In September 2016, I visited Morven, the place that used to be the New Jersey governor's mansion. Visiting Morven made me want to visit Drumthwacket, the current governor's mansion. Christmas time is the best time to go because the mansion is decked out for the holidays, courtesy of several New Jersey garden clubs. This nice NJTV news video provides the basic history of the house and allows you to see the inside. This video from 2014 shows the mansion partially decorated for the holidays. These decorations are nice, but 2018's festooning was over-the-top.
Drumthwacket is called the people's home, and visiting is free. All guests in your party have to register, I suppose for security reasons. Five first floor rooms are open to the public. Photographs are prohibited inside, but you can wander the grounds and take as many outside pictures as you like.
Welcome
It was a bit of a bad hair day!
This bust of Julius Ceasar is bundled up since it stands guard in a drafty doorway. One of the decorators has a sense of humor.
The panes of glass glitter like diamonds.
If you can't take a picture from inside, then take a picture through the glass from outside. This sun porch was decorated in a Hanukkah theme.
Could this be our governor catching a nap? Seward Johnson is the artist.
This is the frog pond. I don't know if real, live amphibians reside here, but there are two cement frogs in the pond. A water fountain spouts up in the center during warm weather. The pond had a mini restoration in 2009. Here's a link to a video of that project, if you are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSg75V-HRCo
A stream runs across the back of the property.
These American Sycamore trees (also called Buttonwood or American Planetree) have beautiful, white bark.
This is the fire pond. Large properties that are located a distance from water mains have ponds that can be pumped in case of fire. And you thought it was just for looks.
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