‘Museum’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: The Met Cloisters {New York}

May 27, 2018 · Narrative

Looking for a fun afternoon exploring New York? Let’s visit The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park!

When we were shut out of our first attempt to attend a taping of Rachael Ray’s television show last month, we had to quickly find a Plan B. Because, after all, when three moms have carved out a bit of free time, we weren’t about to head back home defeated.

And so that’s how we ended up at The Met Cloisters. It was about a half hour drive from the Chelsea Studios of Rachael Ray, and after a friend had mentioned her visit last year, it had been on my list of “things to do,” but had never quite made it to the top of the list.

There are two smaller parking lots that we saw, and on a Spring weekday, the first lot was already full, so if you’re going on a weekend or in the Summer months, I would target for arriving earlier to make sure there’s a place for you to park. The parking was free and easy to find, and we soon made our way to the building.

There are a number of winding staircases leading up to the main entry way, and as we climbed the staircases, various signage indicated that admission was “donation only.”

Well, it turns out, that it is and it isn’t.

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Visit: Princeton University Art Museum {Princeton, New Jersey}

November 14, 2016 · Narrative

A gorgeous campus that is simply stunning in the Fall season, the Princeton University Art Museum is a must-visit.

On our Sundays, we like to do things together as a family. #OMalleySundayFunday when I remember to hashtag on Instagram. I try and let everyone take turns in deciding what we do, just like my parents did when my sister and I were kids, but sometimes I’m bossy and just take the lead.

Mostly because if I ask Maddie what she wants to do with our day, it vacillates between “let’s go shopping at Justice” and “let’s take a plane ride to Disney World.”

So, yeah.

But on this particular outing, I showed Nick three places we could visit and he chose the Princeton University Art Museum.

Alright!

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Visit: National Guard Militia Museum {Sea Girt, New Jersey}

April 11, 2016 · Narrative, Travel

A unique, little well-kept secret of a museum that you should visit … because the Jersey Shore is more than just beaches.

Last week, the kids were on Spring Break, and this time, we kept our adventures a little closer to home. We spent a few days down the Jersey Shore, and spent the day in Boston with Sarah and her kids. When we were down the shore, I used the Roadside America app (one of my favorite apps) to see what new and interesting things were in the area for us to discover. Our time last week was equal parts fun, history, and downtime, and our visit to the National Guard Militia Museum falls neatly in the “history” column.

The museum is a little undiscovered treasure trove of history and has been there forever. It, unfortunately, fell victim to the ravages of Hurricane Sandy, taking in over five feet of water and sadly destroying a lot of their historical artifacts, but they have since rebuilt and welcome visitors with open arms. It was such a cool slice of historical awesomeness, I’m hoping more people read this and go check it out.

As soon as we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly host, and he pointed out the different rooms we could explore on our own, in a self-guided manner, and told us to come get him when we’re done (and if we had any questions mid-tour).

The large room when you enter starts with the story of the early settlers, and you can follow the timeline around the room, reading about the events of historical significance and see their accompanying artifacts. The story continues on through World War II in a room in the back, and the third room is more “present day” events, including 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, and how New Jersey responded to those disasters. There are some wonderful videos to watch and placards to read, and it was the perfect amount of information to digest, especially if you have kids in tow.

Once we were done with the three rooms, we went to go track down the guide because we were ready to check out their main attraction, and the original reason this museum popped up in the Roadside America app.

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Visit: Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

June 25, 2015 · Narrative

Visiting Vermont? You might want to stop in to the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium. A quirky little museum in St. Johnsbury, it’s filled with something for everyone.

When I was planning our Spring Break trip to Vermont, I scouted Groupon and LivingSocial, looking for hotel deals to save a bit of money. After that, I started looking for deals on places we could visit and things we could do while we were there.

Which is exactly how I came to find the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury.

Started by Franklin Fairbanks in 1889, it originally housed just his collection of historical artifacts and animal trophies that he had collected over the years. And as his friends traveled the world, they added to his collection, and the end result is a unique museum that has something for everyone in the family. Over 175,000 items to check out!

Animals. Rocks and minerals. Bugs galore. Civil War artifacts. Bits of St. Johnsbury history.

The building’s structure itself was unusual enough that I asked about it, and it was actually built specifically to house Mr. Fairbanks’ collection.

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Visit: Grounds for Sculpture {Hamilton Township, NJ}

July 16, 2014 · Narrative

Beautiful gardens, hundreds of amazing art sculptures, and plenty of kid-friendly and adult-approved things to see, the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township is worth a visit.

