Unearth The Voyage
New Jersey has a reputation for highways and hustle, but tucked deep in Sussex County, something entirely different has been quietly growing for decades. An artist named Ricky Boscarino has transformed his home into one of the most visually striking and genuinely original destinations in the entire state.
Mosaics cover walls, sculptures fill the garden, and every corner of the property holds something that stops you mid-step. This is not a museum in the traditional sense, and it is not a theme park.
It is a living, evolving work of art that keeps changing every time someone visits. The entry fee is just twenty dollars, and that money goes straight back into maintaining the property.
For anyone willing to make the drive to Sandyston, the reward is a place that is hard to explain and even harder to forget.
Where to Find This One-of-a-Kind Place
Before anything else, knowing where to go is the first step. Luna Parc sits at 22 Degroat Rd, Sandyston, NJ 07827, tucked into the forested hills of Sussex County in the northwestern corner of New Jersey.
The drive itself sets the mood. The road narrows as you get closer, with tall trees lining either side, and the quiet of the area feels miles away from suburban New Jersey.
Parking is on-street, and the road is generally quiet, though it does involve a noticeable hill. Anyone in your group who finds steep inclines or stairs challenging should be aware of that before making the trip.
The property is not open year-round, and tours run only at specific times. Checking the official website at lunaparc.com before planning a visit is essential, since spots fill up quickly and booking ahead is required.
This is not the kind of place you can just drop by on a whim.
The Artist Behind It All
Ricky Boscarino is the man who built Luna Parc, and understanding who he is adds a whole new layer to the experience of visiting the property.
He is not a distant figure hiding behind velvet ropes. Ricky is present during tours, ready to answer questions, share the story of a particular piece, or just talk about art and life with whoever is curious enough to ask.
His background spans an impressive range of disciplines. He works in clay, mosaic, plein air painting, weaving, portraiture, and architectural design.
He has also spent years collecting objects from around the world, and those collections are woven throughout every room and corner of the property.
What makes Ricky stand out beyond his technical skills is his genuine openness. He treats every guest like someone worth talking to, and that warmth makes the whole tour feel personal rather than transactional.
The art reflects the man completely.
How Luna Parc Actually Began
Every extraordinary place has an origin story, and Luna Parc is no exception. It started simply enough as a small house that Ricky began decorating with found objects.
One of the earliest and most talked-about details is the kitchen, which was lined with wine corks. From that modest starting point, the project grew in every direction, literally and figuratively.
As Ricky collected more materials and developed more ideas, he expanded the house upward and outward. He designed and installed intricate wood floors, built new rooms, and created a mosaic-encrusted bathroom that includes an unusual ceiling installation made from bedpans.
The garden came next, filled with plants, bottles, sculptures, and more found objects arranged with clear intention. Nothing here happened by accident.
Each addition was a deliberate creative choice that pushed the property further from ordinary home and closer to something that defies easy categorization.
The story of how it grew is almost as interesting as the place itself.
What the Tour Actually Looks Like
Tours at Luna Parc follow a format that works well for the kind of place it is. Ricky gives a brief overview at the start, typically held under a tent on the grounds, and then guests are free to explore at their own pace.
The self-guided format is a genuine plus. There is no pressure to keep up with a group or rush through rooms.
Guests can linger over a particular mosaic, examine a sculpture from multiple angles, or simply stand still and take in a full wall of collected objects.
Group sizes are kept small on purpose, which means the property never feels crowded. That also means availability is limited, and spots go fast, especially during peak season when summer dates can book up months in advance.
Ricky stays accessible throughout the tour, circulating through the space so guests can flag him down with questions. The combination of freedom and access makes for a surprisingly relaxed and enjoyable visit that typically runs close to two hours.
The Mosaics That Stop You Cold
Mosaics are one of the defining features of Luna Parc, and they appear throughout the property in ways that range from subtle to completely overwhelming in the best possible way.
The work is not decorative in a casual sense. Each mosaic is constructed with precision, and the patterns and color choices reflect a deep knowledge of the medium.
Walls, floors, bathroom surfaces, and outdoor structures all carry this treatment in different forms.
The mosaic-encrusted bathroom is frequently mentioned as a standout space. The level of detail inside that single room is enough to keep a curious person occupied for a solid chunk of the visit.
