Grounds for Sculpture

18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ  www.groundsforsculpture.org

Tuesday-Sunday, 10-6

(August 23, 2008).  It took great vision to look at the flat, abandoned 35-ace NJ Fairgrounds and imagine it as a sylvan sculpture park, with lakes and trees and hills.  But J. Seward Johnson had that vision and founded this amazing park in 1992. 

Now there are mature tress, gardens and secret rooms, where visitors can enter and see many of his tableaux, which are take-offs on famous paintings, from Rousseau's "The Dream" to Renoir's "The Luncheon of the Boating Party" and Manet's "Déjeuner Sur L'Herbe."  Because these tableaux are three dimensional, bronze works based on paintings, Johnson has made use of that extra dimension to create playful scenes that we can step right into and participate in.

There are also many other contemporary sculptures, scattered over the landscaped grounds, indoor exhibition space and a fine restaurant called Rats (after the character in Wind in the Willows) where one can eat on the terrace, gazing out at a replica of Monet's bridge at Giverny over a small lake.

Our next visit will include lunch there and allow more time to take a leisurely tour of the grounds with one of the enthusiastic docents.  Hamilton, by the way, is next to Trenton so it is an easy shot for a day from NYC or its environs.

The Woverton Inn

The Woverton Inn;  Stockton NJ  08559  1-888-2646648;  www.woolvertonInn.com

(May, 2009)  On our visits to Gary's mother, we have stayed in a number of places in Bucks County, some of them better than others; but none as great as The Woolverton Inn just across the Delaware River from New Hope.  It is pricey but well worth the $260-$335 rate. 

   The NY Times was outside the door in the morning, tea and coffee and home-made cookies are there for the taking in the afternoon, and an elegant breakfast with a menu that changes daily are only some of the touches that make it special.

   On the NJ side of the Delaware, there is none of the tourist hustle and bustle of New Hope across the river or just a bit further south in Lambertville.  We ate at a decent Italian restaurant a few doors from the largest wine store we have ever seen, handy since the restaurant is BYOB.  

   The wine store is worth the visit on its own. While the food was nothing to write home about, it was tasty, the location was convenient and we had fun quietly answering the trivia questions, a weekly contest drawing enthusiastic customers.  They were collectively smarter than we.  A humbling experience.