This is a shorter post this week as I just got back from a busy few days at a family reunion in Alabama. Looking forward to sharing those pictures with you guys next week, but until then I wanted to fill you in on a recent visit to a secret spot near our house on Greenwood Lake, NJ.
We’re lucky enough to live in a lake community that offers a great summer camp for the kids. They’ve been doing archery, cooking, pioneering, and have been taken on some fun local field trips. One of their field trips was to the Botanical Gardens in the Skylands area of Northern New Jersey, which is only a few minutes driving distance from the lake.
The kids came back with so many great stories about our visit that I wanted to see it for myself. So we found some free time on a Friday afternoon and made our way over to the gardens. I wasn’t expecting much more than a few beautiful lawns, but was taken by surprise when we walked into a nearly-private 90-acre wonderland.
We entered the gardens near the teensiest little hut that was apparently going to be used as one of the supplemental film locations for The Lord of the Rings.
Once we were inside the gardens, we discovered miles of manicured lawns….
…and fields of wildflowers.
We spent some time hanging out by this solitary tree, which we felt could use some company:
There were beautiful stone benches to give our legs a break…
And secret garden pathways once we started to explore again…
And of course there was endless wildlife. Birds, squirrels, and a bunny racing through a field. Too fast for me to get a shot, but firmly implanted in the kids memories, possibly forever.
We only scratched the surface of this hidden world, so much is still waiting to be discovered. Until next time…
And if anyone is considering a visit, it’s only about a 45-minute drive from Manhattan. Hope everyone had a wonderful week!
Hari OM
Wow – swathes of green…that is my kind of day out!!! YAM xx
Awww look at the glorious weather! What a fun day to go out and experience the outdoors =) #ww
What a beautiful place! You captured some lovely images from that family field trip.
What a lovely peaceful place the kids looked like they loved it 😉
Have a serenetastic week 😉
You live in a beautiful pocket of the world.
Great family outing you had. Love the vastness of the field that you been to.
Great shots – every one of them – but the last one is a stroke of genius. Fantastic capture!
Thank you for visiting Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com
and sharing your photography. I hope to see you again next week!
This seems like a very nice place, children can run freely right :)…
That looks like a great place to spend the day!
Great photos, looks like you had one beautiful day!
Tammi
http://www.myorganizedchaos.net/2014/07/twins-six-birthday
Wow, breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!
Love the ethereal feel of your photos. The place looks gorgeous!
I enjoyed looking at your pictures!
Thinking I need to visit our Botanical Gardens.
I’m visiting from Picture Perfect Party
I love photos of children running, either towards or away from the camera. The one of the kids and the sun beam is really special. Great shot.
Beautiful area – definitely worth a visit. I enjoyed your pictures.
Absolutely gorgeous photos!
New Jersey is beautiful! So much green! I love that it allows kids to explore like that!
Looks beautiful!
roseylittleme.blogspot.com
How magnificent! I may have to hop the Cape May ferry and explore NJ more soon …
Wow that looks amazing! I’d like to go camp here too!
Beautiful pictures! Looks like an amazing place.
Wow, it’s absolutely gorgeous there. You captured some wonderful moments!!
It looks like a garden I’d love to go to! An enchanting place.
Love the feel of the pictures and the play of sunlight. Thanks for sharing the trips!
What a great discovery. How beautiful! Memories of The Secret Garden.
Amazing place!!!
Besos
. Raquel
I love exploring in huge gardens. Especially where there are trails, paths, and lots of little nooks and crannies to get lost in. Looks like a fun trip!
I LOVE these pics!
Summer camp can be so much fun. Looks like a great trip. Beautiful trip.
Gorgeous captures!! Reminds me of the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. Gorgeous!!
Beautiful place, wish I could be there.
Miercoles Mudo>> Wordless Wednesday
Beautiful place I wish I could be there.
I’m on Miercoles Mudo in Spanish >> Wordless Wednesday.
http://creativelyyeyas.blogspot.com/2014/07/miercoles-mudoun-nuevo-comienzo.html?showComment=1406746545828#c3028270638697988957
Very lovely. I want to visit there.
Such open space for kids to run and play, and how very beautiful. You got some really good shots. My favorite is the sun rays coming down on the kids as they entered the secret garden. Awesome. Thanks for stopping by!
what a gorgeous spot for the kids to enjoy!
So cool! I just added it to my travel list!
🙂
Traci
Great place to visit and photograph! I love it when we’re out driving and we come across these beautiful open fields that are so lush and green. That’s what I thought of when I looked at the grounds of this garden with its gorgeous lawn. I would love to have a yard that looks a little like what you captured. Nice #WW photos. Have a fototastic week!
Looks awesome! would love to go to a botanical garden – fun way to spend a day.
Great pics 🙂
Looks so serene! Wonderful photography!