We took a trip back in history to Allaire State Park. We visit a lot of state parks and the boys participate in New Jersey's Passport to Adventure. Allaire and it's historical village has been on my 'list' for a long time.
The whole Costello Clan went on this expedition. We all have different travelling requirements, and Ethan's not going far without a Coke!
.JPG)
With that taken care of, we moved on to the beautiful grounds the park has to offer. Allaire is a preserved, 19th Century Iron Making village. We visited on a Sunday and the artisans and docents were in full effect. The blacksmith was very talented and really impressive and very hot - you know, like, sweaty!
There was live hearth cooking going on and the carpenter gave the boys are really good spiel about what his job would have really been like back in the day. While making a point about kids' lives in those days, he asked Gavin how many days a week he had to spend in school - and Gavin signed a big "0". Later he asked Gavin if he liked Summer or Winter better (expecting that he would say summer because there is no school) and Gavin expressed that he enjoyed all the seasons. "Ah, that's right, you're the homeschooler, you can be arbitrary." I love that my kids can love it all :) and be 'arbitrary'.
The grounds and the buildings are tremendous. They are beautifully preserved and you really feel like you are right there in the 1800s.
Mikey and Gavin got caught up in a 'role playing' scavenger hunt that was going on. They learned a bunch about a real mystery related to the Allaire Estate. It was a great way to put some historical facts into their repetoire!
.JPG)
After the scavenger hunt, Gavin scavenged a snack of wild raspberries for himself and Mike. Doesn't get better than this!
.JPG)
.JPG)
Allaire is also the home the The New Jersey Transportation Museum and the Pine Creek Railroad, both of which we enjoyed, as well.
We really like Allaire State Park and think you will too - so get out, and get going!
No comments:
Post a Comment