NOT BEACH WEATHER?
NOT TO WORRY….
FAMILY FUN AND EXCITEMENT AWAIT YOU -- INDOORS
A Guide to New Jersey's Indoor Attractions
Trenton, N.J. (March 14, 2003)—It's
been a long, snowy winter season. And while, it's still too cool for the
beach, now is the time to take restless kids for that fun, family outing
to explore New Jersey's vast array of indoor activities.
"People are often surprised at how many indoor
places there are, for kids of varying ages," says Nancy Byrne, executive
director of the Office of Travel & Tourism. "From historic homes
showing how people lived from the 1700s to the 1900s, to museums with real
planes and real ships, many are unique to our state. Science museums, aquariums
and planetariums explain natural phenomena. Art and history museums cater
to a broad range of interests; some have hand-on participatory activities.
Most don't require reservations and many are free."
In addition to the official Tourism website, www.visitnj.com,
other good websites for New Jersey attractions include: www.JerseyArts.com;
www.fieldtrip.com/nj/index_nj.htm; www.njmuseums.com; www.state.nj.us/dep/forestry/histsite.htm;
www.collectics.com/museums_newjersey.html; elsurfo.com/todo/nj.htm; www.getnj.com
The following listing is categorized by type of activity.
Most places will arrange special programs for schools and other groups
of ten or more kids.
Historic homes show how people used to live, with task
and craft
demonstrations and living history displays complete with costumed actors:
Historic Peter Mott House, Underground Railroad Museum,
corner Moore & Gloucester Avenues, Lawnside, 856-546-8850 http://community.nj.com/cc/lawnsidehistory
Hours: Year-round, Sat, 12 noon -3 pm
The two-story clapboard house, constructed in 1845 and the oldest structure
in Lawnside, was the home of a free black farmer and businessman who, in
the pre-Civil War era, helped runaway slaves make their ways north toward
freedom through southern New Jersey toward northern states and Canada.
John Holmes House, 504 Route 9, Cape May, 609-465-3535
Hours: Apr - Dec, Tues- Sat. 9 am - 4 pm; Dec. thru Mar-Saturdays only.
Believed to have been constructed in the mid-18th century by Robert Cresse,
on a 95-acre tract he purchased from the West Jersey Society of England.
Miller-Cory House Museum: 614 Mountain Avenue, Westfield, (908) 232-1776
Hours:mid-Sept-mid-June, Sundays, except holiday weekends, 2-5 pm; Jan,
Feb, 2-4 pm
Recreating an 18th century farm, costumed docents perform various colonial
tasks, especially open-hearth cooking.
Israel Crane House, 108 Orange Road, Montclair, 973-744-1796
Hours: Thurs, Fri & Sat, 1 - 4 pm; Sun, 2 - 5 pm or by appointment.
Built in 1796 and remodeled circa 1840 with Greek - Revival details, the
Federal-style mansion was home to three generations of the Montclair-founding
Crane family. Displays include period furnishings and decorative arts.
Grounds are traditionally laid-out with kitchen garden and plant beds,
country store, craft building and gazebo.
The Hermitage; 335 N. Franklin Turnpike Ho-Ho-Kus, 201-445-8311
Hours: Wed. & Sun, 1 - 4 pm
A 14-room Gothic Revival home, built in 1847-48 from designs by William
H. Ranlett for Elijah Rosencrantz, Jr., on 4.9 acres of lawn shaded by
centuries-old trees, it is on both the State and National Registers of
Historic Places.
Liberty Hall, 1003 Morris Ave., Union, 908-352-8915.
Hours: Apr-Dec, Wed-Sun, 10am - 4 pm
Built by William Livingston, in 1772, this intact family home for more
than 225 years is furnished with family possessions.
Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street (Rte 206), Princeton,
609-683-0057 www.drumthwacket.org
Hours: Year-round, Wed only 12 noon - 2pm
Official residence of New Jersey governors, the Greek revival mansion was
built in 1835 by Charles Olden, governor during the Civil War.
