL HISTORIC SIGHT, West Orange-Despite the park officials closing the labs and the Black Maria replica for restoration, I could still tour the 19th-century mansion of Thomas Edison and get a look at how he lived.
10.JANE VOORHEES ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM, New Brunswick-Here, located on the campus of Rutgers University, this mid-sized museum included art from around the world from ancient times through the 21st century. It is most famous for displaying non-conformist art from the former Soviet Union.
11. JERSEY GARDENS OUTLET MALL, Elizabeth-The state’s largest outlet mall, located off Exit 13A of the NJ Turnpike, included stores that offered discounts of around 20 to 50% off the ticketed prices.
12. NEW JERSEY NAVAL MUSEUM, Hackensack-Once you tour the main feature of this museum, the submarine USS Ling, you will wonder how the naval personnel served in such a claustrophobic area. Then, you can look at the exhibits both outside on the museum grounds and inside the main building.