With careful observation, the Garden State can transform into a realm where fairy tales come to…read morelife. Between the highways, farmlands, and beaches lies a series of historic mansions and modern palaces for guests to explore. Wealthy owners constructed many of NJ's castles during the Gilded Age. The late 19th century was a boom time for industrialists and capitalists, and it became fashionable to showcase one's wealth. Located on Garret Mountain overlooking the City of Paterson, this well-known landmark was once a private residence fashioned after an English castle, where my partner and I returned after undergoing 6 years of significant restoration work. Their website made it easy to book a reservation, ensuring reduced wait times, comfortable capacity management, and a smooth, welcoming visit for everyone. Built in 1892 and originally called Belle Vista, Lambert Castle was the domain of silk moguls Catholina and Isabella Lambert. It was constructed in the Medievel Revival architectural style out of local sandstone and granite. Lambert's fortune rose and fell with the silk industry, and he later auctioned off most of the works to pay his debts. Upon arrival at the visitor center, formerly the carriage house, we were greeted by the staff, where all guided tours begin, lasting 1 1/2 hours. Our guide was Mary Beth. She provided us wonderful information, pointed out small details like the door hinges or artwork, and answered our questions as a group of 19 patrons looked at each room much brighter. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside to preserve the interior for future visitors and make patrons appreciate what they were looking at. Lambert Castle serves as a physical time capsule that reflects the shifting fortunes, societal values, and architectural ambitions of the eras in which it was built and would be great for a visit.

4/10/26 (Update) After many years, I was so excited to see…read morethe reopening of the refurbished Lambert Castle. You can purchase your tickets online or at the new visitors center. The admission tickets are $10. Zak was a wonderful tour guide. He gave us the history of the castle owners. In 1892, the castle was built by Catholina Lambert (the owner of the Paterson Silk Mills for his wife). Please see my original review for the history. We were informed "Not to photograph any of the interior in order to preserve the interior for future visitors". Upon entering the castle, you will be required to put booties on over your shoes. This is in order to preserve the floors. The castle does have 3 levels along with an elevator. In the foyer overhead, you'll see a magnificent colorful rectangle shaped Tiffany light fixture. It extends approximately 2' Wide and 6' in length. The furnishings were very elegant, yet very homey. All the rooms are filled with stunning sculptures and artwork. Some of items were on loan from different places. For example: The beautiful Grandfather clocks really caught my eye. They were on loan from the Ringwood Manor. (The Ringwood Manor is presently being refurbished and will be reopening soon). Hope everyone gets a chance to see this beautifully refurbished castle. Lambert Castle has two levels of parking.

Great Restoration Hard Working Volunteers Keep Improving The Grounds County Got This One Right…read more Built in the early seventeen hundreds this piece of history had gone uncared for many years until the Garretson Forge & Farm Restoration folks tirelessly restored the property. They hold events throughout the year that range from recreating a Dutch farm garden to Dutch Christmas complete with a visit from Sinterklaas. Fish weirs, mostly built by Native Americans of the Lenape Nation can still be seen in the Passaic River near the farm. They provided the early settlers with a reliable and valuable source of protein consisting of shad, alewives, striped bass and eels. A weir can be clearly seen approximately 200 feet North of the Fair Lawn Avenue Bridge, the only reason they still exists is due to the fact that this part of the river was not navigable for commercial purposes and restoration efforts. Allen Lutins & Anthony P. DeCondo reaserched and wrote a great article for the Archaeological Society of New Jersey you can read it here http://www.lutins.org/weir/ HISTORY "One of the oldest sites in Bergen County, this pre-revolutionary sandstone house is officially listed on the New Jersey State and the United States National Register of Historic Places. This living Dutch farm museum, located at 4-02 River Road, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, sponsors activities involving restoration, preservation, historic digs, compilation of local history and folklore, educational programming, colonial agriculture, horticulture and crafts. Garretson Farm is owned by Bergen County and is administered by volunteers of the Garretson Forge and Farm Restoration, Inc. The history of the Garretson family in America began with the emigration of Gerrit Gerritse, his wife Annetje Hermansse and their son Gerrit from Wageningen, Gelderland, in 1660. The junior Gerrit, purchased the Slooterdam Patent from David Daniellse in 1719. This tract of land extended from the Passaic to the Saddle Rivers. The house was built shortly afterwards by Gerrit's son, Peter. Six generations of the Garretson family resided on the farm. The Garretson homestead is on what was once an extensive farm, but through the years the land was sold off. The present site consists of 1.84 acres along River Road. Archeologists believe that the property was once the site of an Indian encampment due to the numerous artifacts found along the Passaic River. The kitchen wing, the older section of the house, is built of rubble and undressed stone. On a late 19th century photograph of the house, remnants of a brick beehive oven can be seen on the outer wall and thus has been restored. The main section of the house, added in 1760, was built using dressed stone. The sandstone blocks are held together with a mortar made of river mud, mixed with straw and hog's hair. It was under this section that the fragments of clay pipes (c. 1720) and other artifacts were uncovered. Extensive changes were made in the house in 1902. The present gambrel roof replaced a steep gable roof; a second front door was replaced with a window. An inner stairway to the basement replaced cellar hatches and a stairway to the second floor was built. The large pillared porch was also added. A mid-nineteenth century carriage house still stands on the property along with several other out - buildings." Preserve History!

