Having a past laden with technological innovation and a present emphasizing creative endeavors, West Orange, New Jersey, shies away from run-of-the-mill attractions. From visiting Thomas Edison's Laboratory Complex museum to zip lining over the zoo or clinking cocktail glasses with local artists at Hat City Kitchen, this suburban city has plenty of interesting places to visit.
Valley Arts District
- Valley Arts District, a 15-square-block district dedicated to advancing the creative arts, is on the edge of West Orange. In the district, artists and friends gather on the second Monday of each month at the Hat City Kitchen for the Artists' Salon, an opportunity to eat, drink and network. The Firehouse Gallery regularly hosts exhibitions featuring works by Valley Arts community artists. Once a year in the summer, the organization behind the Valley Arts district hosts the day-long, Hat City Street Festival at which art, music and food showcase the creative pursuits of the region.
Treetop Adventure Course at Turtle Back Zoo
- After being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, the Treetop Adventure Course at Turtle Back Zoo reopened with an expanded new design. Both children and adults swing through the sky on a zip line, 40 feet above ground, and climb across wood bridges and up rope ladders. Thirty obstacles are available to adults, while junior adventurers (children older than age 6) are challenged by 15 obstacles. During the summer, the adventure course is open daily. After Labor Day, open hours are restricted to weekends.
Thomas Edison National Historic Park and Glenmont
- Visitors to Thomas Edison National Historic Park can explore all three floors of Edison's Laboratory Complex. Inside, Edison's inventions and machinery remain frozen in time behind waist-high metal barriers. Guests also may take a guided tour of his chemistry lab, observe the Black Maria -- the first movie studio in the United States -- and visit his private estate, Glenmont. Tickets and car passes to his 29-room, Queen Anne-style mansion are available at the Laboratory Complex.
Eagle Rock Reservation
- South Mountain Reservation, situated in one of the most densely populated counties in one of the most densely populated states, is 2,000 acres of woodlands extending into West Orange. Nearly 20 miles of hiking trails and 27 miles of trails suitable for jogging, horseback riding and cross-country skiing wind through the largely preserved park. In addition, South Mountain Reservation has waterfalls, fishing at Diamond Mill Pond, 10 picnic spots and an archery range available to visitors seeking nature's serenity.
