Franklin Mineral Museum

Franklin Mineral Museum is another entertaining place.  We got to go to the quarry, pick rocks and stick them under a uv light and see them glow. Wound up coming home with a giant bag of rocks.  Now they are in the place of honor in the basement, except we don't own a UV light, and thus can't look at the beautiful colors. 

We also got to see so many specimen inside the museum, and a recreation of the mine.  Also, for an addition price you can try prospecting. Which we didn't, because the kids were pretty tired at that point.  The boys seemed to have a rather good time with all of it.  They enjoyed the gift shop as well, though if your little one wants a miner's cap with a light, don't buy it there.  We made the mistake of getting it, and one broke the same day, and the other one didn't work at all to begin with.  They have a variety of other rock related items you can get there.

Their schedule changes through out the year, so make sure to check the website for information:
http://www.franklinmineralmuseum.com/

Okemo Mountain, Ludlow, VT

Usually we go to Okemo Mountain in the winter when ever we can afford to both financially and physically.  Some of us snowboard and some go sledding and enjoy the pool.  This time we decided to go for a three day getaway in the summer time. We went to Jackson Gore so we can enjoy the Adventure Zone they have there in the summer time. 

Adventure Zone was good, we had a nice time, but I do wish they would include more tickets for the rollercoaster with the stay.  We had to purchase separate tickets after our fun passes expired.  The kids enjoyed the pool and all the mountain activities. We got to go on a rollercoaster that takes you to the top of Okemo, and then you roll down in a car. That was a lot of fun. The little guy kept wanting to go again and again. The big guy and I got to launch off 45 feet in the air and land on an air bag. Feels like you're falling off a third story building. All your innards go in your throat. I still can't believe I did it.

We bought a package with different tickets for all the activities.  The one we enjoyed the most was the roller coaster down the mountain ride.  If we ever go again I would opt out of the package and just buy a bunch of individual tickets for that ride, and not do other ones at all.

On the way back we stopped by the Vermont Country Store, The Christmas Store and the Village Store accross the street.  They were all great, we enjoy them every time we are in the area. We also made it to the outlets in Manchester, it was as fun as shopping can be with boys.

Here is the site for the Vermont Country Store: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/
And the one for Okemo Adventrue Zone: http://www.okemo.com/jgrealestate/container.aspx?nav=recreation&page=summer

 

 

Kid Street Playground, Bridgewater, NJ

Kid Street Playground in Bridgewater NJ was recommended by a friend.  We wound up there on a really hot day (think a l00+ degrees) and the playground is so well shaded that it actually felt about 15 degrees cooler there.  Aside from that it is a well thought through playground with lots of fun things to do for the kids.  It isn't just the plain slide and swings, but much more!
It was one of the best and biggest playgrounds we have ever been to. The playground is complete with a ship, a car, giant slides, and most importantly rope swings and a zip line. We had a blast there.  Even the older one loved it, and that says a lot!

 http://www.njplaygrounds.com/1154/kidstreet-bridgewater-nj/

Watchung Reservation

Trailside Nature Center and Watchung Reservation is a wonderful place to visit with your family!  The Nature Center is a free museum. The kids, especially the younger ones will have a blast there.  Since we live nearby we come here often, and my kids still enjoy it.  They also offer classes at a very good rate, and my kids loved it when they were little and a bit older.  You can also celebrate your kids' birthdays there at a reasonable price, or schedule a class for a group.  Throughout the year they have many activities, fun events, fairs and performances.  You would have to check their website for the schedule.

Here is the website with their info, including hours and directions:
http://ucnj.org/community/parks-community-renewal/parks-facilities/trailside-beta/ 

When you are at the Trailside Center make sure to pick up a map with hiking trails.  Watchung Reservation has many wonderful hiking trails to explore, a lake to waddle in, turtles to find, frogs to catch and many more things to entertain you. There is also a brand new playground that was built this year for kids to run and play in.

We love hiking and do it often. Watchung Reservation has got to be one of our favorite places to hike.  There is an abundance of trails, you can enjoy a long hike or just go down to the lake and back up for a short hike.  There are many trails and getting lost is a possibility, so make sure to pick up the map of trails at the Nature Center!  Everytime we go we pick a different trail, and come back with different treasures. There is a lake you can skip rocks in, and a stream you have to cross by skipping from rock to rock, and a small dam with a waterfall, trees with giant roots where you can catch tiny baby frogs, trees you can climb on, an old cemetery you can pass through, and a deserted village.   We have spotted box turtles, snapping turtles, and one time stepped into a snake den, where a water snake was in the middle of eating a giant toad. We also have seen an albino deer, he was completely white, and absolutely awesome. 

Here are a few photos I took while hiking there:

 

 

 

 

Deserted Village in Watchung Reservation is a great hiking destination located in the Watchung Reservation.
There is a long history to this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feltville_Historic_District

You can park in the parking lot, or hike. It was a long hike, especially with little kids, a little more then an hour from the Nature Center starting point. Last time we went it was with a few good friends. It helps going with good company.  Behind the village we came down the steep slope, a bit off trail, and into a shady ravine with a stream. That is where most of the fun was to be had. All the kids promptly took their shoes off, and were splashing barefoot through the stream.  There were some fallen trees accross the ravine that everyone had fun climbing, and some big rocks you could go on accross the stream also.  Everyone had so much fun!

Here are a few photos of the Deserted Village and the stream below it.

 

 

 If you love horses, the Watchung Stable is adjacent and a short ride away.

 

 It truly is an amazing place, with so many things to do and see.