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The Grounds for Sculpture is a jewel in central New Jersey and well worth a day trip. From the moment you turn off the main roadway and into Hamilton, New Jersey you realize you are in a special, almost magical place. “Is that a real person, mommy?” my daughter declared as she excitedly stared out of the car window at a life-like sculpture which was warmly directing us towards the Main Entrance of the Grounds. The sculptures lining the roads feel utterly intrinsic to the landscape and offer a great preview of what you’re about to see - a thoroughly unique marriage of art and nature!
The Grounds for Sculpture offers 42 acres of sculptures nestled in perfectly manicured gardens. Sculpture and Philanthropist Seward Johnson envisioned and created the garden which opened to the public in 1989. Now there are more than 270 sculptures including many of Mr. Johnson’s own work. A large number of the sculptures are lifelike and playful and invite you and your kids to interact with or actually be a part of the artwork.
One of our favorite was Seward Johnson’s own: "Were You Invited", which is a life-sized sculpture based on Renoir’s "The Luncheon of the Boating Party", and my kids sat with the group and pretended to be one of the figures. Besides learning about Renoir, the kids also stood with life-sized sculptures based on Manet’s artwork, and ran around a garden made to look like Monet’s famous “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies." There are surprises at every turn of the garden - including a 25-foot high Marilyn Monroe in an iconic pose (called "Forever Marilyn" also by Seward Johnson), and a chance to walk around the famous farm depicted in Grant Wood’s "American Gothic"! But perhaps my favorite sculptures were the ones depicting children reading, children playing or couples kissing; the everyday events that the sculpture garden captures for all time.
I think my kids must have said “Mommy take a picture!” literally hundreds of times as they posed with all the different art work. The staff encourages visitors to touch certain sculptures, the ones clearly marked with a green tag and to not touch sculptures marked with a red tag. Their website is very helpful and informative about what to expect so if you take a trip down to Hamilton Township I encourage you to check out the website first. Grounds for Sculpture is definitely worth the trip!
And now thanks to our generous friends at Grounds for Sculpture a lucky Macaroni Kid Summit Short Hills SOMA subscriber can win 4 passes to the Grounds for Sculpture.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE
80 Sculptors Way
Hamilton Township, NJ 08619
(609) 586-0616
Admission:
Adults - $15
Seniors - $12
Students 6 - 17 or with college ID - $10
Children under 5 and members - Free
GIVEAWAY RULES & REGULATIONS...
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. DO NOT ENTER THIS SWEEPSTAKES IF YOU ARE NOT EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AS OF AUGUST 21, 2015 AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF AND CURRENTLY RESIDING IN ONE OF THE FIFTY (50) UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH FACEBOOK. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. ENTRIES VALID FROM AUGUST 21, 2015 THRU AUGUST 28, 2015 AT 5PM. CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SET OF RULES AND REGULATIONS.
