LONG BRANCH: Blue Skies Pottery is a new addition to the popular Pier Village complex and it…read moreprovides a fun activity for people of all ages! A full service pottery shop, customers have the option to paint ready-made pottery, use a pottery wheel to craft a piece from scratch, or really get hands-on and use your hands to mold your own beautiful work of art. At the Yelp New Jersey Elite event, the hand building class was quite an experience where the friendly owners and staff showed us how to take a ball of clay and using pinch pot form, style it into a bowl. Once the bowl shape took form, we embellished the clay with molds to add design elements. I loved the paw print mold! The staff was very helpful to assist and made sure the art was sturdy and ready for the oven. We got to pick what color we wanted and the staff will paint it later. Pieces are usually ready 3-4 weeks after your visit, so it is a great reason to come back to the area to pick up the finished art. I loved to learn the location is dog friendly, as long as your dog is well-behaved. Since the experience requires full attention and is hands-on, being in control of your pup is extra important. There was a doggie guest there during my visit and was a perfect pup. Blue Skies Pottery also hosts events and collaborates with local businesses including hosting a paw print ornament workshop with the pet store next door. Thanks to Katarina for planning this event and to the owners Valerie & Jordan for welcoming us! Nimra & Andrew were helpful staff members and supportive of all the creativity. In addition to Long Branch, they also have a store in Hoboken!

I can't say enough about the staff at Blue Skies Pottery. The whole process beginning to end,…read morethey've just been the warmest people. If you ever feel like syncing your ideas with expressing them with your hands, this is the place. So many options. So many vehicles. So much medium. AND it's in a great location!

C Glass Studio is awesome -- I have worked with the owner Cheryl on a variety of projects and she…read moreis great, down to earth and absolutely loves what she does. The products are very unique and makes for a great gift for any occasion and they are simply beautiful pieces of art.

Bottom line: Hot Sand is a unique glass art shop and interactive experience in Asbury Park…read more Beautiful glass items on display and for sale as well as opportunities to interact with the artists there (see their website) to make a unique glass object as a result. I dig it. The Deets: When I went to visit my parents on the recent Easter holiday, I saw the glass eggs I had given them in the past and it reminded me of my visits to Hot Sand on Cookman Ave in Asbury Park where they were purchased. I cannot believe I didn't come on Yelp and show some love but fixing that now. Hot Sand is a shop that is more like a showcase or gallery for some of the amazing glass blown/sculpted items they create and sell. Best thing I can recommend is to look at the pics here on Yelp as well as their own website to get a feel for what they offer. Speaking of offerings, Hot Sand also has interactive opportunities to help create your own glass blown/sculpted items with their artists in the workshop area in the back (check out their website for details/FAQ). Their website states the "immersive, exciting hot glass experiences are one-of-a-kind" and I agreed with what I saw on my visits there. Beautiful glass art made and sold as well as interactive opportunities with the staff does make Hot Sand a unique experience that I recommend visiting when in Asbury Park.

A cool place to visit where you can take classes. They also do paw prints (and I'm assuming humans…read moretoo).

The best studio with the most talented instructors. This is a second home to many students & the…read morespacious studios are absolutely gorgeous. Such a clean environment for kids to grow from a young age to graduating!

This is my horrible experience with Rising Stars: yesterday, just before her second class of the…read moresummer session, after completing her first year of dance there the year before, Rising Stars School Of Dance & Performing Arts, NJ dropped my 3 year old daughter from their school because I sent them an email expressing my thoughts about their horrendous customer service. My email to them was in response to an email they had sent to me about late payment. My payment was late because I wasn't aware of when it was due, as the session hadn't begun yet and I hadn't gotten any other correspondence from them telling me so. Sometimes, when your husband has Stage 4 cancer and your kids are 3 and 6, you accidentally overlook things. Most people, even huge corporations have some empathy and humanity about things like that, but not Rising Stars. They dropped my 3 year old who has only known that dance school and is devastated that she can't go anymore. Some of the customer service issues that we experienced there were 1. not being allowed back into the recital after picking my daughter up from the green room, following her dance number, as we were told was the protocol, while the rest of our family sat in the seats we paid for. This was the case for the ENTIRE two year old class. When the venue security asked @Rising Stars management if the 2 year olds were allowed back in, Rising Stars management told them, NO. 2. Because I was with my husband at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center the day dance class pictures were discussed I didn't have my check pre-handed in on picture day. So while they were accepting picture checks on picture day, and I stood there with my check in hand, they would not let my 2 year old have her picture taken until a brought the check to the desk in the front. My 2 year old who wouldn't let me leave the room because she has trauma because of her dads illness since she was 7 months old, was hysterical, but no one at Rising Stars would help us. No one would take my check to the desk while I stayed with my crying daughter, nor would they take her picture with me there and let me bring the check to the front desk right after the picture was taken. So as I stood with my check in hand and a screaming toddler, they just wouldn't take her picture until I handed the check in. So following a nasty form letter email that I received from them the Saturday night before the Monday class started, telling me that my daughter would be dropped if I didn't pay within 24 hours (and they're closed on Sunday) my daughter would be dropped, I replied to their email telling them that they should look into their customer relations. Of course that Monday I paid in full for the summer session and my daughter had her first class. One hour before the second class was due to start, and my daughter was all dressed and ready to go, the owner calls me to tell me that my email was hateful (which it was not, although admittedly it was angry, but not inappropriate) and that they were dropping my 3 year old from their school. I don't usually air dirty laundry but to me this is beyond. So I wanted to make it clear that this is how @Rising Stars may treat their paying customers and children/ students. It's how my family and my 3 year old were treated.

