Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm Closed major holidays-please check their website for changes
Admission: Adults $29.00/Children over Two $24.00/Children under two Free/Digs are extra $25.00 with Museum Admission-$34.00 for Standalone and $20.00 for Members
I had read that a new museum had opened as part of Rowan University in Glasboro on the study of pre-historic creatures, many found in New Jersey and what I found fascination is that it was built right next to one of the research pits.
The front of the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum
The Mission of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
Our mission at the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University is to be a catalyst for good through the power of understanding the past. We deliver this through first-hand discovery of fossils and an immersive experience in the epic, real story of the dinosaurs. We bring awe and wonder to inspire action for a better world. Using the past, we put the present into perspective and give all people tools to create future actions for good. Whether it’s the pure joy of digging and exploring for exciting possibilities or an awakening of a growing realization about our place in time and how great the gift of life is, we aim to be a remembered, loved, and inspirational agent for good (Museum website).
The lake area outside the museum with the beautiful Fall foliage
This contemporary designed museums sits on a beautiful wooded site on a lake where the design of the building blends so well with the natural surroundings. With the Fall season in full display, the foliage of the surrounding woods blends so beautifully with the building and its grounds.
The side view of the museum at the lake
The museum entrance and hallway are open air and beautifully designed
After I paid my admission, I entered the open air beauty of the lobby with a wonderful little restaurant off to the side with sandwiches, drinks and pastries. To the other side of the lobby was a gift shop with an array of items perfect for both a child and an adult. The the doors to the side lead to the Terrace over looking the research pit.
The terrace just off the main lobby has gorgeous views of the research pits where new fossils are being discovered
The Fossil Pit:
(from the museum website)
Dig into the past at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum’s Quarry in Mantua, NJ, where you can search for real fossils from 66 million years ago! More than 100,000 fossils have been discovered at this incredible site, including mosasaurs, sea turtles, shark teeth, and more.
Your quarry adventure includes up to 60 minutes of hands-on fossil digging, plus a fossil to take home! Come ready to explore in comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes – rubber boots are recommended. All guests entering the quarry must have a ticket; children ages 2 and under are free. Guests must be at least 16 years old to dig independently.
I was not able to spend too much time out here as they were preparing for a wedding
The was a small cafe just off the lobby with a really nice menu that was getting ready to close for the afternoon
The Beverage and snack area of the museum restaurant
The restaurant is open for both breakfast and lunch and its selection is very nice. It was closing for the day when I arrived and they have a nice assortment of things to eat.
The Gift shop was on the other side of the lobby
The main part of the museum was down the hall and gave me an interesting perspective of how New Jersey was part of Dinosaur Age. What I liked about the museum was it challenges us with the past when we feel we can control the environment. I liked how it questions our own future.
The sign in the Main Gallery before you enter
The entrance to the main exhibition gallery
The main Dinosaur Gallery
The Teeth vs Tonnage exhibit
The Teeth and Tonage display
Dinosaur display lurking
The back of the gallery
The main Dinosaur Gallery
The Eagle Ray sign
The Eagle Ray
Creatures from the deep
Sea turtles
The Ammonoids sign
The Ammonoids display
The Ammonoids display
I thought the dinosaur displays dazzled with their detailed information and their interpretation of these ancient creatures. The life sized models really showed the day to day life and survival of these mammals.
The Sea Rex
The Sea Rex display
The Sea Rex up close
The Giants Flying Reptiles
The flying reptiles display
The Circle of Life exhibition
The Hall of Hope and Distinction:
(from the museum website)
This captivating experience highlights the asteroid impact that ended the dinosaurs 66 million years ago and the current climate crisis threatening a Sixth Extinction, while inspiring visitors to take action against climate change (Museum website).
The history of dinosaurs in New Jersey
The Fifth Extinction display
The room contained pictures of birds and mammals that are now extinct or on their way to being extinct. This is a cautionary tail of what can happen when we do not respect the environment
Critter Cover on the Lower Level:
(from the museum website)
Step into Critter Cove, where the wonders of today connect to the creatures of the past! Come face-to-face with incredible critters, from hands-on sea stars to a powerful monitor lizard. This isn’t just an exhibit, it’s a time-traveling adventure through evolution! Discover living descendants of ocean-dwelling invertebrates, dinosaur-age reptiles, and hardy mammal ancestors that defied extinction. Packed with excitement and discovery, Critter Cove is an unforgettable thrill for explorers of all ages!
