Pros: The food is fantastic with some more memorable than others, great place to learn about new…read morerestaurants, clean bathrooms and friendly staff. Cons: Valet took over an hour to bring your car, more parking spaces need to be provided, very crowded in some rooms since the walking area was very narrow, not the best wine selections, should offer more seating areas, need to stipulate a better dress code since were on the verge of tacky.

NJ Wine & Food Festival has great food but it really needs to upgrade the wine selection or it…read moreshould change its name to "NJ Food & a few decent wines" Festival. What I like about this event: 1) Unlimited food & drinks at the Grand Tasting event. While some food festivals run out of food (see my review of Taste of the Upper West Side), NJ Wine & Food Festival keeps it going until the end. You won't leave hungry. 2) The quality - there's usually at least one celebrity chef (this year Daniel Boulud was the guest of honor - wow!) - and there was some amazing food in this year for general ticket buyers (see more about general vs VIP tickets below). 3) The resort itself - absolutely beautiful! Crystal Springs resort is beautifully landscaped & luxurious. 4) The staff - consistently pleasant & make you feel welcome. Professional polite security. 5) The bathrooms - 5 stars for the bathrooms. Nice big stalls, super clean, a hook to hang your bag, space to check yourself in the mirror etc. Very well designed on the upper level. The lower level bathroom has a bonus = small lounge area where you can hang out if you're trying to avoid someone. Why would you want to? Read the yelp review by Alice L... What I don't like: 1) The VIP / General admission deal. Every year, NJWFF advertises that they will be having a famous chef in attendance. What they don't tell you is - you have to purchase the VIP ticket in order to try food by the famous chef. You see, the celebrity chef's food station is in the VIP section. So if you purchase a general admission ticket thinking you'll be able to try some of the chef of honor's cuisine, you may end up disappointed. To really enjoy the entire Grand Tasting event, purchase the VIP ticket. Yeah, it's over 200$ but It's a long drive from NYC & life is short. 2) The parking - hard to find a space near the main door. They have a shuttle service to help out with that. Make sure to remember where you parked your car. The parking area could be better lit. 3) The crowd - I agree with the other reviewer except about the age thing. It's pretty diverse. Age range across the board. Saw a few beautiful young models dressed to perfection. Saw a few tacky ensembles straight out of Saturday Night Fever. I hate stereotypes but it's Jersey. Things can get a bit rowdy after a few too many drinks. But it can also be very entertaining... 4) The ticket purchasing process - should be easier. The bottom line - If you plan to go to the Grand Tasting and want the complete experience, you should purchase the VIP ticket. If you simply want to eat & drink unlimited food & wine - go with general admission.

This is an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch working farm!…read moreAbundance of seasonal fruits, veggies & flowers as well as jams, local honey, syrup, etc. Beautiful grounds w picturesque scenery of the farm, fields, & mountains. Perfect spot in Autumn. Gourds, pumpkins, mums, fall veggies, and Indian corn. So important to support local farms...it's well worth the ride ;)

What a beautiful farm! It had a great selection of fresh veggies/fruit, jams as well as all the…read morepumpkins/gourds. It was a quiet little oasis outside of the craziness of all the local orchards. Pumpkins were very reasonably priced and there was quite the selection to choose from.

Great place if you like rocks. It's cool to learn about the history behind Franklin mines. Also…read moregreat staff

Now this mine had very good collection on view at museum area. Very helpful staff. Nice locationread more

At 7pm on a weeknight, the museum was closed but I still had the opportunity to enjoy the outside…read moreand appreciate it for what was written on the historical marker posted in front. "Dutch Colonial farmhouse built in the early 1700's. Both carved date of 1747 found on an old barn beam and the rubble stone construction of the house place it in this early period. Minutes of the East New Jersey Board of Proprietors and existing public records lead to the belief [that the] house was built by a Westervelt, early owners of the land (a part of the much disputed Ramapough tract). According to recently discovered records, the house served as a tavern during the 18th century. Thus came the persistent legend that Aaron Burr stopped here for liquid refreshment en route to the Hermirage. This house is on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places." I'd love to stop by when it's open. [Review 11521 overall, 1301 of 2019.]

A bit of a local treasure, this 1700's farm house was saved from demolition in the 1950's and…read moreturned into a local museum full of antiques. The main floor is furnished with period furniture, the upstairs houses a children's museum full of toys (temporarily closed) as well as a library. They stage events like cider making and St. Nick's Day in December, it's worth stopping by one of the open houses.

The best place to go with friends and family. The grounds are spectacular. The haunted house,…read more top notch, scary, spooky and so well done!

