The New Jersey State Museum was a pleasant surprise. First of all, I had no idea we had a State…read moreMuseum. I only happen to find out, because I had tickets to an event in the State Museum Auditorium. The museum is free and on weekends parking is easy in the free adjacent lot. There is also a Planetarium, which has a $10 admission. The museum is housed on three floors with exhibits illustrating some of New Jersey's history. There is a section with artwork, some Native American history, a natural history area with dinosaurs, history of Trenton, and much more.

This place is a gem. We didn't know about the free parking but the staff did inform us so we will…read moreuse that next time. They had a great exhibit for the 150 year anniversary of the USA, interesting to compare to 250 years. Staff was friendly. Easy to walk, gift shop had great items and affordable. Tables out front to eat at. The upstairs archives collection is so cool. The museum goes on and on. Love how some exhibits are annual and then they have some rotating ones. It's free to go. They just charge for the planetarium or you can do a member membership, which actually is pretty reasonable because you get reciprocal access to other museums in other states.

Great place for preschoolers! We appreciated that they recommend advance reservations and limit…read moreentry so it doesn't get overcrowded. The exhibits were engaging and interactive, and not too challenging for the kids to figure out. Our 5 year old and 2 year old had a blast! Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours to do it all.

We took our grandchildren aged 3 and 5 and they had such a great time that it was hard to get them…read moreto leave. The bathrooms were very clean and it was nice to be able to have a packed lunch in the "kitchen". I had gone there for a kindergarten fieldtrip and that's what inspired me to take my grandchildren there. Very reasonably priced and very enjoyable experience. The whole experience was very engaging and the activities were what this age have the most interest in. I would recommend the BCCM to anyone.

A great yearly event that hasn't been reviewed much lately. Judging by the crowd it appears to be a…read morevery popular event. There is live music, a craft, beer, garden, food trucks and crab fenders. There's a bunch of things to do for the kids. What I thought was cute was that you can kiss a pet for a dollar I believe it's the first weekend of every October.

Take a trip back 300 years to a date when we were still a colony in the British Empire, when many…read moreestablished towns grew as trading posts and became horse feeding stops between large city designations. Such is the humble beginnings of Allentown New Jersey, halfway between New York & Philadelphia. This was all before Snookie & MTV trashed all things Jersey and created late night TV fodder for all those talking heads, despite the fact that those Jersey Shore invaders were not Jerzee natives. In 1706 Nathan Allen bought much of the farmland and built 3 mills and the area was known as Allen's Town, and morphed into today's Allentown. George Washington slept here on his way to Crossing the Delaware. That building is still on Main St. So many historical little goodies for you history buffs. Now, for the fest right on Main St. The 2nd weekend of October every year. The weather makes all the difference, ... get a nice sunny day and you can take in all the charm of this lively little town and enjoy and stuff your face with your favorite Jersey tasty treat. Pork roll-n-cheese, sausage-n-peppers, sweet local corn, Fried clams/clam rolls, Zeppoles (Jersey's fried dough with powdered sugar, so bad and soooo good) and then every local restaurant sets up shop to show off their signature dishes. When you're done prepare to roll out smiling with a satisfied pallet! The Civil War reenactment in the adjacent park is very well done and Nerdvana for us History geeks :-) Definitely a cool stop on fall day!

FLEMINGTON/RINGOES: the Black River & Western Railroad is a dog friendly historic train ride that…read moretravels between Flemington and Ringoes. You can board at either station and travel to the next with peaceful views of the Hunterdon County countryside. Dogs are allowed on the "Black River Limited" rides. The roundtrip ride is about 30 minutes one-way with a 20 minute stop where you can disembark and take a look around, then 30 minutes back. The train runs rain or shine and it was a bit rainy during our excursion and didn't impact the enjoyment. There is no air conditioning and the windows are open to get air in the summer. The Ringoes station has a cute gift shop and some photo opportunities with an old caboose. (There is also a museum, but it is temporarily closed for renovations.). Thank you to their employee, Diana, for inviting us to participate in this unique experience. And, thank you to Maddielyne, a member of the train crew for chatting with us about Brie and sharing the history of the train and the area. If your dog is sensitive to noise, the train is loud riding over the tracks and the train horn blares frequently for safety precautions. Official pet friendly rules: "Are pets allowed? Well-behaved, leashed dogs are invited to ride the Black River Limited train at the conductor's discretion. We do ask that pet parents please make every effort to clean up after their pet for the convenience of our train crew. We recommend bringing a towel for your pet to sit on and other necessary supplies. Service animals are not considered pets and are permitted in all areas where customers are allowed."

