Fun place to spend the day when you must bring the kids someplace. They'll have a great time…read morewalking through the museum and sitting through some of the other events the park rangers put on in the other building in the complex. Just beware of the parking signs. If they say you can only drive this particular direction, don't go against it or a Ranger May write you a summons right there. I've seen them do it.

I came to the museum while the tower was still under renovation, but it was still worth a visit. We…read moregave a $5 donation each to come in. There are a lot of inventions to see, but it is best to wait for a tour to start. Tours are broken up into two parts; the front room details the life of Thomas Edison and the back room is all about his inventions. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable so I recommend waiting for a tour. The museum only has two parking spots but you can easily park on the side streets nearby. Also, there is a short nature trail nearby so can get more out of a trip to the area.

Museum always a has interesting things on exhibit. Exhibits change throughout the year so it's…read morealways nice to come back and see what's on exhibit. Right now it's Treasures of Middlesex County. Very interesting to see all the objects

After passing the Cornelius Lowe House virtually every day for the past 6 years, I finally made a…read moreconscious decision to try and visit. About 6 months later, based on my gf's suggestion we finally visited. I expected that this historical house would be full of historical furniture or reenactors or something old timey. However, this was not the case. The house actually serves as a small rotating museum exhibition space. During our visit, they had an exhibit on NJ Diners. There are only two floors of the house so it isn't a huge museum by any means. The exhibit took about an hour for me to read through everything and I though it was pretty interesting. I'm not sure how often they rotate the exhibits out but I'd certainly come back when they do. The house was unexpectedly air conditioned. The self guided tour was totally free. Also, the workers seemed really friendly. The only hitch is parking is confusing. The main driveway is a super narrow and scary road right off of River Road. Don't go in here. Parking is actually plentiful behind the house, which is in the lot of the visitor center on Rutgers Busch Campus. Some signs showing where to park would have been helpful.

Love visiting Rutgers Gardens through the seasons! If you come in fall, don't expect much in bloom,…read morebut this place is wonderful to hike and stroll through with its various paths. If you visit in spring or summer, get ready for stunning flora and fauna that is cared for by Rutgers staff and students. I adore the lilacs that's smell delicious and envelope a walkway like a natural ceiling. So amazing! Also, I adore the wide open fields and spaces that lend themselves perfectly for a picnic or spot to lay down a blanket and enjoy a nap out in the open. PS. Very romantic spot- if you're coming here for a date, you will not be disappointed!

Rutgers Gardens, located on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University, is a botanical garden…read morethat is free and open to the public. I was looking for a new dog friendly park and Rutgers Gardens fit the bill. Visitors can explore the themed gardens like the Rain Garden, Herb Garden, Bamboo Forest, and Heylar Woods. The gardens host educational programs, a farmers market, and workshops throughout the year. There are a lot of glowing reviews here and I'm not sure if maybe my timing was off or most people don't venture off the main areas here. We parked near Heylar Woods and chose the blue trail which is along the water. The one major thing both me and my daughter noted immediately was the sound of traffic from Route 1 and Route 18. The non-stop buzz of cars and trucks takes away from the beauty of the surrounding nature. Further into the trail the trash all along the water is crazy. Aside from the trash and weird foam along the edges of the river, we ran into some kind of big dead animal in the water. We decided to turn back and check out the Bamboo Forest. It was a little cool out so we decided to skip the short walk and hop in the car. We parked near the field lab. Tucked away behind the building is the small but very cool Bamboo Forest. One big thing to note here, which they do warn about on signs, is the ticks. Me and my daughter came out unscathed but my poor pup ended up with a few ticks (despite the cold temps).

If you are looking for a jaunt through time go to the Miller Cory museum. This Colonial home in…read moreWestfield, NJ offers historic re-enactments, Colonial Cooking demonstrations and a charming 1740 home/environment. Don't miss this historical gem!

