NJ Hall of Fame to open at American Dream, and we got a sneak preview. Here's what to know

Picture this.

You enter a flight simulator known as “Fly Me to the Moon,” where a single row of plush chairs opens out into a shining domed hall.

The ride starts out with a simulation of Henry Ford’s 1916 Model T riding to inventor Thomas Edison’s estate. The car sputters, and out comes an actor portraying Edison.

He chats with you, and then another New Jersey icon emerges — Albert Einstein.

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Then the car starts shuddering, and it transforms into — a spaceship. You blast off to the moon and to the International Space Station. Along the way are physical special effects — you feel puffs of wind, and your seat trembles, to create a more immersive experience. Then you splash down, just off the Jersey Shore.

It might come off as corny. But it’s Jersey pride.

And it’s a permanent tribute to Garden State icons, from Edison to disco diva Gloria Gaynor and astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly, and singers Frank Sinatra, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.

By the end of June, the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Entertainment and Learning Center will open to the public on the American Dream megamall’s third floor, on Court G, near the Nickelodeon Theme Park.

“It will not only be an exciting place to go but it might inspire some young kid,” Tony Orlando, star of music and TV and a 2023 inductee, told NorthJersey.com on Friday.

“It’s time to be proud to be a Jersey boy or a Jersey girl,” Orlando said.

More than 200 inductees

It will showcase the Hall’s more than 200 inductees in virtual reality attractions and exhibits that celebrate New Jerseyans’ major contributions to art, science, arts, culture and society at large.

“It's not the Museum of Natural History… where you start at an artifact and move on,” said Steve Edwards, the Hall’s president, in an exclusive tour of the center.

There are certainly artifacts — the very Model T that Ford gifted to Edison, and Edison inventions from his West Orange Lab, and an exact replica of the 1969 blue topless Chevrolet Chevelle Jon Bon Jovi drove around growing up.

But the exhibit is also interactive. You’re supposed to leave with a sense of pride — in New Jersey and in yourself — about what you can accomplish.

“When people feel proud, they feel anything’s possible,” Edwards said.

The center features a 10-minute film on some of the accomplishments of the New Jersey Hall’s inductees, as well as voiced over live versions of such songs as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Sinatra’s “My Way.”

There’s a section where you can do karaoke with inductees such as Newark native Gloria Gaynor as she belts out “I Will Survive.”

Or you can do a news anchor-style interview with actor Danny DeVito on whether it’s Taylor ham or pork roll.

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Edwards said that once the center opens, inductees will be brought in for in-person or Zoom appearances.

$20 million in state and and private donations

The 10,000-square-foot center will be able to accommodate about 100 people at a time, Edwards said. It was made possible with $20 million of state aid and private donations.

Admission is $20 for New Jersey adults, $25 for out-of-state adults, $16 for children and $12 per child for field trips through schools and other community organizations.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame first opened in 2008. The induction ceremony happened at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and while there was a mobile learning center that might visit state fairs and other public events, Edwards said the Hall lacked a permanent center.

One idea was to include the center on the Atlantic City boardwalk, but Edwards said there was a desire for a place with a more year-round presence. Then, once it was settled on relocating to American Dream at the lower level, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I thought we would have an entertainment center in five years and boy was I wrong,” he remarked.

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record. 

Email: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Hall of Fame to open at American Dream mall: Sneak peek