Bluebird Alpaca Farm In New Jersey Makes For A Fun Family Day Trip
Bluebird Farm Alpacas in New Jersey offers tours, halter training, and special events, making it a great destination for family trips and unique dates.
You may be surprised to learn that New Jersey is home to nearly a dozen delightful alpaca farms. Some are open to the public for tours and they make for great dates or family day trips. Alpacas are adorable, and enjoying them up close is always a good time.
Alpacas are curious, gentle animals with a soft fleece. Native to South America, they are prized as pets around the world.
They love friendly visitors and, contrary to popular belief, don't spit unless they have good reason. They're also quite easy to care for, with proper training.
If you'd like to meet a few cuties for yourself, head to Bluebird Farm Alpacas. They offer farm tours where you can meet and greet the alpacas! You can even upgrade to halter training, and get the chance to walk an alpaca.
Kids and adults alike love feeding, petting, photographing, and cuddling the adorable alpacas here. Come by and meet Au Lait, Angelina, Candy Apple, and Nirvana for yourself!
There's the opportunity to symbolically adopt an alpaca (a great gift!), and a variety of special events. Past events have included I'm Dreaming of an Alpaca Christmas, 'Paca Picnics, and day-long Alpaca Academies for kids and their caregivers.
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Tours are available on weekends and with reservations. You can even arrange for the farm to host group events at a great rate. Looking to host a knitting group or take engagement photos? Maybe just a family day trip or unique date? Bluebird Farm Alpacas can be found in Peapack, New Jersey. For all the details, you can visit their website here.
New Jersey isn't usually known for its caves, with neighboring states having the bigger caverns - but that just means that the NJ caves we have are all the more unique, and less likely to be crowded. You can find a unique cave adventure in New Jersey in the northern town of Phillipsburg, and it's all the more stunning in the winter. All you have to do is take an easy 1.9-mile trail in the Marble Hill Natural Area - the perfect way to work up an appetite on a frosty winter day. The good news is, you're only a few minutes from the Brass Rail Restaurant & Bar, a historic and rustic Phillipsburg restaurant that makes the perfect finish to a day of exploring. Combining these two will give you one of the most memorable day trips in the north Jersey area.
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The Marble Hill Ice Cave-via-Warren-Highlands Trail in Marble Hill is under two miles long, and is considered an easy route -with a surprising secret.
During the winter, hundreds of little icicles form on the cave roof and floor, creating the appearance of an ancient network of stalactites and stalagmites.
This restaurant has been serving Phillipsburg for around a hundred years, and the rustic interior feels like an old western saloon - perfect to go with a day of exploring caves.
Have you taken this memorable cave adventure in New Jersey or eaten at the Brass Rail? Let us know about your day visiting NJ caves and restaurants in the comments section. You can find out more about the Marble Hill Natural Area on the website of Warren County, and you can visit the website of the Brass Rail for all the information on the menu. For another off-the-beaten-path Jersey adventure, check out this Pine Barrens restaurant on the opposite end of the state! Make sure to set out with all the road trip snacks you'll need before a long drive!
Life is about the journey, not the destination. And there's simply no better way to enjoy the journey than aboard a passenger train! Happily, New Jersey has many options when it comes to epic train day trips. So before you search for "spontaneous day trips near me," check out the following list of incredible adventures on the rails of the beautiful Garden State. All aboard for some of the most incredible day trips in New Jersey!
Whippany Railway Museum's Excursion Trains make for one of the most perfect New Jersey day trips. These sought after rides run just a handful days a year in the spring and fall, and are sure to delight any locomotive lover. Trips run for 10 miles along the route of the Historic Whippanong Trail through Whippany, East Hanover, Livingston, and Roseland. The train passes through the remnants of pre-historic Glacial Lake Passaic, a natural swamp which is home to a wide range of wildlife.
Trips last for approximately 45 minutes, and your fare also includes access to the museum and grounds. See historic trains and equipment, memorabilia displays, model trains, rare paperwork, and more - this is such a fun adventure for little locomotive lovers! For a few dollars extra per ticket, you can upgrade to a restored 1927 luxury club car, and really ride in style! For dates and ticket info, visit the Whippany Railway Museum's website.
The Delaware River Railroad offers several spectacular excursions throughout Northern New Jersey, designed to delight both children and adults. Children will love the railroad's themed and seasonal events like Easter Bunny Train Rides, A Day With Thomas (the tank engine), and The Polar Express. Families will delight in seasonal offerings whisking passengers away to pumpkin patches and corn mazes.
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The popular mine train will take you to the Ol' Susquehanna Mine, where you can take a tour and hunt for gemstones. The Knight Train is the Renaissance Faire of train rides, taking you back to a different time. But there's another extra special treat - The Winery Train. An all-day adventure, you'll take a scenic ride along the Delaware and hop a bus to Villa Milagro Vineyards. Learn how grapes are grown and made into wine with a nice tour of the grounds and then sample a few flavors to find your new favorite. Hop a bus, catch the train and head back - or, add on a stop at the mine free of charge. Ticket prices vary for the Delaware River Railroad excursions; for more info visit the Delaware River Railroad Excursions website.
The spectacular seasonal day trips in NJ by train are offered most weekends and there are seasonal excursions as well. The approximately hour-long rides run between Flemington and Ringoes with a 10-15 stop in the middle. Certain train rides run 90 minutes. The Ringoes station offers restrooms, a gift shop, and a museum. Ticket prices vary by age, and you can learn more about specific rides and purchasing tickets at the Black River & Western Railroad website.
In conjunction with the New Jersey Museum of Transportation, Pine Creek Railroad offers short steam train rides seasonally for just a few dollars per person. Though the rides are only 15 minutes, Pine Creek is located in Allaire State Park with plenty to do. Don't miss historic Allaire Village with restored buildings and period interpreters. They also offer unique special events including the Civil War Encampment and Railroaders Weekend which features a parade of classic and modern trains. Several holiday rides are available, though the Haunted Express Nighttime Rides are a favorite. This place really is fun all year long for day trips in NJ! For more information, visit the New Jersey Museum of Transportation's website.
Of course, you can always hop on a commuter train to almost anywhere in New Jersey; we have the largest commuter rail system in the United States in terms of track mileage (951 miles). But, I think we prefer these scenic excursions better. Don't you agree?
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Prefer to drive yourself instead? Cool - rent an RV for the perfect adventure on RV Share. Looking for more day trips in New Jersey? We thought you might be! For more stellar day trips in the Garden State, check out: Whitesbog Village, Sahara Sam's Indoor Waterpark, or this Fairy Garden.