We started our journey at Ringoes station wherein there's a museum, gift shop, restrooms, ticketing…read moreoffice and parking lot. Be sure to come early because they have limited parking space and also have time to explore the station. Here you can learn about the history of the Black River and Western Railroad on how they came to be. For me, it's really worth starting your journey in this station. You won't regret it plus more information about the railroad. Experience the view of scenic Hunterdon County by rail from the historic Black River and Western Railroad. Staffs are nice and special mention to the following people who really made our memorable historical trip: Terry, ticket agent of Ringoes Bill, conductor Joseph, train man who gave wonderful history of the railway Thanks a lot to all ,the wonderful staffs of BRW.

Today is the 4th of July . I saw that the museum was open…read moretoday, a perfect time. Parking is close and if you prefer elevator to stairs you are IN LUCK. As I approached the covered front patio there were folks on the chairs after their visit just enjoying the cool breeze and contemplating their visit together. You are in the historic Boone Farm after all. It seems fitting. Welcoming. Make your way to the front desk -at your left. You can get some good information . Get your map. Lots to see even there. A huge Selma Burk relief sculpture. Seems quite fitting. She represents so much of the story. Her Bucks County connection and historical connection! She designed the dime in your pocket. The museum honors the African American experience and especially locally. You have the opportunity to learn so many precious stories. BIG BEN! William & Daisy Meyers! Local folks! Even Fredrick Douglas came to BucksCounty & 300+ people came to Newtown Hall, to hear him speak. Harriet Tubman came to and through Bucks County. Learn these stories and so much more. It's quite amazing. Today there were oodles of docents. What an opportunity to learn from them some of which are accomplished authors . I spent two hours and I really could have spent more time. Thanks to all the hardworking people who made this museum possible. Past, present and future. Very inspiring in so many ways.

Visited the new location. Excellent experience this weekend. Lots of history about the Underground…read moreRailroad, Black History and the general Langhorne area. It all ties together. Fresh and newly renovated environment. Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Giving you personal insights about their research. Admission is very reasonable. A must for the bucket list.

This place is awesome, family oriented, fun, reasonably priced and clean…read more From the portable toilets to the grounds. We had an amazing fun time full of laughs and scares. We saw many younger children that also spent time at the small baby lambs and goats petting zoo. This was a nice added touch. The DJ was also great that played upbeat music. The food was reasonable and a good mix of favorites. Funnel cake, fried Oreos, chili, chili cheese fries, street corn, empanadas and street tacos to just name a few.... Truly a night of good times... Check it out for yourself... get there early for the best parking.

I'm a big wuss when it comes to spooky things, but I don't like to back out of a good time, ya feel…read moreme? So I took a trip down to the Field of Terror... located in the middle of nowhere in East Windsor, NJ. There isn't an actual parking lot- you're going to have to park your car in the middle of a field, but there are parking attendants to guide you. And yes, it's free! Luckily the lot is right near the farm so don't worry about walking too far. You can purchase your tickets online or once you get there. I came on a Thursday night 10/24 and there were no lines at all. There's a couple of ticket options depending on how many haunted attractions you want to do. There are 5 in total: Haunted Hayride, Kornfield Maze, Karnival, Timmery Manor, Paintball Wagon Ride. One attraction = $20 Two attractions = $35 Three attractions = $45 Four attractions = $50 Five attractions = $65 We didn't have much time so we only did one attraction, the Haunted Hayride. There was no wait at all, so we were able to get on right away. The entire attraction lasted about 15 minutes. I don't want to spoil anything.... but it was enjoyable. However, coming from someone who is the biggest scaredy cat, I wasn't SUPER spooked... so see for yourself. The farm itself is small and easy to navigate. All of the attractions are close to one another. There were actors walking around and I definitely got a couple of jump scares LOL. They have food stands available at very reasonable prices (mostly carnival/fair-themed food like burgers, fries, funnel cake, hot dogs). Plenty of seating to enjoy your food. There's a merchandise store with cute apparel and goodies. They also have a farmer's market selling some of their produce. Since I only did one haunted attraction, take this review with a grain of salt. Was it worth $20? Ehhhh, not really. But give it a try if you're in the area and see for yourself. Get spooky.

