This New Jersey Museum Turns Famous Paintings Into Lifelike 3D Sculptures You Can Walk Around In

Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton NJ

What do you do with an abandoned fairground? If you’re artist and Johnson & Johnson heir J. Seward Johnson Jr., you turn it into a 42-acre wonderland of art.

In 1992, he transformed the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds into Grounds For Sculpture, filling it with his signature lifelike sculptures and works by emerging artists.

The park’s industrial bones still peek through today, lending an unexpected edge to its peaceful gardens.

You can walk on the same bridge from Monet’s famous painting

The Monet Bridge was built in 1999 as an exact 30-foot copy of the Japanese-style arched bridge from Claude Monet’s well-known 1899 painting “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies.”

You’ll find it between Rat’s Restaurant and the Water Garden, crossing over a pond filled with 5 types of water lilies and surrounded by 8 weeping willow trees. They even release fine mist at set times to create the same dreamy effect as in Monet’s paintings.

The bridge has the same green paint as the original one in Giverny, France. As the day goes on, changing light transforms how it looks.

Hidden paths lead to secret garden sections

The park has 27 hidden paths and garden rooms that aren’t marked on regular maps. Look for narrow gaps in hedges that lead to tucked-away sculptures, including a hidden wooden door near Maplehenge that opens into a private meditation area.

The winding layout was created in 1992 to reward visitors who explore beyond the main paths. Near the Domestic Arts Building, you’ll find a hidden opening in the bamboo grove that reveals a clearing with three sculptures you can’t see from regular paths.

Some of these paths are only 30 inches wide, so they’re easy to miss but wonderful to discover.

Famous paintings come to life as sculptures

Seward Johnson’s “Were You Invited?” brings Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” to life with 13 life-sized bronze people arranged around a dining table. Every detail from the 1881 painting is carefully recreated—from wine bottles to the striped awning above.

Near the Water Garden, you’ll find Johnson’s “Dejeuner Deja Vu,” which turns Manet’s controversial 1863 painting “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe” into 3D figures, placed beside a real stream where live ducks swim nearby.

If you visit “On Poppied Hill,” you’ll see 214 real red poppies planted each year around the figures from Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol,” letting you step into the painting’s world.

Walk through a 230-foot wisteria tunnel

The Wisteria Pergola runs 230 feet along what used to be part of the horse racing track from the old New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Built in 1995, this living tunnel has three types of summer-blooming wisteria vines with purple flower clusters up to 12 inches long.

They look their best from late April through mid-May, filling the air with sweet smells. Orange trumpet vines and white clematis add more colors during summer.

From the pergola’s raised position, you can peek through gaps in the thick plant growth to see sculptures from unexpected angles.

Maple trees form tree circles similar to Stonehenge

At Maplehenge, you’ll see 21 maple trees arranged in three circles within an 85-foot diameter, planted in 1992 to mimic ancient stone circles. Each ring has a different maple type: sugar maples (outer), red maples (middle), and Japanese maples (inner), creating a fall color show that moves from yellow to deep red.

Looking through carefully placed gaps between trees, you can spot specific sculptures. During peak fall colors in late October, you can see a yellow-to-red gradient from the park’s highest point.

The open space in the middle is 25 feet across, creating a cozy spot sometimes used for special events.

Lotus flowers open and close together each day like clockwork

The park has three lotus ponds with 120 individual plants from 6 different lotus types, including the sacred Indian lotus. The biggest pond near the Gazebo is 45 feet across with flowers 8-10 inches wide on stems that reach 3 feet above the water.

You can watch the lotus flowers open between 8-9am and close between 3-4pm each day, all moving together. In July and August, you’ll see the most blooms, with 75-100 flowers open at once.

Park staff drain and clean the ponds every March, carefully saving the lotus tubers in temperature-controlled rooms until it’s time to replant them.

Nighttime light shows transform the sculptures after dark

The yearly “Night Forms” show runs from November through February, using lights and sound to change 35 sculptures. Created by Philadelphia’s Klip Collective since 2021, these displays use 42 powerful projectors and 68 speakers throughout the park.

As you walk the 1.5-mile lit path, you’ll see familiar works in completely new ways. The 2024-2025 show called “Parallel Dimensions” featured color-changing fog around the Monet Bridge, with mist patterns matching an original song by Ricardo Rivera.

If you want to go, get your timed tickets for 8:00pm to 11:00pm well ahead of time—they sell out weeks early during busy holiday periods.

Special touch tours

The park offers 90-minute touch tours for up to 8 visually impaired visitors, led by guides trained to help people explore 12 selected sculptures by touch. Started in 1994, these tours include detailed descriptions and small 3D-printed models of larger works.

You’ll get white cotton gloves to protect the bronze surfaces while you touch them. Guides share artist quotes and background information during the tour. These free tours run every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30am with your admission ticket.

You need to book 14 days ahead through the accessibility coordinator, and you can get audio guides in English, Spanish, or Mandarin.

A dream forest with surreal sculptures

In the Forest of the Subconscious, which covers 1.2 acres of tightly planted pines, you’ll find Gloria Vanderbilt’s enlarged “Heart’s Desire” series—seven surreal works standing 6-8 feet tall based on her small Dream Box creations from the 1970s.

As you walk paths between trees planted just 4 feet apart, you’ll feel disoriented as sculptures suddenly appear through the leaves. Motion sensors trigger whispered dreams collected from visitors since 2012.

This area stays 10-15 degrees cooler than other gardens even in summer, with special lighting so you can visit during evening hours. Look for the distinctive red door in the hedgerow at the forest’s east entrance.

Join Renoir’s famous boating party with lifelike figures

In Johnson’s “Were You Invited?” installation, you’ll see every detail from Renoir’s famous painting at full size, covering 324 square feet. The 13 bronze figures wear real fabric clothes treated with a special preservation process that keeps their bright colors outdoors.

Each figure weighs between 350-500 pounds and sits on a special foundation 4 feet deep. As the sun moves throughout the day, the lighting on the figures changes, just like in Renoir’s painting.

The table settings include actual wine bottles and replica glasses that staff change with the seasons. Johnson created separate names and backstories for each figure, which you can learn about in the audio guide.

A smart map on your phone helps you find your way around

The park’s interactive map system, launched in 2023, uses 47 Bluetooth markers throughout the grounds to track your location within 3 feet. You can access it by scanning the QR code on your admission wristband, and it works offline after you first download it.

The map gives you information on all 300 outdoor sculptures, 2,000 trees, and seasonal plantings, plus 15 themed tours to follow. A “virtual docent” feature plays audio descriptions for 85 major works, including interviews with 37 artists.

If you need accessibility options, the map highlights routes for mobility devices and shows what type of ground surface to expect. You can save your favorite artworks to create your own tour saved to your account for future visits.

Visiting Grounds For Sculpture

You’ll find Grounds For Sculpture at 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, New Jersey 08619. It’s open Wednesday through Monday, 10:00am-5:00pm (closed Tuesdays).

Tickets cost $25 for adults, with discounts for seniors ($22), students ($17), military personnel ($15), and healthcare workers ($15). Kids under 5 get in free.

You’ll need to book timed tickets with entry slots every 30 minutes—plan to book at least 3 days ahead for weekends since they often sell out.

If you’re coming from NYC, you can take NJ Transit to Hamilton Station, then catch the 608 local bus that stops right at the entrance every 45 minutes.