Category: Rivers and Lakes

Our Visit To The Waterloo Village

Our visit to The Waterloo Village was one of those in-the-middle-of-the-pandemic-most-things-are-still-closed field trips. The world was still recovering from the shock that Covid-19 brought to our lives. Most things were open for outdoor only, no gatherings, 6 feet apart activities. We headed over to The Waterloo Village because it was a place we have never explored before, it looked quiet, and pretty. We really just wanted to spend a day exploring something new, and not sitting at home.

The Waterloo Village was just what we needed. It was quiet, beautiful, with historical buildings scattered over winding paths. There was a lake, a dam, bridges, flowers. birds and trees to look out for. Once again, we were there with two teens, and they enjoyed themselves. We (boys included) made flower crowns, hiked, found remnants of a tow bridge, skipped rocks, found different species of birds and plants. We never found the recreation of the Native American village, however, so next time we’ll just have to look harder.

Currently, the village is an open air historical museum and is part of the Allamuchy Mountain State Park. It does have a history, and as with any such spots, it is always good to read about the history before going.

After we had our fill walking around the Waterloo Village, we drove off to visit High Point. On the way, we picked up a cup of coffee and lunch from the Holland American Bakery, which is always delicious.

As always, here are some photos:

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Camping At Dingmans Campground in Dingmans Ferry PA

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.

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Our Visit To Johnson Park

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.

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Our Visit To Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve

Bucks County, PA

May 2018

This has been a long time coming!! I’d drive by that place a few times a month, and would always wonder what is there. Finally we made it! This time it was just my little one, my husband and I. The big kid was off on his own adventure.

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Our Visit To Double Trouble State Park

Lacey and Berkeley Townships

July 2014

This is one place that we went to last summer that I keep meaning to mention, and finally got to it. I wanted to make sure that I put it here before the hot days of summer because it is a wonderful place to go and cool off in the summer time.

It is quite a distance from where we live, the drive was easy enough: just take Gardens State Parkway, and the park is very close to the exit, but it was a long drive. My kids and I went there to meet some friends and spend a few hours by the creek, cooling off.

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Our Visit To Big Brook Fossil Site

Marlboro, NJ

Summer 2017

Big Brook is quite an interesting place to visit. It is not a place that I would ever know about without a few awesome people that told me about it. I know I took some time to write about it, but better late then never, and hopefully useful for this summer. Here is the story: Big Brook is a stream that runs through Monmouth County, NJ. The specific location we went to is in Marlboro NJ, but there are other spots. It is a great spot for a hike, but wait, there is more!

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Our Visit To Watchung Reservation

Mountainside, NJ

At least every month for the last 15 years!

Trailside Nature Center and Watchung Reservation is a wonderful place to visit with your family! However it has seen some changes in the past few years. The old dam has been rebuild into a brand new dam. Lake Surprise does go up and down in water levels through the season. Sometimes it resembles a muddy pond, sometimes a beautiful full lake. The trails are still wonderful, and the forest is still magical. The playground is always fun, and the museum is still fantastic.

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Our Visit To Spruce Run And Round Valley State Parks

Clinton and Lebanon Township, New Jersey

Every Summer

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. Unfortunately for the last year we haven’t been able to go overnight because of our puppies, but we still enjoy going there for a day and swimming in the lake.

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Our Visit To Ringing Rocks State Park

Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

October 2013

Ringing Rocks State Park in PA is definitely an interesting place to visit. The reason it is called Ringing Rocks is if you hit a rock with a hammer or another rock it makes a ringing sound, almost like a bell, but to me it sounded more like pots and pans being hit with a spoon (something my kids loved to do as toddlers).

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Our Visit To High Point State Park

Montague Township, NJ

Few Times A Year

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. Read more about our visit to High Point State Park below!