Very interesting and informative. Nice to learn about the history of this region. Also offered…read moreminiature train museum, and history of the ultra Orthodox Jews in the region.

What an outstanding presentation of Lakewood artifacts!! Each room has a wonderful tribute to…read moreLakewood and it's residents past and present.

We have been members of the museum for several years. Our three grandsons there to enjoy the wide…read morevariety of exhibits . This is one of the best interactive museums for children. As adults, we have gone to the gallery many times in the past to enjoy the artworks and special events. We enjoyed watching the cartooning workshop by Zach, who was a real hit with my grandsons ages 10 and 8. You can always depend on kids liking this place and away from screens and see the real environment around them as a fun place to explore. (August 2026)

Cute little museum for kids! My daughter (15 months) really enjoyed interacting with the various…read moreexhibits. For $15 I think it is an affordable excursion, there are a few rooms to do crafts/color and four open exhibits to play and learn in. The staff was kind and the museum was relatively clean for what it's worth. The one thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was the "nursing room" aka the bathroom. There is a pink plastic dirty chair in the corner of the bathroom and they call that a "nursing room". For a place geared towards children this is disheartening to see. They should either have an actual room, separate from the bathroom, or no dedicated space at all.

I take my 2 y. o. granddaughter nearly every week. There are so many wonderful things to explore…read moreand learn from. They have a walking path through the woods with a natural playground and sandbox, a bird house building to watch and interactive displays, a mini zoo inside a house with small animals and activities including a treehouse. They also have weekly activities and seasonal events for elementary school kids. My granddaughter calls Briar Bush "The Animal House" and loves to put a donation in the collection box before we leave.

They were so friendly and it was a great little center to see the local wildlife and learn. We…read moredidn't get to do the whole path with a stroller but it was nice and shaded on the trail so even on a hot day it felt cooler.

Ive long been a fan of John F Peto's work. I was glad to be able to finally stop by. The docent…read morewas informative and charming. The staff were super friendly and the small house-museum has some remarkable pieces of art to blend in with the location of where they were created. It's a great stop if you are in the area. Learn more about this great story and support them with a ticket sale!

John F. Peto (1854-1907) was raised in Philadelphia, where he studied and exhibited art. He…read morespecialized in still-life trompe l'oeil ("fool the eye") paintings of ordinary objects. Near Toms River, NJ, a Methodist Camp Meeting Association was established in Island Heights in 1879. Peto's aunts would stay there during the summer. Peto visited them and played cornet in the local band. Peto married and decided to settle with his wife Christine in Island Heights in 1889, building a home and studio at 102 Cedar Avenue. His only child, daughter Helen, was born in 1893. He continued to paint, working in relative obscurity, until dying at age 54 of kidney disease. Then, his wife, daughter, and eventually granddaughter ran the house as a bed and breakfast. The house fell into a state of disrepair. However, a beautiful restoration of the house, studio, and gardens was completed in 2011. It is open to the public Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 pm. The admission is $10. for adults, which is really a small donation to maintain this historic artist's house. A volunteer docent takes visitors through the house. Our guide, Harry, was excellent: very knowledgeable about the house, Peto, the community, and art in general. The house features artwork by Peto, original palettes, historic photographs, period furniture, and artifacts original to the house. While touring the rooms, one gets to see a special exhibition (eg. summer 2017 watercolors and oils by Grabach and Gasser, underappreciated realist painters from Newark both of whom died in 1981). The tour ends in the studio, the heart of this home. Then, one may view a video about Peto and this house. The gardens are lovely too and there are music programs scheduled there during the summer. Check their website for changing exhibitions and programs. This place is a treat. GO!

I really like this place. It's huge a lot of things to do. The grocery store set up is really…read moregreat. There's just so many different kinds of events and I like how they have one area that changes so you can keep it kind of fresh the Alice in Wonderland maze highly recommended. Pro tip parking has never been a problem on the street. You don't have to park in the lot but they have one if you want to use it.

Please touch museum....the name itself sounds so fun!!…read more The museum itself is not tgat big but plenty to see. Water play area, Alice in Wonderland maze, Pretend store area (kinda like Kizania), and Foam play area, and car/bus/space shuttle play. Our family spent about 3hours. The museum is part of Blue Star Program so active duty and dependents can get in for free for certain months. Thank you for supporting military families. And free parking!!

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

This New Jersey Historic Site sits amid a very residential area. It's scenic and dare I say,…read moreromantic. The views of the water and Manhattan in the distance, it's a great place to sit on a nice day. The grounds and buildings are beautifully kept. Not run down at all. The information placards, however, are weathered and some are hard to read.

Beautiful place to visit. Took me about 2 hrs each way. It was a beautiful day to climb the towers…read moreand look at the beautiful views. The museum was small but cute. Grounds were nice as well. They have a cute little store to visit and purchase some souvenirs. Cost $5 to climb the towers. If you're in the area and looking for something to do, this is definitely a place to check out.

If you're too highbrow to visit an arcade then let's call it a museum. They do have historical…read morebackground on the games. I learned about Mappy, obscure for good reasons, which oddly features a microwave in its cat-vs.-mouse battle. Silverball is acclaimed for its unique pinball collection but I veer more to video games, especially Super Breakout. An offseason weekday in Asbury Park means hotels aren't $400 but the boardwalk is also a bit too quiet at that time, so I'm thankful that Silverball helps create a sense of place year-round. (For my financial news nerds, Silverball's current rating average is 4.6 and there should be an "adjusted EPS"-type number that excludes any negative reviews about the food. I have nothing bad, or good, to say about Silverball's cuisine having never tried it but I assure you there's fine fare within the designated Asbury Park/Ocean Grove/Neptune/Bradley Beach Designated Metropolitan Area.)

Right on the boardwalk, an arcade with many classic arcade games. The grandkids loved it. Customers…read morepay a fee to enter (see pictures) then have access to unlimited play. We had their Pizza, which was drenched in oil and fat.