Berkeley Heights has been watching The Park rise at The District (the former Connell Park, on Connell Drive) for a long time — and this fall, the doors are finally opening. Not one at a time over years, either: a whole wave of restaurants, wellness spots and gathering places is landing within a few weeks of each other, right here in our town.

I’m a Berkeley Heights local, and this is my running guide to what’s open, what’s about to open, and what I’m most excited about. I’ll keep updating this post as each new door opens — bookmark it and check back.

Weather these days is a bit of a wild card. Summer here in New Jersey is usually pretty moderate, but this year has been anything but. We’ve already had stretches approaching 100 degrees followed by day after day of rain — the kind of rain that makes everything feel heavy, slow, and a little bit blah. Rain admittedly is not my favorite. It makes me drag, with my motivation becoming nonexistent. So I’ve been trying to be resourceful and find little things that help me power through the dreariest and soggiest of summer days.

Here are a few of my rainy‑day summer faves that are keeping me sane, dry, and moving.

We leaned all the way into Pi Day Weekend this year, and Liberty Science Center made it easy with their annual Math Madness celebration. The whole museum was buzzing with math‑themed activities — the kind that sneak learning into play so seamlessly the kids don’t even realize they’re doing anything educational.

Every corner had something new to try: probability games, math yoga, programming little robot mice, and even actual mouse races. We missed the cockroach counting contest (which, honestly, I’m not too heartbroken about), but there was still more than enough to keep the kids fully immersed. The highlight might have been the moment they spotted The Count, followed by hugs, high‑fives, and a very enthusiastic “ha ha haaaa.”