This Father's Day weekend brought us to New Jersey for to celebrate our favorite 2 year-old's birthday, along with some strawberry picking at Terhune Orchards and a lovely lunch in my old stomping grounds, Princeton.
Terhune Orchards is a 1.5 hour drive from midtown NYC, and only 15 minutes from downtown Princeton, NJ. We arrived at the farm around noon, made a beeline to the farm store for some cider doughnuts and water, then waited for the wagon to pick us up and take us to the strawberry field. We actually caught the last day for strawberry picking, but blueberries, cherries, and flowers are currently available to pick through July. Click here for the pick your own schedule. Curious G got to ride on some tractor themed mini ride on toys and tricycles while we waited. The pick your own strawberries were $4/pint, and everybody over 4 years old had to pre-pay $4 before picking.
After picking, we waited by the apple trees for the wagon to take us back. We took this opportunity for a quick game of tag.
Curious G had a very good time trying out the tractor assortment after saying hi to the farm animals. She then popped into the discovery barn to explore. We were all impressed with the beautiful large red barn that could serve as an event space (they host parties and corporate events), as well as their winery and wine tasting barn.
It was pretty hot out, and we were all a bit tuckered out as we piled into the car, to make our way to town for lunch. Curious G fell asleep on the way so we cruised the streets of Princeton for a few minutes as she disco napped. Since I lived one town over when I was a teenager, I used to hang out in Princeton with my friends decked out in my Docs and fucshia colored bob. We would make stops at Princeton Record Exchange to scope out, well, boys, Zoe to browse the great selection of clothes we couldn't find elsewhere locally, PJ's Pancake House for chocolate chip pancakes, Hoagie Haven for subs (or whatever your region calls those sandwiches), Halo Pub for ice cream, the Garden Theatre for a flick, Small World Coffee for refreshment (and to scope out some more boys); and if we were feeling fancy we might have dined at Winberie's or Alchemist and Barrister. These local businesses, which have all been local favorites for over two decades, have been recently been joined by chain stores, restaurants, and work out studios including J. Crew, Lululemon, Pure Barre, Blue Mercury, and Mamoun's. We also noticed the women's clothing boutique Rouge, the toy store jaZams, and the children's clothing boutique Toobydoo.
Per a friend's recommendation, we went to Agricola, which serves fresh farm to table fare in a modern farmhouse setting. Since we arrived after 2:00 pm we were limited to their bar menu, and ordered a cheese plate, beet salad, kale salad, and two Lagunitas Sucks. We were starving at that point, so these were the most delicious cheeses, crackers, and salads we have ever tasted. The beers were delicious too. Had we not been starving, I'm sure the food would have been just as good. I would go back to try the full lunch or dinner menus, but there are other options in town to go back to such as Mistral, where we attended our little friend's first birthday party. There's also Teresa Caffe, which is located in the cutest little alleyway. Another must-try is the Bent Spoon, which usually has a line out the door for their creative ice cream flavors. Our last visit there, when Curious G was an infant, involved lemon ricotta. Beyond the good food and shopping, the gorgeous Princeton University campus provides lovely grounds to stroll. My favorite part of the campus is the Fountain of Freedom.
We ended the day with a splash, at our friend's birthday party. Then we drove into the sunset, off to visit my parents for Father's Day.