We've been providing pony rides and petting zoos at Summerhill for decades and I work for countless…read morepre schools and summer camps and can HONESTLY say that year after year, Summerhill never ceases to amaze me! They attention and care they provide is second to none! As with most camps, they hurt many teens which is also great for them to learn but there's also plenty of adults to ensure all goes well! I always look forward to working there because it's such a great day! I highly recommend them and guarantee you'll be equally impressed! If I had young children, I wouldn't hesitate to enroll them!! Anyone who says different more than likely is the type that doesn't accept responsibility for their actions and inactions!! I could ramble on forever but hopefully you get the idea! Don't blame the camp counselors for your own issues! It's like blaming a teacher for a kid that doesn't so their homework and study!

Our daughter has attended Summer Hill Camp for 6 years running and can't wait until the school…read moreyear's over to get back. I am completely delighted with the education and socialization that she receives during her camp experiences. She's made wonderful, lasting friendships with the other campers and really looks forward to every day. In a small camp like this, the staff makes or breaks it. This staff is unbelievable- in addition to being great leaders, truly show them kindness and love. There's great staff longevity too. We see the same smiling faces year after year. There are plenty of activities to keep the kids engaged all day long. The drop-off and pick-up is seamless. The facility itself is clean, organized and adorable. The kids get plenty of opportunities to play and move in the fresh air with plenty of shaded structure and indoor room when the weather dictates. The biggest indication for me that it's a great place is my daughter's unwillingness to leave at the end of the day. She begs daily to be in Aftercare!!  Please don't hesitate to check out Summer Hill Camp. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is an amazing acting school! My daughter has been going here for 8 years! This is her second…read morehome! The staff is the most caring and motivating group of people that can relate to our kids. Whether your child wants to act or just learn tools to better communicate this is the place to be! Summer camps are a great way to start!! Thank you Actor's Playground for all that you do for our kids!! Life long friends are made here!!

Words cannot begin to describe how amazing the Actors Playground is, but I will do my best to try…read more First and foremost I wish that there were more places like this one to help build our children's confidence and make them realize their true potential in a nurturing no pressure environment. My daughter had expressed an interest in acting for some time, but kept changing her mind every time we got to the point of going to check it out. Then early this year, the urge was so strong that she agreed to let me make an appointment for her to go and see what was what. We got to the place early on a Saturday and the butterflies were starting to get the better of her, but we were able to successfully overcome them with a gentle nudge, and a guaranty that if she was not thrilled that I would be back to pick her up in an instant. Well let me tell you. That introductory class ignited a flame in her, and a confidence in herself that I had not seen before. I have never seen her strive and work as hard at anything like this ever before. Ralph, the Artistic Director; Megan, and Dan and the rest of the people at the school are the nicest, warmest and most wonderful people I have ever met. They make the kids feel safe and accepted and nurture them as if they were their own. They truly make the kids and us parents feel like family. If your child has any interest at all in the magical world of entertainment, or if you think they could use a dose of confidence building, then check out the Actors Playground and see for yourself how amazing this little place is.

My son started Goddard at 18 months after we had two not so great experiences at other local…read moredaycares. From day one we were welcomed with open arms. As a parent, the #1 thing you care about when your kid is at daycare is that they are safe. #2 is that they are having fun. My son loved this school so much that often when I would pick him up, he didn't want to leave. My son exceled on so many things since starting this school - at 3 years old he can write every letter of the Alphabet and even say all of his colors and numbers in Spanish! But most of all, my son who used to be painfully shy is one of the most outgoing and social 3 year old I know. I have all of his amazing teachers to thank for this. This school is more then just a daycare, you are treating like family. Again, my son started at 18 months in the room the "strawberries" - which was a great first room for him. He's been in 2 other classes since, and has had nothing but fantastic teachers along the way. We are leaving Goddard to go into our towns public school and we are heartbroken to leave but we are so grateful to have made the memories and friends we made along the way. We will forever remember our Goddard family.

Terrible experiences with the teachers, from witnessing wrongful/abusive disciplining to not giving…read moreenough lunch time for kids. Not many staffs have been there a long time except 3-4 teachers and 1 Ass Director, Michelle, tho they sell you like thats not the case. Moms need to share their exp honestly, otherwise, our kids will suffer.

I would like to give a review for my child Jay. He is now 15 and knew I was commenting on…read moreKindercare. I asked Jay what his thoughts were and he said : I loved Kindercare. The teachers were always special to me. They were loving especially when I had tuff days. They were always reassuring that I would have the best day ever. Kindercare was my second family Thank you

Kindercare in jackson is amazing... the teacher Ms Emily is sooo sweet to my daughter…read more The facility is clean and they are such a prompt center responding to email and providing updates on my daughter throughout the day