Plenty of parking for trailers, well maintained launch little steep but great also has a dock, and…read morekayakers have there own little launch areas so they dont clog up ramp which kayakers are notorious for

My review has nothing to do with Merrill Creek (MCR) itself, we have been hiking / kayaking here…read morefor a number of years...the place is as described by previous Yelp postings. We took our two seat kayak last Saturday (trailered) and we were met at the reservoir parking area by a very officious / rude "security guard" (ORSG) ....at least we assumed it was a security guard, I didn't see any logos or ID on this ORSG. This ORSG was, to say the least, a little "heavy-handed" and clearly ORSG wasn't really a reservoir/boat savvy person. ORSG proceeded to tell us that we'd have to park our vehicle in a parking spot and carry our 75 lb kayak back down to the boat ramp. On all previous visits, even when an attendant has been present, we've pulled to one side of the ramp and qickly off-loaded the kayak to the ramp or the adjacent kayak launch area, without causing any disruption to boat launchers using the ramp. We have also used the ramp with our trailer. Furthermore, we were told by ORSG that wearing life-jackets / PFD's was mandatory. I mentioned that NJ (and most other states) only require that adults carry life jackets on their watercraft...(the NJ regs. are stated on the Merrill Creek General Rules & Regulations...however somewhat baffling is the fact that MCR over-rides the state regs. and does require the wearing of PFD's while on the water). The GR&R were kindly thrust at me by ORSG...lol Now here's the kicker...having "read us the riot act" and we complied, we launched our kayak with ORSG watching...while no less than three other kayakers launched their kayaks from the boat ramp...with their PFD's strapped to their kayaks !!!....talk about "stupid" ! Upon returning to the ramp...a second security company employee (she had just arrived in a mini-SUV) instructed us to move our kayak off the ramp...I informed this young lady that we had a trailer and I was about to retrieve it. This young lady relented and allowed us to quickly load our tandem kayak onto its trailer from the boat ramp...strike one for commonsense ! Meanwhile, ORSG was busy untying the powered dinghy from its dock and taking off into the reservoir....without wearing the required PFD !...lol (I have the video). BTW...there was a total of circa ten or less cars / trucks / trailers in the parking lot...quite surprising given the beautiful weather last Saturday. That said, maybe word is already "out" that Merrill Creek has become a PITA to deal with...what a shame. One small consolation..on a recent visit we got up close and personal (through a Samsung 'phone telephoto lense) with one of the reservoir residents..we saw two pairs that day...quite spectacular !

Beautiful tour this morning of the historic Rutherfurd Hall. Easily accessible off Route 80 [exit…read more19) in Allamuchy, NJ. Well preserved and run by a friendly staff with Joan Salvas (local historian and a great tour guide). They are planning a series of jazz concerts thru the spring, which should be interesting. The venue is also open for private parties and as a wedding venue.

Rutherfurd Hall is an amazing cultural center with an amazing historical story…read more This tutor-style house was designed by Whitney Warren, who later won the bid to design Grand Central Terminal. The landscape of the grounds were also designed by the Olmsted Brothers who became famous for designing/landscaping many of today's national parks. The Rutherfurd family lived here as early as the mid-eighteenth century, and over their families time here hosted many famous titans of industry and even future American presidents. There's a really fun/interesting story about FDR and Alice Morton. Later, Rutherfurd Hall was donated to the church and used as a type of retirement home for the nuns. Rutherfurd Hall is now owned by the Allamuchy School District who does a great job utilizing it to maintain this beautiful structure. If you go on a Wednesday, you'll be able to receive a tour through the beautiful home. Their tour guides are absolutely fantastic and know so much of the history so thoroughly it is really impressive. Rutherfurd Hall does weddings on it's own, but a local venue David's Country Inn also holds wedding ceremonies on the grounds. I'll be having my ceremony at Rutherfurd Hall and could not be more excited!

