Rowland Park - South Brunswick

On Saturday, we took our "let's discover a new park" ride. I looked up parks in South Brunswick and picked Rowland Park. It was pretty easy to find, but the two-lane, very narrow road it took to get there. was a little too "Deliverance" for me. If you follow Route 130 South or North (depending where you're coming from) to Broadway Road, you will hit the park about a mile down the road. Don't go too fast because you may miss the entrance. The road was so dark from the surrounding trees that I wonder how people drive through there at night!

Once inside the park, I drove through a long path to the playground. My first impression was that this park was brand new. The sports fields were immaculate, with brand new scoreboards, fresh, green grass, like no one has played there before. Once I drove as close to the playground as possible, I pulled up to find a park that was devoid of children. There was no one there on a Saturday late morning. That surprised me and also made me wonder if we were suppose to be in there. The playground was clean and there was nothing broken or any graffiti. The woodchip covered ground looked fresh and new. Mia went straight to work with her pail and shovel and played with the woodchips. The playground is geared toward 5 to 12 year olds, so Mia had a difficult time with some of the climbing areas. But she climbed stairs, slid down slides and was able to run around freely - since there were no other kids there! The only downside is there are no swings in the park, Mia's favorite reason for going. Oh well! The cleanliness alone would have me come back. It also have a really nice covered pavillion for birthday parties, but no barbeques. Discover Rowland Park for yourself.

North Brunswick Library

It's been raining for like a month here in Jersey. This weekend is no exception. I wanted to go to the Youth Sports Festival in North Brunswick this weekend, but it looks to be a washout. It has a $3 entrance fee per person, but the expensive part is paying for the rides. I thought I would just put Mia on one or two, but that's out the question now.
So instead we ended up at North Brunswick Public Library. We've been there before, but I thought we might give it another try. I don't enjoy going there. Though it is kid-friendly (3 computers set up for kid software, large, fun sitting area for kids to roll around, and a puppet-theater with plenty of puppets and stuffed animals) it is very dark and dreary. Plus, you have to keep your kids super quiet because the guard came over today to tell the kids to quiet down. I know its a library, but when you have a play area for kids, don't ya think they're gonna make noise?!
Needless to say, we'll keep searching for places to go in New Jersey, that are free of course.

Desperation

This blog was created out of simple desperation. I find myself in desperate need to find things to do with my 2 year old. As a teacher, we get very nice, long summer vacations, but with that we also have our own children for the summer (unless you're on the payscale where you can afford to send them to daycare or camp all summer long - I'm not!) Anyways, I will be spending the summer with my daughter Mia, who will be 3 in September but acts very much like a 2 year old. Monetary funds are very low this summer, I will have to budget desperately (there's that word again). Mia's dad will be working throughout the summer, so it will just be me and her and I plan to use this blog to inform others and remind myself of great FREE or inexpensive places that Mia and I venture to in Central New Jersey. I know its not New York (my original hometown), but Jersey has lots to do too.
We have been living here for over two years and I have had no fear of loading us (Mia and I) in the car and venturing to new places. I have found great playgrounds in local parks, local farms that allow you to feed and pet the animals for free, and malls with great free indoor playareas. I plan to use this blog to post all the great new places Mia and I find this summer with the operative being - FREE! We will have to spend money on gas for the car, but that's why I'm keeping it local for now. If you are in the same predicament or looking to find great new places to take your kids, please join me and feel free to inform us on great places you have been, but just remember, it has to be free or under $10 dollars total. I plan to have a great summer, join me.