Curious Parents Places to Go

Summer Fun

This July and August, head out to some great local parks for picnics and walks to remember with the children. Enjoy the outdoors while you can, because before you know it the leaves will be falling.

Central Jersey

Sunnyside Recreation Area
628 Middletown-Lincroft Road Middletown, N.J.
732.224.1367 • www.monmouthcountyparks.com

No matter how experienced you are at horseback riding, the Sunnyside Recreation Area will meet your needs and those with special needs. The center places a special emphasizes on therapeutic horseback riding for those with disabilities. Volunteers, over the age of 14, arrive each year to help with lessons and to take care of the horses. What a great way for a teen to spend a summer—helping others! They must complete a training workshop in order to participate. The facility features outdoor instructional rings and an indoor center for year-round lessons. There is also a paved trail for visitors to do more than horseback riding, such as biking or rollerblading.

Howell Living History Farm
70 Wooden’s Lane Lambertville, N.J.
609.737.3299 • www.howellfarm.org

For a complete farm experience, the Howell Living History Farm has it all. Once a working farm for over 240 years, the Mercer County Park Commission took over the farm over three decades ago and restored it to appear as it did a century ago. The farm has over 40 acres of plants, crops and gardens and over a mile of lanes for wagon rides. Visitors can enjoy the company of horses, cows, sheep and chickens, just to name a few. The park is open year-round for school tours and weekend family activities. Visitors can experience the real work of a farm like at August’s Honey Harvest or hop on a hayride in the evening this summer and then roast marshmallows.

Manasquan Reservoir
311 Windeler Road Howell, N.J.
732.919.0996 • www.monmouthcountyparks.com If you love the water, you will love the Manasquan Reservoir.  Activities like boating and fishing are just a part of the fun this area offers. The reservoir is open year-round for the ultimate fishing experience, where visitors may catch anything from a small bass to a bullhead catfish. Rowboats, electric rowboat and kayaks are available for rent. Exciting boat tours are also offered, featuring a discussion of the history of the area and the wildlife habitat as well as a close view of birds like the heron and osprey. A five mile trail and a playground are also on site.

Washington Crossing State Park
355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road Titusville, N.J.
609.737.0623 • www.state.nj.us

Just eight miles north of Trenton lies the historic Washington Crossing State Park. George Washington landed there in 1776 on Christmas day after crossing the Delaware River to fight the Hessians, German mercenaries allied with the British. With over 1000 acres to stroll around through a bucolic site, it’s sure to be a great day with the kids to sit down on the grass with on a nice blanket and have a good, old-fashioned picnic. You can also tour the parks visitor center and museum, which contain artifacts from the Revolutionary War. The Johnson Ferry House, where Washington once laid out plans to defeat the Red Coats, features 18th century furniture and local pieces as well as historic demonstrations. For those who love the arts, the park offers an open air theatre where the Buck’s County Playhouse frequently performs musicals and plays for all ages. The Nature Center provides programs such as workshops and observation opportunities for schools, community groups and other visitors.

Evansburg State Park
851 May Hall Road Collegeville, Pa.
610.409.1150 • www.dcnr.state.pa.us

With six miles of hiking trails, five miles of biking trails and ball fields, this park is the sweetest escape from the looming cooling towers of the Limerick Generating Station into a large, wooded park. Scenic views from the ridges and valleys; old mills that pop up through the grass; programs to teach children about the environment—this park has it all. And you can walk into the Friedt Visitor Center and step back in history since it’s a farmhouse built in the 1700s. Inside, visitors can explore the lifestyle of one German family as well as learn about the history of the area.
 

White Clay Creek Preserve
Landenberg, Pa.
610.274.2900 • www.dcnr.state.pa.us

Located three miles from Newark, Del., the area is managed for low intensity activities in order to preserve the land for generations to come. Cast your line in the water for some trout fishing or hop on horse to ride along the scenic eight-mile trail. Hiking and biking are also a nice option. And if you or your children are in the mood for some summer learning, the Preserve offers educational opportunities as well or you can take part in guided walks and evening environmental programs. The Preserve is also surrounded by White Clay Creek State Park with close to 500 acres of land ideal for family picnics and photography.

