A Child's Walk/Skip/Jump through Batsto Village

The Livestock Barn

Isn't it great when historical locations are kid-friendly?  For example, Constitution Hall isn't so kid-friendly with its perfect restoration and reverent/dramatic tour and narration.  Most of Batsto Village, on the other hand, seems to invite little ones to climb, enter, inspect, and touch.  Perfect.

The General Store

We loved our hike through three-hundred year-old village in NJ's Pine Barrens.  It was difficult to picture it buzzing with the couple thousand people that once lived and worked in these buildings, but I had fun on this occasion imagining what the children of Batsto Village did on their way through the streets.

The hydraulic ram oustide the Grist Mill

Trying out the wheat grinder on display

Floors perfect for a little jig, I guess.

Wood Stove One in the General Store (I wonder how many little fingers were burned by this one.)

Wood Stove Two in the General Store--See, my kids were attracted to them like magnets.

Wood Stove Three in the General Store--at this point I realized how kid-unfriendly this would have been had those been in use.  And I realized that I was becoming a little obsessed with them wondering which one I'd want in the corner of my hosue.

En fin, the unassuming remnants of this three-hundred-plus year-old village were so worth the short trip.  It's so great that these state parks are accessible to the public.