June 11, 2024 – NEWARK, NJ – NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network, announced the latest episode of its Emmy award-winning documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey. Treasures of New Jersey: The New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands will premiere Wednesday, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. on NJ PBS (check local listings). Watch a trailer now.

Treasures of New Jersey pays homage to some of the Garden State’s most iconic places, from historic landmarks and cultural centers to popular destinations. The new half-hour episode showcases the New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands in northern Passaic County. Once a private estate, the garden surrounds a 1920s-era manor house and includes elaborate farm buildings from the early 20th century. Officially dedicated as the State Botanical Garden in 1984, the site is now listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and free and open to the public as part of Ringwood State Park.

“We are thrilled to be able to give this magnificent site the recognition it deserves,” said Executive Producer Sally Garner. “While some may not be aware of this gem of a garden in the Garden State, there are a lot of people who have worked over the years to make it a place everyone can enjoy, and their story is as vibrant as the site itself.”

In addition to showcasing the site’s specialized gardens, the film highlights the work of the all-volunteer New Jersey Botanical Garden’s Skylands Association (NJBG.org). The group works alongside the state park staff to maintain and improve this historic landscape and hosts public tours of the manor throughout the year.

“We work to make it beautiful for everybody who comes here for a little peace, little solace. It’s a place of serenity, and we try to keep it like that,” says Skylands Association Board Member Darlene Nowak in the film.

Previous episodes of the Treasures of New Jersey series featured the stories of The Newark Museum of Art, The Peter Mott House, The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, State Theatre New Jersey, and Fairleigh Dickinson University Florham. Watch full episodes and previews on the Treasures of New Jersey page of MyNJPBS.org.

Treasures of New Jersey is a production of Public Media NJ, Inc. for The WNET Group. Joe Lee is Executive in Charge. Sally Garner is Executive Producer, Director and Writer. Connie Kargbo is Producer. Julia Kots is Editor. Michael Hill narrates.

Treasures of New Jersey follows in the footsteps of The WNET Group’s popular local series, Treasures of New York. That series, which premiered in 2011, has profiled over 50 institutions across New York.

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ABOUT NJ PBS 

NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public media network, brings quality arts, education, and public affairs programming to all 21 counties in the state. Headquartered at the Agnes Varis NJ PBS Studio in Newark, the network offers diverse local programs including American Songbook at NJPAC, Chat Box with David Cruz, New Jersey Business Beat with Raven Santana, Here’s the Story, Drive By History, One-on-One with Steve Adubato, Soundcheck, State of the Arts, Table for All with Buki Elegbede and Treasures of New Jersey and PBS favorites such as Nature, NOVA, Amanpour and Company and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Its award-winning newsroom, NJ Spotlight News, provides multiplatform reporting from across the Garden State on its weeknight newscast, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi, and digitally via NJSpotlightNews.org, plus live news specials, community engagement events, podcasts and daily newsletters. The MyNJPBS.org network website offers streaming programs and free digital resources for educators via PBS LearningMedia New Jersey. NJ PBS is operated under an agreement with the state of New Jersey by Public Media NJ, Inc. (PMNJ), a non-profit affiliate of The WNET Group, the parent company of award-winning New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21.