Traveling from Boston, Massachusetts to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, allowed us to drive through several states that we had never visited. We found two interesting places along our driving route. One attraction was Wadsworth Falls State Park, in Connecticut, and the other was Bamboo Grove at Rutgers Garden in New Jersey. Both were quick, easy stops that took about 30 minutes to visit, and checked two more states off our list.
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Wadsworth Falls State Park, Connecticut
Wadsworth Falls is located in Middlesfield, Connecticut. This State Park was easy to locate and was not too far off our driving route. Parking was easy, as there were only a few cars when we arrived mid-day. There is a small day-use fee that is required at the parking lot.
We exited the car and could hear the falls immediately. It was literally steps away to see the waterfall. There are two viewing positions from the parking lot, one which has a viewing platform to look out over the top of the falls. For a longer visit, there are also hiking and biking trails in the State Park that can be enjoyed.
Bamboo Grove at Rutgers Garden, New Jersey
Rutger University’s own Rutgers Garden was our second stop along our route. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this botanical garden is home to 180 acres of land. Among the various learning gardens is a Bamboo Grove. After reading reviews online, we decided the Bamboo Grove was the perfect “unique” attraction for us to visit in New Jersey. Although a little tricky to find, we did eventually get there. Once turning into Rutgers Garden’s main entrance, the Bamboo Grove is located at the far end of the first RIGHT turn.
It was striking to see this unique, two acre bamboo landscape in the middle of rural New Jersey. The circular shaped path was interesting, and eerie even. We noticed immediately the posted signs to beware of bears! There were few other people, and the bamboo trees are so tightly grown into the dark garden, that it is difficult to see what could be hiding among them.
We didn’t spend too long lingering, but we made sure to make plenty of noise while taking in this interesting garden.
These were two great stops that we were able to visit in a relatively short amount of time on the east coast. Connecticut and New Jersey are now checked off our list!
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