Grounds For Sculpture

Hamilton, United States

4.8

Open now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

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Telephone:
+1 609-586-0616
Website:
www.groundsforsculpture.org
Address:
80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, NJ, 08619
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.5 miHamilton
2.2 miTrenton Transit Center
2.2 miTrenton (RiverLine)
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Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Hamilton) 1:07 PM Thursday, May 29, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Grounds For Sculpture, located in Hamilton, New Jersey (midway between Philadelphia and New York), is a forty-​two acre sculpture park and arboretum on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Founded by Seward Johnson to promote an understanding and appreciation of contemporary sculpture, the park has been enchanting visitors since 1992.

Grounds For Sculpture features 270 contemporary sculpture outdoors and six indoor galleries. It offers workshops for children and adults, concerts, performances, shopping and fine dining at the Zagat’s-rated Rat’s Restaurant.

The park is open year-​round, closed Mondays. High season (June 1-​Labor Day) park hours are 10am to 10pm, Tues-​Sat, & til 6pm on Sundays. Sept 2-​May 31, it is open til 6pm, Tues-​Sun.

Admission is $ 15 for adults, $ 12 for seniors, $ 10 for students; members and children 5 and under are free. Visit our website for the full calendar of events, directions, and more information. We offer plenty of free parking

History

Established in 1984.

In 1984, Seward Johnson, sculptor and philanthropist, envisioned a public sculpture garden and museum in Hamilton, NJ. His desire was to make contemporary sculpture as an art form more accessible and to offer people from all backgrounds the opportunity to become comfortable with contemporary art. Grounds For Sculpture was conceived as a place where audiences could experience sculpture in a familiar, accessible, and informal setting.

Construction on the sculpture park began in 1989 on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds; Grounds For Sculpture opened to the general public in 1992. Since its inception, the park has built a collection of over 270 works, including sculptures by renowned artists Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, and New Jersey sculptor George Segal. Some of the works in the collection were commissioned specifically for the sculpture park, such as Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Space of Stone and NJ artist Isaac Witkin’s Garden State.

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21 reviews of Grounds For Sculpture

