Best things to do in Montclair

Home to about 850 animals representing 275 species, Turtle Back Zoo welcomes half million people annually to its themed exhibits. See a sea lion tank and prowl along a penguin coastline; tour habitats of large cats, wolves, bears, and alligators; and visit a reptile center. Wildlife aficionados won't want to miss the 2.7 m (9 ft) long lizard that was discovered in 2005 and still has no scientific name. Can foxes fly? You'll find out by seeking out the first flying foxes in any United States' zoo--giant bats that can reach a weight of 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) with a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wingspan. The zoo is a part of South Mountain Recreation Complex.

Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, Glenmont, in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. These were designed, in 1887, by architect Henry Hudson Holly. The Edison laboratories operated for more than 40 years. Out of the West Orange laboratories came the motion picture camera, improved phonographs, sound recordings, silent and sound movies and the nickel-iron alkaline electric storage battery.

Three generations of the Van Vleck family lived on the property and developed the gardens for over 130 years. The gardens showcase a strong representation of ericaceous plants, with unusual cultivars of rhododendrons and azaleas.

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is located in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, a few miles west of New York City. Since it opened in 1914 as the first museum in New Jersey that granted access to the public and the first dedicated solely to art, it has been privately funded. Its collection of more than 12,000 items and its exhibit programs are dedicated to American art and Native American art forms, as well as contemporary art in both those disciplines.

The museum sponsors a wide variety of programs in partnership with local organizations and maintains an extensive educational program for all age groups. For decades, MAM's Yard School of Art has provided opportunities for formal instruction to students at both amateur and professional levels.

South Mountain Reservation, covering 2,110, 2,112, 2,000, 2,100, or 2,047 acres (8.539, 8.546, 8.094, 8.498, or 8.284 km2) depending on who you ask, is a nature reserve on the Rahway River that is part of the Essex County Park System in northeastern New Jersey. It is located in central Essex County, New Jersey within portions of Maplewood, Millburn, and West Orange. It borders South Orange between the first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains.
Carved from wilderness at the end of the 19th century, designed by Olmsted Brothers, and developed over a few decades, the reservation has changed only slightly through the years. Preserved primarily in its wild state, woodlands abound in a variety of hardwood trees, and tall hemlocks tower above streams, creeks and ponds, and waterfalls. Higher points, such as Crater View, offer vistas of the New York and Jersey City skylines, Elizabeth, Union Township, and Staten Island.

Palisades Center is a shopping mall in West Nyack, New York, which as of December 2022, is the twelfth-largest by gross leasable space. It was built in the industrial style. It has also been of the nation's most lucrative malls, producing $40 million in annual sales tax and $17 million in property taxes in its first ten years of operation.
Developed by The Pyramid Companies, and opened in March 1998, the mall was named after the nearby Palisades, which border the Hudson River and the eastern part of Rockland County. The mall is bounded on three sides by major state routes: the New York State Thruway (Interstates 87 and 287) to the north (Exit 12), NY Route 303 to the east, and NY Route 59 to the south. It is also located near the Thruway's intersection of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, and is only a few miles west of the Tappan Zee Bridge, which provides access from points east of the Hudson River.

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Lambert Castle, originally called Belle Vista, is located within the Garret Mountain Reservation in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. The building was built in 1892 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976, for its significance in art, architecture, and industry.

Verona Park is a park located in Verona, as part of the Essex County Park System, New Jersey.

Verona Park is a 54.32-acre (219,800 m2) park with a lake bordered by Lakeside and Bloomfield Avenues in the southern part of Verona. This is the fifth largest park within the system.

Once an old swamp, the lake was first formed in 1814 when Doctor Gone (or Bohn) dammed the Peckman River for a grist mill. Later this lake surrounded by weeping willow trees and winding paths became an ideal location for family activities. Even before it became a county park, the public—including residents outside Verona—flocked there by way of the Bloomfield Avenue trolley, to bathe and picnic and enjoy some commercial amusements.

The first land acquisitions for the park were made in 1920. Demand for acquisition of this desirable tract had been increasing for some time, but action was delayed due to economic conditions caused by the war. To acquire part of this land owned by the Erie Railroad Company, an agreement was made allowing the RR to retain a right-of-way across the park by means of a bridge. Sketches showed a bridge with a series of high arches that spanned the lake and roadway. This bridge never materialized. Instead, the existing arched pedestrian bridge over the lake presents a quaint architectural highlight.

The landscape plans prepared by the Olmsted Brothers were approved the same year Verona Park was acquired. Actual development did not start until several years later due to court proceedings concerning condemnation of some of the land. There was no inconvenience to the public during the delay because the park was already being used for boating, bathing, skating, picnics, and band concerts.

Eagle Rock Reservation is a 408.33-acre (165.25 ha) forest reserve and recreational park in the First Watchung Mountain of New Jersey (U.S.), located in the communities of West Orange, Montclair, and Verona. The land is owned and administered by the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

The reservation is named after the Eagle Rock, a bare rock looking down from the mountain, which marks the boundary between the towns of Montclair and West Orange, New Jersey. The Lenape Trail passes through the reservation. There are many streams that flow throughout the reservation. The forests are home to abundant wildlife, including deer and occasionally bears.

Also located on the grounds of the reservation is a restaurant and special event location called Highlawn Pavilion. The building was once a casino, in the old sense of the word meaning country house, which had various functions through the years, including as a place for refreshments.

Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is a nonprofit, volunteer-run living museum specializing in iris flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The gardens are situated on 6.5 acres. Adjacent to the gardens is a Victorian house, the Walther House. The house is open to the public and is home to a museum shop and headquarters for the Citizens Committee that oversees the gardens.
Following financial problems in 2008 and 2009, ownership of the gardens was transferred to Essex county, who bought the Walther House for $1.1 million in order to give the gardens a better financial standing. The county then leased the gardens back to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for $1. While Essex County owns the property, the actual iris beds are maintained without taxpayer funds. Rather, they are maintained by private donations and volunteer effort.
The Gardens are in a park-like setting and open to the public without charge. Donations, however, are greatly appreciated. Each year Presby has over 10,000 visitors. Normally, the blooming season is May 14 to June 4. Check the Presby website (see External Links below) for the exact status of the current season. The gardens were established in 1927 to honor Frank Presby, a noted horticulturalist and a founding member of the American Iris Society. This world-class collection now includes approximately 10,000 individual plants, representing 6 species and over 3,000 different named varieties of irises. It is the largest non-commercial garden dedicated to irises in the world.
In August 2005, 157 historic rhizomes were vandalized. One year later, Montclair Police were tipped off to the culprits who were later arrested and sentenced. The three men, minors at the time, had clubbed the plants practicing golf swings, while intoxicated. In 2008, a theft was attempted on some irises, by removing them and putting them in a plastic bag, but they were recovered.