Rejuvenile by Christopher Noxon  
 

05.16.06 Play therapy, Jersey style

Can’t say I’ve ever thought of New Jersey as a particularly playful place ? I’m more likely to think of thugs or casinos than clowns or carnivals. The Jersey Shore Alliance seeks to correct that perception with a million-dollar marketing blitz aimed squarely at the rejuvenile market.

The Jersey Shore: Your Play Therapy! is a web-based campaign that promotes the region as a “therapeutic environment where people can pack in all the playtime they need.” On a website that includes a nifty online game of skeeball, the Jersey boosters proclaim, “People are meant to play. We have an inherent need for fun and excitement. But most people don’t take the time to play enough. This causes problems. Like stress. Boredom. Insomnia. And chronic crankiness.”

Agreed. I’m not entirely convinced, however, that a long weekend in Red Bank or Ashbury Park would fulfill the playful impulses of cranky, stressed-out adults. My guess is that rejuveniles are more likely to get their kicks at Disneyworld (armed with Rita Aero’s Walt Disneyworld for Adults), a baseball fantasy camp or toy convention. My own pick for the ultimate rejuvenile vacation spot is Tyler Place, a homey resort in northern Vermont that offers adults all the joys of summer camp (Arts and crafts! Mountain biking!) without the ubiquitous bullies and insufferable sing-alongs that made summer camp such a dicey proposition as a kid.

Posted at 3:49 pm in The Rejuvenile Traveler | 0 Comments

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