Not Down the Shore? No Problem
July, 28 2008
We love the Shore, but where else can we go on a lazy day in (yikes, already, almost?) August?
High and Mighty
Check out the scenery on winding, steep Henry Hudson Drive, on the Palisades between the GW Bridge and the New York State line. On one side, 400- to 500-foot wooded cliffs (look for miniature waterfalls trickling down) largely unchanged since before Europeans arrived. On the other, the river and Manhattan. And at Enn-Jay’s northeastern end, Palisades Interstate Park.
Wet and Wild
Stay cool at one of the many lakes that dot the state. Most everybody knows the big ones: Lake Hopatcong, Round Valley, Spruce Run. A lesser known fave is Tomahawk Lake in Sparta, with sandy beach, rustic food stands, classic picnic grounds and water park with two 500-foot water slides. For something quieter, try Sunrise Lake Club at the Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township, with great wooded views, boat rentals and fishing.
Going Outside lists lakes by county; info provided is generic, but you get the name and a map so Google to learn more.
South Jersey doesn’t have as many big lakes as the state’s northwest, but it does have the Pinelands, more than one million acres watered by rivers like the Mullica and the Oswego — some a little fast-moving and challenging, some placid and ideal for an easy paddle. There is a list of places to rent canoes or kayaks in the region.
And if paddling isn’t your thing, Piney Power has all kinds of Pinelands activities and events.
Rock On
Sure you rock, but so does the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, where you can “prospect for rocks” and learn about minerals from the tri-state area. Go home with a cool rock collection road mapped like a box of chocolates.
Nearby, Franklin Mineral Museum displays more than 375 minerals species including some that glow, allowing it to claim the title of “Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World.” Search for fluorescent rocks and have them identified in the on-site dark room.
Yeeha!
Grab your cowboy hat and get ready for a traditional Western show at the Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove. The farmers market here, too, is one of South Jersey’s best.
NJ My Way contributor Pamela J. Principe-Golgolab is president of PNA Associates Inc. in Chester.
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