Consider it: a 50,000-square-foot temple to the world of Italian food.  That's what New York City's Eataly was designed to be. The shopping mall devoted to all things food is a joint project of culinary luminaries like Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, and is as much an experience as it is a place to shop and eat. Around any corner at the Fifth Avenue complex, one can find ingredients imported from all over the globe (not just Italy), cooking demonstrations and counters that are serving prepared meals. Day Tripper Digest Estimated Travel Time: About two hours, depending on traffic at …

For this week’s Day Tripper entry, we’re sending the whole lot of you to jail. To be more precise, you’re going to the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site in Philadelphia. It's a popular Halloween destination, but its combination of history and creep factor makes it a worthwhile visit any time. DAY TRIPPER DIGEST Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Why it’s Worth the Trip:  How many times can you say you went to prison and were released the same day? How about adding in a visit to a historical monument and art exhibition as well? At Eastern State Penitentiary, you can. You’ll …

Editor's Note: Thinking of going skiing or snowboarding in this weekend's chill? Not so fast. Check out this update on ski resort conditions, which is this week's installment of our Day Tripper column. Mountain Creek Ski Resort in Vernon, New Jersey was closed on Thursday due to inclement weather. And there was no snow. But employees there were hopeful that the resort would be able to make some of the white stuff this holiday weekend—if it's cold enough. So far this year a lack of snow has meant fewer visitors to many ski resorts across the country. The strangely warmer temperatures also have…

New Jersey may no longer be dominated by farm life, but there’s still plenty to remind us why it is called the “garden state.” Independent farms have carved out a niche for themselves here. And while the bounty of the harvest season is past, there are still plenty of reasons to drop in at a local farm market. Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road in Lawrence Township, is a family-owned and operated destination with a long history. Gary and Pam Mount bought Terhune Orchards in 1975, but the facility had a rich history before that, having been run by the Terhune family for two generations prior…

It's the holiday season, and kids are wide-eyed with wonder. They're taking in everything around them. So why not take advantage of that alertness, and sneak in a little fun-filled education? Imagine That! Children’s Museum, 4 Vreeland Road in Florham Park, could be what you're looking for. “Our target age bracket is from one to nine years old,” said Deborah Bodnar, the director for the museum. Imagine That! Has been in existence for more than 20 years, and the location in Florham Park has been available to families for seven. It that time, the facility has grown and changed to accommodate …

It’s hard to deny that New York is a special kind of city at holiday time, starting with the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Plaza and culminating with New Year’s Eve in Times Square. It’s also hard to deny that it seems like everyone who was ever born is there too. Luckily, there are less-visited of the city where you can start feeling the holiday spirit. Citi Pond at Bryant Park in Manhattan is back for its seventh season. Open daily through Feb. 26, admission is free, as is use of the lockers for storing your items, but do note that skate rentals are $14. If you are not the surest …

A quaint village beside the Delaware River, Frenchtown boasts boutiques, bakeries, bistros, and breathtaking views. Though the Hunterdon County town is just over one square mile in size, it has plenty to offer. The borough's name, a reference to a French-speaking Swiss immigrant who settled there more than 200 years ago, does not mislead. Francophiles will enjoy many of Frenchtown's Parisian elements, including shops that capture the essence of that City of Light sparkle. Thistle and Left Bank Home sell original home decorating pieces, many embodying the charm that is often associated with …

Holidays and the cold weather are edging upon us. As people start shopping for gifts for the various celebrations to come, it is impossible to forget that sometimes shopping is really, really hard. Stores are extra crowded, the standard sales pitches are pitchier, the perfume counter attendants are a little more trigger happy on that bottle of cologne than normal, and the kids … the kids are not amused. However, with a thick frost on the ground and a lingering chill in the air, an afternoon in the park is like asking for a week of chicken soup and thermometers. What is a person to do? Opening…

Record stores have undergone a necessary transformation over the last decade, as the entire music industry has changed. At first, the CD revolution in the early 1990s disrupted the vinyl record segment (and buried cassette tapes). Vinyl became fringe, the refuge for punk and alt-rock bands looking to distinguish themselves from the standard issue, but the cost of manufacturing became prohibitive and extinction loomed. In a way, the best things to happen to vinyl were the ascendance of the MP3 and new models (like Apple's iTunes) for buying music over the Internet. The backlash from …

It’s homecoming weekend at Rutgers University, but even non-Knight alumni have a good reason to take a day trip to New Brunswick Sunday. The Fall 2011 New Jersey Film Festival, now in its 30th year, is wrapping up in the coming week, and Sunday offers the chance to see the most popular movies of the month-and-a-half-long exhibition of films from all over the world. This round of “best-of” showings comes on the penultimate weekend of the festival, hosted twice yearly by the Rutgers Film Co-op and the New Jersey Media Arts Center. The screenings take place in the stadium-seating equipped room #…

