- Area News
- Glen Ridge Promotes Music in the Schools
- Suburban Essex Magazine Office Deep in Flood!
- Local Green Cleaner Offers Tips to Go Green All Year Round
- inBiz Connection-Business News
- Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative
- Morgan Business Solutions Expands to Chapel Hill, NC & Promotes Aronow to Exec VP
- Soraya (Morgan) Gutman Recipient of NJAWBO Trailblazer Award
Take a Walk on the Wild Side
By Lisa Melillo Published: 06/02/2009
We’ve rounded up some great places to check out in Essex County. Best of all, most attractions are free or low-cost—yet big on fun. Enjoy!
County Parks and Facilities: For information on the extensive, award-winning lineup of county facilities, contact the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs at 973-268-3500; www.essexcountynj.org.
Brookdale Park: With nearly 122 beautiful acres, the park has 7 miles of walking paths, a fitness course, running track, playground, tennis course, athletic fields, an off-leash dog park, and a formal garden with more than 750 rose bushes. Don’t miss its famous summer concerts and July 4th celebration. Watchung Avenue, Bloomfield; Grove Street, Montclair.
Cora Hartshorn Arboretum: Home to more than 150 species of native wildflowers and many migrating birds. It’s also an official monarch butterfly observation site. 324 Forest Drive South, Short Hills; 973-376-3587; www.hartshornarboretum.com.
Eagle Rock Reservation: Covering 408 acres, it offers activities for everything, with bridle paths, hiking trails, picnic area, softball diamond, 9-11 Memorial, and unrivaled Manhattan skyline views from the Highlawn Pavilion restaurant. Prospect and Eagle Rock Avenues, West Orange.
Edison National Historic Site: The public can explore Glenmont, home to America’s foremost inventor, as well as his restored greenhouse. Thomas Edison’s lab is closed until fall. 211 Main Street, West Orange. Park headquarters: 973-736-0550 ext. 46, Visitor Information 973-324-9973. www.nps.gov/edis/.
Essex County Environmental Center: This state-of-the-art facility offers cutting- edge programs for all ages. 621 Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland; 973-228-8776.
Greenwood Gardens: Discover 28 acres of wildflower meadows, ponds, woodlands, Arts & Crafts-style formal gardens, and the Colonial-style mansion. Guided tours by appointment only; call for fee information. 274 Old Short Hills Road, 973-258-4026, www.greenwoodgardens.org.
Grover Cleveland Park: This formal, 41.5-acre park (named after President Cleveland, a Caldwell native) features manicured lawns, large trees, waterways, and bridges. Facilities include lighted tennis courts, playground, baseball field, and picnic grove. Fishing is allowed. Location: Essex Fells/Caldwell.
Hilltop Reservation: Encompasses 284 acres, including many hiking trails. 125 Fairview Avenue, Cedar Grove.
Kip’s Castle Park: The magnificent 9,000-square-foot mansion on this 11-acre estate replicates a medieval Norman castle, complete with a carriage house. Spectacular views of Manhattan from park. 22 Crestmont Road, Verona; 973-239-2465.
Mills Reservation: 157 acres with open spaces, walking trails, and scenic lookout at Quarry Point. Normal Avenue and Reservoir Drive, Cedar Grove.
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens: More than 3,000 varieties of irises—some dating back to the 1500s—bloom here through early June. 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Upper Montclair; 973-783-5974, www.presbyirisgardens.org.
Richard J. Codey Arena: Offers year-round, public ice-skating as well as private ice-skating and hockey lessons. Party booking available. 560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, 973-731-3828.
Riker Hill Complex: This 204.68-acre “hidden jewel” encompasses The Riker Hill Art Park, where former Army barracks now house artists’ studios and craft centers—plus Becker Park, a 147-acre tract of undeveloped parkland with panoramic views. Outdoor sculptures dot the complex, which also includes Dinosaur Park, where the smallest dinosaur tracks were discovered. An “Artists at Work Open House and Sale” will be held June 6-7, 11am-5pm. 284 Beaufort Avenue, Livingston, 973-239-2485.
South Mountain Reservation: With 2,047 acres, the reservation encompasses the Richard J. Codey Arena, the Turtle Back Zoo, Washington Rock Lookout Historic Site, Hemlock Falls, 10 picnic areas, 19 miles of hiking and walking trails, 27 miles of carriage roads for jogging, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing, a camp, archery range, the Rahway River, and Orange Reservoir. Upcoming events include Millburn historical tour (July 11), West Orange Woods Loop (July 19), and 5-mile hike on Lanape and Oakdale trails (Aug. 1). South Orange Avenue and Cherry Lane, West Orange; www.Somocon.org.
Turtle Back Zoo: Visit with alligators, black bears, prairie dogs, wolves, penguins, and many other animals at the expanded facility. Zoo also features Reptile Center, pony rides, the “endangered species” carousel and miniature train. New this year are the “Night Moves” guided tours, June 25, July 21, and August 14 at 8pm. Pre-registration is required; $5 for adults, $5 for children; free for zoo members. Regular admission: adults, $9, children and seniors, $5; free for tots under two years old. 560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, 973-731-5800, www.Turtlebackzoo.com.
Van Vleck House & Gardens: This 5.8-acre estate features formal gardens that include large collections of azalea, rhododendron, and a spectacular 70-year-old wisteria. 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, 973-744-4752, www.vanvleck.org.
Verona Park: A picturesque park boasting a beautiful 13-acre lake with ornamental bridge, surrounded by weeping willow trees and winding paths. Activities include boating in rented rowboats and paddleboats, fishing, playground, fitness course, bocce courts, children’s garden, tennis courts, and walking trails. Concerts at Bloomfield Avenue and Lakeside Avenue, Verona. Boating information: 973-239-3900.
West Essex Park: The 1,360-acre area is primarily a wetlands preserve and remains undeveloped. It begins at Bloomfield Avenue in Fairfield and ends just beyond South Orange Avenue in Livingston. Activities include bird watching, fishing, boating and canoe landings, a forested interpretive trail, golf driving range, and miniature golf. Eagle Rock Avenue and Passaic River.
OVER THE COUNTY LINE
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm: Get glimpse into late Victorian era life. 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, 973-326-7645.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center: A haven for wild plants and animals, with swamps, dry woods, and marshes. . 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham, 973-635-6629.
Historic Speedwell: Experience life during early Industrial Revolution; see factory where Samuel Morse created the telegraph. 333 Speedwell Ave., Morristown, 973-285-6550.
Lewis Morris County Park: 1,154-acre park with lake; ballfields, camping and picnic areas, horse trails, and playground. 270 Mendham Road, Harding, Mendham and Morris Townships.
Leonard J. Buck Garden: A premier rock garden, formed by ice glaciers, garden features rock outcroppings, wildflowers and rare, exotic plants, wooded trails. 11 Layton Road, Far Hills, 908-234-2677.
Watchung Reservation: 1,945 acres with trails, lake, 19th-century village remains, playgrounds, stables, Nature and Science Center, Natural History Museum. 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside; 908-789-3670.
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: 7,700 acres with more than 223 species of birds, and fox, deer, muskrat, turtles, fish, and frogs. Wildlife Observation Center has trails for observing wildlife, plus hiking trails. 241 Pleasant Plains Road, Basking Ridge, 973-425-1222,
www.fws.gov/northeast/greatswamp.
GOLF, ANYONE?
Francis Byrne Golf Course, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, 973-736-2306.
Hendricks Field Golf Course, Franklin Avenue, Belleville, 973-751-0178.
Pinch Brook Golf Course, 234 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park, 973-377-2039.
