We only scratched the surface while in New Jersey during this visit, but the state of liberty and prosperity has plenty of weird and fun spots. Our findings prove that.
And one of those places is the world’s largest model railroad in Fleminton, NJ called, Northlandz. Created by Bruce Williams Zaccaginno who began building it in 1972, Northlandz started in his home and over the years evolved into a museum of 100 travel trains, 8 miles of track, thousands of model buildings and towns, a dollhouse with dozens of rooms, and an impressive collection of organs.
Throughout the museum you can press buttons that make the trains move, and you’ll see them travel into towns, cities, caves, and around canyons. It’s a great time for train lovers, children or grown up kids like Natalie and myself. I’m still amazed at how much detail Zaccaginno and his wife put into these models. The landscapes are little perfections depicting things like a traveling carnival in the summer or a family in the process of home renovations. There’s always an interesting scene to focus on, but one thing remains the same; the trains never stop chugging towards the next tiny destination. I could sit here and write about a million other things we saw inside, but there’s not enough time or space in this blog post.
Another cool thing we saw on the Northlandz property was a small train people could ride. No need to even question if we rode it because we most certainly did. I assumed it was a slow day for the conductor since we were his only passengers. But he ran the train anyway which led us through a small wooded area and a tunnel before returning us safely back to the train station. A short ride, but fun nonetheless.
Later on in the day, we traveled to Edison, NJ to see the world’s largest lightbulb in Melo Park. It was pouring at this point, so we didn’t get out to see it closer. Built in 1938, the lightbulb is part of the Thomas Edison Memorial Tower, and sits on top of the 118 foot structure. It also lights up at night, but we didn’t get the chance to see it. As I watched the rain flow down my window, I wished for lightning to strike the bulb with hope it would capture the glow in its sphere. Hey, weirder things have happened…I think.
Nearby Attractions: Hunterdon Ballooning Inc., Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse, Shaker Cafe, & Menlo Park Mall
Roadsight Relics 