Camden Urban Agriculture and Food Justice (Camden, NJ)

Total Tickets: 25

Come see how the Center for Environmental Transformation (CFET), a Camden environmental justice and urban farming organization, and Cathedral Kitchen, Camden's largest emergency food provider, are empowering local community members to lead more stable and prosperous lives. This trip will include stops at the CFET orchard/apiary, community garden, and main growing space/greenhouse, as well as a tour of Cathedral Kitchen's community dining room, culinary and baking arts training kitchens, social enterprise cafe, and rooftop kitchen garden.

CFET's farm is youth focused, and serves as a first employment opportunity to 14-19 year old Camden residents. Cathedral Kitchen (CK) serves over 120,000 healthy meals per year to food insecure residents in Camden and surrounding areas. CK's training programs provide instruction in culinary/baking arts, life skills, financial literacy, and job placement assistance, while CK's two social enterprise initiatives-- CK Café and a contract meal program serving local shelters and halfway houses--provide income for CK’s human services programs.

Images courtesy of CFET and Cathedral Kitchen.

Philadelphia Mural Arts Tour* (Philadelphia, PA)

Total Tickets: 11

Join Penn State Extension on a tour of the murals of Philadelphia! Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.

Mural Arts engages communities in 50-100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Each year, 15,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts' outdoor art gallery, which has become part of the city' civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the "City of Murals."

Walking shoes, sun hat and water bottle suggested.

*Covid-19 protocol, such as wearing facemasks, will apply during the tour at this time.

Images courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Urban Extension Collaborations in Trenton (Trenton, NJ)

Total Tickets: 50

This trip will include visits to Capital City Farm (and the immediately adjacent Trenton Area Soup Kitchen), the Isles Tucker Street Demonstration Gardens, and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension center serving Trenton (Mercer County). Attendees will learn about exciting and innovative collaborations supporting urban agriculture, youth development, food access, nutrition education, STEM literacy, and community development.

Extension and its urban community partners will showcase joint efforts such as the Greenwood Avenue Farmers Market, school gardens, and multiple 4-H STEM programs focused in Trenton. As a bonus, the bus will drive by several historic sites such as the William Trent House of 1719, Old Barracks of 1758, and New Jersey State House.

Images courtesy of Capital City Farm, TASK, and Isles.

Independence Hall & Philadelphia Historic District Self-Guided Tour* (Philadelphia, PA)

Total Tickets: 20

This self-guided tour provides access to Independence Hall, the birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building. The legacy of the nation's founding documents - universal principles of freedom and democracy - has influenced lawmakers around the world and distinguished Independence Hall as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After visitingIndependence Hall, if time remains, explore the Historic District at your own pace. The District is home to restaurants and beer gardens, boutiques, art galleries and a wide variety of historical destinations, such as Elfreth's Alley, Museum of the American Revolution, Independence Seaport Museum, Betsy Ross House, and more!

Walking shoes, sun hat and water bottle suggested. Tickets for Independence Hall will be reserved for you in advance. A tour host will get you to the Historic District and back via public transit.

*Covid-19 protocol, such as wearing facemasks, will apply during the tour at this time.

Images courtesy of Visit Philadelphia and National Park Service.

Norris Square Neighborhood Project Work Day* (Philadelphia, PA)

Total Tickets: 15

Take part in a partial work day at the Norris Square Neighborhood Project gardens! Norris Square is a unique organization that offers Philadelphia youth and community residents a safe space to explore culture and social-justice issues, create art, and develop their sustainable-agriculture skills. For over 45 years, youth have developed their leadership skills, built relationships with each other and Norris Square staff, learned about urban agriculture, and created performing and visual art. Annually, Norris Square serves up to 100 high-school-aged youth through after-school and summer programs, and also serves community members through innovative programming and our six Puerto Rican/Latinx culturally-themed garden spaces.

Gardening hat, sunscreen, work clothes, water, gardening gloves (provided) recommended.

*Covid-19 protocol, such as wearing facemasks, will apply during the tour at this time.

Images courtesy of Norris Square Neighborhood Project and John Byrnes.

Camden Green Infrastructure (Camden, NJ) - UPDATED!

Total Tickets: 50

Join the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program on a tour of various green stormwater infrastructure projects throughout Camden City that enhance urban biodiversity, help protect health, and improve quality of life for residents. The tour will include rain gardens, permeable pavements, stormwater planters, and other projects installed in collaboration with Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, Camden SMART/CCI Water, and other community partners throughout the city. Learn how incorporating green infrastructure can strengthen other types of Extension programming (urban ag, youth, health, etc.) and potentially boost project funding streams.

Among the sites on the tour is Phoenix Park, a 5-acre riverfront park created on an abandoned brownfield for flood mitigation and recreation for the residents of South Camden. This multi-partner project was recognized by the US EPA and the Environmental Council of the US as one of the ten most innovative uses of Federal water infrastructure funding in the country.

The tour will focus on highlighting successful projects as well as explaining the challenges of implementing and maintaining these projects in an urban environment.

We'll conclude the tour with a stop at Camden's legendary eatery, Donkey's Place. After sampling some of Donkey's fare, renowned celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain announced that "the best cheese steak in the area may well come from New Jersey."

