So your big day is coming up, and you have guests arriving from all over the United States, and you're too busy to entertain. Well, guess what? You don't have to! New Jersey may be a small state, but there are so many things for your guests to do on the days leading to your wedding. They may get to do things that you haven't even done.

Open up the Gateway

Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Union, and Middlesex Counties make up the Gateway region, also known as the "Gateway to Freedom" region. Your guests can visit various historical sites, museums, and educational centers. First and foremost, your guests will probably want to take a trip to Liberty State Park, and take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and then maybe hop over to the Liberty Science Center. If your guests are passionate about the performing arts, they can see a play at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, attend classical music concerts at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, or see entertainers from all over the world at the State Theater in New Brunswick. You also might want to remind them about the Gateway's various museums, and if they like horses, tell them to giddy-up on over to the Meadowlands Racetrack. Fans of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos" will also have a blast: they can take a tour provided by On Location Tours, Inc., and see where all the scenes are shot, including the infamous NJ Turnpike seen in the opening credits. With all that there is to do, your out-of-town guests may want to come back and visit you to have more fun in the Gateway region.

A Pie in The "Sky"

Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties compose what is called the Skylands Region, and there is an array of historical sites, arts and crafts shops, and other fun places for people to visit. If your relatives want to learn about NJ's Native American heritage, they may want to visit Lenape Village at Waterloo Village in Sussex County, where visitors learn about the Lenape Indians. Revolutionary War buffs can visit the Morristown National Historical Park, or go to Somerset County and learn about the Battle of Bound Brook. If shopping around is what your guests want to do, direct them to the Liberty Village Premium Outlets, one of many outlet locations in Flemington, NJ. After shopping, they can go to the various local artisans and look at ceramics and artwork. The Skylands Region is filled with so many things to do, that you'll have to remind them to attend your wedding!

"Shore" is Fun!

Monmouth and Ocean Counties make up what's called the Shore region, and if you're having your wedding here, your out-of-town guests will "shorely" have lots of fun. If some of your guests don't live on the coast, they'll have a great time visiting the Shore region's many beaches. They can enjoy swimming, fishing, boardwalks, and watersports. For the land lovers, suggest that they go to Monmouth Park, where they can bet on racing horses, or point them to Six Flags Great Adventure if you think they'd like amusement parks. For other forms of entertainment, they can go to PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, or catch a play at The Strand Theater in Lakewood. And since out-of-towners usually love to shop when they come to new places, propose that they check out the Englishtown Flea Market Auction, or the Jackson Outlet Village. With all that the Shore region has to offer, your guests won't have time to be bored.

Point out New Jersey's Other Regions

The Greater Atlantic City region, which encompasses Atlantic County, not only has great boardwalks and ample opportunities to gamble, visitors can tour the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum and the Atlantic City Art Center. If you think your guests might want to see the Victorian side of New Jersey, point them to the Southern Shore region, which includes Cumberland and Cape May Counties. Here they can walk the streets of Cape May and view many Victorian houses and take trolley tours of the historic area. They can also sunbathe on the beaches and walk the boardwalks in places like Wildwood. To experience more of New Jersey's history, your guests should go to the Delaware River Region in Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, where they can see the NJ Statehouse in Trenton, visit Nassau Hall where the Continental Congress met, see a concert at the Patriots Theater, or meet some fish at the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden.

In addition to all these things in New Jersey's different regions, there are activities that your guests can go to anywhere. These can include wineries, museums, lighthouses, fancy restaurants, and of course New Jersey's famous malls.

You may not have realized just how unique and interesting New Jersey really is, or that they even divide the state up into regions, but hopefully you will be able to provide your out-of-town guests with ideas of where they can go and what they can do before your wedding day. But why should your guests get to have all the fun? Now you and your husband-to-be have tons of places to visit in the state of New Jersey... enough places to last a lifetime.

For more information about things to do in NJ, visit these websites:
www.nj.com
www.state.nj.us/travel
www.funnj.com
www.newjerseyrocks.com
www.njpac.org
www.newjerseywines.com/wineries.html
www.njlighthouses.net
www.sceneontv.com