The lower level aqua room and interaction room has tanks with small sea creatures we could interact with but I did not attempt to touch them. I loved seeing the small string rays and starfish. It was also interesting to hear from the naturalist about the conditions of our beaches and the ocean surrounding New Jersey.
The touch pool has various fish and aquatic life
This turtle was peaking out at me
After I toured the museum, I toured the grounds around the property and walked around the lake where the museum sits on its edge. The foliage was breathtaking that day.
The lake in the early Fall afternoon
The view of the museum on the side of the lake
The museum even has a family playground with pre-historic creatures to play on. I thought the design was quite clever.
The front of the playground outside the museum
The playground with its dinosaur themed equipment
The playground from a distance
For a university research museum, I thought it offered a lot for the public to see and experience. I did not know that New Jersey had such a rich history of pre-historic life in its past.
My nephew, Kyle, created this interesting pumpkin as a birthday present to me and represent Halloween 2026
I still can’t believe that Halloween is over. I swear I blinked my eyes on the Forth of July and I am now seeing Christmas decorations. One moment it is sunny and eighty degrees and the next the leaves changed colors early and there was October, which seemed to zoom by. What is funny is that Grace, who I report to in the parade, contacted me in July to see if I was volunteering and that made time go faster.
Arriving in Manhattan to a pop up Halloween store in the subway at 42nd Street
I knew it would be a busy time for me so I glad the goal at work that all my exams and papers would be done and graded for my students so could enjoy the Halloween weekend as well and just relax. It would be full steam ahead for them as well. All the days leading up to the holiday were busy so there were a lot of late nights. I could relax and just be part of the parade on Halloween night.
Don’t be fooled by the holiday. Halloween is the new start to the Christmas holidays and people spend big money on decorations, parties, costumes and entertainment and not just in the City. The suburbs where I live Halloween decorating of homes is huge and for four years I ran our Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest to showcase our residents work.
My blogs on the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest:
My across the street neighbor just loves pointing him in my house’s direction all through Halloween. The funny part is that when you Google “Giggles” the scarecrow, he now has his own byline on the Internet. Funny how things work out!
You really have to tour our town on Halloween Night to really experience the lights and decorations. People really spend a lot on decorations and some homes really decorate to the hilt. This house is decorated right near my bus stop when I return home from the City. You should see it at Christmas time as well.
My neighbors house by the bus stop into the City decorated on Halloween night
The decorations at the bus stop from Manhattan when I returned home on Halloween night
I had to be in Manhattan by 3:00pm to report to my Marshaling duties at Dominick Street in lower Manhattan so I left early for the City and ate lunch in Chinatown before I arrived at the Village. We have lucked out with the weather every year as a warm spirt seems to arrive just before Halloween and it was a beautiful but cool day that got warmer as the sun rose.
My first stop was Dumplings (Jin Mei) on Henry Street in Chinatown for their fried dumplings. This place is really catching on as the line was ten deep when I got there and twenty deep when I got to the front of the line. Their dumplings are worth it. Fifteen for $5.00 in this economy make them very popular right now. That and they are really good!
My lunch before the parade. Fried dumplings and a Coke
The Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings are so good
This was the view from the park that I eat at when I am in Chinatown just off Catherine Street
I walked to the parade route from Chinatown and I could see the City was preparing for both the Halloween Parade and the Marathon on Sunday. It was going to be a very busy weekend in the City. There was sidewalk barriers all over Lower Manhattan and the police were being placed for the night’s activities. I also saw lots of people in costume arriving in Chinatown preparing to walk in the parade.
Arriving on Dominick Street where the heart of the parade and puppet rehearsals
Preparing the puppets to start the parade
Dominick Street is where the magic of the parade starts as the puppets that were created in the Hudson Valley studios are assembled and then the puppeteer’s who perform in the parade practice before they head uptown at the beginning of the parade. Most of these puppets you will see later on YouTube at the beginning of the parade.
Lining the puppets up before the volunteers arrive
I was not too sure what this was meant to be but it really was creative
The puppets lined up in a row
These maiden witches have participated in many parades
While I checked in and started my duties for the parade, volunteers and entertainers started to arrive and thus the people started to want to sneak into the parade. This went on all night long as it usually does. Everyone ‘lives in the building in the parade route’ or everyone is ‘going to dinner’ just ‘across the street’ knowing full well the streets are blocked off and it is chaos in the streets behind us.
The puppet volunteers arrived between 4;00pm and 5:00pm to practice
The day turned into night as time zipped by and the frantic behavior of getting inside that parade route went on from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Trying to get performers and musicians and their friends who do not have passes inside takes a lot of coordinating. We had stragglers still trying to get in at 8:00pm when their floats were long gone.
