Englishtown... Motorsports and Fleamarkets

Maybe most of the fun has been one-sided here. Time to return to favor and treat the guys to a day at Raceway.

Englishtown has two main highlights... 1, is Raceway Park where dozens of local motocross racers come together to compete as well as several other types of races and car shows. 2, The Fleamarket where people from surrounding towns and even people from a distance come an choose from a large array or products. Summer time at Raceway means several Thrills Shows such as "The Night of Thrills" in June, "Summer Motorsports Spectacular" in July, and "The All American Jet Car Nationals & Monster Truck Meltdown" in August. While these are the big highlights of the Summer, there are always other races, shows, and gatherings throughout the season. Growing up, several of my friends were motocross races. Every once in a while I would take a drive down to the track and watch them race and even sometimes watch them pratice. Even being on the outside of the race, I got a rush out of the intensity of the race, the dust flying up all around the riders pushing out in the audience, and the sound of the revving engines.

As for the Fleamarket, to say it's a little less intense than the race track might not be accurate. Almost anything can be found at the Englishtown Fleamartket. If you like finding great stuff for cheaper prices, or just making great finds in general, then this is definitely a great place to stop by. Spend a day in the sun looking at antiques, books, accessories, electronice, food, and much more. It is a great addition to the "keep it simple," vacation in Middlesex County. A day of leisure spent at the Fleamarket followed by a night at Raceway Park for a great race is the perfect entertainment for a relaxing vacation.

A Night in Princeton Isn't Complete Without a Visit to Halo Pub

One of the great things about Middlesex is that it's home to all ages. For the younger college crowd there is Rutgers in New Brunswick, with local bars and the action of campus-night-life. For those a little past graduation, a night in Princeton is great. Princeton, notorious for its' prestigious university, its' fine dining, and for being an all around beautiful town, is also home to one of the greatest ice cream parlors in the state. Halo Pub, a place I have visited it quite a few times, is located in Palmer Square. Halo Pub can be visited after eating at one of the many restaurants such as the Mediterra Restaurant, an upscale restaurant that offers a selection of food from any of the 21 countries surrounding the Mediterranean, or even Teresa's Caffe, a casual yet classic Italian restaurant. Even if you have dinner planned else-where, Palmer Square is a great place to spend the day shopping and walking around. There are over 40 shops available in Palmer Square alone, 5 of which are only available in Princeton. Halo Pub, is open all day and most of the evening and can be a great place to pause and grab a cone during a day of shopping. Even if shopping isn't something on the "to-do-list", walking around Princeton in the afternoon, or in the evening after dinner is very relaxing. Taking in the beautiful town and campus while enjoying 1 of Halo's many ice cream flavors sounds good to me. Having personally been to Princeton on several occassions, it really is a beautiful and extremely relaxing venue to keep it simple and spend a day in the sun getting lost in Princeton's shops, restaurants, history, and scenery.

Carnevale Italiano

North Brunswick, one of the many townships in Middlesex, has their annual Italian Carnival every Summer. The Carnival-Kick-Off this year is July 16th, where locals will be coming together to enjoy the great Italian food and rides. While everybody knows the best part of the Carnevale is the delicious Zeppoles, there will be many other activities. (For those of you who may not know, Zeppoles are dough-balls fried to perfection and covered in confectionary sugar... if that doesn't sound fabulous, then I don't know what does) Among the delicious zeppoles will be italian sausage and peppers (on large sandwiches that melt in your mouth) accompanied by other delicious italian food. There is also your typical carnival food provided such as popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream, and all that other good stuff.

Included in these many activities are of course the rides. There is a ferris wheel, bumper cars, rides for little kids, and rollercoaster-esq rides for the older crowd. There are also vendors stations all around the carnival, most near the food, where couples and families can go to play squirt gun games, pop baloons, participate in a raffle, and all the other fun activities that usually end in someone winning a prize. This year in addition to the vendors, food, and already existing rides, they have added more rides, games and local bands. It is always a great time for families, couples, and even friends to come together and enjoy their day and/or evening. This is the Carnevale's 23rd consecutive year. Each of the five nights finishes of with a display of beautiful fireworks. Don't miss it! It's something great for couples to come and have a good time... maybe even a way for couples to feel like kids again. For those who are considered young families with little ones, it's a great place to bring kids for a day of fun.