Sunday Motor Co.
We begin our adventure at the Sunday Motor Co. in Madison, New Jersey. Now a popular eatery, the location used to house a gas station. Look no further than the battered Mobil sign for proof of vintage. The menu transforms old favorites like toast to new heights (heirloom tomato, lemon ricotta, everything avocado) while offering newbies like shakshuka and miso ginger salad.
We arrive at 10:30 am midweek to avoid the crowds. We are served quickly at one of the umbrellaed picnic tables. The coffee is memorable.
Sunday Motor Co. outdoor seating
Sunday Motor Co. indoor bakery selection and menus
Raptor Trust
Fueled up, we then drive fifteen minutes to the edge of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge where we visit an array of predatory birds at the Raptor Trust. The quiet helps to rehabilitate injured hawks, owls, and bald eagles, which are then returned to the wild. The facility is free and open to the public.
Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center
It’s barely noon by the time we travel thirty minutes away to our next destination—The Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center in Chester Township. This 687-acre expanse was purchased by Martha Brookes Hutchinson and her husband in 1925, slowly emerging as a showcase for Martha’s landscape designs, which are important enough to be on the Women’s Heritage Trail. The terraced grounds welcome a stroll, perfumed by lilac bushes. We advance to a running brook, birds serenading us along the way to a large circular pond and smaller structures below. A quick dial-in at the numbered plaques details the property’s history and horticulture. For a longer walk, take the perimeter trail.
Taylor’s Ice Cream Parlor
The sun and exercise inspire a taste for something cold and sweet, so we drive to nearby Chester (the center of Chester Township) for a scoop at Taylor’s Ice Cream Parlor. This town fixture since 1960 offers over 50 flavors. We share the peanut butter fudge variety, deciding that it makes for a perfectly good lunch.
