Status: Historical

High atop the hill almost across the way from the Ringwood Manor, well-known for once accomodating George Washington, is the often overlooked Skyland Manor. To the best of my knowledge, this 1920s hybrid of European style castle and manor house has no “haunted history” and because of this, is often completely ignored by other sites dedicated to local weirdness and attractions. Of course, this could be due to the fact that the Skyland Manor couldn’t exactly be described as “weird”, but is definitely an unusually beautiful place for Northern New Jersey and by far one of my favorites. And since it’s one of my favorite places, I’ve decided to include it on this site.

The mansion itself was built by John Russell Pope for Clarence Mc Kensie Lewis and its English Jacobean architecture was very common in England 400 years ago. It has 44 rooms, many containing antique paneling as well as New American paneling. It also has huge windows, some containing 16th century stained glass medallions collected from around the world. When first entering through the doors of the mansion, the visitor is greeted by long, wide hallways and bats carved into the architecture, giving it a very castle-like feel. There isn’t any original furniture left inside since the house was eventually sold and used as a school. It’s since been sold to the state and is open to the public.

Surrounding the mansion are gorgeous botanical gardens containing multitudes of different flowers and plants, statues of cherubs, fountains, and wide open fields, making for a lovely afternoon stroll. When one has the desire to get lost or just have some peace and quiet in a beautiful setting, Skylands is the place to go. They offer tours of the mansion every first Sunday of the month March through November. Or if you’re planning on getting married soon, it’s the perfect place to have a wedding.

- Ember