Brandywine Creek State Park
41 Adams Dam Road Wilmington, Del.
302.655.5740 • www.destateparks.com

Once operated as a dairy farm, Brandywine Creek State Park is now home to two of the state’s first nature preserves, Tulip Tree Woods and Freshwater Marsh. Bird lovers can gaze through binoculars at songbirds and hawks, while fishermen anticipate a catch of small mouth bass. The park’s nature center offers interpretive nature programs like The Great Cypress Swamp Tour and Night Hike for school groups and other organizations. One of the park’s key features is the observation deck, where visitors can take a seat, relax and enjoy the beautiful view.

Tohickon Valley Park
Cafferty Road Point Pleasant, Pa.
215.297.0754 • www.buckscounty.org

Take a hike to this 612 acre park for a relaxing picnic with the husband and kids on a blanket with some sandwiches or jump into the classic summer destination, the swimming pool. The two seasonal pools are open to visitors of all ages with available season passes, and there are charges for daily and weekend visits. And at this park you can sleep over in one of their tents or cabins and wake up to see the sunrise over the tress. Applicants for any of the 24 camping areas must be over the age of 18. All camp sites are a short distance from the Tohickon Creek. The creek, one of the cleanest in the state, is home to trout, fresh water mussels and sandstones, and the surrounding valley has over 80 species of birds. Nature lovers may also come in close contact with woodpeckers—a favorite for kids of all ages.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center
835 Jacobsburg Road Wind Gap, Pa.
610.746.2801 • www.dcnr.state.pa.us

Whether your child is in preschool or high school, the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center has something for all age groups. The center provides programs to educate students and the public about the awareness of the environment as well as teacher workshops and historical programs. One key program is the wildlife watch, which features a 1.9 mile nature walk along Bushkill Creek. The center has over 18 miles of trail used for biking, hiking and horseback riders. School groups and other visitors can also enjoy a picnic lunch along Belfast Road.

Ironton Rail Trail
3219 MacArthur Road Whitehall, Pa.
610.437.5524 • www.irontonrailtrail.org

The former Ironton Railroad rattled along through time and switched tracks to become an enjoyable trail that runs along Coplay Creek. Just last year, the Trail won the “Friend of the Lehigh River Award 2006” by the Wildlands Conservancy. All along the ride down the Lehigh Valley’s memory lane you’ll see the remnants of time past: old rail cars, abandoned machine shops and mills, and the Troxell-Steckel House, which is one of the first buildings to grace the landscape of the beautiful Lehigh Valley. The trail also offers hiking experiences from May until October, as well as a 10k race. It is open from dawn until dusk, with police supervision.

Delaware Canal State Park
11 Lodi Hill Road Upper Black Eddy, Pa.
610.982.5560 • www.dcnr.state.pa.us

Be apart of American history and visit Delaware Canal State Park, the only remaining intact and working canal of the mid-19th century. Recognized as a national historical landmark, the park offers two natural areas, Nockamixon Cliffs and River Islands.  Nockamixon Cliffs, towering 300 feet above the Delaware River, covers a vast area of the park. The small amount of sunlight creates artic-like plant life. River Islands, now fully protected and home to animals like the songbird, is unique; the forms of the land change with the constant movement of the water. If visitors want to learn about the canal’s history, the visitor’s center offers information and even provides a mule drawn boat ride for a historical experience.

Big Pocono State Park
Entrance to the park is from PA 715 and Exit 299 of I-80 at Tannersville. Tobyhanna, Pa.
570.894.8336 • www.dcnr.state.pa.us

If you are searching for a park with a breathtaking scenic view, then watch for the exit off the highway that leads to this park, because that’s what the view is, breathtaking. From the summit, visitors look out into the beauty of portions of eastern Pennsylvania as well as portions of New York and New Jersey. Three picnic sites, seven miles of trails and a south trail just for horseback riding, compliment this hike into nature. If you get hungry, visit Cameltop Restaurant located at the summit of Camelback Mountain. During winter months, Camelback is also a popular site for skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. Parks hours are from dawn to dusk.