Active things to do (mostly outdoors), such as hiking, cycling, fishing, and birding, Also included are sightseeing excursions and visiting historic places.
Every Christmas season, the Trenton Downtown Association sponsors a week-long celebration called “Patriot’s Week”, culminating in a day-long re-enactment of the two battles of Trenton. It’s a wild scene. Dozens of men dressed in authentic uniforms, carrying muzzle loading, black powder muskets (and cannon) descend on downtown Trenton. They march, they fire, they pretend to die.
Well conceived small museum provides an introduction to the Roebling family and Trenton’s industrial history. Located within a town that was built to house workers for the mill which manufactured steel used in the Roebling Wire Rope operations in Trenton.
Trenton Circus Squad is a truly remarkable organization located in the historic (and extremely photogenic) Roebling Machine Shop, adjoining Roebling Market. Kids aged 6-18 are eligible to take free classes in circus arts: riding a unicycle, walking on stilts, juggling, wire walking, acrobatics, trapeze, slapstick comedy, human pyramids, German wheel and mini-trampoline. [sphere 9296 long=”180″] … Continue reading Bread and Circus Training
The Stony Brook Reserve is a 930 acre site in Pennington, about 25 minutes from Trenton. It provides 10 miles of hiking trails, is home to Honey Brook Organic Farms, and supports one of largest and most active Nature Centers in NJ. All of this is organized by the Stony Brook/Millstone Watershed Association, which claims … Continue reading Water Reserves
In 2010, Mercer County merged 5 separate parks into the “Mercer Meadows, a 1,619 acre utopian park for walking, cycling, and wildlife observation. Primarily consisting of acres upon acres of wildflower meadows, it’s a beautiful place for an easy stroll or a relatively flat ride through some very pretty terrain. The heart of Mercer Meadows is … Continue reading Pole Tree Pasture
If you need to get out of town quickly, there’s nothing like having a convenient airport. Trenton is blessed to have our own “hidden airport,” the Trenton Mercer Airport, just a 15 minute drive from downtown. Sure, it’s essentially a bus terminal with planes, but it’s a great deal and a terrific way to save … Continue reading Discount Departure
Carson Road Woods is a superb, 183 acre swathe of preserved farmland less than 15 minutes from downtown Trenton. Unlike many such preserves, the land has several miles of walking trails, and some stunning stands of trees. The preserve is a mix of woodlands and open fields, with mowed walk-ways along the margins. In a few places, trails are cut through stands of trees, including, notably, a stunningly beautiful stand of beech.
Gravity Hill Farm is an immaculately managed, certified organic farm located in Titusville. Three days each week (Tu, Sa, Su) the farm organizes a market selling its own produce. Sundays it invites other local farms to join the sale: typically a local organic dairy farm that produces cheeses, and a second, local farm raising grass-fed beef and lamb. The quality is impeccable. Selection and variety is targeting chefs and foodies.
Goat Hill Park was acquired in 2009 by the State of NJ, and is managed as a satellite park of Washington Crossing. It is potentially one of the most spectacular hiking destinations in central NJ, but budget and regulatory constraints have blocked the state from developing it. It’s a pity. Of course, if you’re willing to bushwhack, you can still go exploring.
In the 1800’s, America relied upon canals (and the towpaths that ran alongside them) as a vital link in our transportation infrastructure. Until they were made obsolete by the rise of the railroad, canals provided one of the best ways to move goods (in our region that was often coal) from one area to another.
Two historical canals flank the Delaware River, and each has been turned into a state park (Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal State Park and NJ’s Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park). They have gravel towpaths along the entire way, making for easy and beautiful cycling (provided you are on a mountain bike or hybrid–it will be harder on a road bike). That’s 130 miles of canal towpath, all intersecting in Trenton or Morrisville. It’s an utterly incredible local resource. My favorite trip is this lovely ride from Trenton/Morrisville to Lambertville/New Hope and back. The ride can be about 33 miles long, or about half that if you cross at Washington Crossing State Park instead of continuing all the way.
When people think of organized sports in Trenton, I’m sure many think of the Trenton Thunder (a highly successful minor league franchise) or the various sports teams that have attempted to occupy the arena (indoor football, hockey, etc). You probably don’t think of polo, however. Well that’s about to change. Only instead of polo played on horses by British royalty, this is Trenton-style polo. Played on bicycles by dudes (and ladies) from the local bar.
