(Photo courtesy of Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce)
The Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce and the Lambertville Chamber of Commerce are running the first New Hope and Lambertville Restaurant Week, sponsored by Union Chill, which began January 13 and runs through January 27.
Over 20 restaurants from both sides of the Delaware River are offering specially priced prix fixe lunch and/or dinner menus, providing diners with exceptional culinary experiences in these charming river towns. more
Wander on winding paths through a dazzling winter wonderland surrounded by the glow of a million colorful lights that has been called one of the “most ‘Instagrammable’ spots.”
December Enchanted Evenings, on weeknights December 2 through December 30 at Peddler’s Village, give visitors the chance to enjoy after-dark entertainment on select evenings and the opportunity to take photos and stroll the village when it is less crowded than it often is on holiday weekends.
Enjoy 60-plus small shops and boutiques with one-of-a-kind gifts, tasty food and beverages, and music played throughout the village. See a stunning display of 100 gingerbread creations, and the Tunnel of Lights.
Shops are open until 9 p.m. Restaurants are open for dinner, and the lights will remain on until 10 p.m. Parking and admission are free. more
(Photo by Andrew Wilkinson)
Rooms festively decorated in holiday spirit by the Garden Clubs of New Jersey await visitors to the official governor’s mansion, Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street. Online registration for December Holiday Open Houses at Drumthwacket is now open now.
The Open Houses are free to the public. Guests must register in advance online. Open Houses are offered in one-hour intervals starting at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. on December 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11.
Click here to Register Now. more
(Photo Courtesy of Visit Bucks County)
When the New York Times published a list of seven places to see fall foliage that are not in New England on September 17, one Bucks County town was on the list: New Hope, Pa.
The listing by Derek M. Norman recommends New Hope along with out-of-New England area New River Gorge Park in West Virginia; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Bas-St.-Laurent in Quebec, Canada; McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway in Oregon; Kebler Pass in Colorado; and Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan. The article notes that New England is known for fall foliage, but other locales have stunning views as well.
As for New Hope, the article touts the borough’s antique shops, historic buildings, museums, Bucks County Playhouse, and its popularity as an LGBTQ destination. It notes that Bucks County once had more than 50 covered bridges (of which 12 remain), and that the New Hope Railroad offers a two-hour train ride through the foliage on weekends through November 3.
By Laurie Pellichero | Photography by Jeffrey E. Tryon.
Referred to as “the Westminster Abbey of the United States” by John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, Princeton Cemetery sits on almost 19 acres near the center of town and is the final resting place of a plethora of famous figures along with many members of the Princeton community. The cemetery, owned by Nassau Presbyterian Church, was established in 1757 and is still an active burial ground.
When first entering the non-denominational cemetery, one immediately notices the many different styles of headstones and monuments, the oldest of which is for Aaron Burr Sr., the second president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. Burr died in 1757. Right in front of that is the grave for his son, U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr Jr. (1756-1836), even better known for his duel with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. According to Linda Gilmore, business administrator at Nassau Presbyterian Church and Princeton Cemetery, who also leads tours of the cemetery, it has become a very popular site since the debut of the Broadway show Hamilton. There is even a person who has sent flowers a few times to be placed at the grave with the message “Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and saints, it takes and it takes and it takes. Love, Alex.” more
(Photo courtesy of Morven Museum & Garden)
Travel back in time with an afternoon cream tea service in Morven’s historic Garden Room on Thursday, September 26.
Experience cream tea within the walls of the over 200-year-old mansion overlooking the museum’s gardens. The “Secret Tea Room” takes particular pride in its collection of chinaware, which complements the Georgian architectural style of Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street. Cream tea includes refreshments most often associated with the English West Country, such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset. more
(Photo courtesy of NYBG)
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) celebrates Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month through October 15 with on-site and digital programs that spotlight the important contributions and histories of the plants and people of this diverse community.
Expand your knowledge of plants and Hispanic culture with behind-the-scenes stories of adventure and discovery through the work of NYBG scientists and collaborators in Latin America and the Caribbean. more
Celebrate fall! An autumn tradition kicks off on Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa. For six weeks, more than 100 scarecrows line the brick pathways of the Village. Some are inspired by famous characters, some are humorous, some are scary, and all are handmade by area residents and organizations. The display is free and on view daily through October 27. Guests are invited to vote on their favorite scarecrows, and the creators of the winning scarecrows receive prizes.
The festival includes entertainment, outdoor treats, pumpkin painting, and scarecrow-making workshops. Click here for the schedule of events.
Take a step back in time to the year 1900 at Howell Living History Farm with its special Saturday events. Try Canning & Pickling on Saturday, August 17; a Fiddlin’ Contest and Picket Fence Art Show on Saturday, August 24; and the 41st annual Plowing Match on Saturday, August 31. The events are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the farm, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission, located at 70 Woodens Lane in Hopewell Township. more
View the colorful flowers in the private garden and more at Pretty Bird Farm in Rosedale, Hunterdon County, on August 24 through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. The farm will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a $10 donation to the Conservancy. more
Kids and adults alike who love the amusements in Ocean City take note: Gillian’s Wonderland Pier will close after this season.
