In the beginning of every June, my mom and I always attempt to visit the Presby Memorial Iris Garden in Montclair, NJ. It was a pleasant and an easy ride getting there, and fairly easy to find.
Category: Travels With Kids
I have to be honest here, I know next to nothing about the rollerskating rinks in NJ. In fact, I learned to roller skate only recently, due to peer pressure. I rely on my more experienced friends to point me in the right direction for some roller skating fun. My kids love it, and we have tried three different places for their open skate times already and aiming for the more in very near future. Join us as we explore the different roller rinks in NJ.
Since I first wrote about our visit to Liberty Science Center a few years ago, I have now gone back with my second, now older kid in 2019, and the experience has not changed. It was still great.
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Dingmans Ferry, PA
Every Year since 2015
Unfortunately our most recent experience in the early fall of 2018 left me stunned and short for words. I can no longer recommend that people take their families there. We were sitting around a campfire at about 1o:30 pm at night. Quietly talking. The kids were in their tent giggling. The campground was pretty empty, so the kids giggling was not bothering anyone. There were two rangers that stopped to tell us to quiet the kids down. Which would have been fine, except for the rangers’ aggressive behavior. They treated us like we were criminals in front of our kids. Ran background checks, asked us if we had weapons, told us to not move, sit down, take our hands out of our pockets. It was quite upsetting to both parents and the kids. The kids were crying and upset, and the parents worked up. No one could sleep afterwards. We had no alcohol, were not provoking anyone, were respectful toward the rangers, and the only thing that was happening were giggling children. I went as far as to write a letter to the campground, but never got a response. Unfortunately, after years of going there and loving every minute, I will be looking for a new campground for our family and friends.
Hi folks! I wrote this post when we went camping for the first time after a long hiatus. We have been back to Dingman’s Campground every year since then. Twice a year, as a matter of fact. I am still as excited to go there as that first time. It is a great place to spend your weekend, and a good camping spot whether it is your first time camping, or even if you are a pro.
This is yet another amazing place that we have visited for the first time a few years ago! There are no words to describe how embarrassed I feel about it. I have gone to Rutgers for five years, and never once has it occurred to me that there are so many wonderful places. Of course, when I was going there I had a newborn, so it was all work, no play, but still. I missed Zimmerli, the Geology Museum, and now this. Rutgers Gardens is one of the most beautiful and amazing places to spend the day! Over the years, we have visited Rutgers Gardens several times, over many seasons, and it is always fantastic.
Again, I wrote this a few years ago. Since then we have gone back on many occasions to Willowwood Arboretum. It is a great spot for a quiet walk, and a bit of a meditative time. It never disappoints. The most recent time was the summer of 2019, it is as lush, green and peaceful as ever. We even managed to find a new hidden nook that we’ve never seen before. Here are a few photos:
Original Post
Recently, I have been noticing that our day trip, adventure going dynamic has changed around here. With my older one going on to becoming a full fledged teenager, and my husband’s job not having days off like he used to, our family trips have been very rare. During the school year it’s not noticeable: we are busy, and go on many day trips and adventures with our friends. This is not the school year, it is the middle of summer, and many of our friends are away for the time being.
This month I sharply felt the lack of adventurous trekking spirit in our lives. Therefore, I have declared that one day during the weekend should be dedicated to exploring different places together. Usually, that means that during the week we have to brainstorm and come up with a plan. It has to be a place that won’t be crowded, and three times out of four it has to be free or inexpensive.
Without a plan, our day often plops with people complaining about the choice options. I took on the role of a day trip dictator and came up with a list. From that list I pick off places to go to. Sometimes it can be as simple as going hiking in our local forest, or a park with a nice walk around the lake. Other times it’s a bit more complicated, with a trip to a garden or movies, or beach and a picnic. It’s more about time together then entertainment, and so far we have had really good few trips, where we got to walk together and enjoy each others’ company.
