Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for new jersey
Home On the Range
By Linda Tancs
This Saturday is National Day of the Cowboy, a day to celebrate pioneer heritage and cowboy culture. What better place to observe the day than Wild West City, a western heritage theme park in Netcong, New Jersey about an hour’s drive from New York City. The park’s faithful reproduction of period buildings circa 1880, along with the stagecoach and gold panning, will have you pining for the days of chuckwagons and the Pony Express. Your American frontier awaits.
Share this:
Gateway to the Pines
By Linda Tancs
The small township of Tabernacle, New Jersey, bills itself as the Gateway to the Pines, referring to the Pine Barrens, an expanse of coastal plain in the southern part of the state. That said, there’s more to the Pine Barrens (or Pinelands) than pines (namely, Pitch Pine and Shortleaf Pine). You’ll find Sassafras, Sour Gum, Atlantic White Cedar and Gray Birch, just to name a few. Did you know that wild orchids and carnivorous plants thrive there? The area offers bicycling, kayaking, walking, hiking camping, and ghost towns. Now through July 28 you can celebrate the magic of the Pinelands at the annual Pinelands Festival at Church of the Holy Eucharist. While you’re in the area, be sure to stop by the Pinelands Visitors Center in Southampton for maps and information on the people, life and culture of this ecological gem.
Share this:
Along the Delaware Bayshore
By Linda Tancs
Heislerville, New Jersey is a Cumberland County town along the Delaware Bayshore offering a wildlife refuge with scenic views of salt water impoundments, the Maurice River, and large mudflats that provide varied habitat for wading birds, shorebirds and waterfowl. Located at Matts Landing Road, the eight-mile auto-trail driving loop offers something for every seasonal preference. Summertime brings waders, shorebirds, and Black Skimmer to the impoundments. Look for roosting egrets in the trees on the islands as well as diamondback terrapins. While you’re in the area, visit the East Point Lighthouse, built in 1849 at the mouth of the Maurice River.
Share this:
A Village for the Ages
By Linda Tancs
The Historic Village at Allaire in Farmingdale, New Jersey promotes the historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance of the Historic Howell Works, a mining and manufacturing company founded by industrialist James P. Allaire and one of the earliest examples of a company town. Its Howell Iron Works Company Store, arguably the largest general store in the state when it was built, has been retailing goods for 175 years. Other notable venues in the village include workers’ residences such as the row houses, the foreman’s cottage, the manager’s house, the gardener’s cottage and the mansion, a 1790 farm house that Allaire ultimately occupied.
Share this:
Forging Ahead in Millstone
By Linda Tancs
Blacksmithing was a crucial trade across countless centuries. The blacksmith–literally, one who smites iron–fashioned accessories for the aristocracy, ploughs for the working class and weaponry for the militia, among many other things. Industrialization may have vastly reduced their numbers, but the craftsmen behind this ancient art (practiced in some form as early as the Iron Age) are still celebrated through demonstrations and well preserved shops. In particular, Old Millstone Forge in Millstone, New Jersey is the oldest continuously operating blacksmith shop in the state. Open every Sunday from 1 April through 24 June, the museum gives visitors a glimpse into the life of the blacksmith and his role in society over the millenia.
Share this:
A Sphere of Influence
By Linda Tancs
Water towers are fascinating objects, as some blogs will attest. For residents of Union, New Jersey, its 211-foot water sphere has long been a prized possession, rising regally above the Kawameeh swamp to greet weary motorists and air travelers alike. Constructed in 1965, the tower became the tallest water sphere in the world. A different structure, a 220-foot colossus in Erwin, North Carolina, is technically a spheroid, so Union’s prize is still unmatched.
Share this:
Blueberry Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
The small, unassuming town of Hammonton, New Jersey is the blueberry capital of the world. Just 29 miles southeast of Philadelphia, acres of blueberry farms dotting the landscape produce millions of berries, the official fruit of the State of New Jersey. This prime export is celebrated each summer at the Red, White and Blueberry Festival, but this South Jersey hub and surrounding area is a year-round destination with local attractions like Batsto Village, as well as the Walt Whitman House, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, and the Warren E. Fox Nature Center.
Share this:
Spinning Tales in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison, New Jersey provides a glimpse into the trades and crafts practiced in New Jersey from its earliest settlement. The current exhibit, Spinning Tales: The Fabric of New Jersey, tells the story of Early America through the crafts of spinning and weaving, following the process from raw material to finished product. Why not go for a spin and check it out. The museum is located at 9 Main Street (NJ Route 124 at Green Village Road) in the heart of Madison, about 28 miles west of New York City.
Share this:
Historic Trees in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
Shakespeare spoke of tongues in trees. Oh, what tales New Jersey’s historic trees could tell. On the Cranford campus of Union County College near the Sperry Observatory is a historic tree grove born of seedlings from some of the nation’s most historic trees. Take a gander at tree #7, the Abraham Lincoln Overcup Oak, grown from a seed of the tree that graces the yard of our 16th President’s boyhood home. Tree #10, the Berkeley Plantation White Ash, represents several seminal events in colonial history in Virginia: two signers of the Declaration of Independence were born at the Plantation, which also boasts the first three-story brick structure in America. Other notables include the Antietam Sycamore, Gettysburg Address Honey Locust, Wilbur and Orville Wright Red Cedar and Sergeant Alvin York Tulip Poplar.
Share this:
A Cheese Cave in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
At Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, New Jersey, would-be cheesemongers spend a day toiling over a tw0-pound wheel that will age in the farm’s cheese cave for 90 days. Until mid-November, you can see the wide variety of cheeses available at the creamery aging to glorious perfection in the cave during the fall harvest tour. Of course, as a working farm and educational center, there are activities available year-round. During the spring lambing tour, for instance, you can watch the sheep being milked on the only rotating sheep parlor in the United States. Or stop by for the shearing festival in May. Whenever you visit, you’ll delight in the delectable array of farmstead cheeses available for sampling, including a few award winners. The farm is located at Route 517 (Fairmount Road) in Long Valley. Ewe will surely enjoy the visit.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 