Oak Ridge Archery Range

We went to the Oak Ridge Archery Range for and archery lesson. You have to be at least 10 years old, so it was my son, husband adn I. Now we can get a permit and shoot arrows there. It was tremendous fun. Surprisingly, not many people know about this place.  I highly recommend taking the intro class there.  It is a fun way to spend two hours, and you can now come and do this there.  It is the only place in Union County, NJ where you can shoot a bow outside, and other then the license fee it is completely free. 
Here is their website: 

http://ucnj.org/community/parks-community-renewal/parks-facilities/activities/archery/

Register for the class ahead of time, they fill up quickly!

Also a friend mentioned homeschooling classes there.  We will have to give it a try as soon as our other commitments are all done.

Turtle Back Zoo

Not far from us is a wonderful zoo, Turtle Back Zoo.  We come there fairly often, and love going with friends.  It is clean, not too big, but not small either.  It is just enough to cover the entire place in a few hours, which is a good thing, especially if you have little ones. 

It has a nice variety of animals. Peacocks that roam the zoo free. As you walk around you'll see some cats, monkeys, turtles, birds, bears, wolves, llamas and many more.

A train that takes you through the woods nearby, an interesting merry go round with different animals, and a great playground for kids. They have lots of interactive activities. Like feeding the farm animals, riding on the horses, going through tunnels with prairie dogs, and a large cage with parakeets into which you can go into and feed those fat birds, also a wonderful carousel with different creatures and much more! There is a cafeteria, and a gift shop.

Another great thing is that on Tuesday at 2 pm it is only a $1.00 a person to get in. We go there several times a year. The only thing is, on afternoons those parakeets are full. After all, people have been feeding them since 10 am, and they hardly lift off the ground.  So if you are especially looking forward to feeding the parakeets, I suggest you go at opening time, it is definately worth the full admission price!  Also, call ahead for the Tuesday after 2 pm rule, you never know if they might have changed the date or the time or the price.

It is great fun for kids and adults!
http://www.turtlebackzoo.com/tbzoo/index.jsp

 

 

 

Mitsuwa Japanese Market, Hoboken, NJ

Mitsuwa Japanese Market is located in Hoboken, NJ.  My husband and I enjoyed it! It is not your usual supermarket, but is filled with many different shops with Japanese food.  The food is delicious. Of course my kids managed to find something that looked suspiciously like a giant cream puff. They enjoyed it!  Not a whole lot of Sushi, which is a good thing, but more warm foods, like soups and stews. It was really delicious and differen and a whole new experience for our kids and us.
Parking was tough though, we had to circle a few times before finding a spot.
Here is their site with directions, specials and hours: 

http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenpo/newj/eindex.html

Hillview Farms Peach Picking

Every year we make it to Hillview Farms in Gillette for some peach picking. They are not far from us and it makes for a nice fall day there. Expect to do lots of walking, especially uphill! The peaches this year were delicious (the year before they were badly damaged by hail). 

 

This farm is not commercial, so don't expect too many hay rides, or mazes, or other kids entertainment. Come on a weekday to avoid crowds. They do have their produce in the little store, and I think pies in the fall. There are awesome views as you go up to pick. We always have a good time there. They have chickens, roosters and peacocks running around the farm. My kids and their friends got in trouble for chasing the chickens. The roosters actually ganged up against the kids and tried to scare them with wings and feathers, and loud noises.

 

I couldn't find a website for them, but here is the address and the phone number:

 

Address: 223 Meyersville Rd, Gillette, NJ 07933

    Phone:(908) 647-0957

 

New Hope, PA & Lambertville, NJ

New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ.

We haven't gone away on vacation for more then a few years. Between little kids, finances, dog, house, grandparents it is just difficult. We do, however, have a favorite local spot to which we go every few months to get away. It's the Lambertville NJ - New Hope PA area. Everything we would want to find while vacationing we have found there in abundance. There are quaint, and sometimes plain weird little shops there, many sell unusual things that are kid friendly.

 

There are good places to eat, we're especially fond of The Landing, especially when it's warm and you can sit outside right on top of the beautiful Delaware river. The food is continental, but good. It's priced from moderately and up. Like everything else they have a website: http://www.landingrestaurant.com/home.php

Recently we also tried "Mother's Restaurant". It is actually right next door to The Landing.  The food was good and the prices also moderate to up.  In the cold months it's a good place to go, nice and cozy, and you can sit by their big windows and look out on the street. 

For dessert, Nina's Waffles has the best waffles you have ever tried, and really delicious ice cream: http://www.buckshappening.com/ninas-waffles-ice-cream .  I recently found out that they close the store after New Years and until March or April. It is best to call ahead and make sure they are open during those months.

 

There is hiking, canoeing, rafting, duck feeding, historical sites, farms, good coffee, great scenery and so many other fun things. So every so often we ditch responsibilities and go away to a mini-vacation to relax, even if it is just for a day.

For shopping there is Laser Illusions, especially if you have kids: it's one of a kind! http://www.cityfos.com/Lazer-Illusions-859097.print.htm
Three Cranes is good in New Hope is Good. 
There is Sojourner if you're crafty: it's on the Lambertville side: http://www.sojourner.biz/, and a whole stretch of other stores that are interesting.

Right outside of New Hope there is Washington Crossing State Park, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve: http://www.bhwp.org/.

Birchwood Farms http://www.birchwoodfarmdairy.com/ (which has really great diary products, and the best Vanilla Ice Cream in the world) is a short drive away. It is also an amazingly clean farm, that treats their animals like family.

French Town is nearby.  They have bike rentals available and you can go riding a bike on the trail along Delaware all the way to New Hope.  It is a lot of fun.  You can also visit the Golden Nugget flea market on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays if you're into that kind of thing: http://www.gnmarket.com/.

A short twenty minute drive you will find Peddlers Village with all the shops and activities that it has to offer. I find that Peddlers Village is a separate trip on it's own.  If you are there make sure to stop by the Giggleberry Fair with your kiddies. You can find more information on Peddler's Village on their website: http://www.peddlersvillage.com/   There is Howell's Living History Farm nearby on the Jersey side: http://www.howellfarm.org/ . 

In New Hope there is also the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad that takes you through the Buck's county beautiful countryside and has different trips available. https://www.newhoperailroad.com/

There are many more things to do in that area, and I will put them all on this blog very soon!

If you're in need of a vacation, even if it is just for one day, come down to New Hope!