Adventure Sports and Entertainment — Attraction in Jackson Township

Some fields need more shade options. Fried food definitely faster to get out than a burger. People ahead of us raved about lemonade. Our Jersey Burgers were good. Chicken fingers were ok per husband.

UPDATE - Haven't ended up back there as my daughter's team's schedule didn't include a trip there last summer, but: (1) For those complaining about paying an entry fee, it is pretty standard for nice turf facilities like this to charge a fee. As a softball parent, facilities like Diamond Nation in Flemington and Frozen Ropes in Chester come to mind. The only reason Carteret doesn't charge is because it's a publicly funded park not a private facility. Many colleges are going toward turf fields, so this is a great opportunity for the older girls to get experience on turf.

(2) Those other facilities have rules about outside food too. Again, this is a private facility not a public park supported by tax dollars. It is not really fair to compare the operation costs. Like going to Six Flags: Walk to your car and have a picnic if you don't want to pay for in-park food. Or make a Wawa run (It's across the street from the complex). We've been to tournaments over the years held at public parks rented by organizers where there is zero on-site food and in some cases barely have port-a-potties.

(3) I have never expected to fill my daughter's jug from a park water fountain for a full day tournament in our 6 years of travel/club play. Again, we usually remembered to pack several extra bottles of water and take a walk to the car if it's a 3 game day to grab them, regardless of where the event was. Or yes, we paid whatever the organizer was charging for water.

(4) I respect the financial practice of not overspending on "nice to have" features to be so far into debt you end up bankrupt. They simply need to increase their revenue/get sponsors/advertisers to support adding all the new things people are asking for, because if they do it through increasing fees then everyone will complain that they are "overcharging". So if you are business and want a captive audience of local travel/club ball parents, here's...

I just attended a three-day Baseball tournament to watch my grandson play, which was a good experience.

The astroturf fields were in great shape. The lighting for night games was great, and the fields were evenly lit. The outfield walls are portable, allowing them to use the fields for multiple sports.

The umpires were professional, but it was disappointing that only one umpire was assigned to each game in a paid tournament. My guess is that that was a tournament decision and not the venue's responsibility.

The fields are pretty close together, and there are no grandstands, so bring your own chair. A few Adirondack chairs are available, but not many.

They do not allow outside food or drinks, so plan accordingly. The snack stand has a nice menu and there is a beer garden for the adults. The centrally located bathrooms are spacious and were clean on each visit I made over the weekend.

The parking lots are oddly sized and situated, so expect a bit of a walk unless you get there early enough to park in front of the entrance. Handicapped parking is limited, but there is a drop-off spot at the entrance. Expect to pay each day...

I am a parent that has taken my two kids (on two different teams) to countless events at Adventure for years, but the recent decline in softball tournament organization, especially scheduling, has been extremely frustrating. Schedules used to be released reliably on Monday afternoons, but now they’re delayed until Tuesday or even Wednesday. This weekend’s two-day event at Jackson had its Saturday schedule released late, and as of Friday at 6:30 PM, there was still no Sunday bracket.

This lack of organization makes it incredibly difficult for families to plan, especially those juggling multiple kids in different sports. It’s unacceptable to expect teams to go to bed Friday night without knowing when they’ll need to be at the fields on Sunday. If this continues, I will strongly encourage our team to look for better-run tournaments elsewhere.

Adventure needs to do better.

EDIT: The “volunteer” response below is so tone deaf is laughable. We are paying for a service and even paying again just to get in the complex to watch. If I patronize a restaurant and the service is slow, should I volunteer to put on an apron and wait...