Van Bunschooten Museum, 1097 Route 23, Sussex, 973-
875-5335
Hours: May 15 - Oct 15, Thurs & Sat, 1 - 4 pm.
The handsome Dutch Colonial house, built in 1787, was home to Reverend
Elias Van Bunschooten, an appointee to the Dutch Reformed Church. Now operated
by the Daughters of the American Revolution, exhibits include original
furnishings, vintage clothing, quilts, china, cookware, Revolutionary War
weapons, paintings and dolls.
William Trent House, 15 Market St., Trenton, 609-989-3027
www.williamtrenthouse.org
Hours: Daily, 12:30 - 4 pm
Built between 1716-1719, this National Historic Landmark was the county
seat of the man who gave Trenton its name and is the oldest building in
the state's capital city. Trent was a wealthy Philadelphia merchant and
ship owner, who emigrated from Scotland in the mid-late 1600s.
Macculloch Hall, 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown, 973-538-2404
Hours: Sun., Wed., Thurs., 1 pm - 4 pm
This 20-room Federal-style mansion, built between 1810 and 1819, is a cornerstone
of Morristown's National Historic District. It is both a home recounting
150 years and five generations of the Macculloch and Miller families and
a showcase for the W. Parsons Todd Collection of 18th and 19th century
American and English fine and decorative arts.
Ringwood Manor, Ringwood Manor, Sloatsburg Road, Ringwood,
973-962-2240
www.ringwoodmanor.com
Hours: Year-round, Wed-Sun, 11 am to 3 pm.
Begun in 1807 by Martin J. Ryerson, who operated the property's iron mines
and forge. In 1854, New York's Peter Cooper, an inventor and industrialist,
and his son-in-law, Abram S. Hewitt, purchased the property as a summer
home. The manor reflects an eclectic architecture and contains fine furniture
from the Cooper and Hewitt families.
Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, Cape May,
800-275-4278 www.capemaymac.org
Hours: Spring, Summer, Fall, Mon - Fri, 10:30 am - 4 pm; Sat - Sun, 10
am - 6 pm, Winter, weekends only.
Cape May's only Victorian house museum and one of the finest examples of
"Stick Style" architecture in America, the 18-room mansion was
built in 1879 and attributed to renowned architect Frank Furness, for Dr.
Emlen Physick, his widowed mother and his maiden aunt The house and nine
outbuildings have been restored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
(MAC).
Covenhoven House, 150 W. Main St., Freehold, www.monmouth.com/~mcha
Hours: May - Sept, Tues, Thurs, Sun, 1 - 4 pm; Sat, 10 am - 4 pm
Built in 1752, for William and Elizabeth Covenhoven, the house was occupied
by the British General Clinton before the Battle of Monmouth in June of
1778. Popular programs include open- hearth cooking and special events.
Museums to enrich and expand knowledge and insights:
New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State St. Trenton,
609-292 6464 recording, 609-292-6308 info (weekdays only) www.newjerseystatemuseum.org
Hours: Tues - Sat, 9 am - 4:45 pm; Sun 12 - 5 pm.
Comprehensive exhibits cover archaeology, ethnology natural history, with
artifacts of New Jersey's Lenni-Lenapes; fine arts galleries feature 20th
century American art, with important works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Alexander
Calder, John Marin and Louise Nevelson, with special focus on New Jersey
artists; and a 150-seat, state-of-the-art planetarium presents regularly
scheduled laser shows and other special programs.
Noyes Museum of Art, Lily Lake Road, between Smithville
& Absecon, 15 minutes from Atlantic City, 609-652-8848 www.noyesmuseum.org.
Hours: Tues - Sat, 10 am - 4:30 pm; Sun noon - 5 pm
Fulfilling the vision of entrepreneurs Fred & Ethel W. Noyes Jr., (who
also created the Historic Towne of Smithville) to preserve the cultural
heritage of southern New Jersey, the only art museum in the region presents
a growing collection of American fine and folk art, vintage bird decoys
and works by leading regional and national artists.
Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, 973-971-3700
Hours: Tues, Wed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Thurs 10:00 am - 8:00 pm; Fri, Sat
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Displays approximately 48,000 objects, including fine and decorative arts;
costumes and textiles; dolls and toys; natural science; mineralogy and
paleontology; and anthropology.
Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Village; 1501 Glasstown
Rd., Millville, 800-998-4552
www.wheatonvillage.org
Hours: Apr-Dec, Tues-Sun 10 am - 5 pm; January, Feb-Mar, Fri-Sun 10 am
- 5 pm
The only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to American glass,
it encompasses one of the largest and finest collections in the world.
More than 6,500 objects range from paperweights, fiber optics and Mason
jars to Tiffany masterpieces. Adjacent is the T.C. Wheaton Glass Factory,
a fully functioning glass studio modeled after the original 1888 factory.
Visitors can watch and participate as studio artists work.
The Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair,
973-746-5555 www.montclair-art.com.
Hours: Tues - Sun 11 am - 5 pm.
A highly respected national and international collection of American and
Native American art and artifacts, works on paper, sculptures and costumes.
It also hosts traveling and special exhibitions.
The Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark, 973-596-6550
or 800-7MUSEUM www.newarkmuseum.org
Hours: Wed - Sun, 12 noon - 5 pm
The foremost collection of American art from the 18th to 20th centuries;
decorative arts, Asian art, including the world-renowned Tibetan art collection.
Adjacent is the Ballantine House, a restored 1885 mansion, home to the
beer brewing family and a National Historic Landmark.
Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park, Jersey City,
201-200-1000, www.lsc.org
Hours: daily 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
More than 250 interactive exhibits and the nation's largest IMAX Dome Theater.
Daily science demonstrations, floors themed on invention, health and environment,
virtual sports, 3-D laser shows and more.
New Jersey State Aquarium, 1 Riverside Drive, Camden,
856-365-3300 www.njaquarium.org
Hours: mid-Sept - mid-Apr, Mon - Fri 9:30 am - 4:30 pm; Sat, Sun 10:00
am - 5:00 pm; late-Apr-mid-Sept, daily: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Recently reopened and featuring Ocean Base Atlantic, a multi-media complex
where visitors can participate in state-of-the-art interactive exhibits,
including the Shark Zone, Mangrove Lagoon, Caribbean Beach. The Aquarium's
760,000-gallon Open Ocean Tank features the largest window ever made, giving
a spectacular 24 x 18-foot view of more than two-dozen sharks and 1,400
other fish.
USS New Jersey Battleship Museum, Camden Waterfront
at Clinton Street, Camden,
856-966-1652 www.battleshipnewjersey.org
The most decorated battleship in the U.S. Navy history is permanently berthed
on the Camden Waterfront as a floating museum where visitors tour the ship
and learn of her esteemed history.
Edison National Historic Site: Main St & Lakeside
Ave., West Orange, 973-736-0550 www.nps.gov.edis. Closed for extensive
renovations, reopening in 2005.
Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum, 400 Fred Wehran
Dr., Teterboro Airport, 201-288-6345 http://www.njahof.org
Hours: Tues - Sun 10 am - 4 pm.
Highlighting aviation milestones in the Garden State's 208 year history,
exhibits include New Jersey made aircraft engines, rocket motors, a 1949
vintage Martin 202 airliner, a Vietnam veteran AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter,
several other aircraft and helicopters, displays about such famous aviators
as Lindbergh, Earhart, Chamberlin, Aldrin, Schirra, and others. A small
plane lets kids play pilot.
New Jersey Naval Museum, Court & River Streets,
Hackensack; 201- 342-3268
www.njnm.com
Hours: Sat, Sun 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.
