The New Jersey State Museum was a pleasant surprise. First of all, I had no idea we had a State…read moreMuseum. I only happen to find out, because I had tickets to an event in the State Museum Auditorium. The museum is free and on weekends parking is easy in the free adjacent lot. There is also a Planetarium, which has a $10 admission. The museum is housed on three floors with exhibits illustrating some of New Jersey's history. There is a section with artwork, some Native American history, a natural history area with dinosaurs, history of Trenton, and much more.

This place is a gem. We didn't know about the free parking but the staff did inform us so we will…read moreuse that next time. They had a great exhibit for the 150 year anniversary of the USA, interesting to compare to 250 years. Staff was friendly. Easy to walk, gift shop had great items and affordable. Tables out front to eat at. The upstairs archives collection is so cool. The museum goes on and on. Love how some exhibits are annual and then they have some rotating ones. It's free to go. They just charge for the planetarium or you can do a member membership, which actually is pretty reasonable because you get reciprocal access to other museums in other states.

I was SO impressed with this beautiful sculpture garden! The grounds are well-planned and easy to…read morenavigate, and there are a large variety of sculptures and re-creations of famous paintings. In addition to the art, there are plenty of places to sit along the paths and a restaurant. Inside the Welcome Center, there is a museum, cafe with high quality snacks, and gift shop. Tickets for upcoming weeks are released two weeks in advance, and are for a specific time slot. There is ample free parking. Maps are available by scanning a QR code. This sculpture garden was definitely worth the drive to Hamilton.

Had a fantastic time at Grounds For Sculpture! We went on a Saturday around noon, and it…read moresurprisingly wasn't too busy. We drove (parking is free with your ticket!), but I've heard it's not difficult to get here via public transit from NYC. Buy your tickets ahead of time! They are tied to specific timed entries and can completely sell out. General admission is $25 per person, but they do offer discounts for students, seniors, and other groups. Also, if you go during the summer, they run a great promo where tickets are only $5 on Fridays from 5 PM until closing. Even as someone who doesn't know much about art or sculpture, I had an absolute blast walking around the beautifully maintained grounds. There is a good amount to see, and some of the structures are truly massive in size. It's a perfect activity whether you're with loved ones, friends, or just going solo. They also have a restaurant and a cafe right on the grounds if you want to grab a bite. We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be happy to come back again

I take my 2 y. o. granddaughter nearly every week. There are so many wonderful things to explore…read moreand learn from. They have a walking path through the woods with a natural playground and sandbox, a bird house building to watch and interactive displays, a mini zoo inside a house with small animals and activities including a treehouse. They also have weekly activities and seasonal events for elementary school kids. My granddaughter calls Briar Bush "The Animal House" and loves to put a donation in the collection box before we leave.

I wish I could rate this more than 5 stars! A nature center/museum and I don't have to do the…read moredrive downtown/pay for parking...and admission is free for Abington residents/friends of Briar Bush? Amazing. (Admission otherwise is only $3 for adults and $2 for kids 2-17). There's animals/insects inside such as owls, huge cockroaches, giant turtle, snakes. And a cute reading corner full of nature books. There's also a discovery den AKA play area indoors for $1. There's animals/insects outdoors such as turkey vultures, turtles, a butterfly house and a bird observatory (cute on the inside with toys for the kiddos - be sure to read the story about the couple who opened the center). And a natural playscape outdoors. There's also a bunch of fairy houses throughout the property that girl scouts donated. And lots of trails through the forest. They also have Magic Mornings for ages 2-4 Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays - but register ahead as they only have a certain amount of spots each day (it's seasonal - they have in fall and spring but not summer - see website). It's an hour class for $10 and includes a snack, craft, nature walk etc. They usually pull out an animal each class. It's great to get some time in nature with other kids. In summer, they have a full week of Magic Mornings in their Itty Bitty Briar Camp. Ms. Heidi teaches it and she is just great. They have a different theme every day such as sun, water, clouds etc and there's an activity each day (visit pond and catch tadpoles, water play, craft pertaining to theme). They have preschool pioneers for ages 4-5 and summer camp for older kids for a week in late June. *Just beware in June that parking is limited due to school field trips and you may not fit in either of the lots; you may have to park out front of the house to the left (which is fine - she just doesn't want buses idling there) They also have field trips to gardens and to the shore, classes for seniors, family nature nights, hot smores nights... Only negative (besides parking, which they can't really control), is the "snacks" for kids at Magic Mornings aren't the healthiest. One was cinnamon sugar graham crackers with whipped cream- regular would have been fine. 2 days were cheddar gold fish. Another day was blue jello with whipped cream. And some red licorice - the kind that whips. Fruit Loops were used for colors. So, if you don't like your child eating sugar, let them know you have a dietary restriction or bring your own snack (snack time is ~10 min and probably not needed but the kids always love snack time!). Some options that would be healthier and just as easy would be pretzel sticks, fruit, crackers, popcorn, veggies, string cheese...but I guess those all cost more besides pretzels/crackers/popcorn.

Parking was a breeze. It was such a wonderful stroll up to…read morethe front door because of the cherry blossom blooming right out front!! The staff is so welcoming! I was here to see a program where the three artists shared their history and the story behind their pieces. It really was so charming and precious. And I enjoyed seeing their works. There were also some instruments there so when the conversations ended, you could still just look at the art and there was somebody on the piano and there was a gentleman also on the drums and it was so wonderful to be in that space and to enjoy it this way. I look forward to coming back again!! I'm very grateful to the staff for caring for us all & the artist were very fun, inspiring, wonderfully interesting and engaging. It seems that they also found this day very special too. Lots of laughter.