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Place rating: 5
South Orange, NJ
Grounds For Sculpture really blew me away. I wasn’t thrilled about competing with shore-​bound traffic on the first weekend of summer to get there, but I’m so glad I did. If you enjoy sculpture, modern art, larger-​than-​life installations and botanic gardens, this place is an absolute must.
If the Storm King Arts Center and Brooklyn Botanic Garden had a love child, this would be it. Having so much appreciation for both of those places, I was delighted at every turn here. The facilities are very modern and well-​organized. The grounds are expertly maintained and with over 40 acres to explore, you will not get bored with the scenery. There are beautifully landscaped gardens, exotic and ornamental plantings, vast meadows, several bodies of water, mazes and Tolkien-​esque passageways that create a sense of wonder and curiosity.
The property and myriad works of art provide an interesting, inspiring and fun experience for adults and kids, alike. What’s more, there is ample shade coverage, so even on hot days with strong sun, you can take respite as needed. I plan to return in the fall when it’s a bit cooler and the foliage will be more on display. Overall, I had a great time exploring the grounds and highly recommend a visit to this gem.
Place rating: 4
Trenton, NJ
Grounds for Sculpture is such a unique place. It is Hamilton at its best, I think! A little bit expensive, but worth it.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Lovely grounds and cool art. We had a wedding here and it was picturesque. The staff are super helpful and sweet too. They also had little electric vehicles for some of our less mobile guests which was appreciated. Over all, great place and worth a visit.
Place rating: 5
Princeton, NJ
I absolutely love Grounds for Sculpture! It’s an amazingly beautiful piece of property with incredibly crafted sculptures.
The life-​size sculptures impressively depict everything from everyday life activities to the more unique sculptures, which are usually on rotation. I’ve been here several times and have seen a few new sculptures each time. There are many peacocks and other signs of wildlife roaming about the property.
Spring and summer would lend itself better to taking in the landscape and flora in bloom, but I’ve been here in the fall and winter as well.
All in all its a great way to spend a few hours with family or friends. Highly, highly recommend!
Place rating: 5
Lawrence Township, NJ
It’s a very nice place to visit in summer. Very beautifully maintained. Their is one tansy restaurant named rats in the park. Awesome surrounding .must visit wen in Nj
Place rating: 5
East Orange, NJ
Did you know you can spend a night at Grounds for Sculpture?! Neither did I! Recently, my good friend had her wedding here. She rented the apartment, that’s what it’s called. It’s a HUGE studio apartment! It has an old fashioned/​vintage décor. I would admit it was a little creepy spending the night there. But nevertheless, the room was cozy and the bed was comfortable. If you’re planning to have your wedding at Grounds, definitely get the apartment. It made the wedding easy by being able to keep the centerpieces and ceremony stuff in the room the night before, then bring them down to decorate in the morning. The apartment doesn’t come with the wedding package. You have to pay extra for it. But I think it’s worth it. You can let your guests from out of town spend the night.
Place rating: 5
Langhorne, PA
Favorite place ! Grab brunch at Rats or great Happy Hour and walk it off in the grounds !!
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Really unique and call place. The grounds are huge and the sculpture and your ability to be a part of the past and the experience is awesome. Great for kids and for the whole family.
Place rating: 5
Princeton, NJ
absolutely beautiful surroundings and some very cool and interesting pieces of mostly modern statuary. The way the landscaping compliments the artwork is subtle but sophisticated.
A lovely day out, you can easily spend hours wandering around and enjoying the park, much less the artwork.
Place rating: 5
Staten Island, NY
Had a great Spring day walking around Grounds For Sculpture. They have plenty of signs off of the highway to help guide you to the location. They claim that you now have to buy «timed tickets» online before you go— either way it is beneficial because there is a slight discount if you buy online and you don’t even need to print– you can show your smartphone.
You can spend at least 2 hours walking around the numerous paths looking at the artwork. Make sure you walk through the «Meadow,» there are some MUST SEE sculptures there!
Enjoy!
Place rating: 5
Haledon, NJ
What a fantastic place.
1) I love sculpture grounds. This is one of two around my area. The other being Storm King Art Center.
2) They have indoor exhibits as well. But the outdoor exhibits are out of this world.
3) Make sure to get the tour, it is very informative and gives you direction to navigate the grounds.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
