Turnpike Tikes: Your One-Stop Shop For Things To Do In Northern New Jersey

Ronda Kaysen, 33, moved from Brooklyn to Essex County last October with her husband and their 3-year-old son. After seeking ideas for things to do, she quickly grew discouraged by Web sites and newspapers that simply listed "every single pick-your-own farm in the State of New Jersey."

"It took so much energy just to find something to do that I was at a loss," said Kaysen, who was used to relying on Time Out New York's descriptive reviews when she lived in Brooklyn.

The result? Last week, Kaysen launched her own guide for parents in Northern New Jersey. Indeed, Turnpike Tikes is a blog that lists everything from spraygrounds for sweltering days to ways to make homemade sidewalk chalk.

Kaysen is a blogger for the popular parenting site Momlogic and also a freelance reporter whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and ParentDish.com, among other publications.

Turkpike Tikes is a free weekly email and a daily blog chock-full of great stuff to do with the kids in the northern New Jersey suburbs. Rather than list every pick-your-own farm in the State of New Jersey, Turnpike Tikes highlights one, tells you what they think about it, and directs you to a great place to get lunch or a snack along the way. If there's a side trip that's not to be missed, they let you know about that too.

"You don't get a list with every single thing on it but you do get personal reviews," Kaysen said.

She said the blog covers most of Essex County in addition to parts of Morris and Bergen counties and that it's designed for families with children of all ages.

"Nothing is more than an hour away from everyone," she said. "I try to put up one new thing every single day."

On Monday, Turnpike Tikes talked about Clearview Cinema's Summer Kid's Clubs on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m.

So what are Kaysen's favorite things to do?

She loves the town of Chester, which she calls a "nice little gem." She said the town is an historic one packed with great restaurants and surrounded by lovely hiking spots for the whole family.

Kaysen also loves making playdough.

"It's really fun because it's just so bizarre," she said. "You can't believe a half cup of salt is needed.

"The quantities are always so strange," she said. "It's a very funny thing to try to make."