The star attraction is the USS Ling 297, a 312-foot long Balao Class World
War II submarine,
commissioned in 1945 for service in the Pacific. The war ended before the
Ling saw active duty, so it served as a training ship. A tour gives visitors
a feel for the courage it took for 95 sailors to brave the deep in small,
spartan quarters.
Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, in Hopatcong State
Park, Landing, 973- 398-2616.
Hours: Mid-March-mid-May, Sun, noon - 4 pm
Located in a rustic 19th century building that was a lock-tender's house
on the Morris Canal, the museum offers an entertaining and enlightening
look at the history of New Jersey's largest lake. Learn about building
the Morris Canal and the forming of modern-day Lake Hopatcong, the canal's
main source of water, and travel back to when it was a tourist mecca surrounded
by some 40 hotels and rooming houses and the famed Bertrand Island Amusement
Park for dancing and "nickel nights."
American Labor Museum, Botto House National Landmark,
33 Norwood Street, Haledon,
973- 595-7953.
Hours: Wed - Sat, 1 - 4 pm. Open Labor Day.
Site of rallies during the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike when 25,000 striking
mill workers gathered to hear labor leaders. It became a haven for assembly
and free speech.
Sterling Hill Mining Museum, 30 Plant Street, Ogdensburg,
973-209-7212 www.sterlinghill.org
Hours: Apr - Nov, daily, 10 am - 5 pm; Dec - Mar, Sat - Sun, 10 am -5 pm
On the National Registry of Historic Sites, a real underground zinc mine
with ¼ mile tour of tunnels. Exhibit hall features mining artifacts,
rare minerals, equipment, etc.
Vietnam Era Educational Center & Memorial, 1 Memorial
Lane, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, 732- 335-0033 http://njvvmf.org
Hours: Tues - Sat, 10 am - 4 pm. Outdoor memorial: 24 hours daily
Dedicated to collecting, preserving and presenting a factual history of
the Vietnam Era and those impacted by it through photography, writings,
video presentations and artifacts. The outdoor memorial is the work of
a young Vietnamese architect Hien Nguyen, who left Vietnam in 1975 and
is now a New Jersey resident.
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, Main (NJ Rte 124)@Green
Village Rd, Madison, 973- 377-2982
Hours: Tues - Sat 10 am - 4 pm; Sun noon - 5 pm
More than 8800 artifacts related to 21 different trades preserve and interpret
tools used before the rise of industrialization in the United States. Displayed
are tools for woodworking, leather, metal and textile trades, building
fragments and miscellaneous objects. Interpretive exhibits focus on the
tools used and trades especially practiced in New Jersey.
J C P & L Energy Spectrum & Oyster Creek, Forked
River, 609- 971 2100
Hours: Call for general hours.
Two tours may be taken separately. The World of Energy demonstrates an
improved standard of living through wise use of energy sources compatible
with the environment through hands-on exhibits, informative displays, and
computer games. The second is a three-hour walking tour of the adjacent
Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a comprehensive, mile-long trip
through the actual plant for groups of five at a time, by reservation.
Participants in this must be 18 years old.
Fun, play and discovery places that tickle little kids' imaginations and
feed curiosity:
New Jersey Children's Museum, 599 Industrial Avenue,
Paramus, 201- 262 5151 www.njcm.com
Hours: Oct.- Apr, weekdays 9 am - 5 pm; weekends 10 am - 6 pm; May - Sept,
daily 10 am - 5 pm
The hands-on concept is alive and well here. Designed for children aged
one to eight, 15,000 square feet of carpeted space is brightly decorated
and divided into 30 rooms, each with a different theme appealing to different
ages. Explore the World of Animal Senses, The Medieval Castle with talking
knight and kid-sized charger, costumes, etc; "fly" a real helicopter,
use a real flight simulator; "drive" a real fire engine while
wearing fire-fighting gear. There are also a Dance Room, a Garage, where
kids just may learn to fix the family sedan and much more - and comfortable
seating for tired adults.
