The Twin Lights

The Navesink Twin Lights is a non-operational lighthouse and museum located in Highlands, New Jersey. It overlooks Sandy Hook Bay, the entrance to the New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The Twin Lights, as the name implies, are a pair of beacons located 246 feet (75 m) above sea level on the headlands of the Navesink Highlands.

In 1962, the State of New Jersey acquired Twin Lights. At the current museum facility, tours of the lighthouse, a climb of the North Tower and its expansive ocean view, and a view of the lighthouse equipment, await visitors. Twin Lights is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

The Twin Lights State Historic Site is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.

The original Twin Lights were built in 1828 and were replaced in 1862 with a new structure made from brown stone that has the appearance of a fortress.

During the rehabilitation in 1841 a cannon was found buried on the lighthouse grounds. Today it is in front of the Keeper’s quarters and is now known as the "Mystery Cannon" of Twin Lights.

In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi placed an antenna and receiving station at the lighthouse to demonstrate his Wireless Telegraph.


Twin Lights holds a prominent place in American maritime history it is an excellent tour and a great learning experience and admission is free.

Lighthouse lens

http://www.twinlightslighthouse.com

Twin Light Historical Society

254 State Route 36

Highlands, NJ 07732

This Weekend at Tuckerton Seaport

Tuckerton Seaport is a newly built recreation of a maritime village. The buildings are replicas of the Bay's earlier days. At Perrine's Boat Works, you will see volunteers demonstrate the building of small boats call sneakboxes. Outside the boat works is Gus Heinrichs Sr.'s sneakbox built in 1951. Other exhibits include clamming and oystering at Parson's Clam and Oyster House and decoy carving at Parker's Decoy Shop, Joe Dayton's Sawmill, Napolean Kelly's Oyster House, and much more.

The Tuckerton's Light House and Museum has exhibits of early sea rescue, the Lighthouses of the Jersey Shore, the lives of early Native Americans and the Pirates that once visited the area.

Two upcoming events:

Baymen’s Seafood & Music Festival
June 23 & 24
11am to 5pm
Enjoy delicious Jersey fresh clams, crabs, scallops and shrimp from the finest local seafood purveyors. Crafters, vendors, music, food, refreshments, family activities, demonstrations,boat rides, boat builders and decoy carvers. Speak with commercial fishermen to learn about occupations on the bay or take a clam shucking class. So bring the family and plan to spend the day. Selected as one of the: “Top 10 NJ Outdoor Festivals” by NJ Countryside Magazine. Presented by the Jersey Shore Folklife Center.


10th Annual Red Wine & Blues Festival
June 30
3pm to 8pm
Team up with the Tuckerton Seaport for a perfect afternoon of wine tasting from New Jersey’s finest wineries plus live blues music. Crafters, vendors, food, boat rides and lots of fun. Complimentary souvenir Seaport wine glass! “Traditional Pie Bake Off” contest.

A visit to the Tuckerton Seaport is educational and relaxing. Stroll the 3/4 mile boardwalk and experience life on the Tuckerton “Crik.” Identify birds and plants on our 1/4 mile nature trail. Tour our site and view garveys, sneakboxes, cruising yachts and party boats displayed on land and water.

New Jersey Surf Museum @ Tuckerton Seaport

The local baymen worked on the water, but they also played on it. Many a clammer worked the low tide and surfed the high tide. The New Jersey Surf Museum @ Tuckerton Seaport explores the historic connections to the sport – and the lifestyle – of the New Jersey Surfer.

Exhibits in the museum cover the origins of surfing and how it came to New Jersey in 1912. The museum also explores the close connection of surfing to the environment and the science of waves. A large collection of important surfboards is on display along with memorabilia and surf art.

Tuckerton Seaport is located at 120 W. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ


http://www.tuckertonseaport.org

New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail

Click image for enlarged view

The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail will show you roads less traveled where you can find historic villages, migrating eagles, and boardwalks on miles of sandy beaches.

This auto-trail stretches nearly 300 miles along New Jersey’s shore and bays. The trail route begins at the Raritan Bay in Perth Amboy, flows to Sandy Hook and then south down the entire Atlantic coast of New Jersey to Cape May.  It then hooks back up the Delaware Bay and River from Cape May to Deepwater near the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail encompasses five regions; Sandy Hook, Barnegat Bay, Absecon, Cape May and the Delsea.

You can explore the Trail’s five regions and you’ll find the nation’s oldest operating lighthouse; the town where revolutionaries burned British tea; and the state’s official tall ship.

Sandy Hook Region is the northern most and is approximately 40 miles long. Barnegat Bay Region is near the center of New Jersey's Atlantic seaboard and is about 45 miles long. Absecon Region includes Atlantic City and Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and is 20 miles long. Cape May Region is approximately 40 miles long and includes lighthouses, bird refuges, and the historic town of Cape May. Delsea Region is the most remote with over 60 miles of wetlands, history, and migratory bird stop-over points.

The Coastal Heritage Trail is designed primarily as a vehicular tourism route in which interpretive themes link destinations throughout the Trail area.

One stop along the way is the Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook which at 266 feet in Atlantic Highlands sits on the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic seaboard (excluding islands) from Maine to the Yucatan providing beautiful views of Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline.
This 12-acre site is also home to Monmouth County's 9/11 Memorial.          see  MonmouthCountyParks.com

All of the Trail destinations and welcome centers are operated by other organizations that maintain a variety of public hours. Availability of public transportation varies to and/or from destination to destination. 

Specific information is available by contacting the trail headquarters, welcome centers, and individual destinations. Trail welcome centers are located at Fort Mott State Park (off State Route 49 between Salem and Pennsville in Salem County near the Delaware Memorial Bridge) and at the Ocean View Tourist Information Center (Milepost 18.3 on the Garden State Parkway in Cape May County north of   Cape May).

Additional Information   http://www.newjerseycoastalheritagetrail.com/