You'll love these photos of vintage pools (and bathing suits) from The Record Archives

This summer, take a trip down memory lane with us.

When the weather warms, North Jersey residents will flock to pools, hiking trails, ice cream parlors and more as they enjoy the summer season.

Just as they did in years past.

To remember that, we'll be posting here each week a gallery of photos of summers gone by. From the Palisades Amusement Park to Shore fun to remembering Jungle Habitat (!), you'll see examples of the rich archives of northjersey.com.

Below, check out the best vintage photos from The Record throughout the years in North Jersey. Each week, the newest gallery will lead the pack.

North Jersey Pools

Summer swimming! In the North Jersey of years past, people did it in style. From synchronized swimmers to competitive races — even just a day at the local public pool in Ridgewood or Waldwick, it's fun to see the bathing caps and swimsuit styles in these vintage photos.

Vintage Cape May

Summertime at the Jersey Shore means plenty of tourists and ample opportunity for good times. Playing carnival games on the boardwalk, pulling salt water taffy at the candy shop and lounging on the beach have become time honored traditions for many from North Jersey, as has taking the Garden State Parkway down to their sandy destinations. Here's a look at the Victorian-style resort that is Cape May.

North Jersey parades

Each year, dozens of parades roll through North Jersey towns on key holidays. Time honored traditions, the celebratory processions invariably bring marching bands, veterans groups and local spectators to main throughfares if not Main streets. St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day are standouts. The latter has been especially cherished in Ridgefield Park, where the Fourth of July parade started in 1894.

Summer at Seaside Heights

When it comes to summer in New Jersey, the state's beaches are invariably the place to be. Whether it be the famed Jersey Shore, with beaches and vacation spots stretching from Sandy Hook to Cape May, or one of the state's freshwater lakes, relaxing by the water as the days become hotter is a time-honored tradition. Even former governors have been known to lounge in a beach chair and dig their toes in the sand, even during a self-issued shutdown of state-owned beaches in 2017.

Remembering Jungle Habitat

A Warner Bros. theme park in West Milford, Jungle Habitat brought tigers, rhinos, and zebras to the dense woodlands of North Jersey's Highlands. The theme park and drive-thru safari held about 2,000 animals between 1972 and 1976, when local officials rejected a theme park expansion project pitched to make the park profitable. The old complaints about weekend traffic, a national spotlight and escaping baboons today add to the nostalgia for the park.

Baby parades

No doubt, some parents play dress up with their babies no matter what. But in North Jersey, they also have an excuse: Baby parades. Organizers pick a theme and parents do the rest: stroller decorations, floats, costumes and more. There are prizes in age groups (youngest baby is a fun one!) and also for creativity (did you just save a Halloween costume or did you get original?). Baby parades are still going on today, but here's a look at some favorites from years past.

Carnivals

They pop up in mall parking lots and local parks — and summer wouldn't be the same without them. We love carnivals for their swirled puffs of cotton candy, powdered sugar-coated funnel cake, stomach-turning spinning rides and photo-finish water gun races. In North Jersey, they haven't changed much over the years, but sure is fun to look back on them.

Palisades Amusement Park

The Palisades Amusement Park was a 34-acre venue that straddled the Cliffside Park and Fort Lee border atop the Palisades. The park — which was still attracting more than 6 million visitors each summer — fell victim to real estate value and changes to local zoning laws in 1972. Our report remembering that last summer: Remembering the last summer at Palisades Amusement Park.

Coming soon!

• Beaches
• Atlantic City
• Point Pleasant
• Seaside Heights
• Red Bank
• North Jersey summer
• North Jersey pools and swimming
• Early Great Adventure
• Asbury Park
• North Jersey Parades