I checked this place out because of a recent Civil War reenactment event, and I was incredibly…read moreimpressed. It could have been an all day event and I wish I had come earlier because I missed some things like the weapons demonstration. Aside from the regular buildings, there was a camp set up with soldiers, nurses, doctors, cooks, and other professionals that would have been part of a civil war brigade. The reenactors were extremely knowledge and informative with various props and photos from the era. We did get sucked into the singing presentations at the tavern featuring the Libby Prison Band and Matthew Dodd singing period stories and telling comical tales. They alternated presenting on the hour with new songs each hour. For a free presentation, it was thorough, entertaining, and thoughtful. There was plenty of parking and a small gift shop (not too many site specific souvenirs though). I will keep an eye on the calendar and return for future events.

I recently visited the East Jersey old town Village based on an invite from a dear friend. I walked…read morearound and went in and out of the historical homes and exhibits that were available. The experience was pretty cool because it was like I had stepped back in time. As a person of color, I can say candidly that I was apprehensive and a little skeptical about appreciating this part of history. History is not always pretty however, I was pleasantly surprised to see that people of color were positively represented here. I was able to speak in depth with a group of re-enactors that were representing the black soldiers during this time. These individuals not only dressed the part, but truly embodied their roles. They were very knowledgeable about the many contributions that people of color, specifically, Black people, made in this era, despite the cruelty, they faced. It was as if I was speaking directly to the soldiers during that period. One fun fact that we learned was that Barack Obama was not the first US president of African descent. Don't believe me, look it up! If you are interested in learning more, please visit and see for yourself how special this place is.

Found this site from a local walking trail along the D&R Canal. There's also a restored house…read moreturned museum that was once owned by a judge and it housed George and Martha Washington.

We were fortunate enough to stumble across this event held at the Rockingham Historic Site. This…read moresite on this day was run mostly by the Montgomery High School historic Club. This function was so well run and organized. My children were amazed on what they learned and had so much fun playing with the toys from that era. I can't say enough about the students of volunteered their time. We were so lucky to have come across this event. There is a small Museum Store located on everybody there is helpful and friendly and very enthusiastic for the cause. Being a huge supporter of foundations much like this one I would suggest anybody looking to donate to a foundation to support the Rockingham Historic Site for George Washington's home in Franklin. Go online and set yourself up for a tour of the home and other fun events which are usually held in the barn.

This place was pretty interesting. I remember going here a few years back just for kicks! The…read moreplace is pretty old! Just like a fellow yelper Lauren T. said here, Indiana Jones must have an office here. The place has a couple of exhibits: Museum exhibits include a wide variety of anthropological, geological and natural history of different specimens of animals and humans. Some of the highlights of the museum collection that I remember was: A dinosaur trackway from Towaco, NJ, with a model of Grallator, the small carnivorous dinosaur. My favorite was the big mastodon from Salem County, NJ. this was found in 1869. The skeleton was mounted in 1896 and remounted in 1932. Pretty big elephant if you tell me! An Egyptian mummy. This 2,400 year old mummy was brought to Rutgers by a missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church. This was awesome! Mineral exhibits featuring the zeolite minerals of Paterson, NJ, and the zinc minerals of Franklin, NJ. Oh yeah they also do birthday parties here for kids. They do three Saturdays a month. Kids get to learn about historical remains! And I hear they get goodie bags at the end of the party. Check this place out. You may actually enjoy it.

This is a small museum and great for kids, but I was really concerned with the safety of the top…read morelevel of the museum. You enter it through a small spiral staircase that's hard to maneuver. The top banister is decades old and very shaky. I was there with three young kids - which is what the museum is best for - and I was very nervous on that top level. It was also difficult to get to the museum itself because there's no elevator.

Did the Matawan Haunted History Walking Tour. It is held by volunteers. All tour ticket proceeds go…read moreto the historical society. Tour is about 90 minutes, 1.5 mile walk. It visits haunted houses on and off Main Street. Very interesting and a little creepy (in a good way). Great refreshments at the end of the tour.