Start a Family Tradition, With a Day Out in the Country

Are you addicted to your PDA? Do your children text madly in the presence of visiting family or friends, in the car or any moment they can? Do you panic when you forget your cell phone at home? Unfortunately the fast paced rat race of our typical day leaves us yearning for the time when families sat down and had a meal together and spent time talking about the days events.

We've come up with a few ideas that can become a family tradition – a fun way for your family to take time out from the crazy pace of today. You will never get back to the olden days in todays' day and age, but setting aside few times of the year where you can just get back to basics may fill that void.

Pumpkin and Apple Picking – September and October is the time of year to head out to the country for a pick your own experience. Visit the Jersey Fresh website for a list of farms that offer pick your own.

 

Christmas Tree Cutting & The Trimmings – Nothing smells nicer than the scent of pine in your home during the holiday season. Head out to a tree farm and cut your own Fraser Fir or Blue Spruce

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Over the Hills and Thru the Woods This Christmas start a tradition of an “over the hills and through the woods” memory today – meander through the quintessential village of Finesville and Milford, NJ.  The little hamlet of Finesville is filled with homes listed on the national historic registry, and they especially sparkle at Christmas. Nestled close together, they form a string of Christmas lights along the Musconetcong River. With wreaths and candles marking windows and doors and tree lights blinking a welcome, passing through Finesville is like passing back in time. 

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Visit a County Fair There are numerous agricultural fairs held in the Highlands Region each year. One even hosts a hot air balloon festival – the Warren County Farmers' Fair held in Harmony Township, three miles north of Phillipsburg!

Pumpkin Carving, Hay Rides and Corn Mazes – In the final days of harvest visit a farm for all your Halloween decorations. Pick pumpkins, take a hay ride or try your luck in a corn maze.

Tubing Down the Delaware – Nothing is more fun for the family than tubing or rafting down the Delaware River – splashing all the way.

Nature Hikes at Merrill Creek, or State Parks – There are thousands of hiking trails in the Highlands. Start with the easier trails and graduate to the more technically difficult. There are trails that take you past lakes and ponds, or reservoirs like Merrill Creek, or those that take you to high points where you can see great vistas of the mountain ridges and fertile valleys of the region.

Birdwatching – New Jersey is in the Atlantic Flyway and it is especially easy to do some hawk watching with children during the spring or fall migration. When starting your children out birdwatching, hawks are easy to spot and easy to identify.