Outside, the mosaic work extends into the garden and across various architectural elements, connecting the interior and exterior of the property into one continuous artistic statement. Photographs of the mosaics are everywhere online, but every account of the place agrees on one thing: photos simply do not capture what standing in front of them actually delivers.
Sculptures and Garden Art Worth the Trip Alone
The garden at Luna Parc operates as an entirely separate world from the house, though both share the same creative DNA. Sculptures of varying sizes and materials are distributed across the outdoor space with obvious intention.
Found objects, plants, glass bottles, and handmade pieces are arranged throughout the grounds in a way that rewards slow exploration. There is no single path that takes you past everything, which means wandering is actually the right strategy here.
Some of the sculptures are large enough to anchor entire sections of the garden, while smaller pieces appear tucked into corners or nestled among plants where they catch the eye unexpectedly. The variety of materials and forms keeps the garden from ever feeling repetitive.
The outdoor space alone justifies the twenty-dollar entry fee for many people. Those who visit on a clear day with good light will find that the garden is particularly photogenic, though the real appeal goes well beyond what any camera can fully record.
Collections That Defy Easy Description
Beyond the mosaics and sculptures, Luna Parc contains collections that take up significant space throughout the house and grounds. Calling them collections is technically accurate, but it undersells what they actually are.
Ricky has gathered objects from cultures and countries around the world over many years. These items are not stored in boxes or stacked randomly.
They are displayed, arranged, and integrated into the overall design of each space in ways that make them part of the art rather than separate from it.
Some guests spend as much time with the collections as they do with the more traditionally recognized artwork. The variety is broad enough that almost anyone will find something that connects with their own interests or curiosity, whether that leans toward history, craft, culture, or pure strangeness.
The collections also reflect Ricky’s genuine interest in people and places beyond his own experience. That curiosity is part of what makes Luna Parc feel like more than just one person’s home.
Stained Glass and Architectural Surprises
Stained glass is another recurring element at Luna Parc that contributes to the property’s overall character. It appears in windows, panels, and architectural details throughout the house in a way that feels cohesive rather than random.
The wood floors that Ricky designed and installed himself are another detail that draws attention. They reflect the same level of craft and intention that shows up in every other part of the property, and they hold up under close inspection in a way that mass-produced materials simply cannot match.
Throughout the house, there are structural and decorative choices that qualify as genuine architectural surprises. Doorways, ceilings, and room layouts do not always follow conventional logic, and that unpredictability is part of what makes moving through the space so engaging.
The house has been expanded and modified over decades, and the layers of those changes are visible in ways that add to the story rather than creating visual confusion. Each addition feels like a new chapter rather than an interruption.
Artists in Residence and the Next Generation
Luna Parc is not just Ricky’s personal project. It functions as a creative hub that actively involves other artists through a residency and internship program that brings new talent into the space.
Through these programs, Ricky passes on his skills and his broader artistic vision to younger artists and craftspeople who come to work alongside him. The exchange goes both ways, with residents and interns contributing to the ongoing development of the property while learning from someone with decades of hands-on experience.
This aspect of Luna Parc gives the place a sense of continuity that extends beyond any single person. Ricky has spoken openly about preparing his legacy, and the residency program is a concrete part of how that preparation takes shape.
For visitors, knowing that the property is actively being built and developed by multiple creative hands adds another dimension to what they are looking at. Luna Parc is not a finished product.
It is an ongoing conversation between artists, materials, and ideas.
The Gift Shop and Ricky’s Handmade Jewelry
Before leaving Luna Parc, the gift shop is worth making time for. Ricky designs and sells jewelry and pottery that he creates himself, and the pieces reflect the same commitment to color and craft that defines the rest of the property.
The pottery features glazes that are striking in their depth and variety. Each piece looks like it belongs in the same creative universe as the mosaics and sculptures surrounding it, which makes the gift shop feel like a natural extension of the tour rather than a tacked-on retail stop.
The jewelry is intricate and clearly handmade, with designs that carry Ricky’s visual fingerprints throughout. For anyone who wants to bring something tangible home from the visit, these pieces are genuinely worth considering.
