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. :)

Rafting on Delaware Water Gap

A new note on this trip:
This summer (2013) we made it rafting again.  Same place, except this time we had three kids with us.  We took the 4 mile trip and it was very manageable with younger kiddies.  Also we rented a tube to tie to our raft, which made it so much more fun!!! You do need to make sure that the water is safe for a tube.  We called in a week before, and were told that the waters are too cold and choppy to use a tube due to some rains, so we had to wait a bit to go.  The following week we called and were good to go.  The tube definitely made it more fun for the older kids, and the braver younger kids.  I also managed to accidentally drown my old camera in the river, so no pictures from this trip.  It was a ton of fun. 

Oh, and on the same note, we went to the restaurant that we enjoyed the year before that was just down the road from the rafting place.  The ownership changed, and so did the food.  Not as good as I remember.
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A few times a year in the summer time we like to get a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks, throw on our swimming suits and go rafting.  There are many good places along the Delaware Water Gap to rent a raft from.  There is one in French Town that actually serves lunch.  There are many up north, around Sparta.  They all have different deals, depending on what you are looking for.  Some are great for large groups, some have restrictions on kid ages (usually 4 years old is as young as you can take a child on a raft safely).  We go with just the kids and us, so the place where a kid is free with a paid adult is the kind of place for us.

We usually use this one :
http://www.indianheadcanoes.com/

Up to four kids under 12 go free with two paying adults, which really works for us. This time we took the 7 mile trip, the river on that stretch was way too calm. The 9 mile trip takes just as much time, which means more rapids, more fun. With two smallish kids the 4 mile trip would've been enough.  We stopped on the bank to enjoy our lunch, splash and swim.  My older son enjoyed swimming alongside the raft during the calmer water.  We met a few cool fishermen that educated us about Shad.  Overall, the kids and us were really tired at the end, but it was a fun experience!

 

 

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/

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/