The park on Sixth Avenue and Dominick Street
We were finally able to shut the street operations at Dominick Street by 8:45pm. The parade had started at 7:00pm and most of the floats had already headed uptown. One woman was crying at 8:00pm that her friends texted her to join their float and she did not have a pass to get in. We told her to go home. These are the things I listen to all night long.
The staging area on Spring Street for all the floats
The staging is where the magic comes to life and one of the most chaotic areas of the parade. I can’t understand why people want to sneak to see it here. It is so busy and the volunteers here have a lot on their hands. Everyone is trying to get all the entertainment organized in the parade and get them uptown all while letting all the costumed people into the parade to fill in around the floats.
Letting the bands into the parade takes a lot of work
The costumed characters entering the parade at Spring Street
This part of the parade route is trying to keep things organized and not a place where the public should be standing around gawking. The whining and complaining I hear every year from these people trying to sneak in thinking that they are going to sit down on some grand stand and watch the beginning of the parade is a pipe dream. There is so much going on to run this parade and there is no place to sit down.
Our favorite coordinator in his annual costume dressed as little pig
Getting the floats ready to travel uptown
The floats on Spring Street heading uptown
I had to do everything from being in everyone’s way to get some pictures in. For people reading this blog on the Halloween Parade, this is NOT the area to best see the parade so stop trying to sneak in. Go four blocks uptown and you will see much more.
The floats kept leaving the Shute to head up Sixth Avenue
The float heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The costumed crowds heading uptown
The crowds and floats heading uptown
The costumes were so creative.
The crowds continued their route uptown
The Balloon women
Skaters making their way uptown
Looking downtown at the last of the floats heading uptown
The costumed characters heading uptown
The costumes were really creative this year
The Central Park skaters heading uptown
The last of the costumed characters heading uptown before I left at the parade route to head uptown for the Volunteers Dinner.
The last float heading uptown at the end of the parade
I walked uptown through the parade up Sixth Avenue and could not believe the crowds that night. People were packed along the parade route. The crowds thinned a bit in the Village as people saw the end of the parade coming.
The crowds in the restaurants all over lower Manhattan were packed with people. There was not one restaurant, bar, fast food place or pizzeria anywhere around the parade that was not busy. Even the neighborhood Walgreens had lines ten deep with people buying snacks and drinks. I think with everything going on from the economy to the wars to politics and justly general life, people were here just wanted to blow off some steam.
As I passed Christopher Street and the Stonewall bar, the birthplace of the Gay Liberation Movement, the place was packed with people both inside and outside the bar restaurant
I saw this painted on the wall as I walked
The decorations on top of the buildings on Christopher Street
The scary skeleton on the side of that building
The witch in one of the display windows off Christopher Street
People all over the Village devoted their homes for the Halloween holiday
I walked the entire way up to da Umberto’s Italian restaurant for our Volunteer dinner and the restaurant was already packed with volunteers who were starved from a long day working the parade. I was glad I had the dumplings earlier that day because I was now ready for dinner. The food here is wonderful and we are always grateful to the sponsors who donate this dinner to us.
Arriving at da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street for dinner
Joining the rest of the volunteers at the parade for dinner
Enjoying the buffet dinner. Here we have the Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive oil
The staff at da Umberto’s does a nice job and the service here is always so friendly. The food is really good here and I really enjoyed the buffet dinner they provided especially the Chicken Parmesan and the Squash Ravioli.
Here we have the pastas on the buffet line Penne Vodka and Fall squash
My dinner that night
The biscotti for dessert
After dinner was over and a nice conversation over dinner with other volunteers at the table, it was time to head home. Some people were heading for Brooklyn for the big ‘After Party’ at Industrial City. I was exhausted between work, Midterms, yard and housework and laundry, I just wanted to head home.
I walked from 16th Street up Seventh Avenue to Port Authority and I can tell you the City was packed that evening. All the restaurants above 23rd Street were just as mobbed as the ones that surrounded the Village. This was the largest crowd I have seen for the parade since before COVID when it was 72 degrees in 2019. From West 16th Street to West 42nd Street, there was not one eating establishment that did not have a crowd. Even the $1.50 Pizza Slice places had long lines long after the parade was over. The pizzeria in Port Authority, which is never that busy, had a line with people eating before they went home (their food is really quite good).
The lights of Midtown
I walked by Bryant Park and just enjoyed the views. All the lights were on in the buildings surrounding the park. It was just the perfect night to walk around. This is when the City works its true magic.
