For starters, the 5,726 acres of parks, golf courses and reservations in Essex County is America’s very first park system. It is actually comprised of 26 parks throughout the county with features you will find nowhere else. And, twenty of the 26 parks and reservations were designed by the renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. who also designed Central Park in New York City.

Sure, parks are places for activities like jogging, hiking and biking, but that is just the beginning. Add to that 68 tennis courts, three public golf courses, two community centers and a zoo. There are also summer camps, golf tournaments, live concerts and even indoor ice-skating.

The Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange will challenge any hiker’s mettle with its winding bridle paths and trails through forests of red oak and red maple. Make it to the top and you will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline spanning from the George Washington Bridge to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. You will definitely have worked up an appetite and the “Old Casino,” first built in 1911, is now the Highlawn Pavilion Restaurant, a great place to dine.

The largest parkland in Essex County is South Mountain Reservation where the whole family can enjoy Turtle Back Zoo. The fun does not stop there. The reservation has 10 picnic areas, 19 miles of trails and 27 miles of carriage roads f0r jogging and horseback riding from spring to fall. In the winter, cross-country skiers usually take possession.

There is plenty of fishing at Diamond Mill Pond, an archery range and two indoor ice skating rinks. All told, South Mountain is a park to enjoy all year round. There are the sculptured lions, a roller rink and “Cherry Blossomland” in Newark’s Branch Brook Park. There are the archery ranges and rose gardens in Brookdale Park. There is Riker Hill Park with its geological museum, the trail to Dinosaur Park, and the glass blowing, woodworking and ceramics in the Crafts Center.

There is rock climbing at the Mills Reservation and bocce courts and baseball fields in Vailsburg Park. Add to that, special events like the annual Cherry Blossom Festival with more blossoms than DC, art shows and concerts, along with nearby historical sites and museums. For more than 100 years the Essex County Park System has been much more than “a walk in the park.”

Liberty State Park
www.libertystatepark.com

On the New York Harbor, less than 2,000 feet from the Statue of Liberty, Liberty State Park has served a vital role in the development of New Jersey’s metropolitan region and the history of the nation. With the development of Liberty State Park came a renaissance of the waterfront. The park was formerly opened on Flag Day, June 14, 1976, as New Jersey’s bicentennial gift to the nation. Most of this1,122 acre park is open space with approximately 300 acres developed for public recreation.
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