Perillos Pointers: WILD WEST CITY

Audio By Carbonatix

When I was growing up in the 70s and maybe 80s, there were jingles from TV commercials that just resonated with you even if you didn’t ever use the product. “Have it your way, have it your way….I’d like to buy the world a coke…you deserve a break today…stuck on band-aid,” and for me, “Wild West City, come to Wild West City!”

So, at 57, I did…I went to Wild West City for the first time, ever and yeeehaw!   Howdy partner…

I am not going to say this is the most woke, glammed up theme park in the tri-state. Far from it, but that’s why I loved it. Opened in 1957, this replica of a, well, wild west city in Byram Township, NJ looks like it hasn’t been touched since, taking you way back to Dodge, complete with stagecoach ride, Main Street bar brawls, (staged of course), train ride, teepees, saloon, general store and blacksmith shop.

I dragged my younger set with me, and my husband too, and they loved it!   My fourteen-month-old granddaughter loved the farm with the goats, hogs, and ponies, and miniature golf.    

My husband, my fourteen-year-old, eleven-year-old and nine-year-old were panning for gold for so long I had to remind them we had a job to do scoping out the Little House on the Prairie schoolhouse (sorry, Miss Beetle retired about 200 years ago), the mancave and the train ride complete with robbers and cap guns. 

It did not take hours to peruse the 12 acre Dodge City replica, and just enough time for an “I’m bored” day trip to kill a few hours without packing up the family for a three hour, not-so-overnight jaunt.

Summer day trips don’t have to be far, they don’t have to be long, hours of play.   Some stuff right in our own backyard is enough to take the edge off the whining…and have some wholesome, no glitz fun. And, that’s why I loved Wild West City.

Thanks to Mary, Frank and Mike for making our day low-key, no frills fun, right here in NJ. We will definitely be back…oh and the old fashioned ice cream sodas on main street hit the spot. 

Buy your tix online for the best “bang” for your buck on www.wildwestcity.com  - $37.00 for adults and $32.00 for children and seniors.   Train ride and mini golf are included in admission. Stage coach is $7.00 per person because the horses have to eat.