Looking downtown on Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building
Looking up at Fifth Avenue
I walked around Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The night lights around the park are dazzling.
The lights in Bryant Park
The lights around the park
The New York Public Library at night
The fountain in the park
The face in the fountain gushing that evening
With mild 60 degree weather and clear starry skies, it was a spectacular night in Manhattan for both the parade and for Halloween. The streets were packed all along the way and even around Port Authority, all the restaurants and bars were packed with people wanting to have a good time. I have never seen the City so busy on Halloween night. People were desperate for a good time and I am sure they had one. It looked like people just wanted to blow off some steam. What a night for the parade!
It is the week of Halloween in New York City and the Museum of Modern Art opened its door for a Members get together.
The MoMA was haunted on a pre-Halloween Night and members of the museum were looking for a fright!
On October 28th, the Museum of Modern Art held their annual Members Night with a Halloween theme “It’s Alive”. They asked members to dress up and carried the Halloween theme throughout the museum with entertainment, refreshments and art lectures on spooky looking art. It was a fun evening out on a warm October night.
The Costumed guests at the Museum of Modern Art
The guests were greeted at the museum with a DJ playing and a pumpkin carving display being created. On the second floor, there were arts and crafts for adults and children, while a spooky silent film played in a darkened hall. The theme of the evening was “It’s Alive” and the museum came to life with each member arriving.
Members mingling among the ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night
The sign welcoming us for the Members Evening “It’s Alive”
Many of the museums were having their Members Nights before the start of the holidays but nothing beats a night at the MoMA before Halloween night. This was no ordinary night of Trick role Treating at the museum. There was a costumed DJ spinning tunes as we entered and the whole lobby was filled with people in costume.
The lobby was the heart of the party
I love the art in the lobby
There was a pumpkin carving demonstration on the first floor when we walked in
The museum planned an array of activities to enjoy from the DJ spinning to the to the dancing and music on the first floor. Pumpkin carving and artwork to enjoy with our creative side to a spooky silent film to watch and then tour the haunted halls of the museum looking for sinister art. Movies and music on the patio as the sun set and the moon rose in the night sky.
Our directory of the evening
My first stop was the outside patio and it was just beautiful this evening with the weather warm at 65 degrees and such a pleasant night to be outside. The cool weather finally gave way to a warm week leading into Halloween. Surrealist movies were playing on the screen while the Beauty of Midtown lights gleaned in the background.
The patio was busy with people chatting and enjoying the nice weather
My video on the patio
The patio fountains were lit for the evening
I then made my way to the second floor to watch a silent horror film, ‘The Cat and the Canary’
The beginning of the film
The movie in full
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
Watching the silent film
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
While we were watching the film, the tables were set with play dough and paper to create what inspired us. I created my version of Mr. Bill. It was fun being a kid again!
The table setting our spooky instructions
The spooky instructions
My version of Mr. Bill doing the scream
My creative artwork
After my time with the arts and crafts , I sat down to watch the full film which had lots of twists and turns on it.
I needed a drink after the film was over and with it being Midterms week at work, I really needed one to relax me. I eyed the Blood Orange Margarita and watch it get mixed. They even put a small gummy eye at the bottom of the drink.
The Blood Orange Margarita sounded good after a long week of running around
The margarita looked cute but not for $17.00. I thought it was a bit small with too much ice. The candy eyeball was cute though.
As I was enjoying my drink and listening to the music, the museum laid out trays of Halloween candy like M & M’s and Tootsie rolls, which got devoured quickly. As I walked around the lobby, the main floor turning into a dance floor of witches and ghosts and many costumed characters.
The make shift dance floor on the first floor
The party continued on the first floor
I continued the evening walking the galleries of the Fifth Floor looking for Halloween art. There were talks and tours all night and I joined other members on the Fifth Floor and I found many ‘haunting’ objects in the halls of the MoMA.
Artwork on the Fifth Floor
The spider like Alexander Calder piece
The colorful surreal pieces of the Fifth Floor
A missing mysterious magician
A headless Spector rooming the halls
Colorful art dominating the Fifth floor
The party continued into the later evening with the dance floor going strong.
The costumed characters on the dance floor on the first floor
I took a break from the festivities and relaxed on the patio enjoying the warm night and admiring the lights of Midtown. With everything going on in the world today, the MoMA tricked us in for a real treat at the museum that night.
Relaxing in the patio at the end of the evening
The haunted pools of the patio relaxed me that evening.
All good things come to an end and the museum started to close down by 9:00pm. I could tell many of the party goers did not want to leave but out into the darkness we went only to be treated by the array of lights to Midtown Manhattan.