A letter on gillians.com from owner Jay Gillian states that he is retiring after 47 years. Wonderland and 6th Street Pizza (the complex is at 600 Boardwalk) will be open through the summer, but visitors to Ocean City might want to visit and take advantage of some specials:
Until August 30, there are unlimited rides “after dark” on Sunday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. for $25.
Wristband Days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; $25 for unlimited rides from 4 to 6 p.m.
And Tuesday through Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m., rides are three tickets each. more
(Photo courtesy of Visit Bucks County)
Nearby Bucks County, Pa., is the home of 12 picturesque covered bridges, with locations along the Delaware River and inside state parks. Take a self-guided Bucks County Covered Bridge driving tour, crossing the county’s remaining covered bridges with the help of a map or a mobile app courtesy of Visit Bucks County. more
(Photo Courtesy of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival)
There is still time to enjoy the long-running summertime Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University in the Lehigh Valley, Pa.
The musical The Color Purple runs until August 4. This year’s “Extreme Shakespeare” play is the romantic adventure Cymbeline, also running until August 4. A children’s show, Winnie-the-Pooh & Friends, runs until August 2, and “Shakespeare for Kids” until August 3.
This season, co-leaders Jason King Jones and Casey William Gallagher curated a lineup centered around the theme of “Persistence of Love,” reflected in each play or musical selected. more
Juicy corn, sweet blueberries, succulent tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers are among other produce and homemade breads, pies, salads, and specialty stands at the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence Township.
A farmer-owned cooperative since 1939, the market is New Jersey’s oldest continuously running farmers market. Located on Spruce Street since 1948, it also carries Amish meats and poultry, kielbasa, cheese, and barbecued rotisserie chicken as well as homemade entrees at vendors such as Pulaski Meats, which specializes in Polish, German, Hungarian, Ukrainian, and Russian food items. more
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pa., offers classes and events related to gardening and natural habitats, such as the series Learn All About How and Why to Foster Native Plants in Your Landscape.
In the June 8 class, Focus on Ferns, Ed Lignowski, Ph.D., will show how to identify many native ferns as well as highlight their evolutionary history and unusual reproductive habits, their natural habitats, and usefulness in native plant gardens. more
If you are an armchair traveler, or prefer to go by car, you can take an audio tour and learn about the history, geology, and preservation of the Delaware River along a scenic and historic 40-mile route from Bordentown to the riverside towns of New Hope (Pa.) and Lambertville.
D&R Greenway Land Trust and TravelStorysGPS have teamed up to create “Seldom Told Stories of the Delaware River.” The TravelStorys apps use GPS technology to create hands-free, self-directed driving tours. Short, podcast-style audio tours are easy to download to your smartphone to hear authentic local lore and information about the river and its surroundings. Travelers can navigate from either northbound or southbound routes, or they can join at any point in between. Travelers can pause the story, leave the car to visit a site, and restart it when they return.
If you don’t feel like venturing out, take an armchair tour of “Seldom Told Stories of the Delaware” by visiting the TravelStorys tour page and clicking on “Explore This Tour Remotely,” and following the prompts. more
The Philly Home & Garden Show will take place February 23 through 25 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks in Oaks, Pa. The event center will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 23; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 24; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 25. more
On Sunday, January 7, the Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) will mark the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Princeton with its signature educational event, “Experience the Battle of Princeton.”
The event will begin at 9:45 a.m. with introductions and comments on the background of the battle. Members of the public are urged to arrive at the site by 9:15 a.m. to secure space and parking. A narrated reenactment of a portion of the Battle of Princeton will begin at 10 a.m. featuring reenactors portraying Crown and Continental forces. The reenactment will conclude by 11 a.m. more
On December 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Princeton Holiday Trolley Tours will take visitors past some of the town’s most significant sites. 2023 marks a complete re-design of the popular experience with an expanded route that will teach participants about the area’s prize-winning thinkers, writers, scientists, and noteworthy history. From Woodrow Wilson and Albert Einstein to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Toni Morrison, this tour is action-packed! more
By Laurie Pellichero | Photography by Charles R. Plohn
Andrew Carnegie portrait by Howard Russell Butler. (Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Scotland)
It all began with a portrait. In 1902, steel magnate and noted philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was posing for painter Howard Russell Butler, Princeton University Class of 1876, when Carnegie brought up the many lochs he had built in his native Scotland. Butler, a former member of the University rowing team, took the opportunity to inform Carnegie of the cramped rowing conditions along the Delaware and Raritan Canal, where the team practiced but also had to deal with freight traffic traveling between New York and Philadelphia. This had forced the rowing program to disband in 1886.
Butler suggested a building a dam at the confluence of the Millstone River and Stony Brook, which would flood the swamps around the Washington Road Bridge, creating a reservoir that would be a much better option for the University’s team. According to Princetoniana, it was an idea that Carnegie quickly embraced. more
