Paterson: Recreation

Paterson: Recreation

Sightseeing

Perhaps the most spectacular sights in Paterson are Lambert Castle, perched on a mountain top, and the dramatic Great Falls. Lambert Castle, located on the Garrett Mountain Reservation, is a turn-of-the-century stone castle that once belonged to Catholina Lambert, a wealthy silk manufacturer. The Lambert family lived in the building from 1893 until 1923, naming it Belle Vista for its stunning vantage point. Today the castle houses a museum on park-like grounds that provide a picnic area and cross-country track. The house features hand-carved oak interior touches and a lovely terrace. In 1995 the County Freeholders began a $5 million renovation of the castle, finishing in September of 2000.

The Great Falls on the Passaic River can best be viewed from at site at McBride Avenue and Spruce Street. A brochure outlining a walking and/or driving tour and information about guided walking tours in the S.U.M. Historic District is available at the Great Falls Visitor Center, which also arranges guided walks around the Falls and the restored mill buildings that were once powered by the rushing waters.

The Paterson Museum is housed in the Thomas Rogers Locomotive Erecting shop in the Great Falls Historic District of Paterson. The museum's exhibits reflect the evolution of the city as a major U.S. industrial center. Machinery used for dyeing, winding, warping, and weaving silk are featured. The museum showcases the Paul R. Applegate, Jr., Collection of rare Colt firearms, as well as other Paterson-made firearms. Also on display are hulls of the first submersibles made by John Philip Holland, known as the "father of the submarine." The museum's simulated mine yields a fine mineral collection, including a fluorescent mineral display.

Botto House in Haledon, New Jersey, a historic landmark built in 1908, is home to the American Labor Museum. The house, which once belonged to mill worker Pietro Botto, was a meeting place for mill workers who planned the famous 1913 Paterson Silk Strike. The museum has restored period rooms, a labor library, old-fashioned gardens, and changing exhibits that highlight the lives of circa-1900 immigrant families. The museum also offers tours of sites important to the local history of the labor movement.

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are only a daytrip away from Paterson, completing the history of the mills with the story of the immigrants who carried the industry on their backs while working for the labor rights enjoyed by U.S. citizens of the present day.

Arts and Culture

The Paterson Museum hosts permanent and rotating displays of the works of local artists in addition to a store of historical information about the city and region. Manuscripts, materials, looms, warping equipment, and photographic collections trace the artistry of the fabric and submarine industries in northern New Jersey. More contemporary works of art can be found year-round at the Ben Shahn Galleries located at William Paterson University.

William Paterson University (WPU) is also the scene of performances by the High Mountain Symphony, which presents three performances per season as it draws upon the combined talents of faculty and students at the university. For more than 25 years, WPU has been hosting nationally-recognized jazz performers in an ongoing musical series. Quite an ensemble of other musical offerings lie outside the bounds of the Paterson area—opera performances in Newark, off- and on-Broadway musicals in New York City, and small community theaters are plentiful.

Paterson has been portrayed by poets as diverse as Allen Ginsberg and William Carlos Williams The Paterson Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is widely hailed as a leader in helping poets craft their art. The Center organizes more than 100 activities each year, including readings and presentations by internationally famous poets. The Center's Paterson Poetry Marathon each spring involves week-long workshops in the local public schools that culminate in a public program. Part of the city's historic district has become a de facto artists' colony for painters, writers, sculptors, and photographers.

PCCC's Cultural Affairs Department offers the community programs in art, music, theater, dance, and literature. The Learning Resource Gallery offers monthly art exhibits, lectures, and workshops. The Quidnunc Society also provides local residents with an opportunity to engage in cultural activities.

Arts and Culture Information: Discover Jersey Arts, PO Box 306, Trenton, NJ 08625; telephone (800)THE-ARTS

Festivals and Holidays

In September, the American Labor Museum's Annual Labor Day Celebration highlights the history and importance of the worker in northern New Jersey. Later in the month, the city's Recreation Department holds a fundraising street fair with rides, games, food, music, and arts and crafts booths. In February, Newark keeps the New Year party going with the Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration coordinated by the Newark Museum. The traditional Lion Dance and holiday delicacies are on hand to mark this important event.

In early spring Paterson sponsors a three-day Great Falls Festival that features music and entertainment from local and outside performers, skywalks over the falls and other high wire acts, crafts, rides, and games. An international food court serves dishes from the 53 ethnic groups representative of the city's various citizens. A parade from the American Labor Museum to the Great Falls is the high point of the event.

The Newark Museum hosts an Asian Heritage Festival in early May, with Japanese drumming, Dancing Bells, and the Indian Folk Dance taking center stage. Fair weather in the month of June welcomes the Annual Sol Stein Golf Open, which is held at the High Mountain Golf Club. Throughout the summer, the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District offers events such as music festivals, Easter promotions, and Mother's Day celebrations. In mid-July, the Passaic County Fair brings a homespun flavor back to the Silk City metropolitan area.

Sports for the Spectator

Passaic County Community College presents women's and men's basketball games, and men's soccer. William Paterson University competes in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association; team sports include baseball, basketball, football, track and field, volleyball, and swimming. Nearby Newark and New York City offer major league play in all major sports. The Newark Bears professional baseball club plays in the independent Atlantic League, and the MetroStars contend in Major League Soccer play at Giants Stadium in Secaucus.

Sports for the Participant

Rifle Camp Park in Paterson contains fitness and jogging trails maintained by Passaic County government. A toboggan chute and sleigh riding hills make the park fun all year long; nature trails and a bird watching blind add education to the experience. The park offers a Nature Center and an observatory that provide special programs for local students and the general public.

The Garret Mountain Reservation abuts the Rifle Camp Park; the reservation is a 568-acre recreational area that reaches a 500 foot elevation at its topmost point. Any number of activities are available to visitors, depending on the time of year—in seasonable weather, the equestrian center can arrange for trail rides, or hikers can set off on the network of marked paths. Barbour's Pond can be fished in warmer weather or skated upon after hard freezes; in the winter, the hiking trails become cross-country ski routes.

Passaic County Recreation also oversees Tranquility Ridge Park and Friendship Park, two areas that have been left largely untouched and natural after being rescued from imminent development. Activities are more limited in these areas in order to leave little or no trace. Similarly, the 512-acre Apshawa Preserve has been carefully protected; it lies adjacent to a 68-acre parcel owned by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

Canoeing and rafting can be had on sections of the Passaic River, offering the opportunity to bird watch while lazily floating along.

Passaic County also operates a golf course located in Wayne, New Jersey. Two 18-hole courses are available, along with practice greens and a shag field. The facility is open year-round, only closing on major holidays. The communities surrounding Paterson maintain additional golf courses and recreation programs that offer a selection of athletic outlets.

Shopping and Dining

Paterson's thriving downtown connects an ever-expanding array of eclectic, unique stores where shoppers can find furniture, clothing, art and collectibles, antiques, gourmet and natural foods, and linens. The city also offers two farmers' markets open all year and vending fresh produce, poultry, bakery products, grapes and wine presses, seafood, and meats. Discount stores, factory outlets, and malls are all available in or near the Paterson area.

Most any taste bud can be tantalized in Paterson and northern New Jersey, with a discernible preference for Asian cuisines such as Chinese fare and Japanese sushi. Italian and Mexican cooking are well-represented among northern New Jersey restaurants, along with basic American tastes like steaks and chops. True to its diverse immigrant history, the eatery options in the Paterson region are limitless and cover areas of the world such as India, Greece, the Middle East, Cuba, France, Ireland, New England, and Korea. An after-dinner espresso can be found at one of several locally owned coffeehouses in the city.