Looking at the MoMA from a distance down Seventh Avenue
Decorating for Halloween has become a big business and all signs of the Fall were around us. Unfortunately with Halloween on Saturday I was already seeing the signs of Christmas lurking in the background. Designers were putting up pine displays and decorations you could see just waiting for Halloween night to end. Still for tonight, Midtown was a haunting display.
Pumpkins lining an office building on Sixth Avenue
The Fall leaves are falling along the sides of West 55th Street
Looking down 8th Avenue at night
It was fun to walk around the City on this warm October night and enjoy the pre-Halloween festivities. Trick or Treat everyone!
I had a five week break from the college when my first Summer class was cancelled. So I concentrated on traveling through New Jersey and New York, both the City and Upstate for my blog. I wanted to revisit many historical sites that I had seen during the holiday season (was Christmas six months ago?) or in the past. There were places like Central Park, where I had not seen certain sections in the Spring. This lead to me being part of many walking tours of gardens during the month of June.
With all the wet weather we had in the Spring, the gardens in June were lush with flowers and flowering trees and plants. Pathways lined with color and walled gardens beautifully laid out. It was interesting to see how these were planted, designed and maintained.
The entrance to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in June 2026
All the rain we had in April and May and the warm days of early June had awakened the Cherry Blossoms and I visited as many locations to see them in full bloom.
Please read my blog on visiting the Cherry Blossoms:
Once they were finished, gardens came to life all over the tri-state area and many historical homes and parks came to life in a sea of color and smells that showed the power of Mother Nature to make things beautiful. I was impressed with the work of many volunteer staffs and their dedication in taking care of these sites for all of us to enjoy.
Visiting to Amour-Steiner House for the Spring Garden Tour:
The Amour-Steiner House the day of the Garden Tour
The beds were in full bloom when we toured the gardens
The colors of the flowers were patriotic red, white and blue
In between the hedges, there was elegant statuary and potted urns with colorful flowers blooming with bright hues.
The urns were filled with bright colors of the season
Statuary representing the arts and music lined the hedges
The flowers were so brilliant that afternoon
I enjoyed looking at the statuary
The gardens were so beautiful with the house in the background
As we left the gardens, I admired the ornate Fox and the Glove gate on the way out
We then crossed the lawn to tour the greenhouse, where many of the flowers were and still are grown for decorating the house both inside and out.
The landscaping has a romantic spin on it as the property was planted to accent not just the property but the house as well giving it a natural but balanced look to it.
Touring the formal greenhouse
Even the working greenhouse had a romanticized look about it that reflected the house
The inside of the greenhouse. Each side of the counters seasonal flowers are grown for the property. This greenhouse is used all year long supplying the house with a steady stream of flowers.
In the middle of the greenhouse was a beautiful Victorian aquarium that was lined with more flowers. There were no fish at this time.
I loved the beautiful flowers that lined the counters
The Spring colors were breathtaking
We then started the tour of the house starting with the outside veranda that held more urns and planters of fresh flowers
The beautiful veranda lines the entire house
The beautiful colors from the potted and hanging plants
The veranda decorated for the upcoming ‘250th Anniversary of the United States
I walked the veranda before the tour to show the view of the property.
My tour of the patio
The hanging plants
The potted plants
We even admired the birdhouse that matched the house
We then went inside to tour the house. It would be interesting to see the house without all the Christmas decorations that I saw the last time I toured the house.
The triangle room off the foyer once used as the Receiving Room
The beautiful foyer to the second floor
The main Parlor/Living Room used for entertaining
The formal Dining Room
The decorative sideboard
The other decorative sideboard
The Dining Room table set for a Spring dinner
We then started the tour of the second floor which started in the game room at the top of there landing. I remember the big Christmas tree being here when the house was decorated for the holidays.
I liked the room was the way it is here
Then we toured the bedrooms which were not that elaborate but functional and comfortable as they are today.
One of several bedrooms on the second floor
The bathroom which is considered normal today was ahead of its time with flushing toilets and hot and cold running water
The office off the side in one of the Octagon corners
The Egyptian Room was the height of fashion with travel and new discovers in Egypt at the time.
The ceiling and decorations of Egyptian Room
The decor of the Egypt
The beautiful porcelain in the room
Then we toured the Curio Room. I thought the room was a lot of fun with small objects that people would have collected from their journeys at that time.
