Vol. 3, No. 10, October 2006
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On the Road Again: Fall Excursions
Autumn is the time to explore what South Jersey offers away from the beaches
It’s fall, the season where we trade in our flip-flops for sensible shoes. And while autumn does have its share of beautiful beach days, there are plenty of other choices, from events and festivals to quaint town strolls. So get out your walking shoes, your map and your sense of adventure, and get ready to see all that fall in South Jersey has to offer.
The first stop is historic Cape May for Victorian Week starting Friday, October 6. This year marks the 34th annual celebration, hailed as a “Top 100 Event in North America.” Highlights of the week include authentic Victorian feasts, a chocolate fantasy buffet, beer and wine tastings, boat tours, murder mystery dinners, brass band concerts, workshops, lectures, tours and glass blowing demonstrations. There is also a Vintage Dance Weekend, where you can learn the popular ballroom dances of the mid- and late-19th century.
Cost and times vary per event. For more information, call the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) at 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
Up next is Absecon’s 6th Annual Pedal-Paddle Run scheduled for Saturday, October 7. This is a chance to see some of the most panoramic views in the area, according to founder and past president Bill Parker. “Absecon is an old clamming town with a lot of history,” he explained. “My family and I would go out kayaking and we’d see the boats and the birds, and then the Borgata, Harrah’s and Brigantine further down. This race takes you away from the city where you still have these magnificent views.”
The popular community triathlon incorporates kayaking, running and bicycling through historic Absecon. Participants can enter as individuals or teams and kayaks are available for rental. There is a “Funniest Division,” where athletes dress as everything from superheroes to nuns. If you just want to watch, there are Atlantic City Jitneys that take you from the bay to the park.
Proceeds benefit the Absecon Education Foundation, and the event is made possible by Gold Sponsor Pam Sterns of ReMax Atlantic. For more information, visit www.parkerandpartners.com or register at www.active.com.
Also on October 7, it’s on to Ocean City for the Fall Block Party. The block party brings out tables of juried crafters with everything from painted glass and furniture to ceramics, wearable art, fine art and more. There also will be live music, food and free pony rides. Free parking is available at the Transportation Center and the Ocean City Airport at 26th and Bay, and at Shelter Road. Free bus transportation will be provided from these locations.
The Block Party is part of a weekend-long Indian Summer Celebration in Ocean City. Throughout the weekend, vendors will display their wares in a boardwalk sidewalk sale. There will also be a Seafood Fest at the Music Pier, featuring such delicacies as chowders, shrimp, clams and more. For more information, or a complete schedule of activities, call 609-525-9300.
It wouldn’t be October without Oktoberfest, and the Towne of Historic Smithville throws one of the most festive, scheduled this year for Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8. This free event draws crowds who come out for the food and entertainment. There will be an international food court featuring everything from German cuisine and beer to Greek food, Italian food and seafood. Over 100 crafters will be displaying their handmade wares for sale. There will also be children’s activities and train and carousel rides. Oktoberfest is held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.smithvillenj.com.
If you’re feeling energetic, take the 7th Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge, and visit 11 participating lighthouses throughout the state on the weekend of Saturday, October 14 and Sunday, October 15, including Atlantic City’s own Absecon Lighthouse at 31 S. Rhode Island Avenue.
Each participating site will have its own souvenir to commemorate the visit. Visitors accepting the challenge do not even have to go into the lighthouse. Admission fees vary at each location. Those participants presenting a complete set of souvenirs will receive a special "11 Points of Light Club" souvenir.
Lighthouses include Sandy Hook, Twin Lights, Sea Girt, Barnegat, Tucker’s Island, Absecon, Hereford Inlet, Cape May, East Point, Finns Point and Tinicum. As an added bonus, four lighthouses will be open an additional two hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday night: Sandy Hook, Absecon, Cape May and Tinicum. For more information, call 856-546-0514 or visit www.njlhs.org.
The 12th Annual Pine Barrens Jamboree is scheduled for Saturday, October 14, in Wells Mills County Park (Exit 69 off the Garden State Parkway). Enjoy “down home” music including country, bluegrass and folk, as well as regional food specialties, children’s games, face painting, canoe rentals and more. Smokey the Bear and the Jersey Devil make special appearances. For more information, call 609-971-3085.
If it’s a nice day, you’ll want to head up the Parkway to the Batsto Village Country Living Fair, held annually on the third Sunday in October. This year it’s on October 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is one of those old-time fairs with quilting, farm equipment, chain saw art, and the more traditional crafts, exhibits, music, old-time engines and cars, and pony rides. You can find more information at www.batstovillage.org.
Then head south to a birthplace of rock and roll and the Third Annual Wildwoods Fabulous ’50s Weekend, October 20-22. The event is a celebration of Wildwood’s unique role in music history. Philadelphia’s own film-TV-stage star James Darren will headline the Fabulous ’50s Rock and Roll Show on Saturday evening at the Wildwoods Convention Center. Also appearing will be Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, the Platters, Joey Dee and the Starlighters, and the Shangri-Las. The weekend includes a Jerry Blavat Record Hop and a free street fair with live entertainment. For more information, call 609-729-4000 or 1-888-729-0033 or visit www.fabfifties.com.