Overall a fun outing and a great way to spend a beautiful spring day enjoying the weather.
Not really high end sculptures or art but there are certainly many creative and intriguing things to look at. It is a great place for kids to run around and climb on many of the sculptures.
$ 15 an adult although they apparently had a special if you buy online before coming it’s $ 10 an adult. I think that promotion is ending soon. Kids 5 and under are free.
We probably won’t come back unless it’s with out of towners. Definitely worth the a visit if you’ve never been.
Place rating: 4
Morganville, NJ
Nice place to enjoy the nice weather. I think $ 15 per adult for entry is a little steep but overall it’s worth it. We went in February so nothing was in bloom but I’m sure this place is gorgeous in the spring. There were cherry trees everywhere, so I’m thinking I need to go back in April.
There are several buildings with art inside throughout the grounds. One had a snack bar, closed when we went. There was also a small building, with seating, to warm up or cool down. And all over the grounds are sculptures. Every nook and cranny of this place has something so make sure you look everywhere.
There is a lot of walking here so be prepared. Rat’s was a great spot to stop for a nice lunch. We really enjoyed the variety of sculptures here.
Place rating: 5
Rutherford, NJ
Sculptures! Big, small, outside, inside!
The people. They look so real.
There’s so much to see. I thought I saw everything, but apparently not after looking at some of the photos posted on Unilocal!I missed some good ones!
I love the giant sculptures! They make for great photo ops!
Admission is $ 15 for adults, $ 10 for students. You pay at the Welcome Center, and they’ll give you a wristband. There are a few places you can eat here (i.e,. Van Gogh Café, Peacock Café, and another restaurant). We stopped by the Van Gogh Café prior to exploring the Grounds. The food was surprisingly good! Crêpe with spinach, roasted red peppers, and brie — yummy!
Come & see for yourself! The sculptures are great! Take pictures! Be silly! Be artsy! Have fun! Also, read the signs to see if you can touch the sculptures. There were some sculptures I wanted to pose on, but the signs said no touching/​climbing :(oh wells.
Oh. We saw peacocks, too! Real ones!
Definitely want to come back and explore some more!
Place rating: 5
Lyndhurst, NJ
Like Kanye’s ego and Kim’s rump… this place is massive. But unlike those two knuckleheads this place is inspired and inspiring.
I’d been wanting to check this place out for a long time and it was a perfect treat from the family to go on my b-​day weekend.
From the touching and moving (a 9⁄11 memorial inside) to pop culture (two Marilyn Monroes) to plays on the classics (Vermeer and Da Vinci) to some sheer lunacy… I can’t imagine anyone not being impressed and overwhelmed and jealous that some people out there are wildly creative (and a touch mad).
A great way to introduce art to kids since a lot of the pieces you were allowed to touch and interact with. Even with my rambunctious 6-​year olds in tow (I tried to warn them that the three witches’ cauldron was filled with bad children that didn’t listen to their parents — but it didn’t work) I was just calm and enjoying every inch of this place.
Make sure your phone’s fully charged with plenty of memory because you’re going to be taking a slew of photos. (And if you’re an old-​timer with an actual camera with film in it? Make sure you have enough flash cubes. Oh… and get into the 21st century and get a damn smartphone.)
Rat’s — the restaurant inside is also a real unique gem with some solid food and beverages.
Place rating: 5
Turnersville, NJ
I was WOWED by this beautiful and unique outdoor wonderland of sculptures — I’ve never seen anything like it in my LIFE! We walked the diverse grounds and saw so many beautiful pieces — some of famous artworks as well.
I felt like I was in a live new version of Edward Scissorhands or something extraordinary when he makes artwork out of the bushes and trees! I felt very small! It was just wonderous for me.
It was fortunate that I had my own personal tour guide, if you will, as my date had been there numerous times b/​f.
Defintely go if you want a artistic and cool new experience!
Place rating: 5
Queens, NY
A two hour commute (NYC subway, NJ PATH train, and a car ride) + oppressive heat and blazing sun to be immerse in sculptures and art. Grounds For Sculpture is an outdoor gallery museum with no shortage of life size colored bronze sculptures which appears very real in the most candid, natural state. Such careful detail planning effort are involved with many walking paths. Visitors will encounter a woman lying on a grass resting after her bicycle run, or a woman sitting on a bench reading a poetry book. Placement of these sculptures are carefully executed as a candidly couple standing in a corridor talking or a man sitting on a bench of mirroring John Seward Johnson II’s original «Double Check» in New York City’s Manhattan Zuccotti Park.