The shelves, counters and walls were filled with all sorts of interesting objects
Many types of object’s
The Victorian Terrarium that was becoming fashionable at the time
The fold out desk with small objects in each slot
A Victrola and Terrarium
The last part of the tour was of the newly renovated kitchen. The shelves were lined with a collection of shiny pots and pans.
The ‘modern’ Victorian kitchen
When the tour was over, I visited the gift shop and looked over the kitchen once more. It is interesting to see how ‘modern’ back then is ‘contemporary’ today. Victorians set the tone for the modern American home of today and the expectations of the American dream.
Before I left the grounds, I visited the gardens once more. It was such perfect weather to walk around and I enjoyed the beauty of these gardens. Mother Nature creates this all this.
Walking around the grounds of the home
I enjoyed walking around the gardens that day
I found this tour one of the most relaxing I have taken in a long time. The beauty of both the house and the gardens was wonderful. Just sitting on the veranda and looking over the grounds was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Taking the Clermont Garden Walking Tour 2026:
I returned in the Spring of 2026 for the an updated walking tour of the gardens “Gardens and Grounds: Evolving Landscaping of Clermont”, where the State of New York horticulturalist who had just been hired to maintain the gardens, explained to us the developments and goals that the State wanted for the direction of the landscaping on the property. They wanted it brought back to the 1930’s blueprint of what Alice Livingston had originally envisioned for the estate when she returned from Europe.
Arriving to the Clermont estate at 1 Clermont Avenue in Germantown, NY
We started the tour with a history of the house and Alice Livingston’s return from Europe to create her famous gardens
The front of the mansion in the Spring of 2026
We started the tour at the Walled Garden which was just finished being restored. The back wall had just been finished and the site’s main horticulturalist explained that she was working with a group of volunteers to maintain the gardens.
The Walled Garden designed by Alice Livingston
The Walled Garden in the Spring of 2026
The inside to the entrance of the Walled Garden
The back part of the Walled Garden
The next garden we toured was the Wilderness Garden which included wildflowers and a fish pond
The Wilderness Garden sign
The back part of the Walled Garden leads to the Wilderness Garden
The entrance to the Wilderness Gardens
The lecture on the design and plantings of the Wilderness Garden
The colorful wildflowers that line the grass paths
The fish pond in the Wilderness Garden
We then followed the path and walked up and toured the Cutting and Children’s Garden. These colorful gardens once supplied the house with an assortment of fresh flowers. It also taught the Livingston girls the attributes of gardening.
The Cutting Garden and Greenhouse sign
The main Cutting Garden
The Cutting garden
The Cutting Garden in the late Spring
The in season flowers in the Cutting Garden
The Children’s Playhouse and Garden is next to the Cutting Garden
The Children’s Garden in the Spring
Touring past the old Greenhouses
Part of the former greenhouse
The tour through the grounds with my group
The pathway back to Clermont
Touring along the river
The former roadway between the house and the river
The South Spring Garden
Our last garden toured was the one closest to the house and that was the South Spring Garden of which Alice could see from her window. When the porch was removed from the home and Alice developed plans for other gardens, this garden went ‘native’.
The South Garden
The South Garden in bloom
The views from the South Garden
The flower planters near the South Garden
The planters filled with Spring geraniums
Walking back after the tour was over and looking at the beautiful grounds
Ending the tour that day with a walk along the river
It was a beautiful day to walk the gardens and the perfect way to spend the afternoon. Each time I take a tour of the gardens, I am amazed how different they seem. I love the different times of the year and how it changes these gardens.
I returned to Manhattan the next week and as I was working in Inwood and Washington Heights neighborhoods, I took a tour of Isham Park with the Bruce Reynolds Gardens and Fort Tyron Park with the Heather Gardens, when they were in full bloom. It was breathtaking with the back drop of the Hudson River on a sunny afternoon.
In Isham Park, I toured the Bruce Reynolds Gardens, which is in the center of the park. They were in full bloom when I walked around the gardens and relaxed under the shade trees.
The new Bonnefont Restaurant is open for lunch and brunch
The restaurant was closed that afternoon but I was able to look at the menu online and it is an interesting menu. The cuisine is a mixture of French and Contemporary cooking.
Walking back through the gardens to the Fort Tryon location
Walking to the Fort Tryon site
The Fort Tryon site
Visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before Rose Night in 2026:
I got an email from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden saying that the Cranford Rose Garden was at its peak of blooming and that I should see it while it was at its prime. I was busy at work and was able to travel down to down to the gardens a few days later. Talk about perfect timing as the petals just started to fall.