Got ideas for our Day Tripper column – a weekly look at fun and interesting destinations around New Jersey and beyond? Send them to graelyn.brashear@patch.com.   During the summer, C. Casola Farms in Marlboro is a busy yet unassuming farm and marketplace, with nothing untoward peering out. The fruit grows and the flowers bloom. But it's not summer anymore. Gone are the hot days (maybe), and the humidity (well, in New Jersey? Maybe not so much). It's fall, the time to start thinking about spooky things, goblins, ghosts and goodies. Yes, Halloween's approaching, and with it comes the Haunted …

As summer kicks off, we're already seeing the beaches and amusement parks begin to fill up. It would be easy to retreat to the shopping mall to wait out the crowds, but wasn’t that what happened all winter long? No, the weather is much too nice to waste, so where to go where there’s room to move, relax, and still enjoy the day? Sayen Gardens in Hamilton Township, Mercer County,  offers 30 acres of flowers, trees and landscaping for reflection and enjoyment. And according to Tracey Destribats, who oversees Sayen Gardens and other spots such as the Kuser Mansion, “A lot of people don’t even …

Editor's Note: New Brunswick is the home to Rutgers University and a bustling stretch of streets great for unique dining (that's anything from Grease Trucks to Livingston Avenue's fine dining) and shopping, or a walk in the park. But this weekend there's reason in particular to head northwest to the Hub City: the last concert of the season for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Nature inspired Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony, so what better choice for a spring concert than performing the piece that celebrates animals, flowers, meadows and mountains? The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is closing…

Editor's Note: This week's day trip column suggests you hike up the Garden State Parkway to exit 98 northbound into Allaire Village. The gorgeous park is home to equally gorgeous historic buildings. It's definitely worth exploring, but May 7 is also a chance to explore the State History Fair. Perfect! At Allaire, we can go back and see, smell and hear history. Just going to Allaire Village itself is always a peaceful and enjoyable experience. Visiting the general store, purchasing some yummy baked goods from the bakery, and smelling and hearing what life used to be like are always fun.That's …

Editor's Note: This week's day trip suggests some Victorian fun, in Burlington County. Eastampton Township and it's historic Smithville Mansion is the backdrop to your chance to show your badminton and croquet skills. Did you know they were Victorian pastimes? Plenty of learnin' and playin' in this day trip when you head west to Eastampton. Burlington County Freeholders will kick off the annual tour season of the Historic Smithville Mansion by joining in a carefree afternoon of Victorian Games in the park on Sunday, May 1, from noon to 4 p.m., rain or shine.  Organized by the Burlington …

Monmouth County's 14,500 acres of parks hold an impressive array of landscapes and species. Spend a day getting back to nature with a park-hopping tour of the county. Three Monmouth parks recently got nods in New Jersey Monthly magazine as some of the best in the state The 24-mile-long Henry Hudson Trail runs through Middletown and spans down the Bayshore from Aberdeen to Atlantic Highlands. Voted the best biking trail in the state by NJ Monthly’s readers, the former railroad right of way also hosts walkers, runners and horseback riders from dawn to dusk. Hartshorne Woods Park, in the Locust …

Editor's Note: For this week's Day Tripper column, it's a quick trip north on the Parkway to Monmouth County, as the library system and local historians transport you to the Civil War Era. It's the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and it would seem our Monmouth County hosts have created 150 different ways to explore the time period. Check out the rich history. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Monmouth County Library has created a varied series of educational and entertainment events with re-enactors, speakers and musicians, and authentic …

Editor's note: For this week's Day Tripper column, we're taking you down to Cumberland County for a visit to what was once the heart of the American glass industry. WheatenArts, a glass museum and exhibition center, is at 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville. Take the Garden State Parkway South to exit 38A and go west on the Atlantic City Expressway to exit 12. From there you'll take Route 40 and then Route 552 to Millville. Millville is a pretty quiet place these days, but the Pine Barrens town has a long and storied history as the birthplace of large-scale glassmaking in America. In colonial days…

Editor's Note: For this week's Day Tripper column, you are heading west. Hamilton's Grounds for Sculpture is a mesmorizing place to spend a sunny day, what more can we say? You can opt for getting there via the scenic 195 interstate, or catching Route 539 for some rural surroundings as you head toward Mercer County. You'd probably like to be able to check out a place that has impressive views, art and culture and provides room for everyone to roam—but you really don’t want to be indoors and waste that sunlight. Grounds For Sculpture, located at 126 Sculptor’s Way in Hamilton Township, makes …

Editor's Note: Are you among the curious, those folks who hope to marvel at the newest retail wonder: Trader Joe's? The closest one just opened in Shrewsbury to much fanfare and crowds. We're suggesting a day trip to Shrewsbury now that the grand opening excitement has died down...just a tad. But we're not saying it's the only reason to go to Shrewsbury. Hop off the Parkway at exit 105 and swing north on Route 36, or at exit 109 and take Route 35 south. Just up the road is the expansive Monmouth Library headquarters and the beautiful expanse of Manson Park and the Shrewsbury Historic Society…