If you’ve ever talked to your kids about Harriet Tubman’s legacy, listened to Frank Sinatra or watched Al Leiter during his days with the New York Mets, you’ve shared just a few important pieces of New Jersey history.
A new space dedicated to honoring the influential people who make the Garden State what it is was unveiled this week, as the New Jersey Hall of Fame Entertainment & Learning Center finally opened at American Dream after more than 20 years of collaboration.
There is so much to see here! For starters, you and your crew will get to see the Ford Model T that Henry Ford gifted to Thomas Edison in 1916 – and rumor has it, if you add gasoline it will still drive!
There’s a stage where you can sing karaoke with holograms of famous singers like Gloria Gaynor, Wyclef Jean and Frankie Valli. Getting to belt out the lyrics to “I Will Survive” with Gaynor beside you is pretty epic. And during the grand opening, Tommy James jumped up on stage alongside his doppelganger for a rendition of the famous “Mony Mony.” Is this area super fun? “Yeah! Yeah!”
Using more holographic technology, you can sit at a news desk and interview the likes of Danny DeVito, Jason Alexander, Connie Chung and Jon Bon Jovi. The Late Night Jersey Television Studio has mics and a green screen, but outside the room there’s a screen that shows the interview as if it were truly taking place.
Inside the Jersey Proud Theater, you can sit in movie theater-style seating while clips of the stars flash across the screen. You’ll see Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon, Whitney Houston sing “The Star Spangled Banner” and Celia Cruz salsa across the screen.
You can take a virtual trip to the moon yourself via the Fly Me to the Moon ride, with twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly, where you get to sit in seats that move as you watch a simulation of the voyage on the big screen.
On the Wall of Fame you can choose a hero to hear more about via video. In the center of the experience, there are icons you can learn about by waving your hand over their faces. There’s lots of memorabilia, too, from Jon Bon Jovi’s denim jacket to Eli Manning’s Giants helmet to Thomas Edison’s phonograph.
Outside you can check out Bon Jovi’s 1970 Chevelle. Plus, you can pose with a quote to cast your vote, as the directions say: is it hoagie vs. sub? Taylor ham or pork roll? Does Central Jersey exist, or is that a lie?
And of course, there’s a Boardwalk Shop with a Jersey Shore theme with merch for sale.
The New Jersey Hall of Fame goes by the mantra “Everyone Needs a Hero” and so far, we have more than 230Â heroes inducted over the past 15 years. They didn’t have to be born in New Jersey, but they did have to live in the Garden State for at least 5 years and have made an impact. They represent the arts, writing, education, science, performing arts, entertainment, enterprise, public service, sports and unsung heroes.
Some of those heroes showed up for the event, including comedian Joe Piscopo, track-and-field star Joetta Clark Diggs, basketball coach Bob Hurley, soccer player Heather O’Reilly and entrepreneur Finn Wentworth.
New Jersey is only the fourth state in the country with a Hall of Fame, and NJ is the only one with a state-of-the-art Entertainment and Learning Center. Officials said there was no question the former mobile museum should be located in the Meadowlands, and that it was apropos to be situated inside a mall.
If the 10,000 square feet of beautifully thought out and designed displays inside the Great Hall don’t give you enough Jersey Pride, you can get more info on your favorite celebrities at any of the rest stops along the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike; and look around Newark Liberty International Airport and New Jersey Transit options for posters with quotes from our favorite New Jerseyans.
The New Jersey Hall of Fame Entertainment & Learning Center is located on Court G, Level 3, next door to Oreo Café and overlooking Nickelodeon Universe. American Dream is located at 1 American Dream Way in East Rutherford.
The Hall of Fame will open to the public at the end of June. Ticket information will be available at that time.
Check out our Instagram page to see all the grand opening action.
Get the latest on the best things to do with your family in and around New Jersey by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
Read More:
Rest Stop Along Garden State Parkway is Named After Bruce Willis
It’s Official: Central Jersey Does Exist!
See the Harlem Globetrotters in Their First-Ever Sports Residency
Hasbro Will Open Its Second Childhood Throwback Center At Another NJ Mall
Bubble Planet Immersive Experience is Coming to American Dream
H Mart Has Opened the Largest Asian Food Hall in the Northeast in NJ
