5 Things To Do In Seaside Park, NJ

So, you've already been to Times Square, walked around Central Park, and visited iconic sites like the Empire State Building. But there's more to the Big Apple than meets the eye. These four tours offer another look at a place you already think you know. Walks of New York Disney Broadway Stages Tour Broadway fans, rejoice! You'll start with a walk around NYC's theater district, Times Square, Duffy Square, and Shubert Alley among other hotspots, hearing about the history of the area before an included guided tour of the New Amsterdam Theatre, home to Aladdin. The best part: You'll get to tour a special hands-on, behind-the-scenes tour of the Costume and Prop Studio and a chance to take great pics of you wearing costumes from Broadway productions like Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Newsies. From $72 per adult, from $65 per child; 2 hours and 30 minutes; Tues, Sat, and Sun starting at 12 p.m., 9:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. depending on the day. Beyond Broadway Discover the hidden secrets of Midtown Manhattan that tourists won't usually get to see, like underground passageways in Grand Central Station that help you avoid the crowds and under-the-radar local favorites in Rockefeller Center and Times Square you've never heard of. $65 per person; three hours; tours start at 2 p.m. in the center of the main concourse at Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street and end at 328 West 45th Street. Craft Cocktail Tour Get ready for the most interesting happy hour of your life! This walking tour through the vibrant East Village offers a taste of the best NYC bars and artisinal cocktails. You'll learn about how prohibition played a part in the city's history and visit a mix of micro-distilleries, top-notch local bars, and secret speakeasy spots along the way. $79 per person, adults 21 and up only; two hours, 30 minutes; Tours start at the Temperance Drinking Fountain in Tompkins Square Park (corner of St. Mark's Street and Avenue A in the East Village) at 6 p.m. and end near the corner of Lafayette and Great Jones St. Tenements, Tales, and Tastes You'll learn the fascinating history of classic NYC neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side, home to many groups of immigrants over the centuries, all while tasting treats like dumplings, fresh mozzarella cheese, and giant pretzels. Talk about a perfectly delicious way to see the city. $65 per person; three hours; Tours start at 10 a.m. at the Fountain at City Hall Park and end at the Lorely Biergarten, 7 Rivington St.

We've just discovered three flash sales happening this week that you won't want to miss. Here's what you need to know. For ski lovers who are planning ahead Vail Resorts and RockResorts in Colorado, Lake Tahoe, Grand Teton National Park, Utah, and Jamaica are having a 96-hour flash sale starting Tuesday, Aug. 18th until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21st where you can save up to 50 percent on stays at luxury-style campgrounds, boutique hotels, and resorts. Sample prices include rates at The Lodge at Vail from $129 per night, rates at The Pines Lodge at Beaver Creek from $117 per night, and even a 60 percent discount at Half Moon, A RockResort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, with rates from $229 per night. If you currently have the Epic Pass, you're eligible for even more discounts—purchase the 2015-2016 season Epic Pass by Sept. 7th for $769 per person for access to unlimited skiing and snowboarding at 10 U.S. ski areas and select ski resorts in Australia and Switzerland. For a last-minute beach getaway Looking for the perfect autumn beach vacation? Grand Lucayan on Grand Bahama Island is having a 72-hour flash sale where you can save up to 50 percent on stays of at least two nights between Sept. 2nd and Nov. 15th as long as you book by Thursday, Aug. 20th. Rates start from $90 per night (with a two-night minimum-stay required) and you'll get a $125 resort credit to be used for dining, spa services, tennis, and golf (cart fees excluded). The best part: children ages 12 and under stay for free.  For a quick trip to Milan Suddenly in the mood for Italian food or interested in checking out Expo Milano before it ends on Oct. 31st? Take advantage of this amazing flash sale from Emirates where you can score 2-for-1 airplane tickets to Milan when you book by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20th. Two people can fly round-trip from JFK to Milan $999 in economy class or splurge for two business class tickets for from $3,800 for both of you. Tickets must be used between Oct. 1, 2015 and Mar. 23, 2016. Plus, Milan was named one of Budget Travel's best places to visit in 2015, so get to it!

Great news for anyone planning (or dreaming of) a trip to Australia: Qantas is having a big sale on flights to Sydney now thru Aug. 25th. Here's what you need to know. Round-trip flights from L.A. to Sydney start at $1,349 per person when you fly between Nov. 1-30, 2015; Feb 1-Mar. 30, 2016; and May 1-Jun. 21, 2016. Round-trip flights from San Francisco, New York City (JFK), and Dallas/Fort Worth start at $1,549 per person. Travel dates for San Francisco must be between Feb. 1st and Mar. 30th or May 1st to Jun. 21, 2016. To take advantage of the sale price from New York City, travel between Nov. 9-29, 2015; Feb. 1-Mar. 30, or May 1-Jun. 21, 2016. Coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Travel between Feb. 3rd and Mar. 30th or May 1st to Jun. 20, 2016. And now for the fine print: You must book by Aug. 25th to cash in on the sale. There is a 10-day minimum stay requirement, meaning you need to stay in Australia for at least 10 days after your transpacific flight departs. Please note that fares are based on flights that depart from Sunday through Wednesday, but travel from Thursday to Saturday is also available for an additional fee. Please visit Qantas.com for more info and to book your flight.

