Travel Planner: Belmar-Farmingdale, NJ

With turndown and room service, a copy of the New York Times

delivered to your door each morning, and privileges at local golf clubs, the Virginia is a full-service hotel on an intimate scale (24 rooms). Owned by the Congress Hotel group, the Virginia makes a little Victoriana—fringed lamp shades and potted palms—look modern with up-to-date color palettes. Rooms have down comforters and terrycloth bathrobes, as well as Bulgari Parfums soaps and lotions. Its Ebbitt Room Restaurant is one of the town's best. www.virginiahotel.com. 24 rooms. In-room: Internet. In-hotel: restaurant, bar. Credit cards accepted. Rate includes: Breakfast.

This modern, family-oriented, oceanfront hotel has patrons who have been coming for more than 20 years; reservations are taken a year in advance. There's a heated pool, a separate children's pool, an outdoor whirlpool, and a exercise room with sauna; plus there's free on-premises miniature golf, a game room, and activities for the kids in July and August. Every one of the motel-style rooms has a refrigerator and coffeemaker, and efficiency suites have kitchens. Don't feel like cooking? Sit back and have room service delivered. www.capemayfun.com. 22 rooms, 48 suites. In-room: kitchen (some), Internet. In-hotel: restaurant, bar, pool, children's programs, laundry facilities, parking. Credit cards accepted. Closed late Oct.-mid-Mar. Rate includes: No meals.

Part thoroughfare, part three-ring circus, the Boardwalk is center stage for every imaginable oddity. Conceived in 1870 as a way to allow Victorian-era visitors to experience nature without getting sand in their shoes, the Boardwalk became the

place to see or be seen. Named for Alexander Boardman, the promenade's inventor—and not as you might think, for its wooden boards—the 4-mi-long Boardwalk begins in Atlantic City's Inlet section (at Maine Avenue), and heads south into neighboring Ventnor, where it continues for another 1½ mi (to Jackson Avenue). Saltwater taffy was invented on the Boardwalk in 1883, as legend has it, when a storm flooded a candy dealer's wares. The Boardwalk's attractions include amusement piers, museums, arcades, bars, restaurants, carnival games, and miniature golf. The

which once hosted the best music acts of the day as well as the famed diving-horse show, is now home to rides and carnival games. On the

you can ride go-carts or fire paintball rounds at human targets. Aside from strolling up and down the boards, the traditional way to experience the Boardwalk is to be pushed in a rolling chair. These wicker chairs evolved from the wheelchairs that infirm visitors used back when the city's promoters' claimed the salty ocean air could cure all diseases. Despite medical evidence to the contrary, after a long stroll on the Boardwalk, you might have to agree.

The two-story bayfront complex is 2 mi from the casinos and loaded with amenities. Rooms overlook either the pool, the bay, or the Atlantic City skyline. The golf shop offers packages to nine area courses, along with free shuttle service. www.clarionac.com. 110 rooms. In-room: safe, Internet. In-hotel: restaurant, bar, pool, tennis courts, gym, laundry facilities, business center, parking. Credit cards accepted.

If the 670-acre property has a country-club feel to it, that's because it got its start in 1914 as the Seaview Country Club and offers such refined diversions as golf and tennis. Rooms, a classy blend of traditional fabrics and wood furniture, avoid going overboard with frills. The spa is an Elizabeth Arden Red Door facility. www.seaviewgolf.com. 260 rooms, 37 suites. In-room: Internet. In-hotel: restaurants, bar, golf courses, pools, tennis courts, gym, spa. Rate includes: No meals.

Founded more than 175 years ago to honor Benjamin Franklin, this science museum is as clever as its namesake, thanks to an abundance of dazzling hands-on exhibits. To make the best use of your time, study the floor plan before exploring. You can sit in the cockpit of a T-33 jet trainer, trace the route of a corpuscle through the world's largest artificial heart (15,000 times life size), and ride to nowhere on a 350-ton Baldwin steam locomotive. You'll also be able to explore Sir Isaac's Loft,

which combines lessons in art and science, delve into the mechanics of more than two-dozen mechanical devices in

and see Franklin's famous lightning rod. One don't-miss: the 30-foot-tall statue of Franklin.

The Franklin Air Show

celebrates powered flight with the Wright Model B Flyer.

conveys the physics, physiology, and material science behind your favorite sport by simulating surfing, climbing a rock wall, and comparing your sneakers to Shaquille O'Neal's size 22s. The

—which has a state-of-the-art aluminum dome, lighting and sound systems, and a related astronomy exhibit, "Space Command"—has shows about the stars, space exploration, comets, and other phenomena.

is a venue for 3-D films. The

includes the Tuttleman IMAX Theater, with a 79-foot domed screen and a 56-speaker sound system; recent movies include

and

.

Run by the Franklin Institute, the Kids Science Park

presents interactive displays in an outdoor setting—which means children get a chance to run around and play while they learn. Swings demonstrate the laws of gravity and energy, and golf illustrates physics in motion. 21st St. between Winter and Race Sts., 19103. Admission: Free with admission to Franklin Institute or Please Touch Museum. Hours: May-Sept., daily 10-3. www.fi.edu. Admission: $14.75-$22.25. Hours: Daily 9:30-5.

Standing in the lush grass of this park, you'd never imagine that it was once a swamp and a dumping ground. But the gleaming Unisphere (an enormous 140-foot-high steel globe) might tip you off that this 1,255-acre park was also the site of two World's Fairs.

Many New Yorkers head to a specific attraction, such as a Mets game or the science museum, not realizing the many discoveries to be made nearby. But savvy visitors can take advantage of "one-stop park shopping." Here are not only typical grassy knolls, barbecue pits, and sports fields, but also an art museum, a petting zoo, golf and minigolf, and even a model-plane field. It is too large to see everything in one day, so aim to hit a few primary spots. Though several destinations are clustered together on the northwest side of the park, be prepared for long peaceful walks in between. The flat grounds are ideal for family biking; rent bikes near the park entrance or Meadow Lake from March to October. Although the park is great in daytime, avoid visiting once it gets dark; there has been some crime in this area. Subway: 7 to 111th St. or Willets Point.

This sports-and-entertainment complex along the Hudson River between 17th and 23rd streets (entrance on 23rd), a phenomenal example of adaptive reuse, is the size of four 80-story buildings lying flat. There's pretty much every kind of sports activity going on inside and out, from golf to ice-skating, rock climbing, soccer, bowling, gymnastics, and basketball. Plus there's a spa, elite sport-specific training, film studios, and a brewery. It's the jumping-off point for some of the city's varied water tours and dinner cruises. Trips on the river via private yacht can be arranged by Surfside 3 Marinemax Marina

(

). Lunch cruises, dinner cruises, and cabaret sails can be reserved on

or

, which both leave from

(

). Sophisticated themed cruises on the retro-designed

, and the

leave from Pier 62 through

(

). www.chelseapiers.com. Subway: C, E to 23rd St.