This is a charming (and generally easy) 6 mile ride which begins at Mercer County’s South Riverwalk Park (which sits above the Route 29 tunnel), goes through Trenton’s oft-forgotten Marine Terminal Park, through the Abbott Marshlands along a orphaned section of the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail, and all the way to downtown Bordentown. It’s a really charming ride, and it’s flat as can be for almost anyone. Plus, if you start in Trenton, you end up in Bordentown where you can get a nice bit of lunch before you cycle home.
Sayen House & Gardens is a charming estate and botanical garden located in Hamilton, NJ. While the house is now used primarily for weddings, the grounds are open to all and make for a delightful stroll on a nice day. The estate was created in 1912, when Frederick Sayen, owner of the nearby Mercer Rubber … Continue reading Stop and Smell the Flowers
New York is 1:10 on the NJ Transit express trains, which run frequently from the Trenton Transit Center. Instead of stressing with the traffic, and for less than it will cost you to pay for gas, tolls, and parking (in mid-town, anyway), you can relax while NJ Transit does all the work. And during rush … Continue reading Capital of the World!
I loved art class in 3rd grade–I enjoyed sketching and painting under the gentle guidance of a friendly teacher. But somehow in adulthood, I haven’t given myself as many opportunities to make visual art as I’d like. Now that’s changing, with Art Chill Night at Championship Sports Bar & Grill. Every Monday night at 8pm, this … Continue reading Drinking While Drawing
The Laurie Chauncey Trail (“LCT”) is a gorgeous, 2 mile loop around the fringes of the ETS Campus. It stands next to the Ettl Farm Trail (“EFT”), a second loop, which adds some scenic variations and another mile or so of hiking. Both trails track along Stony Brook, a fairly considerable stream that drains much of Hopewell Township and Princeton before joining up with the Millstone in West Windsor. These trails are relatively flat with just enough undulation to be interesting.
There are many great ways to tour the hidden parts of Trenton. Everyone loves the Mill Hill House Tour, or the tours sponsored by The Contemporary Victorian Townhouse Museum. And of course, we’re particularly fond of our own self-guided tour of the battles of Princeton and Trenton. But one of my favorite new ways to take in … Continue reading Social Cycling
On May 16, 2015, we’ll be joining the Trenton Council of Civic Associations for a “small plate” restaurant crawl through Chambersburg, sampling the best of the Latino Revival, as well as some of the area’s wondrous Italian food and richly flavored Jamaican cuisine. Each of the twelve restaurants we will visit will be serving a special menu of appetizer sized small plates (for $3-$5), featuring the best of their menu. Tickets to the event are $10/adult at the day of the event, and $7 in advance (kids under 12 can get a free ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket–and uniformed police, fire, EMS, and Dept of Corrections officers will also be given free tickets). Tickets will give you parking assistance, a guidebook and map of the restaurants, and access to those special small plates. You can explore on your own or travel as a group, and you can visit the restaurants for lunch and dinner anytime between 11AM-8PM. Any profits from ticket sales will be donated to a local charity. If you haven’t tried gooey pupusas, pillowy sopes and huaraches, fragrant callaloo, and luscious Trenton guacamole, this is your chance. It’s not your momma’s Italian food (except here, which is exactly your momma’s Italian food!).
3x each year, the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market takes over the Roebling Machine Shop at Roebling Market and throws a party organized around buying stuff. It attracts over 200 vendors and thousands of buyers, mostly young. According to the organizers, “We embrace a life-long love of punk rock and hardcore, DYI ethics, the arts, tattoos, copious amounts of coffee, the occasional shot of Jameson and a solid, well-styled quiff.”
Just a short drive from Trenton, in the middle of the Princeton University campus, you’ll find the Princeton University Art Museum. Like many University-affiliated art museums, it’s boasts an intimate (but broadly representative) collection of some of history’s top artists from around the world. Scholars and students use it for research, but it’s open to the public, and absolutely worth a visit.
The Battle Tour will require some adaptation during the COVID emergency, as a few of the recommended stops are in closed parks. For example, while you won’t be allowed to wander the Washington Crossing Park, or the Princeton Battlefield Park as suggested, but you can certainly stop and park your car for a few minutes … Continue reading The Battle Stops Here
Every July, usually a week or two after the 4th of July, the wineberries (wild raspberries) start to ripen in open shade along the slopes of local mountains more than 300 feet or so above sea level. I’m not necessarily suggesting you need to go for a big harvest. My wife and I love hiking this time of year, just scanning the sides of the trail for ruby-red raspberries.