Beautiful day for a Sunflower festival! Free parking & free admission. It was very packed but the…read moreworkers kept everything organized with the parking. You had to purchase a ticket for $10 if you wanted to walk & pick your own Sunflowers. There is an indoor bar/barn. There were food trucks & vendors you could make purchases from. As well as a dj & karaoke. A live band was due to also perform, but I left when it had started to rain. The strawberry lemonade from one of the food trucks was great for a hot afternoon. The apple cider donuts I purchased (6 donuts), but I received about 8 different sizes & a few were not fully cooked through. I didn't find this out until I had already left. This was a great event that I am looking forward to again next year!

It's an oasis, a sanctuary of woods, natural gardens, a gentle stream, and everywhere there are…read moreinspirational outdoor sculptures. A place of peace inviting reflection.

Pacem in Terris only open on weekend from May to September. You can park your car on the gravel…read morearea next to railroad. There are 3 areas to explore. Our suggestion is go to the house next to rail road first to set the mood. Frederick Franck's work are stark, crude almost barbaric. His art empathize to human suffering and felt spiritual with some of his art looked like a shrine. He used a lot of nails for his pieces. Wished they have some guide to explain each of the sculpture. We loves this place, it is intimate, peaceful like its name.

This property, created by the founder of Garden Conservancy Frank Cabot and his wife Anne, is a…read morehorticultural masterpiece showcasing more than 120 cultivated plants, most of which are flowering at different times making it a colorful and fragrant environment for three seasons a year. Built in 1958, this is a non-profit organization where the entry fee is $10 per person, or $5 for seniors and children. It is a self guided tour that includes several cool buildings including a beautiful gigantic greenhouse. The garden's plants are marked with little number signs so that you can choose and purchase the plants featured. A few of the buildings are still used as private residences. You'll be given a map and list of the plants displayed upon entry. There is a suggested path to follow to see the most diversity possible . The map isn't to scale, and does not clearly reflect the path to be taken. The grounds are very "maze-like" and it is very confusing to try and stick to the suggested path, which is not marked well at all. Almost every marked hiking path in the country uses a very similar method of guiding people, but not here. We ended up leaving before seeing half of the property because we just kept ending up in the same spot at one point, and couldn't figure out how to continue due to the poor marking methods used. Very disappointing.

This is an amazing botanical garden! Very peaceful and beautiful. So many areas on the propriety…read morewith different flowers and trees. Admission is $10 and you get a map that tells you about each area. Most plants are well marked with the species name. They sell a few perennials. You can even bring your own food and eat at several tables on the grounds. The conservatory is surrounded by a small pond and bullfrogs can be seen from the outdoor deck area. The main building houses a small art gallery as well. They have an adorable Scottie dog on premises too. You could easily stay 3-4 hours if you're a very avid gardener, but I spent 2 and thought that was just right for someone with a mild interest. Makes for a lovely day out in nature and not very crowded on a weekday.

Luna Parc is a gem! RISD graduate Ricky Boscarino purchased…read morean ordinary looking house and property in Sandyston NJ in 1989. Then, the work and fun began. For the past 36 years, he has been creating Luna Parc. First thing to note is that Ricky still lives and works here, so you cannot simply decide to visit whenever you like. You must check his website and go on specific dates at specific times when he welcomes visitors. We went 10/31/25 and paid $20. each. That is a fee similar to what an art museum might charge. When one visits an art museum, one sees art on the walls or sculptures that one might walk around. At Luna Parc one experiences art that way, but also one is IN the artwork. Sandyston is in a beautiful, remote area of northwest NJ, near Stokes State Forest and Delaware Water Gap. For us, it was an almost 3 hour drive each way. I am not complaining. It was well worth the journey. I do not know what adjectives to use to describe Luna Parc - magical, mystical, wonderful, unique, awesome, spectacular, marvelous, delightful. Really no verbal description or even photographs can do Luna Parc justice. One simply must experience this place! Ricky is an amazing multi-media artist. The house is 11 levels, not 11 storeys tall though because levels stick out of the core in various ways. The 11th is the roof and Ricky cannot build any higher (town code) but he will continue creating inside the house and on the grounds. All I can say is, book a tour and go!

I reserved my ticket a few days before for the tour which is offered a few times a month from March…read moreto October. You pay the $20 for the tour via cash or venmo when you arrive. When I arrived people parked along the side of the road outside the entrance. I didn't know what to expect but I was impressed as soon as I walked in the front gate. I arrived early and we were allowed to walk around the property outside the house. The house is beautiful on the outside. The artist Ricky does a short introduction about his life and his home before letting everyone self tour his home. Ricky was super friendly and approachable to ask questions and tell stories about his life's work. Every room is more beautiful and unique than the next! I will definitely be back to see what other things Ricky adds in the future!