Pretty soon, the great outdoors will be something many of us experience only in small doses — as we shovel, snow-blow, salt-spread or dart from car to door as quickly as possible.
But why hibernate before we have to? Fall — with its aromas of apple cider and wood-burning fireplaces — is a particularly nice time to be outside. So, here are 10 suggestions for fun things to do while we can.
Visit the park
If you haven't checked out Van Saun County Park lately, now's a great time. The family-friendly 146-acre park includes the nationally accredited Bergen County Zoological Park, as well as a kiddie train, carousel, pony rides and picnic and fishing areas. (Carousel, train and pony rides operate through October.)
Details: 216 Forest Ave., Paramus. Zoo hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Admission (charged through October): $4 for county residents, $8 for non-residents; children (3 to 14) $2 residents, $5 non-residents; seniors (62 and up) and disabled $1 residents, $2 non-residents; free for active military and children under 3. Extra $1.50 fee, child or adult, for train (closed Mondays) and carousel. 201-262-3771 or co.bergen.nj.us/bcparks.
Take a hike
One of the many great places in North Jersey to enjoy nature is Ringwood State Park. With both wild lands and landscaped gardens, and roughly 50 miles of hiking trails, the park includes Ringwood Manor, Skylands Manor/New Jersey State Botanical Garden and Shepherd Lake.
Details: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. No entrance fees until Memorial Day. Sloatsburg Road, Ringwood. 973-962-7031 or www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/ringwood.html
Garage "sail"
Aficionados of garage (estate, tag and yard) sales know that fall is prime time to hunt for treasures in other people's driveways and back yards, since you no longer have to contend with 90-degree heat.
Details: Check out The Record's daily Marketplace section, especially the Thursday through Sunday editions, when most upcoming weekend sales are listed. At northjersey.com, you can search by town and plan out your itinerary. (Click on the garage-sales link at top right of the home page.)
Stroll with a cannoli
East Rutherford's 2011 Columbus Day Parade and Festival is a two-day event that features live music, rides and amusements, a cannoli-eating contest and a beer garden.
Details: Parade is at noon Saturday. Festival runs noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Union and Park avenues, East Rutherford.
See the Meadowlands
Although the pontoon boat and canoe tours are over for the season, you can take a self-guided walking tour of Richard W. DeKorte Park, an open wetland teeming with wildlife. Easy or intermediate trails give you an up-close look at the salt marshes, which most of us only see from Route 3 or the Turnpike.
Details: 8 a.m. to dusk. 1 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. Free. To check out all Meadowlands nature events, go to njmeadowlands.gov/events.html.
Step back in time
Garretson Forge and Farm's "Harvest Festival: The 1800s Farm" is a family day with "seasonal harvest activities," as well as tours of the pre-Revolutionary stone house museum and its gardens.
Details: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 16, 4-02 River Road, Fair Lawn. Free, but donations welcome. 201-797-1775 or garretsonfarm.org.
Take a cruise
On weekends through Oct. 30, Circle Line has special Bear Mountain cruises, which take passengers on a leisurely (roughly 2 1/2 hours each way) sightseeing sail on the Hudson River. The boat docks at Bear Mountain State Park, where guests have about three hours to enjoy Oktoberfest activities — live music, dancing, food and beer.
Details: Boards 8:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Departs 9 a.m. sharp. Pier 83 at West 42nd Street in Manhattan. $50, $41 seniors, $31 children age 12 and under. 212-563-3200 or circleline42.com.
Get thee to a winery
One you might try is Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, whose post-and-beam tasting room — where visitors sample wines, ciders, brandies and liqueurs — overlooks a goose pond and the orchards. This winery, which produces Doc's Draft Hard Ciders, has ties to Bergen County. One of the owners is Dr. Joseph Grizzanti, an allergist/pulmonologist affiliated with The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood..
Details: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 114 Little York Road, Warwick, N.Y. $5 fee for wine tasting includes 6 wines and a souvenir winery glass. 845-258-4858 or wvwinery.com.
Watch wolves
The Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia places visitors in an observation area, in the center of four packs of wolves, where you can watch them play and maybe even hear them howl.
Details: Fall hours (through Nov. 5), 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. You must arrive a half-hour earlier to register and park your vehicle. 89 Mount Pleasant Road, Columbia. $16.05 adults (ages 12 and over); $7.49 children ages 2 to 11. No reservations needed for Saturdays and Sundays for individuals and families. 877-733-9653 or 908-496-9244 or lakotawolf.com. Closed Mondays. Note: The preserve is open year-round, but if weather is questionable, call to confirm.
See the leaves change
On weekends this fall, the New Jersey Museum of Transportation offers its annual "foliage spectacular" train ride through scenic Allaire State Park in Wall Township.
Details: Every half-hour from noon to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 5; $4 per person. 732-938-5524 or njmt.org.
E-mail: rohan@northjersey.com