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

What a fantastic piece of history, go, stop and read the plaques and take pictures. What an amazing…read morepiece of history

Well maintained space without signs of overt modernization make this place a worthwhile…read moreexploration. Industrial relics exhibit excellent decay and are easily accessible. Short walking trail takes you through the greenspace pebbled with old structures, into small wooded areas, over a bisecting stream, and along forgotten rail tracks. Quiet, and surrounded by development though you wouldn't know it.

The Redmill Museum Village also holds a winter village festival with decorated Christmas tree trees…read moremany vendors and food trucks. The scenery is amazing with the red mill and river on one side and the quarry on the other . Santa is present for pictures as well as an old-fashioned trailer for photos. The vendors are classic and all very friendly. There are heaters throughout. To help on the chili days. There are buildings open for the history of the Redmill museum with a true blacksmith present and Weaver's. It is a fun place for families to celebrate the joy of the season.

Attending the Red Mill Museum Winter Village Marketspace was very nice. They placed the 40+ vendors…read more(apparel, food, accessories, art) throughout the entire mill and I enjoyed the wide walkways, between vendors. They even had Santa available for pictures and wishlists. Aside from vendors, the museum had their historic buildings open for viewing. The staff members did a fabulous job at explaining the details of that era and the importance of the Clinton area. If you haven't attended this event, please place it on your 2025 to-do list. You'll enjoy the Winterspace and Clinton's surrounding area.

Very nice place to take a walk, bike ride, or run on a dirt path along the Delaware River. The…read morepath is kept clean & free of debris. Very easy to park as there are multiple parking lots along the trail. The trail offers glimpses of the river & has a lot of beautiful wildflowers & different kinds of tree's along the trail. Very few port-a-johns & the one's we encountered were not clean. Other than that, it's an enjoyable trail.

If it seems like you've read this one before it's because maybe you have. On Yelp my best guess is…read morethat there's three or maybe even four different listings for Delaware Canal State Park. Why so many you might ask? Well it's because of the park's sheer size. DCSP is a sixty mile long towpath that runs from Easton down to Bristol. That's obviously a hell of a distance and there are tons of access points along the way which is why there are so many listings. If you're using the towpath in New Hope that's one listing and if you're using it in Easton that's a different listing due to the large amount of mileage in between. What makes this park so special? DCSP is the only remaining towpath that is original in it's appearance, size and distance to when it was constructed in the 18th century. The towpath runs parallel (but not always visible) to the Delaware River. It's also one of the few parks if not the only park in the commonwealth's system that runs by or thru several other state parks. The ending terminus in Bristol is somewhat close to Neshaminy, it runs right thru Washington Crossing while being fairly close to Ralph Stover and Lake Nockamixon. This also says nothing about the two or three county parks which DCSP runs by. As if this weren't enough, right across the Delaware is the even longer D&R Canal Trail which parallels the river on the NJ side. There are a few bridges were you can cross from one side to the other but they're spread out. The main activities are hiking and biking but there are obviously endless amounts of possibilities for fishing, boating and canoeing. No hunting except for limited archery deer hunting. Too many houses either way to close to the towpath or literally on the towpath for anyone to be getting their Ted Nugent on. We usually hit the trail primarily at the Durham Aqueduct parking area as that's super easy where 611 meets up with 212 or every so often we go down to the Washington Crossing area to dork it up 18th century style by visiting some of the surroundings in that area. Kudos big time to PA's Department of Conservation as they do a great job keeping a whole lot of trail looking really good. No matter where you choose to join up with the towpath there's no bad place and you'll understand why especially on weekends this thing gets so damn crowded. #No-Brainer Visit

Beautiful ground and mansion. We were here on a Saturday morning. We walked around the ground…read morebefore they were open. Paid for the self guided tour of the mansion. The staff here are all very friendly and knowledgeable. Beautiful decoration inside the mansion during Christmas time. Highly recommended!

Led by a very highly skilled federal staff and volunteers…read more Wonderfully kept and truly q great place to visit. A Pike County PA treasure.