Time for Jersey Summer

It is summer and that means the Jersey Shore, but there is a lot more to do in the Garden State. After you hit the beaches and boardwalks, here are more suggestions from VisitNJ.org.

You don't have to hit a boardwalk to get your thrills because other amusement parks and water parks are throughout the state. 

From our maritime heritage, historic lighthouses along the coastline are scenic and historic. Sandy Hook Lighthouse (Highlands) is the oldest working lighthouse in the country, built in 1764. Check out the lighthouses in New Jersey.

Our Garden State also has hillsides covered in grapevines, so check out our wineries and vineyards. You can enjoy wine tasting in a tasting room and take in the views.

How about cruising gently above NJ in a hot air balloon? I thought I'd be afraid of one of these rides (heights are not my thing) but it was great. No fear! You can also watch them from the ground at the July QuikChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Readington every July.) Watch Video!

I often write here about state parks in New Jersey. They offer swimming and boating, hiking and mountain biking and many state parks, such as Monmouth Battlefield State Park (Manalapan) and Long Pond Ironworks State Park (Hewitt), also have important American history sites.

The state parks are great for mountain bikers but there are plenty of places for mountain bikes or a beach cruising. Take an early morning boardwalk ride or an all-day excursion on the Henry Hudson Trail. Check out some places to ride bike in NJ.

And that brings us to camping. Sitting around the campfire on a cool night beneath a starry sky in one of our campgrounds and RV parks. Here are just a few of our favorite campsites with gorgeous scenery.

In New Jersey we are surrounded by history. There are many free and low cost visit a historic sites for a day trip. We have living history villages such as Fosterfields Living Historical Farm (Morristown) to experience farm life in the early 1900s, or Howell Living History Farm in Lambertville, which also has field, barn and craft programs or just explore the grounds on a self-guided tour.

We have more than 400 publicly accessible lakes, ponds and reservoirs, and many secluded rivers and streams for your fishing trip. That can be a day with the little kids fishing for little fish at a little pond, or aiming for a big, trophy fish on a charter fishing boat to go deep-sea fishing.

Start planning your NJ trip with the FREE travel guide and travel map.


View it online or get a copy mailed directly to your door, see www.visitnj.org