Maplewood Village has a selection of quaint shops, restaurants, a movie theater, grocery, pub, and a beautifully landscaped park with Children’s Playground, Tennis Courts, Basket Ball Courts, Bike Paths, and a Duck Pond for the little ones. We have made arrangements with a local fitness center (abut a 2 min. walk from the house) for our guests to have access to their workout facilities; an additional charge applies; please inquire for rates.
- July through October, shop at the Farmer’s Market every Monday (you do not even need to walk down to the village - the farmer’s market is only a 2-5 min. walk from the house) for locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables.
- July 4th Activities include a petting zoo, old-fashioned tent Circus, ice-cream eating contest, live music, parade, and evening fireworks display.
- In October, celebrate an All-American Halloween Night with elaborately decorated neighborhood houses, local costume contests, a Village Parade, and traditional door-to-door Trick-or-Treating.
- In Winter, the village hills fill with children on sleds. On weekends in December, The Village hosts visits from Santa, as well as Horse-Drawn Sleigh-Rides, and a recreation of a little “Dickens Village”.
Visit The Statue of Liberty – Did you know you can visit the Statue of Liberty easily from nearby Liberty State Park in Jersey City! It is also a great spot for a picnic with a terrific view of the famous New York skyline or to take the CircleLine Boat Cruise around New York City.
This is a fantastic Children’s Science Museum in New Jersey. Explore their themed floors: Environment, Health, and Invention, which house dozens of great hands-on exhibits. (Public transportation options available to get there from the house.)
South Orange Performing Arts Center
Live Theater, Music and Movies - 2 miles from the house (one stop on the train). There is also a movie theater in Maplewood Village.
Turtle Back Zoo of Essex County
This is a nice little zoo, good for younger children, very nearby (10-15 minute drive). Along with the usual animal exhibits, they also have a small train ride, carousel, picnic area, playground, and pony rides.
Year-round ice skating (skate rentals available) in a beautiful new arena.
Shop ’til you drop at bargain prices at the area’s largest collection of factory outlet shops. (15 min. by car or taxi or take the public bus)
More Shopping! This upscale shopping center has all your favorite stores…Abercrombie & Fitch, Armani, Bloomingdale’s, Coach, Diesel, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Apple…and lots more! You can get there easily by direct public bus from the house (It is only 6 miles away.)
Swimming/Beaches
New Jersey State Parks have very nice beach facilities for lake swimming - great ones to visit with nice facilities are Spruce Run, and Round Valley; they are all within an hour by car from Maplewood.
The ocean, beaches, and boardwalks of the Jersey Shore are only about an hour away by car. (Local car hire available if you want to rent one for your day at the beach.) There is train service to the shore towns as well, but the journey will take about twice as long. Popular day-trips from Maplewood are Sandy Hook, Long Branch and Point Pleasant.
Many of our Summer guests enjoy visiting the Jersey Shore either by car or train for the day, but others ask about recommendations for spending a more extended stay at a beach. If you would like to split your holiday with a week with us here in Maplewood , close to New York City, followed by a week relaxing out at the beach, I would like to highly recommend you contact my friend, Joanna Lane, located on the North Fork of Long Island (2 hours from Manhattan NYC). This would be the perfect spot for those seeking a multi-destination visit to the New York area, combining both city and beach. (This would work particularly well for those flying into Newark, NJ and out of JFK, NY or visa versa.) For more information about Joanna’s properties at the beach, click here.
Atlantic City
Visiting the Atlantic Casinos for the day is very easy! There is a direct bus to Atlantic City, New Jersey from Maplewood departing Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings at 9:00am (The bus stop is only a two minute walk from the house.) and arriving in Atlantic City at about 11:30am. The bus back to Maplewood departs Bally’s Atlantic City Casino at 5:30pm. Bus tickets cost $30, but Bally’s Atlantic City Casino is giving $27 slot credit with your ticket purchase.
