In just a few days, the upcoming Lunar New Year brings the Year of the Dragon on February 10th…read moreamong East and Southeast Asian cultures. It's fifth in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle and the only animal that's a mythical creature. This afternoon, my partner and I arrived at the Woodland, located off of Woodland Road in Maplewood, to celebrate Lunar Fest NJ 2024--Maplewood Arts & Culture. Completed in 1930, the Georgian Revival-style mansion and adjoining auditorium have been a hub for Maplewood's vibrant cultural and civic life for over eight decades. The unique event features lion dance, performances representing Chinese, Mongolian, Thali, and Korean cultures, children's activities, and delicious food trucks, which brought out the crowd.

Just attended an event at the Woodland. Aside from its being a big old barn, the parking area is…read moreway too small for a facility as large as yours. Not only that, the lot is narrow and dangerous to navigate, especially when a large crowd is trying to park. But the most infuriating aspect of the parking situation is the number of spots unusable for the general public, which are labeled "24-hour parking permit required," Are you kidding?? I had to gingerly back out of a prohibited spot and circle the neighborhood (most of whose streets had "no parking anytime" signs) for 10 minutes before finding a spot where I could park. Your facility needs to expand the available parking immediately. I advise any group considering holding an event at the Woodland to physically view the parking situation before booking an event.

First, two warnings, and yes I did give it five stars: while clearly stated on the website, the…read morestore is in the basement so you have to walk down a flight of stairs and there's no elevator and I'd be careful about bringing younger children here simply because you are using with cut glass. Now that that's out of the way, you'll use precut glass from a huge selection of colors, sizes and textures on a glass bases to make designs that are fused in a kiln. The many options for bases include an ashtray, menorah, picture frame, plates or larger tray. Other more advanced options include weaving colors together and wind charms. Each station has a glass cutter and pliers so you can shape the precut glass. Either goggles or just wearing you're glasses is required. Just like there's a saying about ice skating that no matter what, ice is slippery, glass is sharp and can cut although I saw no wounds in my class. Using a bit of glue, you anchor down your design in the base. Then it is fused in a kiln. In addition to just creating your design, realistic or abstract, you can use templates that are provided. The very friendly and knowledgeable instructors give an overview of the process as well as help out people along the way. It's fun, creative and fairly priced. Truly a good experience.

I am absolutely obsessed with Glassworks. I was looking for a cute and cozy place to release some…read moreartistic energy and this was the perfect spot. They have a large variety of glass projects you can work on, ranging from inexpensive (nightlight, small picture frame) to expensive (large plates) items. I chose to make a nursery room nightlight for my first ever project. The staff were extremely helpful in showing the Glassworks ropes and helped me print and execute my design with helpful hints and tips. They also have a huge range or opaque and translucent glass colors to work with. I was so thrilled by my end result and love passing my nursery to look at it!

9/26/25: Beautifully structured building located in South Orange Village. The center contains 425…read morecomfortable seats. It was my very first visit. Excellent acoustics and visibility. We came to see Masters of The Telecaster ft. Truly excellent guitarists who played with some of the greats! The center has a small concession with alcohol and snacks. The venue has clean bathrooms. The facility has excellent parking. There's also street and municipal parking. Lots of police presence in the area. Lots of great restaurants within steps of this venue. In fact, we had stopped for a great dinner at Gaslight Brewery.

We were recently back at SOPAC for an intimate concert of two different solo artists. We were…read moreseated in essentially the same seats as last time, but two rows closer to the stage. The seating was perfect; the theater was clean; and the sound was fantastic. It was certainly different having those types of movie-theater like seats for a concert, but, due to the calming nature of the two musicians, it still worked. However, there were definitely patrons that were treating it like a loud, standing room venue that were animatedly talking throughout most of the show. Despite their distractions, it was another excellent experience!

Came to see West Side Story and had a wonderful experience! This was a gift from my parents for…read moreChristmas and I had such a great time. They are season ticket holders so they get a deal on tickets. I would highly suggest seeing if you qualify for any discounted tickets since they seem to have a number of programs set up (I once got $30 tickets before being younger than 30 years old). They have a close parking lot that you can pay for but we walked from a public lot not too far away. It's a zoo with people existing by foot/ cars trying to leave the lots so just know it may take a bit of time for that short walk if you use one of their lots. They have a little concession counter that you can buy snacks at as well as bathrooms available though we didn't use either. The play itself was spectacular. The entire cast is talented- acting, singing, and dancing were top notch. The sets were well thought out and the music was unbelievable. I love that we have an incredible play house right in our backyard here in NJ! We will definitely be returning!

