PlanGoTrip

  🎄 Mark your calendar: the 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lights up on Wednesday, December 2, 2026. This year's tree is a 76-foot Norway spruce from West Edmeston, New York — about 75 years old, weighing roughly 11 tons — and it will glow with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights beneath its famous Swarovski star. Here is everything Bergen County families need to know before making the trip into the city. 📍 Place Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Midtown Manhattan. The tree stands above the famous ice rink at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The lighting ceremony runs from 7–10 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, as part of NBC's *Christmas in Rockefeller Center* broadcast, with the tree itself lit just before 10 p.m. The tree arrives on the plaza on Saturday, November 7, and stays on display through mid-January 2027 (January 9, 2027, per press reports). One honest warning: the ceremony itself is not open to the public the way...

  Bergen County might be the best place in New Jersey to eat sushi. Thanks to Fort Lee, Edgewater, and Cliffside Park, families here can choose from conveyor-belt sushi that keeps toddlers entertained, all-you-can-eat feasts, classic neighborhood counters, and even a Japanese marketplace food court — all within a short drive of Tenafly. Here are five spots that are actually open right now, each good for a different kind of family outing. 1. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar — Best for Kids 📍 2151 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 If your kids think sushi sounds boring, start here. Plates glide past on a conveyor belt, you order extra favorites on a touchscreen, and a little robot delivers drinks to the table. Every plate costs just a few dollars, so little ones can try one piece at a time without a big bill if they change their minds. Cooked options like seared salmon and shrimp sit right alongside the raw fish, and after every 15 plates, a prize capsule pops out — which, for a toddler, i...

  If there is one Christmas trip that earns its place on every Bergen County family's list, it is Longwood Gardens at Christmas. More than half a million lights, over 100 decorated trees, fountain shows dancing to holiday music, and warm conservatories full of poinsettias — all about two hours from home. Pair it with the Brandywine Valley's museums, and you have a 3-day holiday getaway that feels magical without a single flight. This itinerary is built for families with little kids: short drives between stops, plenty of indoor warm-up time, and lights that are best enjoyed after an early dinner. 🗺️ Itinerary Day 1 — Drive down & the Brandywine Museum: Leave Bergen County in the morning and arrive in Chadds Ford, PA, by lunchtime. Spend the afternoon at the Brandywine Museum of Art, then settle into your hotel in Kennett Square or Wilmington and enjoy a relaxed dinner. Day 2 — Longwood Gardens, all day into the evening: This is the big day. Arrive at Longwood in the la...

  When the summer crowds leave the Jersey Shore, Point Pleasant Beach gets quiet — and that is exactly why November is a wonderful time to visit Jenkinson's Aquarium. The boardwalk is peaceful, parking is easy, and the aquarium itself is open all year round, so you get all the sharks, penguins, and touch tanks without the summer crush. It is a perfect cold-weather day trip when the beach is too chilly but the kids still need an adventure. 📍 Place Jenkinson's Aquarium, 300 Ocean Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742. This two-story, AZA-accredited aquarium has sat right on the boardwalk since 1991, and it is small enough to explore comfortably with little kids but packed with enough to fill a happy morning or afternoon. Inside you will find Atlantic and Pacific sharks gliding through a large tank, a colony of African penguins, harbor seals, a coral reef, colorful tropical fish, and even a rainforest area and a Pine Barrens exhibit with turtles, frogs, and owls. The aquarium is...

Winter break is the longest stretch of family time in the school year — and the week between Christmas and New Year's is when every parent hears "I'm bored" at least once. This guide gathers the best New Jersey winter-break activities for the Dec 26 to Jan 2 window, mixing indoor escapes for cold days with outdoor lights for evenings. Published in early November so you can book the ticketed events before they sell out. Always confirm hours and ticket details with the organizer before you go. 🍂 Seasonal highlights — Winter Break 2026-27 picks: - Holiday Lights at Turtle Back Zoo, 560 Northfield Ave, West Orange, NJ — nightly December 4 to December 31, 2026, except December 24 and 25. Millions of lights along the zoo paths, with animal-themed decorations. A perfect evening outing close to Bergen County. - The Polar Express Train Ride, Whippany Station, Whippany, NJ — daily December 1 to December 30, 2026, except December 7, 14, and 25. A real train ride reliving the cl...

Drive-through light shows are the perfect December compromise for families with toddlers: all the magic,  none of the "my feet are cold" meltdowns, and nobody has to find parking in the dark. This guide gathers the best drive-through holiday light shows within reach of Bergen County for Christmas 2026 — including one important change: Hershey's Sweet Lights drive-through will NOT return in 2026, so if that was your tradition, pick a new favorite from this list. Always confirm dates, hours, and ticket details with the organizer before you go. 🍂 Seasonal highlights — Christmas 2026 drive-through picks: - Orchard of Lights at Demarest Farms, 244 Wierimus Rd, Hillsdale, NJ — November 21 to December 29, 2026. A guided drive through 32 acres of illuminated orchards, synced to music on your car radio, plus a farm market, fire pits, hot cocoa, s'mores, Santa visits through December 24, and a Winter Lights petting zoo. - Winter WonderLights, Middlesex County Fairgrounds, 655 ...