This is a great historical site, even though it is a recreation. It's still a lot of fun to see…read morePA's founder William Penn's dwellings as they might have been. The visitor center sells the tickets, has a gift shop, and quite a thorough exhibit on William Penn and his decision to found a colony and the influences behind how he ran it, including his conversion to Quakerism. The house itself has tours regularly, and our tour group was pretty big. They have evidence of the foundation and recreated his summer house based on multiple sources, and the house has a different vibe than something from the colonial area around a hundred years later. You can see a simpler and English-inspired architecture with dark wooden interiors and focus on basic metal and wooden furnishings. The tour passes through the more public rooms, the bedrooms, and the kitchen where the tour finishes. The tour guide did seem to have a particular interest in herbs that were used medicinally at the time. The overall information was interesting to learn about Penn, his family, and life at the time. On site, they also had a few reenactor tradespeople, including a joiner, two weavers, and two blacksmiths. They were all very enthusiastic about answering questions on their crafts. There is also a garden to walk through and some livestock. Between the indoor and outdoor exhibits, it was a really thorough site with different things for everyone to enjoy.

I went to Pennsybury manor on a field trip as a chaperone…read more The manor is the place where William Penn stayed for a short time. You can see vegetable gardens, a barn, a wooden boat, a kitchen, and a guy squashing apples to make cider. (Kids love that). There is also a little workshop where a guy does woodworking. Another guy was carving a log into a canoe. There is a gift shoppe which sells pencils and stuffed animals, if you can't find one at the local discount mart in your neighborhood and have a paucity of these in your bedroom. There is also a tour of the mansion. It has no lights. It is not original but recreated to perhaps be like the original. There is also a outhouse adjacent to this structure, but people are prohibited from making deposits in it.

A house hidden in a…read more house The Thomas Shinn House was originally built waaaay back in 1712. A very primitive English cabin built of roughly cut logs. Nothing fancy about this place. The cool part is that it was actually hidden and part of another house that was built much later. The Shinn House wasn't discovered until the new and much larger house was demolished in 1967. Of course the Shinn House was bought by the Mt Holly Historical Society and moved from it's original location on Water Street to it's present home on Park Drive, right behind the town hall. Unfortunately the old cabin isn't open to the public and you really can't see in the windows. That's too bad because it must be fascinating inside. However just walking around it and seeing the rough and tiny place is amazing enough. I wonder what it must have been like to raise a family in this tiny and crude home. And why was the newer house just built around the little cabin. I'll probably know but it is an incredible cool and historical house located in a town that is just full of surprises.

Downside: tours only on weekdays and currently by appointment, which has limited me being able to…read morevisit before. Also the parking info on the website was confusing, but we parked new the Barracks Museum but not in any nearby reserved spot. It was also a little confusing where the entrance was, but if you pick the wrong door, someone will point you in the right direction to the entrance of the annex. We were the only people on the tour, which is free, so we got to have a lot of great insight. We also got to shoot a ton of questions at the tour guide and he knowingly answered all of them and one he didn't know he radioed in to his team to find out. We started off looking at a stained glass ceiling with NJ sites depicted, looked in the Senate Room, the Representatives Room, the individual parties room, judiciary rooms, and meeting rooms while looking at different art in the hallway and inside rooms symbolizing NJ iconography/historic figures. It was delightful for both the artist and the historian in me. If this place gave tours on weekends, I think it would be more popular. Maybe there's a staffing shortage, and that would be a shame. Weekdays are hard for people to visit, but it is definitely worth it to visit if this sounds like something that would interest you. Note: between the 2 I've seen, PA still has better architecture (and Saturday tours) but that was still nice and more people should see it.

"Trent Town" New Jersey! Yeah!! "Trent town" was recognized as the state capital in 1790…read more Quakers first founded the settlement in the region that later became Trenton in 1679. The Quaker settlement adopted the title "Trent-towne" by 1719 in honor of William Trent who was among its leading landholders. "The Battle of Trenton" took place in the city of "Trent town" where George Washington achieved his first military victory in the course of the American Revolutionary War. In December of 1784, the Confederation congress briefly convened in Trenton. Most famously, Trenton's Capitol briefly acted as the capital of the US. Yep. It was the capital of the United States of America from November 1 to December 24, 1784 Just for that one reason alone it's worth a visit. A lot of great American history took place in this old capitol building. And it is old, it's the 6th oldest in the US. I used to live in New Jersey. I loved living in Jersey. I traveled all over Jersey, Jersey is amazing! Amazing Italian food and awesome diners. Kinda industrial but urban also. A lively lovely little mini metropolis. The US Census Bureau groups Trenton's large, central Jersey, metropolitan area with that of New York while it also borders the large Philly Metropolitan area. Today, Trenton is a super manufacturing hub/industrial area, with a bunch of bridges that cross the Delaware river. It has its own unique beauty. I loved it there. A lot of American History/Historical significance in this Capitol as "Trent town" is among the seven state capitals situated in the Piedmont Plateau. Making the Capitol building in Trenton New Jersey, def one of the 7 you want to see. Recommend.

