Indoor activities in Montclair and other ways to beat the brutal heat

Temperatures are rising in Montclair once again. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory that remains in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday, with heat index values of up to 101 degrees on Friday, affecting most of Northeast New Jersey and beyond. An air quality alert is in effect Friday, too.

In other words: If you're going out, be careful. The temperatures are high enough to cause illness, especially for children, seniors or other vulnerable people.

But in Montclair, there are plenty of ways to beat the heat. We've rounded up some below. Got suggestions for more? Email news@montclairlocal.news with the subject line "beat the heat" and we'll add more to this post.

Montclair Township Pools

Montclair has three pools open to residents: Essex, Nishuane and Mountainside, but Essex remains closed because of social distancing practices and other factors.

Nishuane and Mountainside are open Monday to Friday from 12:30 to 8 p.m., and weekends 11 to 8 p.m. Pool permits can be purchased at the Recreation Department on 205 Claremont Ave. Bring proof of residency and prepare to have your photo taken. The passes are $250 for a family, $75 for an adult, $60 for a child, $25 for a senior or $85 for a caregiver.

No resident daily passes or out-of-town guests will be permitted this season.

Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center

The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, on the campus of Montclair State University at 8 Yogi Berra Drive in Little Falls, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Rates are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 18, $5 for seniors, and free for veterans and MSU students.

The museum has several exhibits — including the standing "Yogi Berra Museum Collection;" "Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of Negro Leagues Baseball;" "Pitch: The Indoor Interactive Baseball Experience," where visitors can test their skills against an animated batter; "New York City's Golden Boys," featuring 76 baseball oil painting portraits by Andy Jurinko; and "The Mitt Mobile," with 16 vintage catcher's mitts. It also has several events, including professional development for educators.

Montclair Art Museum: Yard School of Art

The Montclair Art Museum galleries closed until Sept. 11 for reinstallation, but you can take classes and attend camp this summer at the Yard School of Art. Upcoming classes include sessions on drawing with pastels, introduction to drawing, the history of architecture, using a potters wheel and narrative portraiture. To sign up and to learn more information, click here. 

The museum also has several virtual activities, including ones designed with the whole family in mind here.

There are also occasional special online events, such as this Saturday's MAM After Hours: Art Meets Jazz, featuring Isaiah J. Thompson — but sorry, that one is sold out.

Theater and other performance

After delays of more than a year because of the pandemic the Vanguard Theater is finally in its new home on Bloomfield Avenue. You can keep an eye on its upcoming events and season here.

The Luna Stage theater in West Orange is selling season passes for its shows (next up are shows in the fall, so the summer heat will be behind us, but it's still worth keeping on your radar).

The Wellmont Theater, a concert hall and venue on Seymour Street, has two shows set in late August — 1964, a Beatles tribute, on Aug. 26, and The Roots on Aug. 27. Box office hours are noon to 5 pm. Monday to Friday, and the show calendar is here. 

Keep an eye out for more news on two theaters that will soon be operating again in Montclair. The Bellevue Theatre in Upper Montclair is slated to reopen in the fall, as is Clairidge Cinemas on Bloomfield Avenue.

Montclair Public Library

The Montclair Public Library's main branch, as of Friday, July 16, is opening up its second and third floors for limited hours, for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The library's Bellevue Avenue branch recently reopened on a limited schedule as well. Library officials say hours and services will be expanded at both locations in the next few weeks.

For now, browsing adult fiction, teen fiction, graphic novel and non-print media on the main branch's first floor is available during all open hours. The upper floors are on a more limited schedule, so check the link above for specifics. Public computer use is currently on hold.

The library also has a full slate of events, in person and online, including adult school classes on subjects ranging from art to medication to interior design, story times for kids, English lessons and book clubs.

Montclair History Center

The Montclair History Center is a non-profit that preserves history, educates, and informs the public on local historic information. The Montclair History Center holds in-person and virtual events, including lessons on unique aspects of Montclair's past, and an upcoming watercolors workshop. The Montclair History Center is located at 108 Orange Road. Hours are Tuesday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday 9 a a.m. to 2 p.m.

Montclair YMCA

The Montclair YMCA has a host of activities, programs and classes — and can be a great way to work out indoors, for members. There are two pools, with dedicated times for lap, open and family swim. The YMCA has more than 100 drop-in fitness and water exercise classes that are free for members; a weight room; handball, racquetball and squash courts; an indoor track; a training studio; a spin studio; and a boxing room. Child-watch services are available while members work out, too. There are also a host or programs, and classes.

The Park Street YMCA is open Monday through Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7 to a.m. to 2 p.m.

Family memberships are $99 a month for a two-adult household or $75 for a one-adult household, or $80 for a senior couple. Individual memberships vary by age from $9.75 for children up to $12 to $62.50 for adults. See a full breakdown here.

Amazing Escape Room and Bury the Hatchet

The Amazing Escape Room is located at 281 Liberty St in Bloomfield, and is open Tuesdays from 4 to 10 p.m., and Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. In-person and online escape rooms are available, as well as package deals with Bury the Hatchet (an axe throwing venue at 672 Bloomfield Ave.), for one hour at each. To learn more and book, click here. For special events, call (973)-866-5337.

 — Compiled by Lauren Peacock and Louis C. Hochman