Corrections or additions?
These listings were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper
on November 24, 1999. All rights reserved.
For Families, Holiday Destinations
Top Of Page
Culture & History
University, 609-258-1148.
At this mini-museum children can explore fantastic sites of three
favorite authors (C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and E.B. White) by
peeking
through the fantasy wardrobe (as in C.S. Lewis’ "The Lion, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe"). Push a button in Wonderland to hear
a voice recite "Jabberwocky," or use word magnets to write
about the seasons in the barnyard of "Charlotte’s Web." Among
the high-tech attractions, a video studio where youngsters can act
out an updated fairy tale and then watch themselves on screen. Funded
by the Lloyd E. Cotsen, former CEO of Neutrogena Inc., this library
is a wonderland for adults and children alike — an excellent
family
destination. It is open weekdays from 9 to 5 p.m., and on Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m, but closed on holidays, including from
Friday, December 31 at 1 p.m. to Sunday, January 2 at 1 p.m.
609-258-3787. Look for Picasso’s "Head of a Woman" out front.
Children’s talks take place Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. during the
school year.
Princeton Battlefield State Park, 609-921-0074. Open Wednesdays to
Sundays. After the Battle of Princeton, General Hugh Mercer died here;
it is furnished as a Quaker farmhouse during the Revolutionary War.
The expansive lawns by the Mercer Oak or by the Greek columns marking
the common grave are open to picnickers.
Route 1, North Brunswick, 732-249-2077.
Permanent exhibits of equipment, technology, and handicrafts of New
Jersey farm life. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Adults $4; seniors $3; children 4 through 12
$2.
Located
in a Victorian house, the museum has antique dolls, toys, clothing,
furniture, weapons and a particularly strong collection of Native
American artifacts. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m.
609-292-6464. Tuesday to Saturday, 9 to 4:45 p.m., Sunday, noon to
5 p.m. Everything from dinosaurs and American Indian artifacts and
antique furniture to fine arts and a planetarium. Lectures, kids
shows,
a family laser concert series.
609-396-1776.
Historical interpreters in period dress explore life in colonial and
revolutionary New Jersey. Built in 1758, the building housed British
soldiers during the French and Indian War, and three Hessian regiments
succumbed to George Washington’s troops on December 26, 1776. Recently
given a major makeover, this spot is rated wonderful for children.
201-200-1000. Website: http://www.lsc.org.
A three-story adventure palace for all ages, the Liberty Science
Center
features permanent and changing hands-on exhibits, movies, and a
lunchroom
with a view of Manhattan. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. Admission to the exhibits is $9.50 for adults; $7.50
for children ages 2 to 18, and seniors. Combination tickets that
include
the IMAX movie (currently showing "Wolves") and 3-D Theater
are $15.50 adult; $13.50 children and seniors. Parking in the
state-operated
lot is $5.
The New Jersey State Aquarium — a graceful, V-shaped domed
building,
its rooftop pennants flying above a riverside promenade with a
remarkable
view of Philadelphia’s cityscape — the crown jewel in the
redevelopment
of the Camden waterfront.
Operated by the New Jersey Academy of Aquatic Sciences, its
760,000-gallon
Open Ocean Tank is one of the largest in the country. Interactivity
is a part of each Aquarium exhibit, drawing in children and adults
alike. The entry rotunda is adorned by a massive seven-foot-high open
jaw of a Megalodon shark, extinct for 10,000 years; it leads to the
Shark Zone, where other shark jaws are mounted in display cases around
the Touch-a-Shark tank, its rim crowded by children.
The Aquarium’s fish population numbers more than 4,000, and its recent
tenants include a delightful colony of aquatic birds, joined last
year by African penguins in a 6,000 square-foot exhibit called Inguza
(an African word for "penguin") Island, complete with a
17,000-gallon,
8-foot pool. Winter hours: Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.;
weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for 12 and over cost $11.95; and
$8.95 for children 3 to 11; under 3 free.
215-963-0667. Website: http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org.
The holiday season kicks off Friday, November 26, with a holiday
exhibit,
"The Gift of Reading, featuring four interactive gift boxes that
focus on classic children’s stories marking the winter holidays of
different faiths.
609-371-6150.
Website: http://www.wondermuseum.com.
This interactive children’s museum boasts a pumper fire truck, an
ambulance, a castle fortress, a 1948 Gunther Biplane, a 1926 black
Ford Model T roadster, a log cabin complete with pot-belly stove,
half-size model of Columbus’ ship, the Pinta, a teepee, a dance studio
complete with ballet barre, a television station, a bank of computers
— and more.
It is open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Admission is $7.99 plus tax per person; children under 2
are free. It will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Top Of Page
Outdoor Places
609-258-3603.
Let school-age kids run around the campus — treasure hunt fashion
— finding the outdoor sculpture from the Putnam collection. Equip
them with a $1 guidebook — with a map and pictures — from
Maclean House, the University Store, or the Art Museum. Another
option:
the $1 gargoyle book, but to really appreciate the gargoyles, bring
opera glasses or binoculars.
609-586-0616. Another great place to stretch their legs — a
22-acre
landscaped sculpture park on the former state fairgrounds site, with
indoor exhibitions in the glass-walled, 10,000 square foot museum,
and the newly-renovated Domestic Arts Building., open Friday s and
Saturdays, 10 to 4 p.m., and by appointment. In the Museum and
Domestic
Arts Building, "Beverly Pepper," one-artist show to April
16, 2000. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Amwell.
609-466-3803. Two large 18-hole courses with a clubhouse to warm up
in. Home page: http://www.pinecreekgolf.com.
Road, Pennington. 609-737-3735. A working organic farm and weekend
nature programs for all ages.
Route 206. Extensive arboretum with playground equipment and picnic
tables, no public bathrooms.
copters and fixed wings land, browse in the pilot store, ask to see
the antique airplane.
Titusville, 609-737-3299. Website:
http://livinghistory.com/howellfarm.
Experience 19th-century agricultural life on this working and teaching
farm. Thanksgiving program on Saturday, November 27, features
free horsedrawn hayrides, a wreath and sleighbell sale, and a
children’s
craft program. Rides are free, but donations of canned goods are being
collected for area food banks. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Mondays.
Free.
Opens Saturday, November 20. Public skating hours: weekdays, 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.; Tuesday & Friday evenings 8 to 10 p.m. Saturdays 1 to
4 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m.; family’s with small children only, 5 to 7
p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
are farm animals for children to feed and pet. Open daily.
http://www.terhuneorchards.com
Top Of Page
Play Places
732-438-1212. A fun and fitness entertainment center.
Center, 609-895-6677; fax, 609-895-2929. Play center.
Junction,
609-936-1800. A recreation complex with a laser tag game.
place for laser tag gaming.
08520. Rich Ganeles, owner. 888-266-4386.
Sixty boardwalk arcade games, available by reservation to groups of
adults, children, or mixed ages on an "unlimited free play"
basis.
Shopping Center, Princeton 08540. Jim Cloer, owner. 609-924-6276.
In-store 15-foot practice ramp for skateboarders.
Corrections or additions?
This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com
— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
Facebook Comments