New Jersey State Museum

Believe it or not, we did not even know that New Jersey had its own state museum but were pleasantly surprised when we came to Trenton for Patriot's Week 2010. The Civil War flag collection is absolutely amazing... it is a gem of a collection that everyone in New Jersey should visit and pay homage to our Civil War ancestors. There is so much negativity about New Jersey these days. It is nice to see a place that is attempting to make us proud of our state, and honor its history and culture. more

This is not the biggest museum you will ever go to, but it has a very nice mix of things to see. I remember art work, fossils and my kids posing near a stuffed bison/buffalo. There was information on nature, state history and mant other things. The museum is free, too. It is currently being rennovated, but will be open again in the fall. There is a nice gift shop and my kids found fairly nice inexpensive souvenirs there. more

Recently visited the NJ State Museum's new exhibit on dinosaur eggs, Hatching the Past (that runs through September 10th) and it was a great family experience. It had many interesting mini-sites and a few videos so patrons could sit and watch different dinosaur themed programs. NJ State Museum offers the Black Film Festival (exciting lectures, films, and other presentations), a kids' summer academy, Food for thought lunch time tours, and many trips for Friends (a patron group). In the fall they are reopening the planeterium and we had the opportunity to see a laser light show set to music during a recent science festival. It was fun and the audience enjoyed it eventhough some of the music was dated. The main building is under renovation and the auditorium galleries and planeterium are closed also. more