Allaire State Park

What a pleasure it was to visit Allaire State Park for the first time this weekend. We visited on a beautiful spring Sunday morning/afternoon when there weren’t any special events going on. We paid $5 per person to enter the village and were surprised that there was someone (employee/volunteer?) in every building to provide information about their area (blacksmith, carpenter, etc.). The bakery and general store were both open with items for sale. We had a nice tour of the mansion and the lovely woman in the enameling furnace building spent a lot of time with us telling the whole story of the property and it’s past owners (at least half an hour). If you have the time, I definitely recommend listening to everything the staff has to say. We learned so much and everyone seemed very proud to be sharing. We then paid $6 per person to ride the steam train. The train isn’t related to the history of the village but it has been on the property since the 60s. All the train staff were friendly and we got two loops on the track. The ride is loud and quick but perfect for kids. They do really push for donations but they do explain that the upkeep of the train is fully funded by ticket sales and donations, no state funding. There are a few bathrooms on the property. Some inside at the visitors center and some porta potties in the village. We arrived earlier in the day and there was ample parking in the lot by the village but they use overflow lots in fields during larger special events. It was a little more crowded when we left several hours later and noticed a lot of graduates having their photos taken. Seems like a beautiful location for special occasion photos but did notice a sign that wedding photos are by permit only. We had a beautiful day at Allaire State Park and look forward to exploring the trails and visiting at Christmas time.

I stopped by this State Park through recommendation from a co-worker, and I am glad that I took their suggestion. It is truly a great place to visit for all ages, and you could literally spend hours here. My main interest was visiting the village, which holds so much history. The buildings are well maintained, and the "actors" that I have interacted with (specifically Dwight, Joan, and Faith) were very engaging and knowledgeable. I truly enjoyed my conversations with these ladies. They have a "bakery" on site, but all the items come from local places. They also have a general store where you can buy gifts/souvenirs. There is plenty of parking and restrooms. I visited here on a Friday, where the admission is free. The weekends there is a small fee of $5, which is pretty reasonable and the hold events such as flea markets. I didn't get a chance to see everything on my first visit since the staff was setting up for a wedding. I will be sure to come back in the future to finish my self-tour and to do some hiking along the trails.