Image courtesy of NJ-AWRA and RCE Water Resources Program.

Ben Franklin Bridge Health Walk (Camden, NJ & Philadelphia, PA) - UPDATED!

Total Tickets: 50

Get some healthy exercise while you catch spectacular views of Camden and Philadelphia from the Ben Franklin Bridge pedestrian walkway. Keep an eye out for the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden side of the river!

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. Opened to traffic in 1926, the bridge provides vehicular lanes, the PATCO transit line and a popular pedestrian walkway for walking, jogging and cycling.

Once on the Philadelphia side, you'll have a chance to head west for a self-guided tour towards Chinatown and the Reading Terminal Market, or head south to explore the Historic District where you can:

• see the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and take in hidden gems like the country's first White House or the magnificent Dream Garden mural in the old publishing district.

• head east through Elfreth's Alley, the nation's oldest continuously-inhabited street, stop at the Betsy Ross House, and head to waterfront attractions like the Race Street Pier.

Since the exploration will be self-guided, participants are responsible for any costs associated with museum entry fees, etc.

Please note: The walk across the bridge is about 1.5 miles each way – and it’s an uphill climb as you ascend the bridge on both sides.

Images courtesy of Rutgers University-Camden and Visit Philly.

Fairmount Park (Philadelphia, PA)

Total Tickets: 33

With 2,052 acres and miles of trails, Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia. On this self-guided tour, explore at your own pace the areas that most interest you. Popular Fairmount Park destinations include the Horticulture Center, Philadelphia Zoo, Boathouse Row, Shofuso Japanese House and Tea Garden, Please Touch Museum, and more!

Bike rentals are available in the park. A tour host will get you to the park and back via charter bus.

Images courtesy of Visit Philadelphia.

Bartram's Garden Tour* (Philadelphia, PA) - UPDATED!

Total Tickets: 20

Come explore Bartram’s Garden, a 50-acre public garden and National Historic Landmark in Southwest Philadelphia, situated on Lenape territory on the banks of the Tidal Schuylkill River. It is a venue for art, an access to the tidal river and wetlands, an outdoor classroom, and a living laboratory. The Garden is operated by the non-profit John Bartram Association in cooperation with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

For more than 50 years, John Bartram and his son collected and studied more than 200 types of North American trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants for their own garden and for other collectors. As "King's Botanist" for the British crown from 1765-1777, John Bartram supplied plants and seeds to collectors across England, Europe and even to George Washington at Mount Vernon. As result, Bartram's Garden has an extensive collection of plant material, including the Franklinia tree (which was saved from extinction by cultivation at Bartram's) and what is believed to be the oldest Ginkgo tree in North America.

Today, the Garden holds the colonial legacy of the land while offering a wide range of community programs for the arts, culture, families & youth, and horticulture. The site is also home to the 4-acre Sankofa Community Farm, which produces more than 15,000 pounds of food annually, especially for older African American residents and West African immigrants making their home in Philadelphia.

Walking shoes, sun hat and water bottle suggested.

*Covid-19 protocol, such as wearing facemasks, will apply during the tour at this time.

Images courtesy of Bartrams's Garden.

The Common Market* (Philadelphia, PA)

Total Tickets: 19

On this tour, visit facitilities of The Common Market, a nonprofit regional food distributor with a mission to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. The Common Market strives to improve food security, farm viability, and community and ecological health.

Since 2008, The Common Market has distributed local foods from over 300 sustainable family farms and producers to 1,800+ schools, hospitals, eldercare facilities, workplaces and community organizations. Currently operating in the Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, and Texas, The Common Market is expanding to other U.S. regions to build a nation of vibrant regional food systems.

Closed toe shoes, removal of jewelry and hair nets (provided) are required. It's cold when touring the refrigerators, bring an extra layer of clothing as needed.

*Covid-19 protocol, such as wearing facemasks, will apply during the tour at this time.

Video courtesy of The Common Market.

Urban Forest Bathing at Gateway Park (Camden, NJ)

Total Tickets: 20

Immerse yourself in the riverine forest of Gateway Park, a 25-acre park along the Cooper River in Camden. Watch the ripples lap along the shore, listen to the call of bald eagles and the wind rustling leaves, breathe the pungent aroma of damp soil. Feel the stress leave your body.

Forest Bathing establishes connection to Nature through the senses. Participants move slowly or sit still, observing their surroundings through sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Research has documented reduced pulse rate, stress hormones and mood ratings for depression, fatigue, anxiety, and confusion and increased ratings for vigor. Nature-exposure can be therapeutic for emotional, social, cognitive and physical well-being by raising one’s identification with and connectivity to places and spaces. Many plants will be identified and discussed along the walk, enhancing the people-plant interaction experience. Forest bathing can be practiced in any setting, old growth forest or urban park. Join us to explore this restorative practice.

Previously an underutilized brownfield, Gateway Park is a notable example of more than 20 years of environmental justice efforts to improve health, quality of life, and ecosystem services in the city of Camden. Today, Gateway Park provides the local community with access to nature and outdoor recreation like walking, bicycling, jogging, bird watching and fishing.

Walking shoes, sun hat and water bottle suggested.

Images courtesy of Camden County, JerseyGuy2019/Wikimedia, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program.