Museums & Galleries in Hopatcong

Rather than focusing on one angle of its state's history, the New Jersey State Museum encompasses four: archaeology, fine arts, culture, and natural history. Since 1895, the American Association of Museums–accredited complex’s staff has been dedicated to expanding field research and, more recently, public-school outreach. These efforts have culminated in collections of more than 2 million archeological specimens, 2,000 ethnographic artifacts, 12,000 works of art, and 13,000 state cultural artifacts. These pieces pique viewer curiosity in themed exhibits, exploring periods in local art, relationships between native Americans and European settlers, and the state flower’s childhood diaries.

The archaeology collections—assembled by museum staffers and university archaeologists—highlight textiles, beads, and hide works from Delaware Indians and other North American–natives. The fine art collection assembles works by American modernists and abstract artists. Massive Trenton-made furnishings, Civil War–flags, and maritime artifacts populate the cultural exhibits.

Though focused on history and art, the museum also immerses visitors in science with its 150-seat planetarium, which dazzles eyes with images of the solar system, faraway stars, and astronaut training during shows. Audiences witness traditional sky projections and laser-created programs comprised of 6,000 stars on the ceiling of the full 360-degree dome.

High on a hill in Bryn Athyn, a vision of old Europe towers over the surrounding greenery. Built as a private residence between 1928 and 1939, the 20th-century castle was constructed in the medieval style, using symbolism that reflects the faith of the community's earliest inhabitants. The building now serves as a museum that houses religious art and relics dating from Babylonian times up to the present. The museum's permanent and temporary exhibits range from a medieval collection of stained glass that spans the years 1100–1300 to an Egyptian collection that includes an ornate granite libation bowl, which Egyptian priests are said to have used to dump Gatorade on their football coach.

In 1953, Rabbi Mortimer J. Cohen commissioned famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design the Beth Sholom Synagogue, which remains the only synagogue he masterminded during his illustrious career. Listed as a national historic landmark in 2007, the Beth Sholom Synagogue draws visitors with its unique construction and educational visitor center, which is nestled in one of the synagogue's social spaces. The visitor center allows guests to acquaint themselves with Wright's creative process and partnership with Rabbi Cohen through interactive kiosks, displays of Wright's architectural sketches, and excerpts from the pair's online chat logs.