When the kids and I visited the world’s largest tooth in Princeton last year, we had NO idea what was just down the road. Luckily a recent mention in New Jersey Monthly magazine clued us into Grounds for Sculpture, because it was well worth a visit.

The brainchild of Seward Johnson, it is 42 acres of beautifully maintained landscaping and gardens with art sculptures around every corner. As their Mission Statement notes, they wanted “to create a place to make contemporary sculpture more accessible to greater numbers of people from all backgrounds; to offer them the opportunity to develop privately, step-by step, a more intimate relationship with contemporary art; to share that experience with others in a familiar, accessible, informal setting in nature—giving them the chance, as Picasso said, to wash away “from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Everything from small sculptures to giant towering “monument” pieces like the Marilyn Monroe. This particular statue took three years to make and traveled the country (in four separate pieces) before it came back here to stay. There are some cool photographs inside one of the buildings showing the making of this particular statue, and also showing it broken down into pieces, traveling on various highways.

Located on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds, construction on Johnson’s vision began in 1989, and opened to the public three years later. Over the years, art, buildings, and exhibits have been added, and Grounds for Sculpture has been non-profit since 2000. There are nearly 300 sculptures throughout the property, many historical in nature, spanning the weird to the wonderful.

And a photographers’ dream, natch.

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Visit: New Jersey Children’s Museum {Paramus, New Jersey}

February 25, 2013 · Narrative

Kudos to Groupon for introducing us to another place that we didn’t know existed. And given the fact that The New Jersey Children’s Museum is tucked away in an industrial section off a highway in Paramus, we likely never would have found it otherwise.

A large non-descript building, it has a big parking lot and was easy to find. When you walk in, you are greeted by friendly staff members at the front desk. There is a coat check near the entrance and fun house-type mirrors that grab the kids’ interest right away. After hanging up our coats, we set off to explore.

The museum is set up in different sections (as depicted above), with each area revolving around a particular theme or profession. A giant life-size fire truck for the kids to climb into. A veterinarian’s office with animal x-rays, lab coat, stethoscope, and examining table to encourage children to play vet. A space odyssey area with a fun space suit photo opp. An eye doctor area with examining chair, complete with the appartus you would normally find at your eye doctor’s office. A newsroom area where your child can sit behind an anchorperson’s desk and see themselves on the tv. Something interactive and hands-on around nearly every corner to draw a kid’s attention.

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Field Trip: Thomas Edison Museum, Laboratory, and Estate {Things to Do in New Jersey}

May 30, 2012 · Narrative

*There is going to be a photo overload in tonight’s post, but I consider that to be a good thing. Moving along…

I knew that the Thomas Edison Museum was about twenty minutes from our house, yet I can’t recall ever going there. My mom said I was there when I was about 11. I’ve had it in the back of my mind for awhile now, thinking it would be a fun little visit to make with my kids, and Friday, with Nick off from school and a vacation day for me, we rounded up some friends and headed to West Orange.

I swear museums and national and state parks are the best bargain going. For the Thomas Edison Museum, adult admission is $7, and kids under 16 are free. Your admission also includes a visit to his laboratory (on the same property), and his Glenmont Estate, just a short mile or two drive away. It doesn’t get better than that.

A short movie in the beginning of the self-guided tour gave the kids a quick run-down on what Edison was most known for, and while watching, they completed Junior Ranger informational packets that would earn them a little badge on the way out.

The architecture, chippy paint, buildings, and lighting on the property of the museum and laboratory is a photographer’s dream. Like seriously, I’d pay the $7 admission just to take clients there for a photo shoot. A lot of the pictures from the last Weekend Photos in Review were from our Edison visit. (There is no photography allowed inside the Glenmont Estate, which kind of killed me, because it’s all sorts of beautiful, and a lot of the Victorian period pieces reminded me a lot of what is in my parents’ home)

On the museum’s property, you can also tour his laboratory, pattern making room, and various workshops, which, aside from the grounds being a photographer’s nirvana, was, I think, my favorite part. The old woodsy, musty smell of the workshop was ah-mazing, and it was seriously awe-inspiring to stand there and think of all the creativity and inventions that were borne out of that space.

There is a small gift shop when you enter the museum, filled with books, postcards, and assorted memorabilia. {Cash and check only for gift shop purchases and entrance fees}. The museum (and surrounding grounds) take anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours to see, depending on your pace. While it is self-guided, they also have audio tours available, and several places where you can use your smartphone to scan a code and watch an accompanying video.

This picture instantly reminded me of a home I saw on the Hoboken house tour in 2010, and Martha Stewart’s own kitchen and special decorating issue years ago.

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