Sites in Central & North Jersey
While meandering our way from Central New Jersey up towards the New York border, we listened to Blind Faith by Joe McGinniss; this is a true crime book that took place near where I grew …
Category: Nature
The New Jersey Botanical Garden
The New Jersey Botanical Garden was an unexpected delight, and it was free! And we got very lucky because it had been pouring on the day of our visit, but stopped just as we arrived, …
The Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
I always hesitate to go to zoos, as I usually just feel bad for the animals, but the Popcorn Park Animal Refuge in Forked River, N.J., is a place near and dear to my heart. …
Architecture / Flowers / History / Museums
The Nemours Estate
The last of the du Pont-related visits we made in Wilmington, Del., was also the most opulent – the Nemours Estate (the other visits were Hagley and Winterthur). This 200-acre “country estate” has a 77 …
Architecture / Flowers / History / Museums
Winterthur Museum and Gardens
Winterthur, pronounced “winter-tour” and named after an ancestral home in Winterthur, Switzerland, is one of the famous du Pont-related estates in Wilmington, Del., (we also toured Hagley and Nemours, and they are very different experiences). …
The Marian Coffin Gardens at Gilbraltar
In 1844 John Rodney Brinkle built an Italianate mansion in Wilmington, Del., and named it Gibraltar for the high, rocky outcropping upon which it was built. 55 years later, Hugh Rodney Sharp and his wife Isabella …
The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden
I was feeling a little uncertain about the steep per-person entry fee for the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh, Penn., but even though I only spent 75 minutes there, I have to admit …
Allegheny Observatory
Doug and I did a nighttime tour of the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh, Penn. The observatory is one of the most significant astronomical facilities in the history of the science, and was key in the …
The National Aviary
The National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Penn is the largest aviary in the US. It is not government-operated as the “national” in its title implies, but an independent non-profit that was accorded honorary “National” status by …
The Frick Greenhouse
The Greenhouse on the grounds of the Frick estate in Pittsburgh, Penn., Clayton, served the family from 1897 to 1970. It provided fresh flowers for their home, and really, this post is just an excuse to …