For more local trip ideas, checkout //www.discovercentralnj.com Holiday trips in the family car while growing up in the 1970s often featured my mother leading the family in singing “Over the River and through the Woods,” a holiday poem and song written by a prominent abolitionist in 1844. It goes this way: “Over the river, and through the woods, To Grandmother’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.” Early snowfalls are rarer today, but otherwise the spirit of an old-fashioned holiday journey is very much alive in Central Jersey, home to dozens of farms, farm markets, and beverage makers, just an hour’s journey by car, bus, or rail from New York and Philadelphia. Make Discover Central NJ your guide to the Garden State’s holiday bounty. Crossing the D&R Canal will get you to many Central Jersey Farms Whether you are crossing the mighty Hudson or Delaware rivers from a major city, or just crossing the Millstone or Raritan rivers from a nearby town, Central Jersey’s Canal Region is the perfect holiday season destination. Stock up on a bounty of traditional holiday foods and beverages, including a heritage breed turkey for Thanksgiving, an old fashioned Christmas goose, a holiday ham, or a wide assortment of prepared side dishes, fruit pies, local wines and spirits, and gift baskets. You can make a full day or a weekend of your holiday foraging in Central Jersey by rounding out your itinerary with stops at farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, historic sites, recreation areas, cultural destinations, and hotels. Double Book Farm in Hopewell and Griggstown Farm in Franklin Township pasture-raise heritage breeds of turkeys, the most similar to what was available to the Pilgrims, making them the perfect center piece to your holiday table. Double Brook Farm
For more local trip ideas, checkout //www.discovercentralnj.com Holiday trips in the family car while growing up in the 1970s often featured my mother leading the family in singing “Over the River and through the Woods,” a holiday poem and song written by a prominent abolitionist in 1844. It goes this way: “Over the river, and through the woods, To Grandmother’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white
New Jersey is the Garden State for a reason. For more three centuries, the state’s fertile fields and valleys have fed America’s cities and armies. Indeed, Central Jersey was the site of the “forage wars” of the American Revolution, in which winning the loyalty of local farmers as a key to the American victory. Today Central Jersey’s farmers welcome millions of visitors from near and far to partake in the bounty—and fun—of harvest season. Just an hour from New York and Philadelphia by train, car, or bus, Central Jersey is one of the most accessible agricultural areas in America. At DiscoverCentralNJ.com you’ll find farms and orchards to please everyone, including families, friends, couples and seniors. The biggest crowds are drawn to harvest festivals, beginning Sept 14 an running through October: Terhune Orchards and Winery, near Princeton, is the region’s agritourism leader, inviting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year to a 200-acre family-owned and operated farm. Autumn brings Terhune’s Apple Days Fall Festivals, featuring cider, pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, pumpkin painting, pony rides, pedal tractors, wagon rides, corn stalk maze, adventure barn, and a barnyard of farm animals. Every Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 to Oct. 27. Admission $10 per person. Snyder Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township offers a family-oriented Farm Festival weekends starting September 27. Activities include hayrides, pumpkin moon bounce, hippity hop, potato sack slide, corn maze, hay bale maze, spider web, pedal carts, corn hole games, bowling, hay bale activity center and more. General admission of $13 is required for pumpkin picking, plus cost of pumpkin. Suydam Farms is operated by the family’s 12th generation of farmers in Somerset, located on State Route 27 and served by the 100 bus out of New York’s Port Authority. The history of local farming is a big
New Jersey is the Garden State for a reason. For more three centuries, the state’s fertile fields and valleys have fed America’s cities and armies. Indeed, Central Jersey was the site of the “forage wars” of the American Revolution, in which winning the loyalty of local farmers as a key to the American victory. Today Central Jersey’s farmers welcome millions of visitors from near and far to partake in the bounty—and fun—of harvest season. Just
Dear EscapeMakers -- Travel less than an hour from NYC for some good old-fashioned fun! Somerset County New Jersey will continue their annual 4-H Fairtradition on Wednesday August 7th through Friday August 9th (10am-10pm) at North Branch Park located in Bridgewater NJ. This is a FREE family-friendly event with no admission or parking fees and no fees on midway or carnival rides. All day professional & amateur entertainment can be enjoyed as well! The Fair is sponsored by the Somerset County 4-H Association and the Board of Chosen Freeholders in support of the 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. 4-H Members, volunteer Fair Managers, 4-H Club Leaders, and parents work together, making this the largest event in Somerset County!
Dear EscapeMakers — Travel less than an hour from NYC for some good old-fashioned fun! Somerset County New Jersey will continue their annual 4-H Fairtradition on Wednesday August 7th through Friday August 9th (10am-10pm) at North Branch Park located in Bridgewater NJ. This is a FREE family-friendly event with no admission or parking fees and no fees on midway or carnival rides. All day professional & amateur entertainment can be enjoyed as well! The Fair
Dear EscapeMakers -- Less than an hour from NYC, let Somerset County, New Jersey add a touch of color to your spring! These May and June garden events are sure to brighten up the weekend and warm up the lingering chill. Spend a day smelling the roses, frolickingin lavender fields, exploring native orchids or touring the largest community garden in the country. All that and more awaits garden lovers of all ages in the heart of New Jersey… so plan your custom gardens getaway today at visitsomersetnj.org/garden! Colonial Park Gardens - An accredited All-America Rose Selections (AARS) display garden containing more than 3,000 roses and 325 varieties.The Rose Garden is part of a more extensive Arboretum called Colonial Park Gardens, which includes the Fragrance & Sensory Garden, Ornamental Grass Collection, Perennial Garden, and Shrub Collection. Little Wigglers – May 19 Guided Tour of the Rose Garden – June 3 Rose Day Festival – June 9 Leonard J. Buck Garden - One of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United States, consisting of a series of alpine and woodland gardens situated in a 33-acre wooded stream valley. Woodland Walks – May 6, 13, 20 Flower & Landscape Garden Photography Workshop – May 8 Focus on Ferns – June 8 Hidden Spring Lavender Farm - Lavender fields and store featuring bouquets, buds, oil or culinary products made with 100% pure lavender and essential oils. Lavender Plant Sale – Weekends May 5-27 Lavender Workshop - June 22 Duke Farms - Features three gardens with one of the largest tropical displays in the country, Arboretum with Japanese-style meditation garden, and largest allotment-style community garden in the U.S.! NJ Native Orchids (Recurring) Square Foot Organic Gardening – May 5 Discovering Orchids for Kids – May 5 Community Garden Snoop Tour (Recurring) Growing Great Jersey
Dear EscapeMakers — Less than an hour from NYC, let Somerset County, New Jersey add a touch of color to your spring! These May and June garden events are sure to brighten up the weekend and warm up the lingering chill. Spend a day smelling the roses, frolickingin lavender fields, exploring native orchids or touring the largest community garden in the country. All that and more awaits garden lovers of all ages in the heart