Pricing tends to be reasonable given the craftsmanship involved, and purchasing something directly supports the artist and the ongoing maintenance of the property. The website also includes a wishlist of materials that guests can bring as a contribution to future projects.
Practical Tips Before You Go
Planning ahead is not optional at Luna Parc. Tours run only during specific periods of the year, and available slots fill up well in advance, particularly during spring and summer when demand is highest.
The official website at lunaparc.com is the best place to check current tour dates and availability. Signing up for the email list is also recommended, since that is how Ricky communicates upcoming openings to interested guests.
The entry fee is twenty dollars per person, and that money goes directly toward maintaining the property. Given that tours regularly run close to two hours, the value is hard to argue with.
The property involves hills and stairs, so anyone with mobility considerations should factor that in when planning. Parking is on-street along a quiet road, and the area is rural enough that navigation apps are worth double-checking before departure.
Bringing a camera is strongly encouraged, and checking the website wishlist before visiting gives guests the option to bring materials that support future creative work on the property.
Why Photos Never Tell the Full Story
One consistent theme among people who have visited Luna Parc is the gap between what photographs show and what the place actually delivers in person. The images that circulate online are impressive, but they represent a fraction of what is actually there.
Part of the reason is scale. The property covers a significant amount of ground, and no single photo or even a full album can capture the relationship between the house, the garden, the sculptures, and the collections as a whole.
Another factor is detail. Many of the most compelling elements at Luna Parc reward close inspection.
Mosaics that look decorative from a distance reveal intricate individual pieces when examined up close. Sculptures that read as one thing from across the garden turn out to have layered complexity when you get near them.
There is also the element of sequence, the experience of moving through the space and discovering things in a particular order, that simply cannot be reproduced through a screen. The visit itself is the point.
An Evolving Project That Never Stands Still
One of the most interesting things about Luna Parc is that it is never finished. Ricky continues to add, modify, and expand the property, which means that a second visit genuinely offers something different from the first.
This quality sets Luna Parc apart from most cultural attractions, which exist in a relatively fixed state once they open to the public. Here, the creative process is ongoing and visible, and the property reflects whatever Ricky is currently thinking about or working on.
New sculptures appear in the garden. Rooms inside the house get new treatments.
Collections grow as Ricky continues to travel and gather objects from different parts of the world. The result is a place that rewards return visits in a way that most destinations simply cannot.
For people who live within reasonable driving distance of Sandyston, Luna Parc is the kind of place that can become a recurring destination rather than a one-time experience. Each visit lands a little differently depending on what has changed since the last one.
The Sussex County Setting That Frames It All
Luna Parc does not exist in isolation. The setting in Sussex County, in the far northwestern corner of New Jersey, is part of what makes the experience work as well as it does.
The area around Sandyston is genuinely rural. The drive to the property takes visitors through forested hills and along quiet roads that feel far removed from the more densely populated parts of the state.
That contrast matters, because arriving at Luna Parc after that kind of drive makes the property feel even more unexpected and rewarding.
Sussex County also offers other attractions for those who want to build a fuller day trip around the visit. State parks, hiking trails, and small towns are all within reasonable range, making it easy to combine a Luna Parc tour with other outdoor or cultural activities in the region.
The natural surroundings also complement the property itself. The trees and hills that frame the garden give the outdoor sculptures a backdrop that studio settings could never replicate, and the quiet of the area adds to the overall atmosphere of the visit.
A Place Worth the Road Trip
Some destinations are worth traveling for, and Luna Parc has drawn people from far outside New Jersey who make the trip specifically to see the property. The distance involved does not seem to discourage those who have done their research.
The combination of a twenty-dollar entry fee, a two-hour self-guided experience, and the chance to meet a working artist of Ricky Boscarino’s caliber makes a strong case for the drive, even for those coming from several hours away.
For New Jersey residents who have not yet made it to Sandyston, the fact that this place exists in their own state tends to come as a genuine surprise. Luna Parc sits outside the usual circuits of Jersey Shore day trips and Hudson County weekend plans, which means it remains relatively under the radar despite its devoted following.
That is changing gradually as more people discover it and share their experiences. Getting there before it becomes widely crowded is, by most accounts, the smart move.
