When my dad was young, Verona kids swam in Verona Park Lake in summer. No kidding. That option is off the table now, but when your kids get tired of the Verona Pool, there’s still water fun to be had in lakes elsewhere in New Jersey.
NewJerseyNewsroom.com has a story about many of them, from Lake Marcia up at High Point to Lake Nummy in Cape May County. But the author missed the lake that has become the favorite for my kids: Sunrise Lake in Lewis Morris County Park, just south of Morristown. And it’s all because of the Wibit.
The Wibit is an inflated obstacle course that floats in the middle of the lake. The kids can climb over and around it and when they fall off–as they inevitably will–they have to haul themselves out of the water to start again. Staying on the Wibit and out of the water is much harder than it looks, as my two kids will testify.
Swimming at Sunrise Lake costs $5 for adults and $4 for kids, although kids under four are free. There’s an extra charge of $3 per person to go on the Wibit, which gives you 30 minutes of play time. You also have to pass a swim test to go on the Wibit, but any kid who can swim the width of the Verona Pool will have no problem with it. You should know that at some times of the day, the Wibit is fully booked with summer camp kids from Morris County. Call 973-267-4351 to get an idea of the busy times before you go. There’s a small snack bar at Sunrise Lake, but you can also bring a picnic lunch to eat under the shade trees.
There’s a bit of a Verona connection to Sunrise Lake, by the way: The lake is located in Morris Township, whose mayor is 1974 Verona High School graduate H. Scott Rosenbush. [mappress]
Sunrise Lake is cute but be aware that the swim area is limited to a super small area that is guarded. The rest of this small lake is for the boat rental.