The Ellerslie Museum of the City of Trenton is truly a gem. It is set in the beautiful and bucolic…read moreCadwalder Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (of Central Park fame). So when you approach the stately mansion that houses the museum, you get to experience the lovely park as well. Once inside there is so much to see. Upstairs is the permanent exhibit of Trenton pottery. The other exhibits throughout the building vary from mixed media, photography, illustration, paintings, textiles...it is always something interesting. Molly's Museum Store is also chock full of handmade items that make wonderful gifts. The Ellerslie is also host to many different events for example poetry slams, chocolate and wine evenings, concerts, Sunday socials and much more. It is a wonderful spot and a perfect way to spend the day.

I checked hours on website, called and the site had same hours, but when I arrived they were not…read moreopen and neither phone nor socials listed anytime different. It's frustrating when a site doesn't do any minimum to answer their phone nor update website or socials. There are so many easy ways to be helpful, but alas I was not able to visit and would be unable to return if unsure if/when they are open.

I can't believe I have lived in Trenton NJ for 15 years and never visited this little gem!…read moreI came in early December for their fantastic holiday greens sale. The place was popping! I nabbed some cool and unique gifts and beautiful fresh wreaths. We came back later in December for the annual Hogmanay celebration. Complete with bonfire, lectures and tour of the Trent House. We will definitely be back in the spring when the authentic 1700s gardens start to bloom. Especially the heritage apple orchard. Apples grown through out the 13 colonies as old as 1600s!!

This place was amazing. Nice size, free, staff are officers and they're friendly. Everything is…read moredisplayed in an organized way and descriptive. They even have a crime scene simulator

When I was a child I went to the New Jersey State Police Museum, and a recent Monday I decided to…read morecheck it out again. The museum is located on the NJ State Police Headquarters campus (base?) so to get to the museum you need to stop at the guard house, show your ID and get a visitor's pass. Then it is just a short ride up the road and a right and you are looking at the parking lot. There is ton of parking (for buses too). Walk directly across the lot and there is the museum. There is no cost for the museum. When I arrived around 11 I was the first visitor of the day, so the Trooper in the museum chatted with me a bit and turned on some of the videos for me. They do require you to sign into their guest book that you came. I spent about 2 hours walking around the museum reading all the exhibits. I didn't watch all the videos and I didn't play with some of the interactive ones. And that was just me alone. If you are a history buff, love NJ or law enforcement, or like the off-the-beaten path places you should check this place out. There are two parts of the museum there is the new part which has most of the exhibits. But the older museum is a replicate of the log cabins that were used by the NJSP for many years. I believe they do lectures in there for groups, but they also have a number of vehicles that have been used over the years. I did spend a lot of time reading about the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty and paying my respects at the memorial garden right outside the museum. While there is no gift shop inside the museum, in the parking lot there is a trailer with a shop in it. There was a LOT of NJSP sweatshirts, t-shirts, and other apparel. They accept credit card. Proceeds go to the Former Troopers Family Foundation.

This museum is a treasure in Mercer County. Nestled in the middle of beautiful Cadwalader Park,…read morethe musuem has beautiful exhibits and a fantastic gift shop. A great afternoon out for the family or when you just need a little quiet time for yourself. Enjoy the musuem. Museum entrance is still free of charge.

Downside: tours only on weekdays and currently by appointment, which has limited me being able to…read morevisit before. Also the parking info on the website was confusing, but we parked new the Barracks Museum but not in any nearby reserved spot. It was also a little confusing where the entrance was, but if you pick the wrong door, someone will point you in the right direction to the entrance of the annex. We were the only people on the tour, which is free, so we got to have a lot of great insight. We also got to shoot a ton of questions at the tour guide and he knowingly answered all of them and one he didn't know he radioed in to his team to find out. We started off looking at a stained glass ceiling with NJ sites depicted, looked in the Senate Room, the Representatives Room, the individual parties room, judiciary rooms, and meeting rooms while looking at different art in the hallway and inside rooms symbolizing NJ iconography/historic figures. It was delightful for both the artist and the historian in me. If this place gave tours on weekends, I think it would be more popular. Maybe there's a staffing shortage, and that would be a shame. Weekdays are hard for people to visit, but it is definitely worth it to visit if this sounds like something that would interest you. Note: between the 2 I've seen, PA still has better architecture (and Saturday tours) but that was still nice and more people should see it.

"Trent Town" New Jersey! Yeah!! "Trent town" was recognized as the state capital in 1790…read more Quakers first founded the settlement in the region that later became Trenton in 1679. The Quaker settlement adopted the title "Trent-towne" by 1719 in honor of William Trent who was among its leading landholders. "The Battle of Trenton" took place in the city of "Trent town" where George Washington achieved his first military victory in the course of the American Revolutionary War. In December of 1784, the Confederation congress briefly convened in Trenton. Most famously, Trenton's Capitol briefly acted as the capital of the US. Yep. It was the capital of the United States of America from November 1 to December 24, 1784 Just for that one reason alone it's worth a visit. A lot of great American history took place in this old capitol building. And it is old, it's the 6th oldest in the US. I used to live in New Jersey. I loved living in Jersey. I traveled all over Jersey, Jersey is amazing! Amazing Italian food and awesome diners. Kinda industrial but urban also. A lively lovely little mini metropolis. The US Census Bureau groups Trenton's large, central Jersey, metropolitan area with that of New York while it also borders the large Philly Metropolitan area. Today, Trenton is a super manufacturing hub/industrial area, with a bunch of bridges that cross the Delaware river. It has its own unique beauty. I loved it there. A lot of American History/Historical significance in this Capitol as "Trent town" is among the seven state capitals situated in the Piedmont Plateau. Making the Capitol building in Trenton New Jersey, def one of the 7 you want to see. Recommend.