We went to the Bridgewater Sports Arena for a friend’s birthday back in 2015. Since then, we really have not had a chance to re-visit Bridgewater Sports Arena. It wasn’t an official party there, but we just got together and played in the arcade and a few games of laser tag together.
The place is big and clean. The arcade is a large open space with arcade games everywhere. Unlike many other arcades that we have been to, this one was really well lit. The kids had a great time playing some arcade games. The staff were helpful and nice. One thing I usually hate about arcades is the prizes. I have to say that this one wasn’t as ‘prize-centric’ as many other ones we have been to. They had just a few bins for several ticket amounts. It was simple, and easy, and I liked it. The focus was definitely more on the spending time playing, and fun together.
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I can’t believe for all the trips that I have done with the kids in the past 15 yeas, I have never been to this park. I would drive by it daily on my way to Rutgers for years, and I never noticed it. It is most definitely worth a notice.
Most recently we visited Johnson Park with my little one and his friend. We had to wait for the big kid around that area, and decided that the park would be a good place to meander in for a few hours. It was that.
As we spend at least one day a week in Princeton, we try to explore different places and things to do there. Last week we went to Terhune Orchards. Located five minutes from the bustling downtown, it offers a peaceful retreat and delicious food for kids and adults.
We visited Terhune Orchards on a weekday, and I am sure the weekend brings many more people there. It was a quiet and warm spring day, and aside from asparagus, there wasn’t much in terms of pick-your-own. When you first get there you see beautiful flowers and herbs ready to be purchased.
First thing we did when we got there was go into their store and get some lunch. There is apple cider, doughnuts, soups, cookies, fruits and veggies, pies, and more. We got some delicious doughnuts, cider and soup, and went outside to enjoy our lunch. There is a playground for kids, and free roaming Guinea Hens and ducks. The Guinea Hens are hilarious and run really fast, chasing one another. They entertained us for quite some time.
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Our Visit To Yestercades
We frequent our local Yestercades often. It is always great fun, and a good place to spend an evening with friends. Especially if the weather is not great. We go to the one in Westfield, however, we have been in Somerville, and it is just as great. From what I hear Red Bank is also good.
Since they open at noon on a weekday, that is when we arrived. In fact, and this is very unusual for me, we were there early. We got there about 20 minutes before they open. That means that we had the chance to explore downtown Somerville for a bit. It is a lovely town, and lots to see and do. The street that Yestercades is located on is right in the center of town, and just happens to be a promenade with lots of fascinating shops, tables and chairs with umbrellas and some fantastic music from the music shop right there. It was a pleasure to sit and wait there while having my coffee. The kids of course went off to meander and explore the space.
At noon the arcade opened up and our kids were let in. They dissipated so quickly and disappeared among the many games at Yestercades. They do have a lot of games. Most games are truly nostalgic games, as in a few decades ago, but they are still a lot of fun. There was a pool table, and a concession area, and a clean bathroom. What else can a mom ask for? I also like the fact that it is an arcade without the tickets, points or prizes. Just games. It makes it so much better then a regular everyday arcade.
There were some games that I would enjoy, but I was enjoying a conversation with a friend. They even had a chess board for people like me:
The kids and parents might also enjoy the enormous amount of pinball machines. I love pinball, and they had a big selection.
My youngest loves pinball, but he was drawn to the couches with game systems. Here is my issue with that: he can play most of these games at home, on our couch, for free. However, I think that having friends there, and having all these games available to him to play with friends was a big deal. While the older boys liked all the arcade games, the little ones just wanted the video games. I had to try and convince him to at least try some of the other games there. He did have a great time, though, so I am not complaining.
We found the young man there was helpful, and since we paid under $20.00, for two kids, the prices were very reasonable. The best part is that there are no prizes and tickets like in a more traditional arcade. After the arcade there are plenty of places to eat in downtown area. We wound up with pizza and an ice cream. It is always a great day, and we look forward to it. HERE is the link to their site.