Connect With Free Wi-Fi At Union County Parks

by Christopher Hudak

As the summer season rolls along, I am happy to report that the Union County free Wi-Fi program is off and running, too.

Free Wi-Fi is featured in my Chairman’s initiatives for 2014 as part of the Freeholder Board’s stewardship mission for the historic Union County parks system.

The Freeholder Board is committed to ensuring that our recreation facilities are up to date and welcoming to a broad spectrum of activities. I hope that the opportunity to use free Wi-Fi inspires our visitors to share their experiences through online platforms, helping to raise awareness of the generous legacy of public parks that we have inherited.

With that in mind, I encourage you to stop by and check out our free Wi-Fi service, which is now available at the Wheeler Pool and playground at Wheeler Park in Linden.

Wheeler Pool is open seven days a week during the summer. You can view schedule details on the County website, at ucnj.org/parks. There is a modest fee for entering the pool area, and there is no admission fee for use of the playground.

Free Wi-Fi service is also now available at the playground area at Nomahegan Park in Cranford. A public restroom is conveniently located nearby. For a change of pace you can take a relaxing stroll on the walking path, which runs along Nomahegan Lake and into peaceful wooded areas.

Also coming this year is free Wi-Fi for the Ulrich Pool at Rahway River Park in Rahway, the Skating Center at Warinanco Park in Roselle, and the Trailside Nature & Science Center at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside.

The new Wi-Fi at Trailside is especially exciting because it opens up new opportunities to learn about the exhibits and participate in activities. The new service also dovetails with a new technology upgrade that has brought “smart classrooms” to the educational programs at Trailside.

Trailside is open seven days a week all year round, and there is no admission fee to view the exhibits.

Trailside is also just steps away from miles of shaded hiking trails in the Watchung forest. That includes the new Ruth Canstein Yablonsky Geology Trail and the History Trail. Both have been enhanced with QR code kiosks for learning more about lava trails, a centuries-old copper mine, and many other interesting features you see along the way.

While the free Wi-Fi service and other technology upgrades are new, we have also been working to keep the time honored, traditional activities in our parks up to date and enjoyable. Just a short walk away from Trailside, for example, you can find the newly renovated Loop Playground with a cooling “mister” water feature and a new shaded pavilion.

We have also added popular new fitness activities to our long running Summer Arts Festival and Family Flix series of free outdoor concerts and movies.

For all the latest events, activities and updates at all 36 Union County parks, visit us at ucnj.org/parks, call 908-527-4900, or follow Union County on Facebook.