Trenton Thunder

The Trenton Thunder are the AA affiliate of the New York Yankees, and play in the Eastern League.  They play at Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton, right along the Delaware River, on Thunder Road (cue the Boss!).  The ballpark is less than an hour from downtown Philadelphia.  You can get Luxury Box seats for $30, but most of the tickets are about $12. 

THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY
If your kids (or you) are into Revolutionary War history, there is plenty to see and do in Trenton.  The Old Barracks Museum is open Weekdays and Saturdays near downtown Trenton – $8 for adults, $6 for kids six and over (5 and under are free).  About 15 minutes north of Trenton is Washington Crossing, where you can take tours of the Tower or Village for $6, or walk around the park for free.

If you really love New Jersey, you can try and tour the State House.  You just need to plan your tour six weeks in advance.  But it seems like a lot of work to see where a bunch of legislative douches sit around and figure out ways to waste your money.  I would just check out the NJ State Museum
There are also a few towns nearby worth checking out: New HopeLambertville and Princeton.  You can find plenty of shops, activities in restaurants in all of them.  If you can convince your kids to do Sesame Place for a just few hours, and then go to the game, you are a better parent then me. 

WHERE TO EAT IN THE CITY
Ten years ago, dad would check out NJ Weedman’s Joint , but I am not sure how the kids would deal with that.  I was also excited to suggest Rat’s Restaurant to my wife, but I think it might be too classy a joint for our crew.  It’s Rats like Ratatouie, not rats like dirty. 

On a recent visit to Washington Crossing, we had a great experience at Bowman’s Tavern, which is near New Hope.  I would recommend that place to everyone.

WHAT TO EAT AT THE BALLPARK
So evidently, Trenton is well known for the pork roll.  I had no idea.  So head on over to Case’s Pork Roll Paradise behind Home Plate and try one of their selections.  I am holding out for the Pig Pen: pork roll, pulled pork, and bacon over mashed potatoes.  It’s like eating Noah’s Ark!  If the Ark only had pigs.  And potatoes.

WHEN TO GO
Like all Minor League teams, the Trenton Thunder have a ton of family friendly promotions: Tuesdays are Dollar Dog night (and kids eat free), while Thursdays usually have fireworks.  You can also get your kid a free wallet (to hold your money) on July 9th.  And they won’t need it for ice cream, because it is free that day!  Or on August 6th there is a Gary Sanchez jersey giveaway.  A free jersey in Jersey!  Get it?  OK, sorry for the dad joke.
They also have some decent bobblehead giveaways during the year: Gary Sanchez on July 21st, Reggie Jackson and a dog August 4th, and a fan vote bobblehead on August 25th. 

BEER
There are a few decent nano-breweries around Trenton, but none of them have a restaurant on site (Thanks, stupid New Jersey law!).  In Lambertville, across the river from New Hope, River Horse makes some great seasonal and year-round beers.  A little further north, the Referend has a tasty offering.  A little further to the south, Common Sense Brewing serves up drinks in Bordentown.

The only one I have tried so far is River Horse, and they make some good beers.  But if you just want to see what they have at the ballpark, this list is pretty impressive, too.

 

-Shawn

Just Get in the Car

Kristin and Shawn live in Delaware County, PA. They love to travel and go on new adventures with their three kids, follow along!

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