Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
I’ve been wanting to go to the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson for a long time, and finally did it. Interested in seeing Blaze with kids in Hudson Valley? Here’s what you’ll see, and what you need to know.
We usually do a NJ corn maze every year, and it’s often the Stony Hill corn maze. This year was no exception. Why Stony Hill? They have a lot of other activities to do there, many included with the basic admission. The corn maze is well done also.
When we went on a recent Saturday, they had live music, which we could hear inside the maze. They also had a face painter. Not sure if you pay extra for that.
This year’s theme is Rutger’s 250th anniversary.
Did you know that October 12 is National Fossil Day? With a few days off this week, and fall break/teachers’ convention coming up next month, you may be looking for day trip ideas. Think about going fossil hunting in New Jersey! Turns out there are a couple of places that are easy to get to, where you can wade through streams looking for sharks’ teeth, oyster shells, squid fossils, and other items that are millions of years old. Even though you’re not by the ocean, this area was once covered in water.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is celebrating its 88th year. If you haven’t already g
one, maybe now’s the time. You’ll join 3.5 million people watching from the streets and windows, and an estimated 50 million sitting in front of the TV. As for participants? A whopping 8,000 are marching, wielding balloon strings or on floats. Look for some fun stats toward the bottom.
The parade is on Thanksgiving morning, this year it’s November 27 at 9 a.m. It takes about 90 minutes for the parade to make it from the start to the finish. Navigating the parade with kids isn’t that hard if you’re prepared. And that’s what we’re here for – your family guide to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Balloon Inflation
Even if you can’t go for the parade, the giant balloon inflation is open to the public the Wednesday before the parade, on November 26th. Head over to the Museum of Natural History, entering the inflation area at 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. The inflation goes from 3-10 p.m. Here’s a behind the scenes guide to the making of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Continue reading “Guide to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2014”
We haven’t taken any specific fall foliage trips, but the best colors I’ve seen so far were on the side of a strip mall on Route 22. The long line to pull out of the lot was almost worth it, when looking at the changing leaves.
We had a plan for what we’d do and see in Boston. It was educational. It was cultural. It was physical ( lots and lots of walking). The highlights for the kids, however, were not the ones we planned for them. They did not love the Freedom Trail. They did not love seeing Daddy’s alma mater and hearing fascinating stories of the building donors and founders. Here’s what they’ll remember from Boston:
#1. These are doors leading into and out of the Boston T stops. They open in a funny way – going in, then up. The kids found this endlessly amusing.
#2. The vending machines. Our hotel (the Midtown Hotel) had an endless supply of interesting vending machines, like this one that Continue reading “Boston – What the Kids Like to Do”
I did a corn maze for the first time last year, and am making it a yearly tradition. The kids are now old enough to last in there for more than 10 minutes. We wandered around for probably two hours (maybe an hour longer than was really fun for the kids). Interestingly, I was dizzy when we got out. So many twists and turns. I let them take turns picking the direction. If it weren’t for the staff positioned at one spot in the maze, we never would have made it out. Even after getting directions out (it was something like – turn right at every turn until after the bridge, then turn left at every turn), it still took us 15 minutes to exit! I look forward to the day when my husband and I go together, and we compete, Survivor style, to see who can make it out first.
Let me share some corn maze tips with you, before giving you a list of New Jersey corn mazes to consider!
CORN MAZE TIPS WITH KIDS
–Before you go in, use the bathroom. This cannot be stated enough.
–Bring food and water. Your kids will need some nourishment during their breaks. Bring your own, or buy something on site. Most farms sell food too.
–Wear comfortable shoes – that can get muddy.
Continue reading “New Jersey Corn Mazes and Pumpkin Patches”
Fall air brings apple picking. Did you know:
– it takes 36 apples to make a gallon of cider
– it takes 8-10 years for an apple tree to begin producing fruit
– the science of apple growing is called pomology
– a bushel of apples weighs 42 pounds
Thank you Hillview Farms for the apple facts.
Too many apples? Learn how to make caramel apples here.
Here’s a list of some great apple picking farms and orchards in New Jersey.
Peaceful Valley Orchards in Pittstown
In addition to apples you’ll find fall decorations, baked goods, and an observation bee hive.
150 Pittstown Road, Pittstown, NJ
(908) 730-7748 Continue reading “Apple Picking in New Jersey”