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#1 Morris County One Day Itinerary
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Visit a Museum
There is a lot of history to explore in Morris County. Many small museums are open and willing to schedule what amounts to a private tour for small groups. Make an appointment with the curator at a time that suits you. We recommend several small museums like Macculloch Hall, the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, and the Morris County Historical Society at Acorn Hall.
New Jersey’s second largest museum, the Morris Museum, is open six days a week (closed Monday). Tour their rotating exhibits and collections like the world renown Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. A Smithsonian affiliate.
 Morris Museum’s Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of 750 historic mechanical musical instruments and automata Grab some Lunch
Here is a link to our Dining Page. Check before you go to make sure they are open when you’re ready to grab a meal.
 Take a Walk in the Park
We recommend the 26 miles of trails within Morristown National Historical Park at Jockey Hollow. Trails open each day dawn to dusk, as are portable restrooms, with ranger-staffed Visitor Contact Stations open Fri-Sat-Sun 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Morris County Park Commission has many choices for hiking trails and parks. We recommend the 127-acre Frelinghuysen Arboretum, a serene place to relax, as well as to learn, explore, and celebrate nature. Digital maps of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum are available online. Open each day dawn to dusk.
 An exterior view of the arbor and patio after a rain at the Freylinghuysen arboretum.
#2 Six New Jersey Road Trips: Beyond the Exit
When people begin to travel again it will be close to home and by car. Here are six great drives through New Jersey for you to consider. Two of the six go right through Morris County. Plan your trip by calling the sites ahead of time to get updated days and hours of operation. Then fill up your gas tank and GO!
Click on the map to view or download the NJ Road Trips.
 #3 Family Outings & History for Kids Every municipality in Morris County features something of historical interest. For the children who appreciate history, and their parents who want to expose their children to history, here are some great area attractions that are informative and engaging.
30 Washington Place, Morristown, (973)539-2016 ext. 210 This national historic landmark was home to General George Washington and his staff during 200 days in the winter of 1779-80. Visit the Ford Mansion only with a park ranger. Other areas of the Park are Jockey Hollow, the Wick Farm and Herb Garden, the Soldiers’ Huts, the Headquarters Museum and Fort Nonsense. Check the website for special programs. Open all year. Read more….nps.gov/morr
333 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, (973)285-6550 Eight buildings and their collections capture life during the American Industrial Revolution. The machinery for the first trans-Atlantic steamship was developed here, and Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse demonstrated the first electromagnetic telegraph. The factory building is a national landmark. Hours change seasonally, so call ahead. Read more…speedwell.org
9 Main Street, Madison, (973)377-2982 This museum enlightens visitors about the trades and crafts practiced by ordinary New Jersey craftsmen from the time of the earliest settlement c. 1700. Exhibits, tools and special programs, many geared toward children. Open all year. Read more…metc.org
66 Route 24, Chester The nearby Black River provided the power to mill flour as early as the 1760s, then in 1826 Nathan Cooper built this structure with its water wheel power shafts and gears and 2,000 pound millstone. Costumed interpreters tell the history of the mill. Hours vary by season, and the mill is closed November to March. Read more…morrisparks.net Visit this website for more information and activities related to George Washington in Morristown, and other New Jersey historical content compiled specifically for children: www.state.nj.us/state/historykids/NJHistoryKids.htm #4 ARCHITECTURAL GEMS TOUR
Mayo Center for the Performing Arts (MPAC), 100 South Street, Morristown The Randolph Performing Arts Center at the Music Den, 1030 Route 10 West, Randolph #6 Garden Rambles Itinerary for V.G.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Take a drive to Chester Township to visit two exquisite gardens operated by the Morris County Park Commission. Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center was once the home and gardens of one of the first women to train as a landscape architect in the United States, Martha Brookes Hutcheson. She opened her practice in 1901 designing gardens for estates along the East Coast. A one-mile trail connects Bamboo Brook to Willowwood Arboretum, 130 acres with 3,500 kinds of native and exotic plants on a former c. 1792 farm. Gardens are open each day 8 am until dusk. Read more at morrisparks.net. 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm Enjoy lunch at one of the fine eateries along Main Street in historic Chester Village. There are a number of great options, many located in charmingly restored 18th and 19th century buildings. 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm Drive east towards Morristown to Frelinghuysen Arboretum, voted one of the top public gardens in the State of New Jersey. Located on the grounds of a former Gilded Age mansion, the gardens are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to dusk. The arboretum is set on 127 acres with stunning theme gardens and collections of shrubs and trees. Up for a hike? Walk along the Whippany River trail to view the Victorian landscaping and the boxwood knot garden behind Acorn Hall. Be sure to stop along the river and read the plaque commemorating the site of the secret powder mill c. 1776. Read more at morrisparks.net and acornhall.org |