Several American iconic imagines include an American sailor kissing a woman in a white dress on Victory over Japan Day (V-​J Day) in Times Square in New York City, on August 14, 1945; and Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate. Grounds are beautiful with gargantuan water lilies, rock formation and trees aligned to create a path that mirrors Robert Frost’s poem «The Road Not Taken.» Admission fee is $ 15.00 per adult and so worth a one day getaway in Hamilton, New Jersey. In stillness and peace Grounds For Sculpture paths and sculptures enables one to ponder thoughts or engage in physiological conversations.
Notes: Child friendly. Must bring a camera, sunscreen and wear comfortable walking shoes.
Place rating: 5
Woodside, NY
Think the Seward Johnson sculptures in the Garment District are cool? If so, then take a day trip to the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. There you will find the same sculptures but on a larger and more grand scale. Think hyperrealism and larger than life sculptures. Some are as tall as a two story house (or maybe I am just a very short person)!
I first encountered a Seward Johnson sculpture in Chicago. It was the giant Marilyn Monroe and everyone lined up to take pictures with it. It is now at Grounds for Sculpture along with the giant American Gothic, Abe Lincoln, and that famous Sailor kiss.
The grounds itself are really fun to roam. Each section is a surprise and the buildings contain interactive sets. Ever wonder what it would be like to be in Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles? Visit Paris? Paint the girl with the pearl earring? The fun is endless and you’d be surprised how clever they made the displays. There are also wild peacock walking around. Be patient and snap a picture of them fanning their feathers! Its truly a sight.
It was also interesting to learn about Seward Johnson’s process and to see all the materials he uses when making a sculpture. The man does not cut any corners. The attention to detail is so precise and the finished piece is really a work of art. See for yourself. They are everywhere.
Place rating: 4
Westborough, MA
Gorgeous huge lilies mixed with sculptures in this kid-​friendly 42 acre park located in a gentrified area of Hamilton, NJ… The admittance fee was $ 15, kids until 5 years old were free. Some sculptures such as ‘Relative’ made in 2003 in the water garden were superb, some of them were kitsch.
Free 45 minute tours were offered to explore more in depth around 25 – 30 sculptures and their artists.
A lot of shades benches to take breaks scattered throughout the park. You will need about two hours and a half to complete the entire park and exhibitions.
The bathroom were clean and some of them had changing tables.
It was easy and free to park.
Place rating: 5
Cincinnati, OH
Oh Unilocal,why oh why do you not offer a half star? Grounds for Sculpture was a good 4.5 stars. The grounds are beautiful. The sculptures are fun, and playful. The ability to touch some sculptures makes visiting fun for adults and children a like. There are guided tours on the hour, or meander at your own pace. We chose the later. The pieces are all tagged. We were lucky to see two different peahens with their chicks. Make sure to bring your camera. There are so many great photo opportunities.
Getting hungry? There is a quick service restaurant on one side of the park, and a fancier sit down restaurant called Rats on the other. Both were busy. We ended up going elsewhere to eat.
The reason I give them 4.5 stars is the price. While Grounds for Sculpture could be a place people regularly visit, the price makes it more of a special occasion type of place. It was the most expensive place we visited on our trip to the area.
Place rating: 5
Stutensee, Baden-Württemberg
Zeitgenössische Kunst an den Mann und die Frau zu bringen, ist nicht immer einfach. Erleichtert wird der Zugang, wenn die Kunstwerke nicht in einem leblosen Museum ausgestellt werden, sondern sie gut arrangiert in einem wunderschönen Landschaftspark zu bestaunen sind.
Grounds for Sculpture bietet aber noch viel mehr als einfaches Betrachten von Kunstobjekten in hübscher (Kunst-​) Landschaft: Manch verstecktes Objekt will im Gebüsch entdeckt werden, in den Gebäuden auf dem Gelände finden regelmäßig musikalische Veranstaltungen statt, und ein Restaurant und ein Café laden zur Erholung der müden Füße ein.
Es fällt mir schwer einzelne Ausstellungsstücke besonders zu würdigen. Im Gedächtnis bleiben aber besonders die Bronzeguss-​Kopien J. Seward Johnson’s von Manets Déjeuner Sur l’Herbe und Renoirs Luncheon of the Boating Party (siehe Photos). Da kann man tatsächlich in einem Bild herumlaufen Es gibt aber viele viele richtige Schätze zu entdecken.
Man kann problemlos einen ganzen Tag auf dem Gelände zubringen. Zwischen den einzelnen Kunstwerken erholt sich das Auge beim Betrachten der Landschaft. Die Website bietet umfassende Informationen über die Sammlung, Sonderausstellungen und das aktuelle Programm.