The Cranford Rose Garden at peak is one of the most beautiful sites. The colors and the fragrances are just amazing. I could not attend “Rose Night” in 2026 because of a prior commitment plus it would be a gloomy night with the threat of rain. So I went the Friday afternoon before the event, which would be held the next Wednesday. By that point, the flowers would be out of peak.
The Cranford Rose Garden in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Cranford Rose Garden is amazing from every angle and the views from the top of the hill overlooking the garden shows the extensive amounts of roses planted and the array of colors.
The beds of roses of all colors and species
The entrance to the Cranford Rose Garden is full of an array of different types of colorful flowers
Touring the Rose Gardens in June 2026:
The tour
The beautiful and diverse flowers in the Cranford Rose Garden
The beauty of flowers up close
All sorts of roses line the trellis borders of the Rose Garden
What I love about walking around is that you can see the diversity of the roses. The garden is planted with different species so they bloom at different times giving the beds an array of colors at different times. Along the beds and trellis everything bloomed so vibrantly.
The beautiful orange roses that lined the trellis
The colorful trellis pathways
The reds and pinks in full bloom
Roses lining the lamppost
Admiring the beds of roses at the Cranford Rose Garden
Purple reins supreme
Walking through the trellis pathways of red
The beauty of the trellis
The back part of the garden
The back terrace of the Cranford Rose Garden
The elegant statuary of the rose garden and the sun dial
The back Terrace area
The back of the Cranford Rose Garden is lined with all sorts of flowering plants having a rainbow of colors.
Walking through the terrace gardens
The beautiful roses in the back of the garden
The roses in the back of the Cranford Gardens
Walking out the back of the gardens
The back path of the Cranford Rose Garden
The fountain in the back of the Cranford Garden
Visiting the Cranford Rose Garden when it flowering is one of the most interesting collection of colors and scents. This is why I try to time my visits around the blooming of the flowers.
The fountain in the peak of the rose season
The Tour of the Gardens at The Cloisters in the Spring 2026:
One of my favorite places with in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit is The Cloisters in any season. One of my favorite places when it is decorated for the Christmas holiday season, the Spring and Summer offer such beautiful displays of historical plants that try to match the theme of each Cloister and its historical background.
The docent led a very large group of us through each Cloister and told us of the way the curators plant the gardens to represent what may have been planted during the Medieval era for medical and nutritional functions of those peoples lives.
(From the Museum website)
The gardens of the Middle Ages included both real and ideal gardens. Poets and artists delighted in the depiction of fantasy gardens like the Garden of Love or of Paradise, but no real garden of the time remains to us. Historical records are rare and incomplete; the ninth-century plan for the monastery of St. Gall, with its carefully drawn and labeled garden beds, is unique. Archaeological excavations are yielding valuable new evidence, but we still know more about infirmary gardens of medicinal plants and aristocratic pleasure gardens than we do about humble kitchen plots of potherbs and vegetables (Met.org).
The gardens of the Museum, planted in reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, evoke those that provided sustenance and spiritual refreshment within the medieval monastery. Designed as an integral feature of the Museum, the gardens have been a major attraction of The Cloisters since its opening in 1938, enhancing both the setting in which the Museum’s collection of medieval art is displayed and the visitor’s understanding of medieval life. The gardens are designed and maintained by a horticultural staff actively engaged in researching and developing the living collection (Met.org).
The Cloisters at 99 Margaret Corbin Drive in Fort Tryon blooming in the late Spring
We walked through the Cloister discussing how plantings were determined by medical and religious purposes
The flower beds in the Cloister
The view of the Hudson River was amazing
The flowers in bloom
My video of the Garden Tour in the Summer of 2026:
The video
Flowers in bloom
Flowers in bloom
Flowers in bloom
We moved the next Cloister looking over the medical plants and flowers
The Cloister in bloom
Walking around the Cloister
The plants around the sills of the Cloisters
Touring the Cloisters and admiring the flowers
Everything in bloom
We toured the last Cloister while the tour guide explained the plantings
The last Cloister we toured
The garden in full bloom
The growth of the hops growing on a trellis
The hops planting up close
The flowers in bloom in the Cloister
A wonderful video on “Art and Gardens at the Met”
We ended the tour admiring the art in the Tapestry Room and having a discussion about the use of plants and flowers in Medieval art.
‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestry discussion
I then visited the ‘Creatures of Myth and Imagination-European and the Americas’ exhibition.
This exhibition was an interesting look at mythical beasts of the era of great exploration from European to the Americas. It reminded me of the book “In Search of Ancient Astronauts” with many golden creatures that look like they are visitors from another planet, Ancient Gods to worship and one civilization’s outlook on the unknown. The artwork was a cross between mysticism and respect.