I just attended the mattered of West Side Story. Excellent! What an amazing production…read more The theatre is located in Milburn, NJ. There are several parking lots and a nearby train station plus a public bus which make this playhouse accessible via a variety of transportation. (The nearest lots fill up fast, so plan your arrival time.) The parking fee is $12 if you use any of the theatre's lots. There was (as is expected) a long entry line. More staff is needed to move the line along more quickly. The elderly and those with mobility challenges were allowed to bypass the long line and gain immediate entry. The lobby sells snacks and drinks that can be purchased before the show or during intermission. There are ushers to help you find your seats and a very friendly young man helped me at the souvenir counter. The lighting and acoustics appeared modern in my limited opinion. The feel of the auditorium was that of the traditional theatre setting with the rich burgundy drapery and snug plush seats. There is an odd pitch to the floor which makes walking to orchestra seating a little awkward because of the slant. So keep this in mind if you are a little shaky on your feet. I have a delightful experience here and I hope to return for future productions.

4 of us had a great time....the instructor and atmosphere were fun and inviting. Will do this again.read more

IN 1 LINE: A night of artistic learning and fun!…read more VENUE: The first thing I noticed was how big this art studio is, which allows for more than one class to run at the same time. My class was held in the back studio which made it feel like a private party. It even had an area with ice and glasses (wine and beer glasses) and a counter top to set up the desserts we brought.  *My family and friends were there to celebrate my birthday, and my mother said that all of the staff were very accommodating in hiding my ice-cream cake. :) Our instructor also gave many breaks and opportunities to eat and celebrate. I really enjoyed the music that played during the class too which created a casual and relaxing night. TEACHER: We loved our art instructor, Justine, who has the patience of a saint! She made the class fun and reassured all of us that we would all be able to complete the selected painting of the night. She was encouraging and lended her gentle guidance and expertise. We never once felt rushed, as each of us took our time to paint. She led us step by step, teaching techniques along the way. Thank you for a great night!

The new 70 South is a unique mix of portrait studio, high-end print shop and gallery for both…read moreprofessional and amateur photographers. Mostly it's a labor of love by Ted Baldanzi. The gallery is a gorgeous open space, and all the photo printing machines are new new. They promise that a human looks at every print too. Order online! Pick up locally. Read more of the story here: http://morristowngreen.com/2014/09/25/sandrian-savior-aims-to-recapture-polaroid-magic-at-new-70-south-gallery-in-morristown/

went to a photography discussion and it was very cool. i liked seeing everyone's work. the place is…read morebeautiful and the owner is very nice. i would return again!

This is a great place to have a casual summer party. My cousin-in-law had her engagement BBQ & pig…read moreroast here and it was perfect. The roofed area is really nice because you get a bit of a breeze off the river behind it, though they used a huge fan to really get the air going. There are plenty of picnic tables and lots of space for catering tables. There are dogs allowed, and a nice open space next to the field house where you can play fetch. It's kind of challenging to find, though. The first two entrances to the area go to the baseball fields/tennis courts. Take the entrance between the two fields and park, then you walk down the dirt road/driveway and the field house is to your left.

Cute little historical museum in the heart of Morristown. Plenty of street parking in this…read moreresidential neighborhood. It's $10 admission, and you learn about the Maccullochs but most of the content is on Thomas Nast, the famous 19th century political cartoonists. There is a good collection of his drawings but even more impressive were a few of his giant political paintings. Only a few of his paintings survived the play they were made for - 2 are here, one is at the library, and 5 are in DC not currently on display. So it's definitely a unique find. The founder of the museum mixed in a lot of his collection that doesn't relate to Nast of the Maccullochs, but there are beautiful sculptures, paintings, and furniture on display from the 17th to 19th century. It's self-guided, but there was a guide around who gave us more information and answered questions we had. It was a great albeit small art collection. There is a big garden outside that is free to stroll around in. It's a nice place to visit to spend the afternoon.

The experience was too teir! Staff was amazing and so so nice! The exhibits are very informative…read moreand explore many different time periods ranging from the 1700s-1800s!