Suitable for hiking or biking (see Biking Notes): This has been one of our favorite walks on Baldpate for years, but we’ve never written about it in part because a critical segment was missing from the County’s map. This hike takes you through one of the very few stands of pine trees to be found on Baldpate, via a narrow, twisting trail that’s beautiful and fun to walk in almost any season. However, my favorite time to do this hike is in the winter, after a dusting of snow. Another great time to walk this is in July when the wild raspberries are in season. (Driving time is about 25 minutes; rated for intermediate to experienced hikers for elevations and because trails are poorly blazed. Intermediate hikers should load a GR Series Map into their smart phone, and be prepared for a longish hike.)
Tyler is an old school park. Yes, there’s some nature. You can hike, but mostly on paved or gravel paths. More to the point (and why it seems “old school” to me) it’s really about “activities”. Depending on the season you might find yourself riding a horse, paddling a canoe, playing “golf” with a Frisbee, swimming, fishing, cycling, sledding, or x-country skiing. (Driving time is about 25 mintues; as a hiking destination it’s rated for beginners)
Moravian Pottery & Tile Works was founded in 1898 by Henry Chapman Mercer — a key figure in America’s Arts & Crafts movement. He directed its operation until his death in 1930, and it the factory remained in business until the mid-1950s. It reopened in the 1970s as a “living museum”, subsidized by Bucks County. Reproduction tiles are made today using Mercer’s original molds, clay that is obtained locally, slips and glazes that follow Mercer’s final formulations. They are absolutely beautiful, make fabulous additions to any home, and spectacular gifts.
Haycock Mountain is an entertaining, short hike (only about 0.75 mile from the trailhead to summit). You gain 460 vertical feet in this distance, which puts the average gradient about 12%, though the hike gets a fair bit steeper as you approach the summit. The payoff is the scramble: from roughly the midpoint of the hike to the summit, you’re picking your way through giant boulders. The short length and scrambly nature of the hike makes it particularly entertaining for experienced hiker-kids. It does require experienced hiker-adults to accompany them because the trail is poorly blazed, and appears as if it was never officially marked. (Driving time is just about an hour; rated for experienced hikers for elevation gain, scrambly nature, and poor blazing).
Bowman’s Hill climbs a bit over 300 vertical feet from River Road, with an average gradient of over 25%. That’s pretty darn steep, and it’s one of only a handful of spots within half an hour of downtown Trenton where you can gain so much elevation. Most of this trail is on paved paths, but the climb up the hill is on a trail that’s no longer maintained, hard to find, and unmarked. But it’s short, sharp, and fun: definitely worth checking out by experienced hikers, given its proximity. (Driving time is only about 20 minutes from downtown; rated for experienced hikers only for elevation gain, steepness, and lack of blazing).
The Jacob’s Creek Preserve provides a little over a mile of trail along this famous creek, a charming, short reminder of a wilder time. The southern end of this walk is particularly lovely, because it passes through farm land not yet subdivided into McMansion plots. (Driving distance is about 20 minutes from downtown Trenton; rated Intermediate for footing which is sometimes irregular. The trails will get muddy in wet season.)
In this era of global warming, it seems crazy that Mercer County could have leased a mountain to a ski resort operator until 1997 at this site. Now the place is pretty much ignored, which is a pity, because this is truly a fun hike with the some of the BEST visual payoffs in Mercer County. Trails aren’t maintained (and can be quite brushy), aren’t blazed or signposted. Footing can be tricky. Accessing “The Ledge” requires traversing a narrow path with steep drops on both sides. (Driving time is about 25 minutes from downtown Trenton. Rated for experienced hikers only! )
This is a charming hike with views, rock formations, and a cold water stream that tumbles through a steep, bouldery gorge. Here you have the option to park at the bottom (on Fairview Avenue), and walk up 500-700 vertical feet, or park at the top (off Schooley’s Mountain Rd) and eliminate most of the climbing. Experienced hikers can find some challenging trails, while beginners will enjoy the nicely graded and graveled converted woods roads near the top. Both can make their way to the principal viewpoint. (Rated Experienced to Beginner depending on where you go; driving time is 1 hour 20 minutes from downtown. Kids will enjoy the views, the rock formations, and the dramatic Electric Brook).
The Woodfield Reservation is an off-the-beaten track preserve in north-western Princeton. It provides just under two miles of woodland hiking trails, with the greatest elevation change you’ll find within the town limits (about 100 feet), and two geologic features that kids love. The trails are laid out in two intersecting loops that cross a series of small brooks which flow during the wet season. Note that the trails do get muddy in places, especially in the spring, and because they get relatively little use, can be narrow and brushy. (Driving time is about 25 minutes; rated Intermediate for brushy trails and poor signage).