The Wonder Museum, 385 Route 130, East Windsor; 609-371-6150
www.wondermuseum.com
Hours: Year-round, Mon - Sat 10 am - 6 pm; Sun 10 am - 5pm
A 16,000 square-foot interactive children's museum with more than 50 hands-on
activities. Children explore new worlds and different periods in America's
history, sample a variety of occupations and learn about science, history,
cultures and geography through experimentation.
Kids climb on, explore and operate a ship, modeled after
Christopher Columbus's Pinta, a retired 1965 fire truck, Dinosaur Valley,
a real ambulance, real 22-foot high tepee, 1926 Ford Model T Roadster,
frontier cabin, TV studio, medieval castle and more.
The Garden State Discovery Museum, 2040 Springdale Road,
Cherry Hill, 856-424-1233
Hours: year-round, Tue - Sun 9:30 am - 5:30 pm; Oct - May, Sat 9:30 am
- 8:30 pm; Monday holidays and Mondays in July and August.
Named one of the top 20 children's museums in the country by Child Magazine,
a hands-on attraction for infants to 10 year olds, with 15 larger-than-life,
kid-powered interactive exhibit areas.
Places that are just silly and fun!
Northlandz, 495 Highway 202 South, Flemington, 908-
782-4022
Hours: Mon - Fri, 10:30 am - 4 pm; Sa t- Sun, 10 am - 6 pm
A 16-acre complex, exhibits include a one- mile indoor miniature world
of 135 trains covering 8 miles of track, 35-foot mountains and 40 foot
bridges, thousands of handcrafted buildings and over 10,000 freight cars;
La Peep Dollhouse, a 94-room mansion in miniature, with indoor swimming
pool, ballroom with doggie band, and 2-story library; a Doll Museum, Music
Hall with 5,000-pipe organ and art galleries throughout.
Metz Bicycle Museum, Freehold, 732-462-7363 www.metzbicyclemuseum.com
Hours: Call for appointment
World's finest collection of bicycles, from 1850's through 1950's -- boneshakers,
high wheelers, quadricycles, tricycles, a "Zimmy", a lamp lighter
bicycle, children's bikes, trick bikes -bike accessories, extensive collection
of children's riding toys, household gadgets.
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, Atlantic City, 609-347-2001,
www.ripleys.com
Hours: Sept - Apr, Mon - Fri 11 am - 5 pm; Sat - Sun 10 am - 8 pm; Ma y-
Aug, daily 10 am -
10 pm.
Strange exhibits, films interactive funhouse.
Finally, … just climbing the walls….
Indoor climbing centers and rollerblade/skateboard arenas
are throughout New Jersey. Information on most is collected at two dedicated
web sites: www.snakeboarder.com/skateparksNJ.html and www.gravitydex.com/Mountaineering/Climbing/Gyms/New_Jersey
For information and brochures on touring, dining, places
to stay, maps and a complete vacation kit, contact the New Jersey Office
of Travel & Tourism, at 800-VISITNJ (847-4865); or check the website
at www.visitnj.org
New Jersey encompasses less than 9,000 square miles,
but it's surprisingly diverse, combining the best of metropolitan sophistication
with rural farmlands, rivers and mountains are all accessible within a
few hours. Ocean beaches stretch 127 miles, from Cape May Point to Sandy
Hook. Vast expanses of forever-green acres are exemplified in the 70,000-acre
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and 1.1-million-acre Pine Barrens
Reserve. There are mountains for skiing and climbing; trails for hiking,
towns for shopping and culture. While super highways, express buses, trains
and ferries provide quick and direct access into New York City and Philadelphia,
back roads wind through historic hamlets, farmlands and pristine forests.
Along the way are botanic gardens, historic architecture, museums, sporting
events, gaming casinos and kids' action parks. New Jersey is a vacation
destination for the best days of your life!
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