The exhibition sign for “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas”
Set in the evocative atmosphere of The Met Cloisters, Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas sheds light on a selection of works created on either side of the Atlantic Ocean between 500 and 1500 CE. The exhibition’s exploration of hybrid creatures deepens our understanding of their apparent necessity among diverse peoples. In the Americas, a complex gold pendant by a Tairona artist of northern Colombia, depicting a confrontational figure with hands on hips, a crocodile-like head, and an enormous headdress, would have reflected and expressed the wearer’s status and power. In Europe, ferocious dragons such as the one depicted on a monumental fresco from the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, Spain, took center stage to convey a multiplicity of meanings both sacred and profane (Met.org).
The exhibition gallery
Unusual mythical creature
(From the museum website)
For as long as humans have told stories, we’ve imagined creatures that transcend the natural world. Fantastical beings combining the features of animals, humans, and even plants appear across cultures, emerging in the most ancient myths and enduring in contemporary epics. The widespread presence of these supernatural beings, possessing the power to transform and be transformed, reflects a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds. Visual artists have given form to these imaginary creatures, resulting in some of the most fearsome, beloved, and extraordinary works of art ever made (Met.org).
Small gold ancient Gods
Ritual Knives
Double pendants
Earth Deity
I took one last tour of the museum gardens before I left for the afternoon. On the balcony overlooking the Hudson River offered beautiful views and beautiful potted plants.
Walking out of the back Cloister
The back Cloister
The beautiful white flowers
The balcony overlooking the Hudson River
The potted plants by the doorway
The view of the Hudson River
Looking north up the Hudson River
The tour of the Gardens was amazing and the exhibition on the Pre-Columbian art interesting. It was a wonderful tour of the Cloisters.
I had a private function at the Museum of the City of New York across the street from the Central Park Conservatory Gardens. When the event was over, I took a walk around the gardens when they were in full bloom.
The gardens just went through a major renovation and each of the paths had rows of colorful flowers that were beautifully taken care of and designed to bloom at different stages of the growing season so there was always color in the gardens. The effect was amazing.
The entrance of the Central Park Conservatory lawn and fountain
The fountain and the geometric garden
Central Park Conservatory gardens at the entrance
The entrance of the gardens from the Harlem Meer area
The entrance to the flower gardens from the Central Park Conservatory lawn
The Central Park Conservatory garden beds
My video of touring the gardens in Summer 2026:
The tour
The gardens in full bloom in the Summer of 2026
The flower beds in the central of the gardens
The Central Park Conservatory Fountain and Lotus pools
I walked behind Hippo Park in Central Park one afternoon to discover a beautiful floral garden that was the 91st Street Garden that I had missed on previous walks in the park. The Garden did not look like this in the Fall.
The 91st Street Garden in the Summer of 2026
Then I remembered the scene in “You Got Mail” and remembered that this was the garden where they met. I always thought it was closer to Riverside Drive than it was here in the park.
The sign for the garden
As I passed the garden, I remember this was the garden in the last scene of the movie, “You Got Mail” when Meg Ryan realizes that her secret email pal is Tom Hanks. It was such a great scene and the perfect end to a great Rom-Com.
The end of the movie “You Got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks
The Gardens from the front
The flowers in full bloom
The flowers in full bloom in July 2026
All I could think about was this scene as I walked around the garden. The funny part is this was the first time I had ever visited this garden as I did not know where it was located. I knew it was on 91st Street but could never figure out where. You have to walk on the path behind the Hippo Playground and follow it to the other path.
The gardens from the front
Walking back up through Riverside park from the Hippo Playground
Walking in Riverside Park in the 90’s
You have to find your way through Riverside Park to find the garden but in the Spring and Summer it is worth the walk up and down the hill.
These are just some of the places that I am still visiting as the Summer season begins and there are more historical sites to see and more smaller gardens to visit. Let’s see what the rains produce in the coming months.
Places to Visit:
*Bloggers Note: the prices of these sites vary from season to season and can change from year to year. This is the same with the hours depending on what season you visit.
Fee: Adults $30.00/Seniors $17.00/Children $12.00/Members & Patrons and Children under 12 are free (prices do fluctuate). NY, NJ and CT students and NY residents Pay as you wish.
Museum Hours:
Hours: Open 7 days a week
March-October 10:00am-5:15pm
November-February 10:00am- 4:45pm
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th and January 1st.
*Some galleries may be closed for construction or maintenance.