This article was written by the Jill Nawrocki on behalf of Viator.com. With only about two million people scattered across the expanses of its breathtaking savannahs, haunting deserts, and fertile deltas, Namibia is one of the least-densely populated countries in the world. Yet somehow this southern African nation that’s approximately the size of California still offers some of the greatest ecological and cultural diversity in the world. With a modern capital city, comforting colonial-inspired coastline, and network of well-paved roads, accessing all that this beautiful country has to offer is incredibly easy—even for first timers. As a result, this coastal gem has quickly taken its place among the top spots to visit in Africa and become the perfect entry point into exploring this incredible continent. Here are some of our favorite reasons to visit Namibia. The Language Barrier is Small While about half of Namibia’s two million people speak Oshiwambo—one of the country’s 11 major languages—at home, English is actually the national language. When the country gained its independence back in 1990, the government hoped shifting to a more-widely spoken tongue would result in faster economic advancement. Whether this has been the case is still up for debate, but travelers to Namibia will find that even in some of its most remote regions at least a little English is often spoken. In larger cities like Windhoek and Swakopmund where German and Dutch influence was once great, visitors can easily get around speaking one of these languages instead. And while the presence of European languages makes navigating the villages a bit more manageable, the country has done well to preserve its own indigenous tongues. Travelers can still hear the clicking language across Damaraland and the far south, made famous by the Nama, Damara, and San people. The History is Fascinating Like South Africa, Namibia’s history is rich with stories of oppression and tales of triumph. From its early colonial days, when the Dutch and Germans ruled this nation formerly known as German South-West Africa and later, as only South-West Africa, its people have been tucked under a harsh and difficult rule. Whole tribes of people were collected and confined to specific regions of the country under German rule and historians have speculated that the model used by the Nazis in the Holocaust was tried and perfected on the people of Namibia during the Herero and Namaqua genocide. Later, when Namibia became a part of South Africa, the country fell under apartheid rule. As a result, white Namibians and German and Dutch residents were placed in wealthier “townships” and black Namibians were forced to live in areas known as “locations.” Although this system of oppression no longer exists today, travelers to Namibia can still seem remnants of the nation’s difficult past. Monuments to German soldiers and bloody battles exist in many of the country’s larger cities, particularly in Namibia’s southern regions, and German and Dutch colonial architecture is the norm in places like Windhoek, Luderitz, and Swakopmund. The Landscape is Beautiful Namibia is home to some of the world’s most diverse landscapes. From the sweltering sands of the Namib and Kalahari Deserts to the unforgiving Skeleton Coast, fertile Okavango Delta and the rocky depths of Fish River Canyon, this is a country that has it all. The best part: its network of well-paved roads with practically zero traffic makes moving one extreme to another a breeze. Explore the vast savannahs of the south in Karas or Hardap. Or travel to the north, where lush green mango trees and tall grasses line the Okavango River. To the east, in Omaheke, travelers can cruise through the desert under the light of the blazing sun or head to Kunene where mountain passes lead to the land of the Himba people in the unique town of Opuwo. Adventure Comes in Many Forms All this diversity in landscape means there’s plenty for the outdoor adventurer seeking a new kind of thrill in Namibia. Avid hikers can pack up a bag and descend into the depths of Fish River Canyon, one of the nation’s most difficult multi-day hikes that dips across rivers and rocky passes with no escape from the blinding Namibian sun. Extreme sports enthusiasts can skydive from tiny private planes over the desert sands outside of Swakopmund or ride the sandy waves while boarding down the world-famous dunes near the coast of the Atlantic. Travelers can take an evening game drive through the vast Etosha in hopes of spotting a lion pride in search of a kill, or head to one of the country’s well-kept lodges for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of hunting springbok in the bush. And while hiring a car, hopping a tour or traveling with a guide are easy ways to see this great nation, one of the most adventurous ways to get around is thumbing a ride from the side of the road, where friendly locals are often eager to offer a lift to visitors exploring the countryside. The Animal Life Is Diverse Namibia’s wildlife is as rich and diverse and its geography and its people. That’s because when the nation gained its independence back in 1990, it made conservation one of its top priorities. Etosha National Park, located in the northwestern part of the country, is one of Namibia’s most popular wildlife destinations. Its 22,000 square kilometers of protected land are home to hundreds of elephants, rhinos, giraffe, lions, kudu, and zebra that gather during rainy season at the park’s famous watering holes. Visitors can stay at one of the park’s incredible lodges, where western comforts meet life in the bush, or spend an afternoon driving through the grasslands of this reserve. But Etosha isn’t the only place where the health and safety of Namibia’s wild animals reigns supreme. At the Cheetah Conservation Fund located just outside Otjiwarango, a team of expert staff led by American Laurie Marker, keep close watch over some of the country’s most beautiful felines. The center, which is a hub for research, education, conservation and habitat restoration, is also home to a number of cheetahs. Namibia is also home to one of the largest seal colonies in the world. Located in Cape Cross, along the country’s Atlantic coast, the Cape Fur Seals have become one of the nation’s most popular—and unexpected—wildlife attractions. Travelers can tour by boat or kayak up close to these playful sea creatures while on a visit to Swakopmund. The People Are Welcoming Despite its history of apartheid and oppression, Namibia is full of diverse people who are warm and welcoming to foreign travelers. Whether it’s hitching a ride with a local from the side of the road, hunting alongside an expert game guide, or visiting a traditional Himba village in the northern region of Kunene, travelers will find Namibia to be a country with a big heart, a warm embrace, and a whole lot of hospitality.