Jersey City offers different starting points for an exploration: the Empty Sky memorial, a science center with a planetarium, historic homes and theater architecture. If you’re looking for a hotel in Jersey City, considering your main interests can help you organize your travel plans.
Remembrance and science at Liberty State Park
Empty Sky is New Jersey’s memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Its central feature consists of two 30-foot-high walls clad in brushed stainless steel. The names of 746 people who died in the attacks are engraved on them; these people either lived in New Jersey or had close ties to the state. The design and dedication give the memorial a clear focus on remembrance.
Also located in Liberty State Park is the Liberty Science Center, on the Jersey City waterfront along the Hudson River and near the Statue of Liberty. The center houses twelve museum exhibition halls and a live animal collection with 110 species. It is also home to the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. The park’s attractions therefore have distinct themes: Empty Sky is a place of remembrance, while the science center brings together exhibits, animals and a planetarium.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal was built in 1889. For visitors, it serves as a gateway to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Together with the memorial and the science center, it offers another perspective on Liberty State Park: history, remembrance and science are different reasons to explore this part of Jersey City.
Residential history and historic sites
The Van Wagenen/Apple Tree House is the second-oldest house in Jersey City. Its features include historic vaulted cellars and Victorian parlors; the grounds also include a garden with native plants. The rooms and garden offer distinct points of interest: the parlors and vaults reflect the history of the house, while the garden puts native plants at the center. Visitors interested in historic architecture and gardens will find two facets in one place.
Reservoir 3 adds another kind of structure to this historical theme. It was originally built in the 1870s and is listed on both the state and national registers of historic places. The reservoir is in the Heights section of Jersey City. Both its original construction date and its listings in the two registers are relevant to understanding local history.
Theater and cultural activities
The Loew’s Jersey Theatre was built from 1927 to 1929 as a 3,021-seat movie palace and could also host live shows. It is one of five “Loew’s Wonder Theatres” in the New York metropolitan area and the only one outside New York City. Its size and place in this group give the theater a distinct role in the region’s architectural and cultural history.
Another cultural destination is the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood. It offers cultural, fitness, wellness and educational activities for residents and visitors. Its range extends beyond historic buildings to include a variety of activities at a community center.
These points of interest can help you organize your travel plans without requiring a fixed order for your visits. Then choose a hotel that suits your plans.
Discover more destinations: Weehawken, Union City, Harrison, Bayonne, Hoboken, Secaucus, North Bergen
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