New Hope PA New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA Great things about New Hope PA: sense of civic pride, sense of history, cultural institutions, Thu, 20-09-2007 08:59 -0500
Top Ten Places in Bucks County for Weddings , Pennsylvania, USA Our top 10 list includes what we think are the best places to hold extravagant fairytale weddings in Sat, 22-03-2008 13:21 -0500
Free Hosting For Travel Web Site Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA Frenchtowner.com is proud to announce a new offer to host your travel related website for free. All Tue, 24-06-2008 20:05 -0500
Restaurant Reviews . Canoe in Atlanta GA Atlanta, Georgia, USA Canoe grabbed our attention even before we got to town. As we were planning our Atlanta vacation Wed, 12-03-2008 19:01 -0500
Guide to the Best of Savannah GA Savannah, Georgia, USA Our guide features the best restaurants, shops and bed and breakfast inns in this charming Thu, 27-09-2007 17:09 -0500
Atlanta's Most Popular Attractions Atlanta, Georgia, USA There are hundreds of things to do, sights to see and places to go when you visit Atlanta, so Thu, 13-03-2008 10:56 -0500
Cape May NJ Cape May, New Jersey, USA The Best of Cape May New Jersey is profiled on this page. We feature our favorite bed and breakfast Thu, 27-09-2007 16:29 -0500
A New Jersey Wine Festival Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA Wine and Art Weekend is a festival that celebrates fine wine and fine art in the charming little New Sun, 06-04-2008 13:54 -0500
Abundance at Room in Frenchtown Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA I met Elena Stokes, the owner of a new shop in Frenchtown, one night last week on the way to dinner. Sat, 28-06-2008 18:30 -0500
Free Hosting For Travel Web Site Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA Frenchtowner.com is proud to announce a new offer to host your travel related website for free. All Tue, 24-06-2008 20:05 -0500
Your Ad Here for $5.00 Per Month Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA Are you missing hundreds, thousands of customers every year? You may be by not advertising with us Fri, 06-06-2008 18:27 -0500
Bucks County's Best Bargains . Rouget in Newtown Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA Rouget is our latest discovery. There are few restaurants in the world where our first visit was so Wed, 28-05-2008 08:55 -0500
Raven . New Hope . Closed New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA The Raven, a New Hope tradition has been closed and the owners have bought the hotel down the street Tue, 20-05-2008 11:12 -0500
I G A . Frenchtown NJ . Grocery Store Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA This grocery store has been in town for decades and it is an important part of our community. This Sat, 17-05-2008 07:03 -0500
Mercer County Park . Hamilton NJ Hamilton, New Jersey, USA Grounds for Sculpture is much more than a place for the arts. It is a also a beautifully landscaped Thu, 15-05-2008 13:48 -0500
Modern Art in New Jersey Hamilton, New Jersey, USA Grounds for Sculpture is one of the best outdoor art museums in the nation Wed, 14-05-2008 19:31 -0500
A response to Frenchtowner.com member Mark Giordano: Frenchtowner.com updated our website this year ... >>more
Duke Farms and Gardens Through May 25, 2008
Duke Farms, also known as Duke Gardens near Somerville, New Jersey is making big changes. The estate will become an Environmental Learning Center by the spring of 2010.
Duke Farms announced today an expansive and bold new vision for the 2,740-acre property, in which it will refocus its programs and operations to become an environmental showcase and learning center. This new direction marks the culmination of an extensive strategic planning process and the beginning of a transitional phase for Duke Farms, which will include a period of construction, phasing out some tours and activities, creating partnerships with leading nonprofits, and expanding environmental programs and self-guided public access over time.
“Duke Farms has always been committed to the environment, but we’re taking our vision to a whole new level of green,” said Timothy Taylor, executive director of Duke Farms. “We will be developing new programs and opportunities for families, students and professionals to put on their hiking shoes, get their hands dirty and join us in becoming informed – and inspired – stewards of the earth.”
In the future, all visitors will begin their trip to Duke Farms at a newly renovated “green” orientation center, which will be housed in a 22,000-square-foot building currently known as the Farm Barn. From there, visitors will be able to embark on numerous paths or hop aboard sustainably-powered trams to explore the property’s diverse landscapes and habitats. The orientation center is expected to open in the spring of 2010.
“For the first time since Buck Duke closed the park at Duke Farms nearly 100 years ago, hundreds of acres of trails will be open for visitors to walk, bike and hike on their own,” said Taylor. “For us and our visitors, increased access to the property is one of the most exciting aspects of the new vision for Duke Farms.”
Bringing this new vision to life will mean significant changes at Duke Farms over the next two years. The first major change will be the conclusion in May of tours of the display garden greenhouses. A re-configured version of the display gardens will be moved to a different greenhouse conservatory, which was built in 1902 and will be renovated to improve the energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability of the gardens. The gardens also will be expanded to include beautiful outdoor gardens, and they are expected to open to the public in the spring of 2010 as well.
“This is a bittersweet milestone for us. On one hand, this is the first step in increasing the public’s access to the 2,740 acres that make up this unique property. On the other, it’s the final months of the gardens being on display in the greenhouses that have enchanted visitors since 1964,” said Taylor. “To celebrate both the history and future of the display gardens at Duke Farms, we are pleased to be able to offer free tours of the gardens from now through May.”
Through May 25th, the Indoor Display Gardens at Duke Farms will be open free of charge to the public. The one-hour walking tour will be self-directed, with docents stationed throughout the eleven display gardens. Reservations are required due to capacity limitations and can be made at www.dukefarms.org. Walks along the 1.5-mile “Walk on the Wild Side” nature trail also will be free.
Preparations for renovation and construction will begin this summer. Throughout the construction period, the Duke Farms Web site will provide the latest information about tour schedules and programs. The Estate Park & Nature Tour will be open on a limited basis, and nature programs, bike tours and horticultural classes will continue to be offered.
To complement and expand its program offerings, Duke Farms also is establishing unique partnerships with organizations such as the New Jersey Audubon Society, Raritan Piedmont Wildlife Habitat Partnership, and the Rutgers University School of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Office of Continuing Education. Beginning in 2008 and continuing over the next several years, the partners will introduce new activities at Duke Farms for families and professionals alike, such as expanded nature programs, community garden plots, organic gardening and farming programs, and courses and seminars in agriculture, horticulture and wildlife ecology. To serve as a demonstration site for sustainability, Duke Farms also will undertake various renewable energy, habitat restoration and ecological research projects.
For nearly 100 years, Duke Farms has been a destination for the residents of New Jersey and beyond. As one of the largest privately owned parcels of undeveloped land in New Jersey, it is rich in agricultural, horticultural and ecological resources. From picnicking on the grounds in the days of James B. Duke to bike riding and moonlight walks today, Duke Farms has been a haven in the midst of residential and commercial development. Its 2,740 acres include vast and varied landscapes that have become a critical hub of open space and wildlife habitat over the last century. For more information or to book a visit, please visit www.dukefarms.org.