Halloween happenings near the end of the month offer lots of spooky fun. Visit Haunted Tuckerton Seaport on Saturday, October 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Stroll along the pitch-black boardwalk in search of the Jersey Devil or pirates long lost at sea and you’re sure to encounter some spirits.
However, the Haunted Seaport is not recommended for children under 6 years old. Younger children are encouraged to visit the Pumpkin Patch, where there will be kiddie activities. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. For more information, call (609) 296-8868.
The Towne of Historic Smithville offers a Haunted Train Ride on Fridays and Saturdays from October 13 through October 28. Rides begin at dark and run through 9 p.m. For those who visit on October 28, check out the Costume Pet Parade, or enter and bring your own favorite pooch or kitty!
Cape May is home to the New Jersey State Film Festival November 16 through 19. This event is dedicated to creative, and often groundbreaking, film/video works by New Jersey filmmakers. According to the event’s website, the festival “has grown from a three-day event attracting an audience of 500 in 2001 to a four-day film festival drawing thousands annually.”
Attendees screen over 50 shorts, eight features and two retrospectives, and can attend special events and parties and an all-day screenwriting workshop. There are opportunities to network with the directors, actors, producers, screenwriters and composers who are the makers of these films. For more information, call (609) 884-6700 or visit www.njstatefilmfestival.com.
One of the most peaceful events of the season is the annual Quiet Festival held in Ocean City, Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19. It’s a weekend of quiet activities, most of which take place at Ocean City’s Art Center Atrium. Free to the public, this event includes such silent activities as seashell listening, performances by mimes, silent movies, and a storyteller who performs Indian hand tales. There is also a “Pet Your Pet” pageant and a feather-dropping competition. For more information, call 609-525-9300.
Then, to greet the holiday season, there is “Christmas in Stone Harbor, An Island Holiday,” a weekend of activities following Thanksgiving, November 24 through 26. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy the town’s Christmas parade, merchant sidewalk sales and other activities.
“Stone Harbor is a great place to stroll,” said Vicki Clark, executive director of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce. “We have so many beautiful and quaint towns in Cape May County.” Clark also suggests visiting Dune Drive in Avalon if you haven’t lately. “It’s been completely renovated,” she said. “There are now some beautiful upscale shops, galleries and restaurants.”
Clark acknowledges that South Jersey offers a lot in both events and visitor destinations. “The fall is such a great time to visit the area,” she said. “First, we have wonderful fall weather. The ocean tends to stay warm and the temperature is very pleasant. Then you have the added advantage that it’s not as crowded as our summer season and we move at a slower pace. Fall represents a nice alternative to traditional summer vacation.”
For more information about Cape May County events, visit www.capemaycountychamber.com. For Atlantic City area events, visit www.atlanticitynj.com.
South Jersey’s Best Foliage
Each fall, Mother Nature drapes her foliage in Crayola-colored beauty. It’s so compelling that it even makes a drive up the Parkway a picturesque journey. And you needn’t venture far to see some glorious foliage. Following are some southern New Jersey favorites. But schedule your visits for early October when colors will be at their most vibrant. Due to a warm and wet summer, fall colors should begin to “pop” right around the first or second week in October in most places in the Northeast, according to the Foliage Network. For an up-to-the-minute report on what’s “blooming with color,” check out www.foliagenetwork.com.
Wharton State Forest Batsto Village and Crowley’s Landing
When considering the best places to view fall foliage, Wharton State Forest is the hands-down favorite. Located in parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Camden Counties, the forest stretches over 110,000 acres. Two locations frequently cited within the forest are Batsto Village and Crowley’s Landing. “Crowley’s Landing is just outside the village and it’s absolutely beautiful,” said Mona Bawgus, consumer horticulturist for Rutgers Cooperative Extension. “The colors of the leaves reflect off of the water, making it picture-perfect. Then, there is the autumn festival in Batsto. It’s one of those old-fashioned festivals that has stayed virtually unchanged over the years. With the backdrop of autumn leaves, it’s just a nice day to walk around and get the feeling of fall.”
How to get there: Historic Batsto Village is located on Route 542 in the Wharton State Forest, Washington Township, Burlington County. It is about 25 miles west of Atlantic City. Simply take the Garden State Parkway North to Exit 50 (New Gretna), exit to Route 9 North. Turn left onto Route 542, and continue for 12 miles. Batsto Village is on the right.
Belleplain State Forest
The combination of young pine, oak and Atlantic white cedar makes Belleplain a beautiful place to visit in the fall. That’s because the colors of the deciduous leaves contrast with the evergreen of the pines. Established as a state forest in 1928, Belleplain is located in Woodbine, in both Cape May and Cumberland Counties. There are hiking and nature trails if you want to view the foliage on foot. Best of all, there are no entrance fees after Labor Day.
How to get there: Take the Garden State Parkway South to exit 17, to Routes 9 and 550 (or use exit 13 if traveling northbound). Highway signs will direct you to the forest.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Sure, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for migratory birds, but it’s also a colorful place for fall foliage. You can drive or walk through the refuge on a self-guided tour. The roads and trails are open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Stop at Lily Lake for a truly picturesque site. And if you’d like, bring along some birding books. You’re sure to see your feathered friends enjoying the foliage as well. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/.
How to get there: Take U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) west to Route 157. Turn right onto Route 157 North. This will merge onto Route 9 North. Follow Route 9 to Great Creek Road. Turn right and follow the road to the end.
