Typically, if I’m in Sussex County, you’ll find me at The Sterling Hill Mining Museum to take a mine tour, The Franklin Mineral Museum to collect some glowing rocks, bucolic Lusscroft Farms for a hike, Vernon Brewing for a craft beer and a savory food truck meal, or Brick & Brew for a delicious burger. Maybe a visit to the Franklin Mineral Rock and History rock shop for a new rock. Maybe a visit to The Gingerbread Castle or the Stromatolites in Hamburg. Maybe a trip to the top of Route 23 to grab some tomatoes and a watermelon from the guy who has the fruit stand near the entrance to the quartz crystal collecting location. Maybe the 4-H Fair. Maybe a secluded lake for some peace and newts. There are plenty of ways to amuse yourself in Sussex County.
July 25, 2026 I was driving around looking for things to do between the things I already planned on doing. I tried the old “points of interest near me” search on Google Maps. At the top of the list was “Skylands Museum of Art“, the listing for which featured a giant purple cicada sculpture. That is all I needed to see! I already wrote about this museum on the cicada blog Two Cicada Sculptures at Skylands Museum of Art, but there is more to the museum than cicadas, so I will cover the rest here.
The museum includes both a building and a sculpture garden. Inside the building you’ll find three immaculate, well-lit floors of framed art and sculptures. It has the vibe of a large Colonia Revival house that was converted into a home for artwork. Many of the sculptures were by an artist named Ailene Fields, carved from stone and other media including skull-bird houses, abstract but meaningful masses, and whimsical animals.
A royal frog (by Ailene Fields):
A skull house with sneakers (by Ailene Fields):
A mantis with human prey:
I relaxed on a bench surrounded by the visuals and sounds of art and nature — a welcome break from a day of driving.
Another Royal Frog (Ailene Fields):
A wonderful little creature:
The caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland:
Pegasus (David Klass):
If you’re in Sussex County and need a break from the concrete world of zinc mines and burgers, visit the Skylands Museum of Art for some fantasy and reflection.
