Howell Living History Farm

2025 Rates and Fees 

Location & Contact

70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township, NJ 08530

Main: (609) 737-3299

Maze: (609) 397-2555 

Hours

Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (January 25 – December 6)

Tuesday–Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (April 22 – December 5)

Closed: Sunday, Monday, and Mercer County holidays

Special Hours

Mercer County 4-H Fair July 26 (10 a.m – 8 p.m.) & 27 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

“Evening-only” programs July 5, 12, 19 (5–8 p.m.)

Corn maze & special programs (visit www.howellfarm.org for details)

History & Establishment

Nestled in the heart of the Pleasant Valley Rural Historic District, this 130-acre park was a working farm for over 240 years when its last private owner, Inez Howe Howell, gave it to Mercer County in 1974. The Park Commission is restoring the farm to look and operate the way it did a century ago -- a time when most of Mercer County was still rural and when farmers worked by hand and horsepower to make the land productive. In keeping with Mrs. Howell's wishes, the Park Commission offers year-around programs that allow visitors of all ages to join in the work and fun of life on a farm.

The Farm exists in its rural setting as both an example of farming as it was practiced in New Jersey in the period 1890-1910 and as a landscape where one can find the remnants of over 250 years of farming practice and life.

Facility Description

The farm features over 45 acres of period crops and gardens, numerous buildings listed on the NJ State and National Registers of Historic Places, and over two miles of lanes accessible on foot and by horse drawn wagon. Historic breeds of horses, cows, sheep, chickens, and other farm animals are kept as they were a century ago, creating daily opportunities for visitors to help with chores such as mixing feeds and collecting eggs. Eighty acres of pastures, meadows, and woodlands complete the farm's historic landscape, which is enhanced by the preservation of adjacent Baldpate Mountain and stream corridors preserved by the Delaware Greenway. The farm's location in the northwest corner of Hopewell Township, and its proximity to nearby park facilities such as the Valley Road Picnic Area, Belle Mountain Pond, and Mercer County Wildlife Center, make it an ideal destination for outdoor recreation.

Open throughout the year for self-guided tours, school group visits and weekend family programs, the farm invites visitors to join in the work and fun of seasonal activities such as ice harvesting, maple sugaring, sheep shearing, pumpkin harvesting, and dozens of hands-on activities related to actual operations. The farm's annual calendar of events (below) includes monthly hayrides (or sleigh rides!), weekly craft programs for children, and New Jersey's only horse-drawn plowing match. The farm is also home to New Jersey's longest-running corn maze, which challenges visitors to find their way through miles of green pathways with the help of game boards, clues, compasses, and advice from a Maze Master perched high in a tower.

Facilities

• 130-acre working farm with 45 tillable acres, 40 acres woods, 30 acres meadows, streams, pond and bridge located within the Pleasant Valley Rural Historic District
• 5 buildings listed on the New Jersey State and National Registers of Historic Places including 18th century farmhouse, 19th century barn, wagon house, corn crib, icehouse
• ADA accessible Visitor Center with classroom and gift shop
• modern restrooms at reception area; porta-jons in barnyard area
• parking for 100 cars + bus turn-around; overflow field parking
• 1/4-mile packed gravel lanes; stroller and wheelchair accessible
• 2 miles dirt lanes and stream crossings; accessible on foot
• 20-point self-guided tour through .6 miles of fields, meadows and barnyard; tour map available at Visitor Center, and on-line at www.howellfarm.org.

Additional Resources:

Howell Farm's Covid-19 Response

Howell Farm Supports Local Food Pantries