New Jersey sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to events that occur across the state; a situation that is completely without merit. Oh sure, we’re not as big geographically as our neighbors to the north and to the west, but we have two (count ‘em) two state fairs. Patricia Buchanan is a PR representative for the one coming up soon: “This is State Fair Meadowlands, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford from June 22 thru July 8. (The other "state fair" you’re thinking of is what’s also known as the Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, held in August up in Sussex County),” she wrote. Going …

Continuing the theme of festivals and outdoor events, this week’s Day Tripper destination finds Peddler's Village (Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA) readying the 20th edition of its Fine Arts and Contemporary Crafts Show. This juried outdoor exhibition features original artwork including paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, jewelry and contemporary crafts with cash prizes being awarded in three categories: "Fine Art," "Contemporary Crafts," and "Photography.” Eve Gelman, public relations manager for Peddler’s Village, wanted to make sure people understood this was not merely an insider’s…

To be fair, adults viewing the television commercials for Six Flags Great Adventure can't be faulted for thinking their favorite rides from their youth have disappeared. After all, the Six Flags company prides itself on being one of the most current amusement park chains, fully leveraging its partnership with one-time owner Warners, Inc. through rides that feature characters from its properties: Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern. These are all great thrill-rides, and Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn as well as many Cartoon Network icons dot the park. But what if you’re feeling nostalgic? There …

Michelle Greco Falcone, the communications manager for Visit Bucks County, recently emailed Day Tripper and asked, “Have you visited Bucks County, Pa. lately?” Our collective reply was, no, we haven’t. But maybe that would be a good idea. Falcone send us a short list of things to do and see in the county, and we’ll be looking into several of them as weeks progress. But we did note that this year is particularly significant for the area, as it is Fonthill Castle and Moravian Pottery & Tile Work’s 100th anniversary. The buildings, along with the Mercer Museum, tell the story of Henry Chapman …

Live music almost always makes for a worthwhile day trip, and two unique opportunities are arriving soon. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra will make an appearance in Monroe Township (at Monroe High School, 200 Schoolhouse Road, Monroe Township) May 12, courtesy of the Monroe Arts Committee, and returns to its home auditorium the next day. "In fact, our regular Classical Series concert in May, Spun Beauty, takes place Sunday, May 13 at 4 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton," Meredith Laing, spokeswoman for the orchestra, said. The program includes "Disquiet" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, "…

New York is up to its eyeballs in superheroes. You can’t walk down the street without tripping over one of them. New Jersey has only one superhero, Toxie, and that’s enough for us. Toxie, or "The Toxic Avenger," is the titular character of the cult film featuring New Jersey’s first superhero, borne from the mutative effects of toxic waste, or more precisely the iconic, psychotic, (Tromatic?) Troma Entertainment. In the tradition of small-budget studios from the 1950s through the 1970s, Troma wasn’t out to make art-house fare, peppering its movies (often corralled under the “exploitation” or “…

New Jersey and the institution of the diner just go together so well. Is it any wonder? A diner comes merges the convenience of fast food with the feel of sit-down dining. You can have either a large meal or just a cup of coffee, with a party of many or a party of one. So for this week’s Day Tripper, we’re looking at two different diners with a couple things in common. Both are in Monmouth County, but we may get an appetite for checking out diners in other parts of the state in later installments as well. The Roadside Diner in Wall has been an area institution since the 1940s, at the …

New Jersey often has a bad reputation, if not because of endless suburban neighborhoods, then thanks to the industrial compounds that line the Turnpike. And yet, there still are so many regions that have acres of natural beauty to be explored, provided you are respectful in your approach. Respectful was a key description of Jacques Cousteau, a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqualung, pioneered marine conservation, and became the face and name…

There is something about a model train set that brings out the inner child in people of almost any age. For some, the creation and execution of these big—yet, little—worlds appeals to side that still has a fondness for Tonka trucks and digging mountains among the molehills. For others, it is the attention to detail and the sheer craft of it all, not just the machinery but the displays that surround them, that offers landscapes you want to just fall into and live in for a while. Model train sets remind people of simpler times, quite often of Christmas, and of feeling big in tiny worlds when, …

America's financial fortunes and its place in the world are, in many ways, thanks to products that didn’t innovate as much as they made it easy to move innovations from one place to the next. Think about the ease with which products are transported by roadways and over bridges. That convenience is attributable in part to John A. Roebling and his children. Roebling was a German-born American civil engineer. He is famous for his wire rope suspension bridge designs, in particular, the design of the Brooklyn Bridge, during the construction of which his toes were crushed, debilitating him and …