Really enjoyed visiting the Garretson Forge and Farm for their butterfly festival. Volunteers do a…read morevery nice job with the garden and the event was a lot of fun for kids. Interesting place to visit.

This is small little local museum that I have seen for years and years but never stopped in. It's a…read morenice half hour to see some nice pieces of artwork. No admission fee. Go see.

If I have driven past here less than 300 times in life I'd be shocked. My point being since I was a…read morekid I have gone past this estate many many many times. This however is the first time we ventured to the museum. And being honest I didn't even know there was a museum here. It is modest but there are several large rooms and there's a decent amount of artwork to look at. We spent about a half an hour, maybe 40 minutes inside. And I have to say we was actually very very lovely quality and it was interesting to look at. The lady and man staffing the museum were friendly. It was interesting to see how the old bar building had been converted over. When we left, we drove around the grounds to look at the huge estate house, and we were so shocked to see other state of disrepair it's fallen into. You can't see from the street but up close it's sad to see that's such a beautiful old building has gone that way. So support the museum go look at it. It's beautiful.

It's definitely not for everyone. I will say the price is very affordable at $16, but it literally…read morejust includes a walk through tour. It would have been nice to have the option to sit in the garden, or even have some group photos taken somewhere other than the gift shop and parking lot. I think a few things could have been done to elevate the experience, for instance offering some refreshments or seating in the garden instead of waiting in the gift shop for enough people for the tour to start. If you're at all interested in this era it's worth trying for $16

I had the opportunity to visit the Liberty Hall Museum for a Yelp Elite Event…read more This place is so beautiful and is sort of hidden within the Kean University campus, not sure if that's intentional, but I love it. I was able to visit the mansion and was fascinated by the history behind it. As I enter one of the dinning room, I notice it was decorated for a young boy's birthday/Halloween party. Later on I found out from one of the tour guide that the little boy's birthday party was around Halloween in 1930. Haha! He's 86 years old and the decoration that was used in 1930 was the same decoration displayed today in that dinning room - please check my picture out. Now that's amazing! The rest of the mansion and museum is indeed historical and tells a special story. As I made my way into the British garden I was wowed. The garden is picture perfect and is well maintained. For those planning on having an outdoor and well reserved wedding, I'd recommend this place. For my fellow New Yorkers that don't drive. It's convenient to get to Liberty Hall Museum with the N113 bus from Port Authority! It's beautiful to visit during the fall!

