Our crazy viral post.

Last month something amazing happened.  I wrote a post on my website about the Free and Almost Free Places to Visit in New Jersey and the Surrounding States.  The post went viral.  It exploded!  There were so many wonderful comments and suggestions for places.  It definitely kept me busy for a good few weeks.  I am grateful for all the wonderful responses, and apologize if I couldn't get to answer all of them!  Here is the link to the post: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Free-Places-For-Family-Fun-NJ.html  I hope you like it!

More about NJ Beaches

This year was the first year that we joined some friends on the Sandy Hook Beach every Wednesday night.  Every night there is a concert there at 5 pm and until sundown.  I do consider us to be very lucky to be able to do that every week.  It is beautiful.  We stay off to the side, a bit away from the concert crowd.  The kids get to play with their friends and enjoy some fresh ocean air.  We watch the sunset, and a few times even the moon rise, and make more friends along the way.  (Good friends make everything more fun!!!) It is like a small vacation.  Now that the weather is getting colder I cannot wait to start going to the beach often again.

Here are some pictures for me to drool over while winter goes by.

Sunflower Maze

We had an A-Maze-Ing time at the Sussex County Sunflower Maze in Augusta NJ.  They are open only for a short little while in the late summer and fall.  I can not tell you how happy I was that we made it!  It is so beautiful that there aren't enough words to describe it.  The kids enjoyed it as well.  I loved all the beautiful flowers and the photographs that I took and can paint later!  When my kids get older I am going there with a canvas and some paints and painting on the spot!!!  It was one of the best trips that we took this year. 

The maze itself isn't very difficult, and is more of a pleasant walk through a sunflower field.  The admission price isn't too bad, and I felt was worth it.  The bakery that they have on the premises has many options that are healthy for adults and for kids.  My boys enjoyed a nice grilled cheese with bacon and a fruit smoothie.  Followed by a beautiful walk.

Everyone was happy on the way home.  We are definitely coming back.

Here is their website: http://www.sussexcountysunflowermaze.com/  Where you can look up when they are open for the next go round. 

Here are some of the beautiful photos from that day:

 

Below is a building we drove by, I think it was an elderly care facility, that I thought was especially pretty.  Worth to be stopped by and photographed. 

 

In fact, from this angle it reminded of a Van Gogh Painting (just a note, the image of the painting is from ttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Van_Gogh).  Really though, look at them side by side. 

 

 

Between the sunflowers and this building it was a Van Gogh kind of day. :)

High Point State Park

High Point State Park is yet another beautiful place. I feel like every other post I write starts with these words.  It is especially true of High Point!  With breathtaking views, it is the highest point in NJ. There is camping, miles and miles of hiking trails, a lake to swim in and sand to play with.

We come there just as a trip on it's own, or just make a point to stop by there when we are passing by.  Not once have we left dissappointed.  Make sure to visit their visitor center for more info.
Here is their website:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/highpoint.html

We always have a lot of fun there. Even though the water is often icy cold the kids splash and swim, and build amazing sand castles.  The lake is always clean. 

Nearby is the Space Farm Zoo (which is on my bucket list for this coming summer to visit), and if you are in the area make sure to stop by the Holland American Bakery.  The pasteries they have are amazingly yummy: http://www.hollandamericanbakery.com/store/

NJ Beaches

NJ has many beautiful beaches down the shore.  There is a beach for every taste, there are party beaches, quiet beaches, beaches with roller coaster rides, aquariums, waterparks, hiking, habitats and so much more fun.  Of course, after Sandy hit last year, I can no longer say what remains and what was swept away.  Hopefully this year the beach will be back to it's glorious self, with the help of all the folks that have worked hard restoring it to it's beautiful self. 

I love the beach. Real beach. Ocean with big waves and miles of send. We skipped it the year before last because the youngest guy was afraid of the waves. He was so terrified that he wouldn't allow me to get off the blanket. It wasn't enjoyable for anyone. We took a year off, and enjoyed some local lakes, and finally past summer we went. I missed it! This time he loved it. He wouldn't get out of the water, and was not afraid at all!

We like beaches with no rides, and no restaurants. Just the waves and the sand for us. I've tried many of them on the Jersey shore. My favorite is Belmar. Sandy Hook was lovely, but we were there on a weekday during the evening. Seven Presidents is supposed to be really good, we will try it next year.  Point Pleasant has many rides, and restaurants and the Jackson Aquarium.  It is a fun place to take the kids to spend a day, but if you are looking to just enjoy the water there are many quieter spots.

The plan for the next summer is to make it to the beach once a week.  I am hoping Sandy Hook will be open and operating as usual. I also made a decision to make it down to the beach at least once to watch the moon rise. 

NJ Botanical Garden

NJ Botanical Garden is located in Ringwood, NJ.  It is beautiful, quiet and never crowded place. We love it there. They have many plants, so no matter what season you choose to go there there is something to see.  For me, my favorite time of the year to go is in mid May, so that I can catch the lilac tree grove in bloom. Another great time is in August, to see the waterlillies.  Of course, early spring is great to, with all the bright spring colors and cherry blossoms.

It is a free, or almost free ($5.00 per car in the summer months) place to visit.  You should note that there is a no food allowed rule, so if you bring a picnic there, you can probably have it by the Shephard Lake, which is nearby. The lake has a small beach area and a playground, and does tend to get crowded on the weekends.

I highly recommend it as a place you should see, especially if you live nearby.  I am always surprised as to how many NJ residents have no idea that this place exists.