It took me 22 minutes to drive to the trailhead parking lot from Trenton. Once on the trail, you’ll find yourself in a wild, tranquil world where everything seems to be right. No small feat. The path extends more than a mile (almost 2 miles round trip if you stay south of Rosedale Rd), tracking Stony Brook most of the way. This flood plain preserved a swathe of undeveloped land through some of the most valuable real estate in New Jersey. When the leaves are up on the trees, you’re barely aware of the suburban development that surrounds you. (Rated for Beginners. The trail is largely flat and well maintained, though it will get muddy in spots. A great hike for young kids.)
Fiddler’s Creek Preserve is a 120 acre parcel directly south of the Baldpate Preserve, on the opposite side of Fiddler’s Creek Road. It provides two miles of Beginner to Intermediate trails, none with more than 80 feet of vertical elevation change, through fields, woods, and (most interestingly) Fiddler’s Creek Ravine. Kids will enjoy the rock walls of the ravine and the historic ruins. These trails offer about 45 minutes of easy walking, and can be combined with the Summit Trail of Baldpate Mountain via a connector trail for a longer hike. (The Ravine trail and Stoneface trails are rated Intermediate, though spry Beginners should be able to handle them. All other trails are Beginner. Driving time is about 20 minutes from downtown Trenton.)
For beginning to intermediate hikers, Hacklebarney gives you a taste of what wilderness hiking is all about. The Park is truly beautiful, with trails that overlook tiny, pristine brooks that still support wild native trout (the brook trout), and descend through dense woods towards the Black River. Kids will love the streams and the rock formations. (Driving time is a little over an hour; rated Beginner to Intermediate depending on the trails you select)
For young kids, there’s something about sleeping in a tent outdoors that’s truly exciting. It’s great even when it’s in the back yard. When it’s in the woods with a blazing camp fire, next to a farm, a short walk from a pond that’s stocked with trout, and adjacent to fun hiking trails, it’s an experience they’ll remember for a lifetime. (Driving time is about 75 minutes from Trenton, Walks are rated Beginner to Intermediate)
Much less well known than Valley Forge, Jockey Hollow was where Washington’s army spent the winter of 1777, following its victories in Trenton and Princeton. There’s a beautiful, Intermediate hike through some of the National Park that preserves the area, and part of the NJ Audubon Society sanctuary. It climbs a ridge, passes the camp site of the NJ Brigade, and descends into the headwaters of the Passaic River, here a small wild trout stream. (Driving time is about 1:15 from Trenton via 206/I-287; rated Intermediate for elevation change though the hike is fairly steep in spots)
The Water Gap is one of the geologic wonders of the area, and the Mt. Tammany hike takes you to an awesome, panoramic view of it. Rising more than 1,000 vertical feet from the trailhead, it’s one of the steeper and more challenging hikes you’ll find anywhere in NJ. Accordingly, we rate it for Experienced hikers, though the major challenge is fitness. Fit individuals of any experience level may welcome the opportunity to take it on, though beginners will find the footing challenging in places. Kids will love the scramble, the views, and the sense of accomplishment of climbing a “real” mountain. (Driving time just squeaks in around 90 minutes; rated Experienced for elevation gain and footing)
The Point Mountain Preserve is one of the nicest hikes in NJ. Yes, it’s over an hour from Trenton, but it’s well worth the trip. Why? It’s a bit more challenging, and frankly fun, than most NJ hikes, and takes you through diverse habitat including corn fields, woods, a trout stream, and an ancient rock fall. Kids will love the scrambling and the views. (Driving time is about 75 minutes, Rated for Intermediate to Experienced hikers depending on the trail selected)
Cushetunk offers two different hiking options. If you park at Old Mountain Road in Lebanon, it’s an intense 2.4 mile loop hike that includes a fairly strenuous scramble along a 0.9 mile ridgeline and an elevation gain of about 450 feet. If you park on Mountain Rd, in Whitehouse Station, the hike is about 7.5 miles and 1,100 cumulative vertical feet. (Driving time is about 70 min, Rated for Experienced hikers for elevation gain, rugged footing, and poor blazing)
Lovely trail section of the Baldpate trail system, recently re-blazed with drainage improvements. Less steep than Summit or Switchback trails, but lovely in its own right. We suggest loop hike: Kusar Mountain to Copper Hill (either branch, western harder and wetter), to parking lot, then return via Kusar Mountain, which starts near high tension wires.
