Discoveries…America: Massachusetts; Discoveries…America: New Jersey

New Jersey has been called many things—not all of them complimentary—but as New Jersey, one of two new entries in Jim and Kelly Watt's acclaimed high-definition-filmed Discoveries…America series, accurately points out, there is much to see and do in the “Garden State.” The extensive shoreline, for example, boasts the kitschy gambling mecca Atlantic City (the birthplace, incidentally, of saltwater taffy), but also the quaint and beautiful Cape May, with its collection of colorful Victorian homes. Visitors interested in Revolutionary War reenactments will be drawn to Springfield, where hundreds of wannabe Hessians, Redcoats, and Minutemen square off throughout the year. Other segments look at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, the “Grounds for Sculpture” outdoor art exhibit in Hamilton, and the “Save Ellis Island” project dedicated to restoring the famous immigration entryway. My only quibble (and it's a small one) is with the spotlight on "Medieval Times" in Lyndhurst, a “dinner and tournament” castle chain also found in California, Florida, and Toronto. The Bay State, rich in colonial and Revolutionary War history, receives the same high-quality treatment in Massachusetts, which showcases a wide variety of attractions, including Boston's Old North Church (where the Change Ringers continue to ring the bells, as did one of their forbearers, Paul Revere); Boston's Crane Paper Company (which proudly proclaims itself to be the sole supplier of paper used in U.S. currency notes), the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, the beaches of Provincetown (where “Bruce the Shark” snapped his Jaws), the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, and the “Big E” (the Northeast's largest fair). Combining outstanding cinematography and informative commentary, both of these additions to the Discoveries...America series should prove to be popular. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)