Thomas Edison National Historical Park

Address:	211 Main St, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA
Phone:	+1 973-736-0550
Site:	nps.gov
Rating:	4.6
Working:	Closed Closed 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

Pablo DePaulis

I didnt know that it is a National Park. So its run by the Rangers! They were actually very nice to us. I was with an 11 years old boy, my nephew. He wasnt too thrilled I brought him to a museum, but at the end of the tour he was very happy. Even though the park is huge, like dozens of buildings only the main one where Edison had his office and library, plus machinery of all sorts, plus the small one at the entrance are for the most part accessible. Kids are free. Adults only pay 10 bucks and one can reuse the ticket within a week. Kids get an activity book and that kept him busy and interested all along. He completed the minimum to get a Rangers badge at the end, with swearing and all. What is remarkable is that everything is intact as he died. They have done a tremendous job in keeping it pristine. They have the sonogram exhibit a couple times a day and we hit it at 3.30 pm. Its like 20 something minutes and it was fantastic! All the kids were quiet and the Ranger kept us all so immersed into... We learned a lot for a 3 hours the most trip. Ah, parking is across the street and its also free. It wasnt crowded at all and there were Rangers all along that were willing to answer questions and help with the activity book.

Lara Cely

What a gem!! Highly recommend this site for families or any history / inventor buffs. They have over 400,000 artifacts in the collection! Thats the most complete Edison-related collection in the world. There are tons of sample inventions displayed, and the rooms are set up to look like it did back in the day. I thought this place would be crowded on a weekend, but it really wasnt bad. Keep an eye out for the buildings/rooms that are open for specific times or ranger talks. The rangers provide talks about certain things (the phonograph talk was very popular) or certain rooms (the chemistry lab was only open for brief times). Highly recommended. We took 3 kids (11, 9, 4 yrs old) and had a great day during the NPS Centennial birthday celebration. The kids received some junior park badges for completing a fun activity book and they also made their own play-dough with the park rangers. This site is extremely well maintained, and its a significant part of US history. Not to mention the many legacies of Edisons entrepreneurial spirit - motion pictures, electric light, telephones, microphones, batteries...

Patti Butcheck

An important piece of American (and Industrial) history. It is a massive factory packed full of artifacts. It can be a bit overwhelming and lacking context. As we strolled, I had an odd sense of nostalgia (from my fathers and grandfathers collections) as well as a strong desire to rummage. Several pieces were fascinating and unseen before. Visiting Glenmont the house was the highlight of my experiences. The manor (mansion) is actually one of THE most beautiful buildings Ive ever had the pleasure to experience. When visit, make certain to arrive early at the park and get your house-tour tickets. There is a limited number of tours available for the house, and they are scheduled by the hour. Once you visit the house, leisurely stroll through the multi-floor factory at your pace. I would recommend the Audio tour, unless you have a techno-family who has well versed you on all the myriad of items you will be seeing. This tour could be an all-day tour (if you stretch it out), or you could pull it off in 2-3 hours (if you rush the factory tour).

Tzu-hsun Hsu

整個歷史公園包括愛迪生的住所和實驗室兩個區域。住所區域是愛迪生生前最後的住所，愛迪生一共在此住了四十幾年，可以看的出來當時的愛迪生已經是個資產家，生活過得非常好！但是畢竟是老房子了，開放讓旅客參觀的區域已經非常少了，二樓以上區域也不能上去，實際能看到的區域真的不多。實驗室區域可以看出當時愛迪生經營的公司是如何運作，包括設計、試作、生產的區域都有，如果是從事機械製造行業的人，對於這些設備會更有感覺，因為即使一百年過去了，機械生產的基本原理還是一樣不變的。

Gregory Burrus

Thomas Edison National Historical Park is more of an old time office complex and museum that contains the wonderful inventions of Thomas Alva Edison and his team. If you approach this park/ museum with the proper perspective you cant help but be amazed. Its a historical compilation of all the inventions developed during the life of Thomas Alva Edison. You have to think of the fact that all this was invented, marketed and sold during that time. Edison was clearly more than just an inventor, as he was also an astute businessman who helped get his products into the hands of those who could use them. I loved the place. If you take the time to read and listen to the various tapes, tools and inventions you will wonder how so many inventions were invented and even more importantly you will see that a lot of what was invented is in use today and or, there are many new iterations of his inventions in use today. You will also find that the staff, is extremely helpful and very friendly. If you are into history, it is definitely worth a visit.

Donald Clark

As ever, the National Parks sites are good value: $10 for an adult, < 16s free. This is a great place to visit and spend 2-3 hours. Make sure to catch the Ranger talks: we managed the Chemistry Lab one and the Phonograph one. Edison was prolific and not perfect. But the extent of his invention engine and his ability to commercialise a good number of its outputs was a pivotal turning point in industrial development. I can only wonder where we would be if the world hadnt discovered and become addicted to oil and he / his team had continued with their electric cards, batteries and bio-plastics work...

Steven dosRemedios

This is a wonderful historical site that transports you back to a time when America was first flexing its technological muscle. Thomas Edison was a prolific inventor at a time when electricity was becoming useful and the public was in awe of recorded music and moving pictures. Wandering around the restored laboratories and offices gives the visitor a sense of the intensity Edison brought to research and development. The experience of an early wax cylinder sound recording is amazing, considering the way these recording were made. You can see his recording studio too.

Steve Bonds

The self-guided nature of the laboratory areas can be both a benefit and a detriment. While its great to wander around to whatever seems interesting, Im sure I missed some good back-stories behind some of the buildings and artifacts. I found out about the audio tour option only as I was leaving-- that might be a good way to get more value out of a visit here. I still very much enjoyed seeing the well-preserved state of the various rooms. Its interesting to see both how little and how much has changed since Edisons time.

Dante Luna

I came here from Boston on New Years Eve 2016....In 2017 I plan on finishing my goal of photographing all 50 states. I spent my New Years Eve visiting Thomas Edison and I really enjoyed this place. The Laboratory and workspace were absolutely astonishing. I could have spent all day there. His home had a lot of stories. the staff there from beginning to end had amazing answers to all my questions. his grave site is right around back of his house!

Mary Nicholson

Very Interesting Better than I expected. A lot of friendly, very knowledgeable park rangers willing to share all the info they have. You walk through the actual workshops and labs with nothing but some short metal fences between you and the original machinery . No glass to stand behind. Just like a walk through time. Am interesting movie of Edisons home and family life. What a magical, wonderful, creative life anyone associated with him had.

Charles Conte

Edisons lab was interesting but was disappointing was we were not able to see his estate because it was undergoing renovations. I did call before driving 60 miles from home to ask questions but I wasnt told that the Edison mansion was closed. I didnt find that out until we arrived. We will be able to come back in August with our receipt and be able to see the mansion.