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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523 |
FROM CAPE MAY TO
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, NEW JERSEY PROVIDES A Trenton, N.J. (May 1, 2003)—As the weather warms up, thousands of New Jerseyans and visitors are heading out to New Jersey's 127 miles of pristine beaches, visiting historical lighthouses, relaxing at Victorian bed and breakfasts, walking in parks, smelling the fresh flowers at indoor and outdoor gardens and watching birds fly across the blue sky for their weekend gateways. When it comes to weekend summer vacations in the Garden State, here are some suggestions: Sun and Fun at New Jersey's Shore For travelers looking for some fun in the sun, New Jersey's shores offer a wide range of activities from Sandy Hook's white sands to Cape May's rolling waves. Water lovers can go water skiing at Wildwood to parasailing in Long Branch, one of the nation's first seashore resorts and summer resort of choice for seven American presidents. You can catch dinner or simply fish at Long Beach Island's Barnegat Light. Individuals wishing to be captains of their own ships can sail and motor boat in Margate. Beachgoers who chose to stay on land can sunbathe on Belmar's beach, build sandcastles at Ocean City, and even watch professional beach volleyball at Seaside Heights. After hitting the boardwalk on a Friday night, sit and enjoy the moonlight while listening to the ocean's waves at Point Pleasant Beach. Lighthouses Bring Rays of Light Along the beaches and the inlets of the Garden State, historical lighthouses bring rays of light to shore. There are more than 20 lighthouses in New Jersey. Eleven of them can be still be explored and visited, some of which are part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. In the Shore Region of the state, the Twin Lights of Navesink in the Highlands, the Sea Girt Lighthouse and the Barnegat Lighthouse offer scenic views of Long Beach Island up to New York City. Overlooking the New York Harbor and a short distance from the Highlands lies Sandy Hook Lighthouse - the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States - located in the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway Recreation Area. In the working maritime village of the Tuckerton Seaport, the recreated Tucker's Island Light brings visitors back to 1927 where an Atlantic Ocean lighthouse once fell into the sea. Atlantic City is home to the 171-foot tall Absecon Lighthouse where visitors embrace the views of the area. Surrounded by a beautiful garden in North Wildwood is the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. The East Point Lighthouse can be seen on the Delaware Bay's shore. Also you can see the more than 120 years old Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse in Paulsboro. The Finns Point Rear Range Light in Pennsville is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and provides a historical insight to the importance of lighthouses. In the Southern-most part of the state, the Cape May Lighthouse at Cape May Point State Park provides visitors a peek at migrating birds and butterflies. Just the Two of Us (Places for Couples) Whether you're sipping a cocktail or cuddling next to a loved one, New Jersey's bed and breakfast inns provide a romantic setting for the perfect getaway. The Whistling Swann Inn in Stanhope welcomes its guests with the comforts of personal and professional service. Constructed in 1978, the Wooden Duck in Newton is a two-story wooden farmhouse with access to antique shops for possible rare finds. Overlooking the Delaware River, the Inn at Lambertville Station in Lambertville offers a continental breakfast and an inviting outdoor deck. Visitors staying at the Pillars Bed and Breakfast in Avon-by-Sea, Normandy Inn in Spring Lake and the Mainstay Inn in Cape May will be treated to beaches and a boardwalk, both of which are located nearby. Just a Walk in the Park The most visited park in the state, Liberty State Park in Jersey City, offers panoramic views of the Manhattan Skyline, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and provides families easy access to Liberty Science Center. Nature lovers seeking a challenge can hike High Point State Park's Appalachian Trail and Kittatinny Mountains - the highest point in the state of New Jersey (1,803 feet) located in Sussex County. Part of the Appalachian Trail runs through Wawayanda State Park in Hewitt where more than 40 miles of trails can be explored by campers and canoeists. While boating and fishing are available at Kittatinny Valley State Park's 117-acre Lake Aeroflex and 39-acre Gardner's Pond (part of the headwaters of the Pequest River), visitors can also explore horseback and bike riding on the park's Sussex Branch Trail. After enjoying a morning of hiking and jogging, nature lovers wishing to take a break from the trails can relax and enjoy a picnic and use the park's grills at Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park in Somerset. Walk through Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, a 35-acre sculpture park, where artwork from internationally recognized and emerging artists are on display outside. Flock to a Bird Watcher's Delight in New Jersey A U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey shows that 54 million people are bird-watchers - making it one of the nation's fasting growing hobbies. New Jersey sits right in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, one of the four routes that birds follow to reach their breeding habitats in warm weather months. What that means for the birding aficionado is that he or she can see as many 340 species of birds - more than one-third of the entire species that have ever been recorded in North America. You can see hawks and raptors from the Cape May Bird Observatory in Cape May and more than 200 different species of birds at the Edwin J. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville. Other sites for birding include the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory in Fort Hancock, the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsvile and the Lorrimer Sanctuary in Franklin Lakes. The Show Goes On in New Jersey New Jersey is home to an amazing array of entertainment venues, where guests can enjoy a variety of live entertainment options. In Newark, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center is considered the last great performing arts center to open in the 20th century. The summer schedule includes June performances by Tony Bennett (June 7), the renowned Riverdance dance and music extravaganza (June 10 through 15) and the Grammy-award winning Mormon Tabernacle Choir (July 30). New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen (July 15 through 27) dates) and Bon Jovi (August 7 and 8) return to their home state this summer with concerts at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford. Outdoor venues such as the Tweeter Center in Camden and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel provide a full summer schedule of shows under the stars by leading touring pop musicians, including James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Steely Dan (Dates vary. Visit www.tweetercenter.com and www.artscenter.com for complete schedules). For smaller-scale live entertainment, the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven presents a full schedule this summer, including performances of My Fair Lady (June 11 through 22), Evita (June 24 through July 26) in July and a Chorus Line (July 22 through August 3). One of the only open-air Greek amphitheatres in the United States, at the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, is site of a performance of Molière's play, That Scoundrel Scapin, by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. The group returns to its main stage in Madison at Drew University for Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (May 27 through June 15) and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (June 24 through July 20). The Gardens of the Garden State New Jersey is nicknamed the Garden State, which makes it appropriate that visitors can stroll through a series of renowned gardens. New Jersey's official botanical garden is the Skylands Botanical Garden in Ringwood - 96 acres of collected plants from all over the world and also from New Jersey roadsides. Waterford Gardens in Saddle River is known for its collection of water plants - day and night blooming tropical water lilies, lotuses, floating plants and aquatic border plants. You will find splashes of green among a series of alpine and woodland gardens at the 33-acre year at the Leonard J. Buck Garden in Far Hills. The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township is where you can stroll among roses, rhododendrons, azaleas and spring bulb plants. Duke Gardens in Somerville features gardens representing from all over the world including English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian Indo-Persian, Colonial, Edwardian, American Desert and Tropical Jungle styles. More information on these attractions - and everything else that New Jersey has to offer - can be obtained by contacting the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism, at 1-800-VISITNJ (847-4865), or by checking the Web site at www.visitnj.org.
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