For our day-after-Thanksgiving adventure, my brother, his wife, and I drove into New Jersey to see my 199th NPS site, the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. It's the site of the house where he lived for the last 45 years of his life, and the site of an amazingly well-preserved laboratory and industrial complex.
Our first stop was the Chemistry Lab, which requires a free but timed ticket. It was like going back in time -- to high school and beyond. They maintained the lab just as it was back in tehe 30's -- beakers, testtubes, chemicals, books, everything. Edison's last experiment was in trying to find a domestic source of rubber, and he was trying goldenrod sap. He found a way to make tires, but they weren't robust enough to compete with rubber.
The factory portion had been mostly dedicated to making rechargable batteries, which was in the end his biggest moneymaker, far beyond the electric light, phonograph, or even movie. Those other inventions were highlighted in other areas of the labs -- it was just overwhelming seeing how many of life's conveniences he impacted.
His house was very nice -- again, with all his original furniture, where he raised his 6 children. Since the furnishings date to the 30's, it wasn't that historic or remarkable. Still, interesting seeing where The Man lived.
Visitor's Ratings (out of 5)Significance: 4 -- The scene of many of the greatest inventions from the greatest American inventor -- and his house as a bonus.
Beauty: 1 -- a factory and a nice house in a park.
Fun: 2 -- mostly a museum, but fun in its own way.
Overall: 3
Accessibility: East Orange, NJ -- within a couple hours of Philly, very close to NYC
Logistics/signs: 4 -- excellent rangers/tour guides, great displays, signs.
Time required: 2 hours minimum, and with timed tickets, you have to commit once you arrive as to how much time you'll spend
Time to visit: anytime the roads are passable
Kid friendliness: low -- lots to see but not touch. I didn't see any kids areas. I bet they're somewhere...
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