The annual wine festival is really fun with New Jersey wineries represented. $25.00 gets you in with a nice wine glass and your free to samply all day long. There is great food from vendors also.
I use this park on a regular basis for horseback riding. I particularly enjoy the trail system on the north side of the park. This park is used for walking/ hiking, dog walking, and mountain biking, too. There are no mountains, but there are some ups and downs that are fun on horseback or a bike. The south side trail system is frequented by mountain bikes and tends to be somewhat crowded, for my taste on horseback. I have always found that the bikers are polite and will give those on horseback the right of way. The steam engine is a treat for children during the holidays. Many events are held here- wine festival, flea market, etc. It is a great venue for that. The little church is adorable for a quaint wedding. I have always enjoyed a stroll into town, particularly the country store. There are many locations for a quiet picnic. They offer group camping, individual campsites, yurts, and cabins. The park is close enough to camp and go to the beach in Manasquan or Point Pleasant.
The campground is set up much like meant of the grounds in the state parks with the tent areas very close together, however they aren't so close that you are aware of your neighbor's activities. You are very close to an overpass for 195 and at night it sounds like you are sleeping on the side of the highway. It wasn't the worst place I've ever been to, but if you are looking to forget civilization, then it's not a good idea. The grounds themselves were set up nicely and were clear and even. The restroom/shower areas were clean and in good working order. Is was ideal for our one night of to catch the super moon and meteor shower, but I wouldn't recommend if you want the place and quiet of being in nature and away from other people.
For starters when you book online there is a 2 night minimum. That wouldn't have been to bad if the experience was half way decent. please save your money and time because the campsites are way to close to other campers and the noise was unbearable. in the middle of the night i would wake up to cars driving by. the sites are so small that the tents in not more that 20 feet away from the road so when a car drives past it sounded like it was a heavy rain fall on my tent. then you can hear the train station every 10 minutes blowing the horn. airplanes, helicopters and even the race cars. i wish i read reviews about this place before i booked it. needless to say i left after the first night and ate the cost for the second. please guys if you like peace and quite and a nice camping experience don't stay here.
My husband and I go walking every day off here. You can bike or walk but we want to get more out of our time so we walk.
We visited the Allaire Village with our two children to learn about American History. The village was very interesting and one could see how life was in an industrial town in the early 1800's. They had a working blacksmith shop, a bakery where you could buy treats, foreman's house, chapel, museum, and much more. The man at the carpenter's and tinsmith's shop was really helpful and explained things at a great level for our younger children. He answered all of our questions and was interesting as well as entertaining. All of the staff were friendly and informative. The kids loved going to the general store to buy old fashioned candy. It is a beautiful area to walk around and we very much enjoyed our visit!
A beautiful park. This was our first visit with our two under three grandkids and they loved it. Although we only saw a small part of this large park. The best part was the Pine Creek Railroad.It makes two trips around with the sound of bells and whistles. Immediately they both wanted to go again.The ride lasts 15 minutes and the train runs every half hour. Kids under three are free and adults are $4.00They hold birthday parties and give tours of the maintenance buildings where old rail cars are being restored. We will return again.They fell asleep in the car on the ride home.
The Allaire Village is a nice step back in time. There are a number of buildings: - General Store with novelty items like candy sticks, metal pieces from the blacksmith, old fashioned toys, ... - Bakery- scones, bread, coffee - Church, Dormitories, Blacksmith, Barn, Enamel Factory, Coach House, etc.They are staffed by folks dressed in period clothes and the story of the working town from the 1800s is quite interesting and they have events throughout the year. You pay $5 per car to park, but it is very convenient to the village (and restrooms), and when combined with a walk through the park makes for a nice day.
This has to be one of my favorite locations to visit outside of the busy season. There's a plethora of trails one can use for walking and biking. The quaint historic village is worth a visit. Definitely make sure to take a house tour as there is a lot of wonderful historic information to be shared. A lot of the volunteers are very knowledgeable and helpful. I learned quite a bit on my short trip and look forward to going back once the weather warms up a bit.
Another place right around the corner that we never went before. It is a very interestind place, provided you want to spend a half day learning something. It is a great place to spend an afternoon. Taking the little tours, demonstrations, gift shop and the bakery. The Bakery is fantastic. This is all in the historic village.It is really worthe a few hours of your time. It is a great state park with all sorts of trails, from walking to equistrian.