I love these little places that create a personality to a community and find themselves forever…read moreliving within your memories. This tunnel is a pretty tight drive as you pass through in your vehicle. As I said, this tunnel will stay within your memories as part of South Amboy, New Jersey. I lived in South Amboy, New Jersey and grew up in Central New Jersey, which many claim that central New Jersey does not exist. I disagree. Central New Jersey certainly is a place. It is not the more rural south Jersey nor claim Philadelphia as their city, nor is it directly in the shadow of Manhattan (though here is within the shadow of Staten Island, New York). This "hole-in-the-wall" is part of the landscape of my memories and I am better for having driven through it (definitely a better driver). Again, these little quirks will forever stay within you no matter if your life journey took you far from South Amboy, New Jersey. It is perhaps more poignant will you remember something as seemingly inconsequential as a narrow bridge as a part of a community that you fondly cherish. I remember this "hole-in-the-wall" and smile at its memory.

We checked in today at Hole In The Wall through Chrissy at the front desk. She was definitely the…read morenicest , most welcoming customer service agent we've ever come into contact with. They found the best person to do that job!

I'm a big time American revolutionary era fan. Benjamin Franklin is one of my all time favorite…read morefounding fathers. The propriety house was home to William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's son. So this historic house has been on my list of places to visit. Kerry, the intern, was my tour guide. He did such a good job of showing me around. I was happy to have finally toured the Royal Governor's mansion. The ladies of the house host tea time Wednesday afternoon!

Was part of a volunteer crew laying a paver sidewalk out front. I and Steve, a member of the…read morepreservation group were the last two still working, late in the day. I heard a voice call out Steve! Looking around, not a living soul on the street, no passing cars, no one inside the Proprietary House. I looked over at Steve and he said, "You heard that, didn't you?" Apparently, one of the spirits at the house often calls to him when it's quit and few are around.

Cannon Brothers Park is a Historic Park on the South River in South River, New Jersey. This site is…read morepart of the Historical Marker Project, a collection of historical sites that represent significant events, people and places in history. The South River is a tributary of the Raritan River. If you head north on the South River it runs into the Raritan River (where the Rutgers crew team rows.) It then runs into the Raritan Bay in Perth Amboy at the Perth Amboy Yacht Club. If you wish, you can then take the Raritan Bay to the Sandy Hook Bay and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Cannon Brothers Park sits on the shore of the Raritan River. It is on the Causeway, an old road that had a very low bridge that connected Sayreville and South River for generations. The bridge often flooded (I grew up in Sayreville) and was replaced in the 80's with a taller bridge. The Cannon Family lived on this site on the South River in the 1930's and 40's. The Park is dedicated to the memory of the two Cannon brothers, Commander Leo J. Cannon and Major Matthew M. Cannon who were the first two men from South River to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the classes of 1953 and 1957. It's an interesting site in an unexpected place. Really, really cool.

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.

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.

Longstreet Farm is cute, clean and well-maintained. You'll find most animals that you would expect…read moreto see on a farm like horses, cows, chickens, goats and pigs. Unfortunately during our last visit there were hardly any animals out which was odd. The area is historical with old farm houses and even staff dressed up in traditional farm clothes which is cute. There is lots of parking and across the parking lot you can find a large public bathroom area. Overall, it's a cute way place to take your kids to see some animals. Hopefully during our next visit more are out.

I always wondered where a lot of the animals went. One day you would visit and there would be a…read morecouple of 500lb + pigs and a dozen sheep. The next week there would be barely any animals. Through a Facebook post from Longstreet Farms and The Associated Humane Society of Tinton Falls now I know. Recently a pig named Elmo was rescued from the slaughterhouse in Marlboro. He was sold off when he was no longer needed by the farm. This is not a place I will be bringing my kids to any longer. This is a living history museum. There is no reason for these animals to be bred/sold at any point. This is not a for profit farm. It is a place to learn about historical farming practices. I always thought it was a sanctuary for the animals there. If they cannot care for the animals then they should not be there. Plenty of other ways to teach the community about farms without using live animals for entertainment.

There's this unique water tower on the park-like property of the old Bell Labs, resembling an H.G…read more Wells Martian tripod more than anything. This white, three-legged saucer looms over the entrance drive to the now shuttered research and development facility. The saucer water tower is actually modeled after the design of an early transistor, invented by three Lab researchers in 1947. John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and Willian Shockley later won the Nobel Prize in physics. The transistor breakthrough happened at another Bell Labs facility further north, but this 60- foot tall was erected here in 1961, when they broke ground for a Eero Saarinen-designed building. They were also the architect for St. Louis's Gateway Arch. This was taken from a website called https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8180. You certainly can't miss it. To think, I was initially passing through. Once again, the things that we can find & review in Central Jersey. Silly Yelp review #44.

If you have an appreciation for the innovative engineers that once worked here it's worth a visit…read moreto the tower. Nothing to see beyond the water tower. The history of this once great laboratory is gone. Just do a loop and check out the water-tower and if the city did not end up building houses and destroying the Holmdel Horn Antenna that was used to discover Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation in 1965 be sure to check out the national landmark that's about 3 miles away.

Only for few places I've selfishly felt writing about it will make it more popular and I might not…read moreenjoy the place all by myself - this is one among them. Just while searching for beaches in a 30 minute driving radius, we ran into this gem of a park that's so well maintained. They have ample free parking and the walk to the bay is so quick. The bay might not be the best to walk on as sand is relatively less with more gravels and getting down to it from the stairs is little difficult even for well grown adults. This could definitely be wheelchair accessible in a certain way. They also have few picnic enclosures and a memorial to one of their town's fallen soldiers. The walking pavement is neatly laid out for a calm, peaceful and relaxing walk. We went on overcast conditions and had to return to the car just before the rain caught up. Will definitely return here for summers to watch the sunset in this beautiful bay/park.

This is where I come when I just want fresh air and to enjoy the scenery of boats going by and the…read moredifferent culture if people here. Quiet to just unwind and relax