You are tired. So is your significant other. You both need a getaway, but can’t afford to go too far away, and it’s kind of an off-season time to take a traditional vacation anyway … what’s there to do? Here’s a thought. The grandparents say they don’t get enough time with their grandkids, so wrap up them and their iPads and X-Boxes, and head for Princeton’s Nassau Inn for the weekend. Lori Rabon, the general manager of the Nassau Inn (located at 10 Palmer Square in Princeton), has plenty of reasons why you’d want to shake off the late-winter blues at her establishment. “The Nassau Inn has …

Context is everything. That's a lesson clearly valued at the South Jersey Museum of American History, at 123 East High Street in Glassboro. It has taken into account the particular historical positioning of New Jersey, while at the same time remembering how the state fits into a much broader story. "The South Jersey Museum of American History has a national scope. We include southern New Jersey history, but our emphasis is on the entire United States,” said the museum’s curator,Jeffrey Norcross. "We cover five major areas of history: pre-Columbian, Colonial, political history, antique tools …

his column tries not to repeat itself. Yet, there are times when a revisit is called for, and few things demand attention quite like artifacts that founded two of the dominant world religions. That’s exactly what you’ll find with the exhibition Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times, which runs through April 15 at Manhattan's Discovery Times Square at 226 West 44th St. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see objects recently discovered in the Holy Land, such as what is currently seen as the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Bible, hundreds of biblical era artifacts, and …

Diego Rivera was a man of varied passions. He was a fervent Mexican Communist, a husband four-times over, one of which was with the equally controversial Frieda Kahlo. A self-avowed atheist, and also a revolutionary through his art, Rivera made a huge splash in the early 20th Century via an exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 West 53rd, New York. Almost a century later, Rivera returns in spirit to MoMA in a new exhibition celebrating work he made specifically for the museum, as well as the materials he compiled to compose the works–sketches, thumbnails and notes. It all …

We know many Patch readers have been taking the column to heart and have been making visits to our suggested destinations. But some of you haven’t. Well, that cannot stand. So, for this week’s entry we’re sending the whole lot of you to jail ... to be more precise, you’re going to the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site in Philadelphia. It's our "Day Tripper" pick of the week. DAY TRIPPER DIGEST Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes Why it’s Worth the Trip:  How many times can you say you went to prison and were released the same day? How about adding in a visit to a historical …

Have you ever actually seen the Liberty Bell? You’ve heard about it, maybe you read about it during history class, or seen iconic images of it, but have you actually seen it? Now is a great time to check it out and Jeffrey Lew of the architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the project architect for the Liberty Bell Center, which has housed the bell and exhibited it to the public, explained how the impressive home for the bell came about. “The 1997 master plan of Independence Mall envisioned the making of a great American place in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic district. In keeping …

The second week of 2012 has passed and a few things are apparent, not the least of them is just how dark it is outside. Sure, each day is staying a little lighter a little later—that’s the slow walk to springtime in action. But for a month or more we had the extra illumination of holiday lights and bright colors. By now, you might be craving for some of that as you’re driving home in the dark. Janet Peterson, marketing and public relations director for Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville in southern New Jersey, believes she might have the cure for those dark weekend nights. “The …

On occasion, this Day Tripper column can be evil. How can that be? Well, consider that the No. 1 New Year’s resolution for a majority is to lose weight. But instead of suggesting new gyms and other forms of physical activity, we’re taking a look at the massive Eataly complex in New York. Evil? Yeah, a little bit. But consider this—a veritable mall in the heart of the city devoted to all things food. Shepherded by luminaries like Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, Eataly is as much an experience as it is a place to shop and eat. Around any corner one can find ingredients imported from all over…

There is so much to do in New Jersey during the winter holidays: visit farm markets, spend your Christmas money at various area malls, head to the shore and jump into the ocean. Wait. What? It’s true. The Mad Hatter Pub & Pizzeria, 10 E. Ocean Ave, Sea Bright would like you to come on down and take a dip for the third Polar Bear Plunge on the first day of 2012— that's tomorrow. “This event started two years ago, [and] this year is the third annual plunge,” said Deana Rosenthal, president and founder of the Next Generation Foundation, which is the beneficiary of the event. "NGF and Mad Hatter …

New York can be a  crowded place year-round, but maybe never more so than during the holiday season. Still, Suzanne Morris, the senior manager of public programs for the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium in New York City believes she has the place when you need some space. Be forewarned, though: “A comfortable pair of walking shoes is always suggested as the museum spans several city blocks,” Morris said.  The destination, part of the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West at 79th Street, is as intriguing from the outside as it is inside. “One of the …