Maple Shade Custard Stand

When the weather warms up you can expect a bunch of activity and long lines, but the lines move quick and any wait is well worthwhile.  Their custard is thick and creamy; simply delicious.  Plus the experience: sitting on the curb eating your ice cream, seeing everyone else there enjoying whatever treat they ordered adds to the enjoyment.

It’s only 5 minutes from the Cherry Hill Mall, so if you’re in the area I encourage you to make a short detour to the Maple Shade Custard Stand.  You can thank me later;-)

Have a great day exploring your world!

Shark Petting

Typically our first visit of the year is with extended family.  We then get the family membership which basically allows us to come back throughout the year without any additional costs (other than discounted parking).

The kids love to go and pet the sharks, watch the seals play, laugh at the huge hippos and marvel at the polar bears.  My personal favorite is the Hippo exhibition.  There’s just something so amazing seeing 2 3,000lb animals swim so effortlessly and expertly in their murky water.  When they’re under water, they will disappear for a moment and then reappear as they

Hippos

 glide along the glass enclosure only to disappear just as suddenly.

When we go, we usually go well before lunch or just after, as we feel that the lunch prices are too high for what they offer.  If that’s a concern to you, then you may want to factor your lunch plans into your scheduled visit.  Having said that, I would definitely recommend venturing out to the Adventure Aquarium.

Have a great day exploring your world!

I’ve been there a few times with the kids and must say that the staff is always friendly and eager to help.  There’s all sorts of pottery pieces you can choose from and I love watching my kids study the entire inventory (3 times) before they finally pick the “perfect” thing for their mom.

The process of picking out the pottery, picking the colors and finally spending time painting the pottery is great quality time with the kids.

Artrageous Creations is a great idea if you’re in need of a special gift or looking for something different to do with the kids.

You can reach Artrageous Creations at 856-727-0090.

Have a great day exploring your world!

It beckons you in with its four spinning balls and odd shaped building: you can’t help but stop!  Especially on Sundays during the summer when there’s an Elvis Impersonator singing to the passing traffic.  The food is fine, my wife and I always seem to get a Pork Roll with Cheese, my daughter gets the burger and my son is happy with a hot dog.  We get a couple orders of fries.  But the food is only part of the fun.  The kids (and I) love that the servers bring the tray of food to the car and hang it on the window.  For an extra treat the kids will have a “picnic” in the back of the Jeep, waving at the passing traffic. 

Of course we all get the “Famous” root beer in some form: my favorite is their root beer float.

You definitely have to go to Webers before you can truly feel like you’ve “arrived” in South Jersey.  It’s different, it’s fairly inexpensive, it’s fun, it’s Jersey!

(Just remember that Webers isn’t open all year, their season basically follows the baseball season.)

Have a great day exploring your world!

When I learned about the cause, I saw the walk as a perfect “teachable moment” for my young children.  Plus I figured it would be a great way to spend some quality time with them.   I wasn’t disappointed.  My kids aksed some thoughtful questions about what we were doing and why throughout the walk…which ended up being much longer because someone missed a route marker:-) 

If you’re looking for something to do that is for a greater good, then I would encourage you to consider participating in this year’s CROP Walk.  It’s super easy to sign up on line and get donations on line as well.  There’s a 1 mile, 3 mile and 5 mile route for folks of various ages.

Plus it’s just a fantastic way to get out and experience a the wonderful community of Moorestown for a good cause.

Have a great day exploring your world!

That's a long Black tongue!

We visited the Animal Kingdom Zoo not really knowing what to expect.  We were pleasantly surprised at how interesting and exciting the place was.  It’s worth repeating, my kids could feed the Giraffes.  Try doing that at the Philadelphia Zoo:p!

Of course there’s plenty of other animals to see as well, many of which are endangered species.  I can’t remember what this animal was, so extra credit if you can name it:

I know what I am, do you?

Give me some food and I'll tell you.

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Since our kids are elementary age and younger, we opted to break up the visit by packing our lunch.  I would really recommend this, as there are plenty of places to picnic both inside and out.

The number for the Zoo is 609-267-3111 and their contact information and adress can be found on their web site.

Have a great time exploring your world!

Grassy Trail

 Challenge tomorrow, 4/15/2010, from 10am-3pm.  Festivities will include “clean-up hikes” and the marking of a mountain bike trail.  I’ll be doing future posts about both Wharton State Forest and Batsto Village, because these are 2 great places and deserve a bit more print then I can do today:-)  There’s a number listed to call for more information: 609-567-4559, however that is different than the one listed on the web site linked to above.

One thing I learned today is that this past week, 4/11-4/17, was “National Environment Education Week.”  The significance being that on the 22nd of next week we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of “Earth Day.”  Be sure to be on the look out for lots of other great things to do in celebration of the event.

Have a great day exploring your world!

View of Philadelphia Skyline

Amico Island in Delran is a hidden gem.  My wife grew up in Moorestown and I had been in the area for about 10 years before we found out about this place a couple years ago.

Amico Island (which is really a Pennisula) offers a couple miles of trails, places to picnic and fish..maybe even at the same time for the really adventurous.

Nesting Herons

The family went a few weeks ago and came back with this picture of all the nesting Herons.  It was quite a memory for everyone and one you can only get by going out and exploring your world!

If you’re looking for a great place to take a quick adventure to, then put Amico Island on your list. Part of the adventure is finding the place, but once there it’s a great escape. The island may be 55 acres, but it’s something that you can see without taking the entire day. A great place to picnic, go birding, fishing or just get away for a while.

Bench Overlooking Dredge Harbor

We arrived early for our 7pm dinner reservation and were seated right away. The dining room is “cozy” for

Thomas' Ristorante, Moorestown NJ

sure, as the restaurant fills, it can be difficult to have an intimate conversation. Although, my wife and I really enjoyed the ambience and thought it added to the experience.

The bread came with super fresh pesto sauce and parmesan shavings that I couldn’t resist. We then had the Mozzarella in Carrozza as our appetizer, which was delicious. I did expect the appetizer to be a little crisper than it was however. (This coming from a guy who has actually messed up Hamburger Helper…so consider the source;-) For our entree’s my wife had the Pork Chop Italiano and I had the Veal Pavoratti, both of which were exceptional. In fact the whole experience, from the service to the food was excellent and I certainly hope I can return soon. One thing I did notice is that there appeared to be a good amount of regulars there, which I take as a good sign. Just remember, since it’s in Moorestown, which is a dry town, Thomas’ is a BYOB for those who are interested.

Thomas’ Ristorante is located at 61 East Main St, Moorestown and is only open for dinner. To make a reservation call 856-642-1200.

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Have a great day exploring your world!