Lambertville, NJ celebrates the return of the shad which come from the ocean and travel up the…read moreDelaware River each year to their spawning areas. Local artists and businesses host thousands of visitors who come to Shad Fest. This year it was held on April 29 and 30. Locals catch the shad mostly with hooks and line but a historically accurate demonstration with a long net spread by row boat and hauled to shore by arm power is reenacted. The Shad are a nasty tasting fish but many vendors are preparing them blackened or smoked. If you don't care for the taste, move on to the scores of outside concessions on Bridge Street and South Union serving all kinds of great food or one of the fabulous local restaurants. There is entertainment all over town so you should check out www.shadfest.com to see with band is at which venue. We mostly listened to the bands playing on the outdoor stages on North Union Street. While there you can check out the shops as well as the tents on the streets for crafts and fashions. There are a couple of Beer gardens and the town has some super Taverns and pubs. Shad Fest is one of the nicer small town festivals and I recommend that you mark your calendars now for next years event.

Shad Fest is a annual festival in Lambertville. It's a pretty fun experience. It's literally right…read moreover the bridge from New Hope. There are a bunch of vendors on the streets selling food, ice cream, popcorn, clothes, antiques, and more. We came across some very rude ignorant racist people who were mocking us to "march military style" (referring to us as North Koreans which we're not btw) but aside from that, the festival itself was a good time and I'll still give it 5 stars because I won't let some ignorant low life ruin my time in public. My wife and I explored around town, took plenty of pictures, and had plenty of food and alcohol. Verdict - Shad Fest or no Shad Fest, you should come and visit this part of NJ and New Hope, PA. Food and drinks are all moderately priced and most of all, the food was pretty darn good. There are a lot antique shops and eateries in these 2 towns, you can spend the entire afternoon in New Hope and walk into Lambertville for a visit. The streets are clean, the weather was amazing, and there are some areas that have a very beautiful scenery. And for those who remain prejudice in this country, please broaden your horizons a little bit and perhaps educate yourself during that process. Not every Asian you see in your small town is a brainwashed military nut from the North.

This place was amazing. Nice size, free, staff are officers and they're friendly. Everything is…read moredisplayed in an organized way and descriptive. They even have a crime scene simulator

When I was a child I went to the New Jersey State Police Museum, and a recent Monday I decided to…read morecheck it out again. The museum is located on the NJ State Police Headquarters campus (base?) so to get to the museum you need to stop at the guard house, show your ID and get a visitor's pass. Then it is just a short ride up the road and a right and you are looking at the parking lot. There is ton of parking (for buses too). Walk directly across the lot and there is the museum. There is no cost for the museum. When I arrived around 11 I was the first visitor of the day, so the Trooper in the museum chatted with me a bit and turned on some of the videos for me. They do require you to sign into their guest book that you came. I spent about 2 hours walking around the museum reading all the exhibits. I didn't watch all the videos and I didn't play with some of the interactive ones. And that was just me alone. If you are a history buff, love NJ or law enforcement, or like the off-the-beaten path places you should check this place out. There are two parts of the museum there is the new part which has most of the exhibits. But the older museum is a replicate of the log cabins that were used by the NJSP for many years. I believe they do lectures in there for groups, but they also have a number of vehicles that have been used over the years. I did spend a lot of time reading about the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty and paying my respects at the memorial garden right outside the museum. While there is no gift shop inside the museum, in the parking lot there is a trailer with a shop in it. There was a LOT of NJSP sweatshirts, t-shirts, and other apparel. They accept credit card. Proceeds go to the Former Troopers Family Foundation.