Essex County township best known for Thomas Edison's preserved laboratory and invention-filled industrial complex.
West Orange is a quiet township in Essex County, about 12 miles west of Newark, that earns its place on the traveler's map through a single extraordinary fact: Thomas Edison set up his main laboratory here in 1887 and worked in it for more than forty years. The Thomas Edison National Historical Park on Main Street is where he invented the motion picture camera, refined the phonograph, and developed the nickel-iron alkaline battery. Walking through the original lab buildings, with equipment still on the benches and the chemical smell still faintly in the air, gives you a rare sense of what industrial invention actually looked like in the Gilded Age. Glenmont, his Victorian home in Llewellyn Park, is part of the same historic park.
The other great draw is Eagle Rock Reservation, a wooded park on the Watchung ridgeline with one of the finest distant views of the Manhattan skyline. The South Mountain Reservation, which contains Turtle Back Zoo, is close by — several hundred acres of wooded ridgeline with good walking trails.
West Orange is not a destination in the conventional sense; there is no historic downtown worth wandering and the dining scene is entirely suburban. But as a half-day excursion from Newark or New York City — Edison's lab in the morning, a walk in the reservation in the afternoon — it works very well.
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Getting There
West Orange is about 12 miles west of Newark. The easiest public transport option is the NJ Transit bus from Newark Penn Station to the Edison lab area — check the NJ Transit website for current route numbers, as services have changed over the years. Newark itself is served by NJ Transit trains from New York Penn Station (about 20–30 minutes).
By car from New York City, take I-78 west or the Garden State Parkway south to the West Orange exits. Parking near the Edison lab is available on the street. If you plan to visit both the lab and Glenmont, note that Glenmont is in Llewellyn Park, about a mile from the main lab building — tours typically include transport between the two.
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When to Go
West Orange is a year-round destination, since its main attraction — the Edison lab — is an indoor experience. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times for combining the lab with walks in the South Mountain Reservation or Eagle Rock Reservation. Summer is hot and humid; winter can bring snow and ice that can make hiking difficult, though the park remains open.
The Edison lab is busiest during school vacation periods. Mid-week visits outside of July and August offer the most relaxed experience, and guided tours — the best way to see the main lab building — are more available on quieter days.