‘Things to Do with Kids’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Nathan Cooper Gristmill {Chester, New Jersey}

August 24, 2016 · Narrative

Looking for a fun little afternoon adventure or a step back in time? Let’s drive to Chester and check out the Nathan Cooper Gristmill.

Most libraries have museum passes that you can borrow, which let you visit a local museum or attraction with your family for free. I’ve been good at taking advantage of that this summer, and lately, I’ve been going beyond just our local library, and using the passes at our county library as well. Each library has slightly different passes available, so your library card is really a passport to all sorts of fun adventures.

And last week, it brought us to the Nathan Cooper Gristmill in Chester, New Jersey. Built in 1826, it is one of the few, still-operating water-powered mills in the state of New Jersey, and it’s listed (and protected) on the State and National registers of historical places. The Morris County Park Commission bought the property in 1973, and opened it to the public in late 1978. Retired General Nathan Cooper originally bought the mill in 1878 for $750 (!) and built onto the mill to create the four-story structure you see here today.

Easy to find using the Waze app, we pulled into the mill parking lot. There was a large white house on one side of the parking lot, and the mill on the other. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were supposed to go, and it wasn’t really marked, but for everyone else…? Check in at the white house. Tours are given all day by a costumed master miller, with the last tour at 3:30 pm. They last roughly forty-five minutes.

Our guide started us at the Black River, which is, of course, the water source for the mill. We followed the water over the plume and then entered the gristmill, where all the action happens. Once you’re inside, the miller started up the water wheel and explained how it works. It’s amazing to think that the entire process is powered by water … zero electricity. The wheel (and its associated gears and shafts and whatnot) can pound out up to 800 pounds of flour per hour. Per hour! Crazy.

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Visit: Harsimus Cemetary {Jersey City, New Jersey}

August 5, 2016 · Narrative

When I was sitting in the orthodontist’s office a few weeks ago during one of Nick’s appointments, I was thumbing through an issue of New Jersey Monthly. The summer issues are a great source for finding new and fun things to do in New Jersey, and this issue was no exception.

I happened upon a piece that mentioned a cemetery that had goats on its property.

Yes, goats.

I thought it was a little odd, and certainly intriguing, but didn’t end up taking down the information. And then not two days later, I was catching up on Instagram, and a friend had a picture of a goat at a cemetery.

Yes, the same cemetery I had read about just two days earlier.

And that’s when I decided it was fate and we needed to go visit said goats.

We’re getting into doing a regular Sunday adventure day together as a family, and this sounded like a perfect little outing.

Harsimus Cemetery. Relatively close. Certainly unique. And free. Even better.

The cemetery is very easy to find, but I’m not going to lie… parking is a bit of a challenge. The property isn’t huge and there is one driveway for cars entering AND exiting AND that’s also where you park. So I’m not exactly sure how they handle it when there is more than one car there (we definitely got lucky), but I don’t want to find out either.

Before the cemetery was established in 1829, these grounds were actually where a Revolutionary War skirmish took place, and there is a bunker on the property from the War of 1812. “In October of 1780, General Marquis de Lafayette joined with the American forces, at the request of General George Washington, to challenge the English on these very grounds. Records indicate that General Lafayette led 4000 French troops to assist the American Continental Army against the British troops.”

Historical significance aplenty.

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Visit: Toothpick World {Morristown, New Jersey}

July 30, 2016 · Narrative

Looking for a beat-the-heat afternoon activity this summer? How about a visit to the Toothpick World exhibit at the Morris Museum?

I try to pay attention to the emails from the Morris Museum, and what exhibits they have coming up, because they never fail to have something that catches my attention.

A few weeks ago, when Madeline had some friends over, we found ourselves with a free afternoon. The Toothpick World exhibit had just opened up at the Museum, and a visit there made for a fun afternoon.

The creations in this exhibit are all the brainchild of Stan Munro and were inspired by a project his art teacher brought in when he was in the fifth grade. Now some thirty years later, his exhibits tour the country, and is how he has supported himself for the past ten years. There are many familiar historical structures in the exhibit, and his Dubai piece has earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, and his work is also featured in the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Baltimore.

Each piece uses only two things: toothpicks and glue – not to mention an incredible amount of patience and talent! As we wandered around to see the different structures, each one was more amazing than the previous one, but I think my favorite was the Yankee Stadium replica, just for the immense attention to detail alone.

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Visit: Dog Days of Summer {Things to Do in New Jersey}

July 21, 2016 · Narrative

Looking for a fun afternoon activity with your kids? We love visiting the annual Dog Days of Summer in Boonton.

When I’m looking for things to do with the kids, whether it’s summer or not, it’s usually a mix of free or inexpensive adventures.

Because the more adventures, the better.

Visiting the Dog Days of Summer in neighboring Boonton is one of our free (and fun) adventures. This is the fourth year of the Dog Days of Summer, and it makes for a fun afternoon outing.