Best selection of healthy straight species native plants anywhere around and lovely trails and good…read moreprograms.

I visited Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve this past Saturday when I was exploring New Hope for…read morethe day. It's a nature preserve and botanical garden with a lot of grounds to explore. It was busy on a warm Saturday afternoon, but there was plenty of parking on the road leading up to the Visitor Center. Then, after you've purchased your admission, you can wander their 12 or so trails that wind through five miles of the grounds. The highlights of my visit were the trails that ran along the creek, the stone bridge, and the new pond. In summer, it was a bit too hot for the wildflowers (I bet spring is incredible here), but it was green and wooded and beautiful. I spent a couple of hours exploring the grounds, and it was a great way/place to stretch my legs and take a break from town! If you like a trail, Bowman's Hill is a great place for that just minutes from the center of New Hope.

Wow. What a unique, random gem and historic property. What is Fonthill and why is there a castle in…read moreDoylestown, Pennsylvania? Fonthill Castle was the home of archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer. (Also in Doylestown are two more Mercer buildings you can tour - the Mercer Museum and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works building, the business Mercer ran and where most of the tiles in the castle were produced.) Henry Mercer seems like he was an interesting guy, and you can see that in his home - 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 200 windows, who knows how many staircases...! And designed and decorated in a way I've never seen anywhere else. The castle is an early example of poured-in-place concrete building and is a mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles. And there are, of course, Moravia tiles (and some historic and international tiles that he collected during his life) throughout the house - almost more than you could imagine. We visited last Saturday to experience their "Fonthill Castle Holiday Lights Meander Experience," which allows you to visit the castle through a self-guided experience (there were staff in various rooms who were happy to answer questions) and enjoy a series of Christmas trees on display throughout the home. I definitely enjoyed the experience but am definitely planning a return visit to see the castle in better light (not at night in the dark - which was perfect for the Christmas tree experience) - they offer 60-minute guided tours though the house for most of the year! The castle is pretty wild, and I look forward to visiting it again and experiencing it in a new way. If you are interested in architecture, art, crafts, the Arts and Crafts design movement, or just quirky, unusual places, definitely add Fonthill to your list and check it out!

Amazing property, it is a hidden gem. Went with my family for the tour and everyone enjoyed it!read more

I would definitely recommend to anyone passing through off the highway to stop in this little…read moreborough for breakfast or coffee. There's even an antique shop and a couple of other stores and restaurants. The scenery is beautiful and the town itself is very quaint with much to offer, including local's recommended bike shops and a spa!

There are very few places in life that you really fall in love with…read more This town is one of them. This is the ideal place to raise a family, work, live and grow old in. It is quaint, idyllic and down right beautiful. The people are also really nice. If i could move here, I would

Wonderful site educating and celebrating NJ history. Handicap friendly. Tour guide was…read moreincredible 5/31 @ 1300. I don't recall his name but he was awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating to those with special needs. I will definitely visit again to learn more.

Atsion Village and Mansion is one of the best kept secrets in South Jersey. The mansion itself is…read morevery well preserved, and you can take tours of it on the weekend in the summer. Many people do not know about the furnace/iron industry in South Jersey that thrived in the early 19th Century, and you can come here to learn all about it. Our tour guide was 80 years old and lived in the area her whole life. She knew EVERYTHING about the history of Atsion, and we both loved listening to her talk. The park service officer who greeted us in the historic general store also filled us in about the history of the village. The cemetery and church are really cool, too. You can combine your visit with lying on the beach on the lake, too.

Princeton is a beautiful college town and I could spend days exploring every nook and cranny. Among…read moreone of the hidden gems in Princeton, is venturing the very same steps that Albert Einstein walked. What an incredible experience for me. Despite countless visits back East, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now that I've gotten older. If I return here after all the COVID restrictions, I hope to spend more time here.