We have been there through the seasons, and each season fills it with it's own kind of magic.

It is hard to describe such an amazing place in words, so I am putting many pictures with this post.
Here is their website for direction and other information, including history:
http://www.njbg.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above two photos are of the Lilac Grove.  The smell there is amazing when all the lilacs flower! The photo below is of the spot where in early spring the trees are covered with pink flowers and when the wind blows it looks like giant pink snowflakes are flying around.

 

 

The photo below I took in August, when the waterlillies are out and about.

Duke Farms in NJ

We finally made it there after the renovations!  It used to be guided tours in the green houses. That was a beautiful place to go, especially in the middle of February, when you walk inside and smell summer in the middle of winter. Now they remade the place, and you can go hiking through the grounds. It is also beautiful.  I think I like it better now, mostly because it is outdoors and unguided!  They kept an orchid green house open for visitors. It is a great place to visit.

We went on a four hour hike through the grounds on a nice September day.  It was not too hot, but not cold yet, just perfect weather.  What a lovely place.  So many wonders to see.  I took over a 100 photographs that day.  After the hike we were pretty hungry,  the visitor center has a good menu of light foods, sandwiches and salads type.  We wound up having lunch right there.

They also have a bike rental, where you can borrow a bike for free!!! You have to be over 60 inches tall though.  We have our bikes that we love to ride, and this place inspired us to get a bike rack and come on our bikes. A lot of ground to cover. We did it on foot, and it took a good 4 hours, hoping that on bikes it will be faster and fun.  Another plus is no cars, and I will feel a lot better about my wild 11 year old on the bike there.

Oh, and one of the days when my boys are all grown up I am coming back with a canvas and paint, and spending the day with my hubby painting there.

The place also offers a whole bunch of classes and workshops.  Here is their site: http://dukefarms.org/

Doris Duke also has an interesting biography, which the big kid and I spend the night reading. Certainly shows that money doesn't buy happiness.

 

 

 

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.

Strawberry Picking and Hacklebarney State Park

When we went to pick strawberries for the very first time in our lives I randomly picked a farm from NJ list of farms. Just pointed a finger to a place on a page. It turned out to be Donaldson Farms in Hackettstown, NJ, http://www.donaldsonfarms.net/.

Luckily for us, the place was amazingly beautiful, with rows and rows of strawberries. The store inside was nice also. There were a few goats in the shed and a 'pump it yourself' underground well. My kids ran ahead when they saw the animals, and by the time my hubby and I walked slowly over to them, the little one was having a deep and meaningful conversation with one of the goats. :) The strawberries were delicious as well.

After the farm we went to find a good place to sit down and have a picnic. We drove around for a bit, enjoyed some of the sights in the area. Wound up landing in Hacklebarney State Park, http://www.stateparks.com/hacklebarney.html. After the picnic we decided to take a little hike. In Hacklebarney there are a few decent sized rivers creating multiple waterfalls on their way down. My kids really loved skipping across the waterfalls on the giant boulders. Luckily we came home with all our faces intact.

The delicious strawberries we picked:

Hacklebarney State Park:

Spruce Run and Round Valley, NJ

We love camping! My husband and I used to go with friends before we were married. Then, after we were married, it was with our nephews when they were young, then with our nephews and their friends. After that it was our nephews, their friends and our kids.  Now for quite a few years it is just us and our two kids, even though friends and nephews make a brief entrance once in a while, it is mostly just us.  However, no matter who we go with, it's always relaxing and fun.

 Usually, when I say "camping", people think "no showers, pooping in the brush, and eating wild caught, possibly raw fish".  It is not what I mean by camping.  Over the years we have tried several places in NJ. Found out that we love Spruce Run. It is clean, family friendly, has a playground, beach with a beautiful lake, rangers that help you in time of need (like when you're being chased by a rabid gopher), decent bathrooms, and a good crowd of familes with kids. Our kids usually make a few friends and hang out with them either on the playground, or running back and forth.  One year we brought bikes with us, and they really enjoyed riding around the park.  Especially the older one, who was able to go off on his own. On the same lake you can rent a boat (they have several different kinds) and enjoy a nice boat ride, or go fishing.  It is a wonderful place to take the kids for a few days and get away from all the electronic devices, and just enjoy the nature. 

We have looked in to other places. Most of them are farther away, and more expensive. Most of the time we decide not to bother, and stick to the place we know and love. Can't be blamed for it, because this is what it looks like:

 

 

 



It is not an expensive place to go camping, but you do need to make reservations ahead of time.  If you are just starting out camping, this is a great place to start.  You do need to read their rules and follow them. 

Here is the website for their information: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/spruce.html

This past year we decided on not going overnight, but that doesn't stop us from coming to the beach and enjoying a swim.  Keep in mind that there is a small fee per car to go into the park.  Look at their website for more information!

Near Spruce Run there is another great state park: Round Valley.  Similar to Spruce Run it has a lake, playgrounds, food stand, bathrooms and showers.  There is also hiking trails, and camping.  As I understand, camping in Round Valley is for a more adventurous spirit.  They also have an information page right here: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/round.html
We never made it camping there, but it is a fun place to come and splash in the lake, build a few sandcasltes, enjoy a churro and a hike.

The place has been labeled the Bermuda Triangle of NJ, read more here: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/njs_bermuda_triangle_mystery_s.html .

 

Both places are very easy to get to from Rt. 22 or Rt. 78!