Main Street in Boonton is lined with over 100 life size dog statues; each one is completely different and they are decorated by both professional and amateur artists. Some community groups and even school students get in on the action.

A large share of the sculptures are outside in front of the stores and businesses, but there are many that are inside the store windows as well, which makes for a fun challenge to try and peek inside each store to see if we find one.

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Visit: New England Aquarium {Boston, MA}

May 10, 2016 · Narrative

If you’ve been a regular reader here, it should come as no surprise that if we’re traveling, we’re going to find a local aquarium or zoo to visit. I’ve lost count at how many we’ve visited, but it’s one of our favorite things to do.

And our recent visit to Boston was no exception.

Although I had a relatively ambitious list of things to do and see in Boston, there were a few non-negotiable items.

The New England Aquarium being one of them.

Interestingly enough, Madeline and I had just seen the movie, Miracles from Heaven, which had scenes shot at this aquarium, so that was a fun reference, but if you’re looking for the tank with the fish swimming over your head from the movie … you’re not going to find it here. Apparently that was some swift editing and creative license on the part of Hollywood.

We planned to meet Sarah and her kids at the aquarium as we rounded the corner and approached the front entrance, we noticed two fire trucks and all the patrons outside.

Alrighty then.

Luckily whatever was going on (likely a false alarm) was resolved quickly because by the time we came back some fifteen minutes later, everything was back to normal.

There is a parking garage right in front of the aquarium, which is incredibly convenient and not outrageously overpriced. I think it was around $20 for our visit. Sarah ended up being late, so we started without her, did the whole aquarium, and then did it again once she got there. So we got our money’s worth, both on the admission prices and the garage fee.

As for admission, you can bet I flashed my Student ID to get discounted admission, and if you have AAA that will save you a few bucks off as well. Once we got our tickets, we headed inside. There is a gift shop and an area where staff members are taking your picture (which we skipped), and then we were off to explore on our own.

The inside is in a circular pattern, so as you’re following the winding pathway, you’re circling a giant round tank in the middle. Once you get to the end, you can see the top of the huge tank (and it’s open), and that’s where there is a demo with some staff divers, and they tell you a bit about the giant turtles.

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Visit: Vermont Teddy Bear Factory & Store {Shelburne, Vermont}

April 8, 2015 · Narrative

When I was researching fun things to do during our recent Spring Break trip to Vermont, a visit to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory was already on our list.

Well-acquainted with the company from many years ago, I knew Madeline would love to learn how they made their bears, and a purchase of a teddy bear was quickly added to my budget.

Between her collection of Beanie-Boos and other assorted stuffed animals, we might need to do an intervention soon.

The factory was our first stop on the day we drove to Vermont and, although it’s sort of located in the middle of nowhere, it is very easy to find, as is parking in their generous-sized parking lot.

Adults are $4 admission and kids 12 and under are free – can’t beat that for an hour of “something different” entertainment. We received little pins as our proof of payment and quickly joined the tour that had just started.

Brittney, our Tour Guide, was friendly and outgoing, and explained every part of their production line from start to finish, answering the groups’ questions along the way.

There are 20 different parts making up each of their bears, and their seemingly small facility makes 750 bears a day. Most of the various colors of bears available are differentiated by food flavoring names; for example, buttercream, honey, mocha, espresso, maple, and vanilla. They also have a patchwork bear, which I loved, that is a cute mix of all the different types available and one with a Holstein cow pattern of black and white.

The fabric/fur pieces are sewn inside out, and the company added moveable joints in 2001, which definitely sets them apart from other teddy bears. They make an average of 150,000 bears a year for every occasion, and just-because, and there are many different ways you can personalize your bear, from adding a stitched name or memorable date on their paw pads to choosing a uniform or special outfit.

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Visit: Historical Society of Delaware & the World’s Largest Frying Pan {New Castle, DE}

June 18, 2013 · Narrative

So when I was going through the list of quirky roadside attractions that we could build into our road trip to Baltimore, and spied a mention for the world’s largest frying pan, I added it straight to our list.

I mean, how could I not?

A giant piece of straight-up Americana right there on the walls of a museum in downtown New Castle, Delaware.

And since it was really just a few miles from the giant statue of Mary and we seemed to be on an unplanned trip of visiting giant things, it was really a given that we would stop.

The museum where the world’s largest frying pan is housed is easy to find in a quaint historical downtown area of New Castle. On-street parking, even on a Saturday, was plentiful.

As soon as we walked in, I spied the penny smushing machine and made a mental note to get one on the way out (one side has the name of the museum, and the other side celebrates the anniversary of DuPont). A perfect addition to our growing collection.

Besides having the world’s largest frying pan, the museum is also home to all historical things pertaining to Delaware. We paid our admission fee (I believe it was $14 for the three of us, no AAA discounts), and started on our self-guided tour.

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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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