This is a nice little conservatory but there isn't much going on or much to do. You can park right…read moreby the entrance to the trail. The trail is nice but it's not enough if you're trying to get some exercise. They have a few plaques to help you identify some of the trees. There's a stream, a pavilion and a fenced in area for preservation.

idyllic little spot in the midst of suburbia for quiet contemplation or perhaps when flowers are in…read morebloom some beauty shot photos / wedding pictures / etc. there is a rose garden, a couple short trails through some woods with labeled trees, and a small pond.

Interesting history lesson in the shadows of the Manhattan skyscrapers…read more Excellent presentation by the docent. Both park employees were quite knowledgeable about various topics. The tour covered many different topics of that era. You could see yourself imagining what life was like at that time. Don't miss the portrait painting on the 2nd floor.

Soooo if you happen to live in Northern NJ and happen to have family visiting, and that family…read morehappens to be huuuuge history buffs -- then y'all should probably visit the Dey Mansion, aka George Washington's Headquarters way back in the late 1700's. Full disclosure: it was my mother who looked up the Dey Mansion and requested to go there on a recent-ish visit. It wouldn't have been my first choice of things to do on a sunny Saturday but she's the guest and a total history nerd and it was something to check out. I can't say I didn't enjoy it at least a little bit... while my mom is a history nerd, I'm a design nerd and the house itself, built by the Dey Family, is beauuuuuufitul. The brick, the wide plank wood floors inside, the gorgeous [paint] colors used throughout were just striking on every level. Then the layout and design and function of the house back in the 1700's is so different then how we live in our homes now -- so interesting. The gardens surrounding the property are also so lovely. Here's my one issue with the historical site and tour -- when we inquired we were told it was 'less than an hour for sure' depending on how many people/questions. While the tour guide was nice enough, he was verrrrrrry long winded. There were 6 of us.. and that tour was most definitely longer than an hour. Not sure if that's the case every time but just something to be prepared for should you decide to visit. Cost for the tours was supposed to be $5 but during out visit they had just begun some restorations and certain spaces were closed off... so they didn't insist on guest paying. They still accepted donations though. Parking is also free, fyi. And the mansion is easy to get to from routes 23, 46 and 80.

Charming stone Dutch farmhouse/museum from the 1800s when New Jersey still had a strong Dutch…read moreinfluence. One can go inside the house and museum on Sundays from 2-4 pm, other days one can walk around the outside which is still pretty good to see if you are in the general vicinity. Entrance is in the back down some stairs.

29th March 2026 Belmont section of…read more the Bronx, NY My Hubby's birthday! This year's Orchid Show at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory titled, 'Mr Flower Fantastic's Concrete Jungle' transforms the magnificent space into a vibrant vision of the City of New York overflowing with beautiful orchids. Lo and Behold, Mr. Flower Fantastic, who was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, is an anonymous creative Artist who brings a glorious vision of over 40,000 orchids to the various quintessential New York places, such as: a Car Wash, a dumpster, a Laundromat, NYC stoop, Bus Stop, Subway station, a Pizzeria, etc. Everywhere is stunning, the current installation is so worth the visit and a few returns. The NYBG Orchid Show is on view until April 26th. Please make a date to see the work of Mr. Flower Fantastic. You can Thank me later. Thank you!!

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a huge greenhouse and the centerpiece of the New York Botanical…read moreGarden. Opened in 1902 and stretching over 500' in the NW corner of the garden, it houses some of NYBG's most exotic and rare plants, including the unique Corpse Flower, which blooms every few years. Sections of the building are separated into different biomes from around the world, including humid rain forests and arid high deserts. You can make a complete circuit of the building starting in the main dome and through the multi-level rainforest canopy biome. Around the back, there is an underground tunnel that brings you up into the desert biome, where you will see some very odd shaped cacti and strange prickly plants. Look, but do not touch! The Conservatory is also the venue to host special events during the year, like the Annual Orchid Show in the Spring and the Holiday Train Show in the Winter. Tickets to the train show sell out fast so look for them on sale as early as September. The highlight of the train show is that electric model trains are set up to run around scale models of New York landmarks, such as Grand Central Station & Macy's that are all made from organic plant material. The kids love it at this time of year and you cannot miss this experience if you're in New York!