This is a rather special Yelp. Its not for a restaurant or hotel or cafe or salon. Its for a ghost…read moretown. Yep. In New Jersey. In the Pine Barrens. Scared? No need to be. Its a superb day trip--a place unlike any other. You wont find tourists here; or probably any other living soul for miles around. Its just not that well-known enough. Its not an excursion accompanied by a lot of tourist-board support, advertising, or fanfare. There are no audioguides, no pamphlets, no maps. There's also no fees, gates, ticket-stands, trinkets, permits, or clerks. You can just park on the shoulder of the expressway, and mosey right in off the roadside. Its just a tract of deserted woodland. Its a part of New Jersey only a few people ever have reason to explore; its for the imaginative and intrepid. In the course of a year, the site probably only gets a couple photographers, an artist or two, or perhaps an author once in a while. Some 4WD-nuts pass by occasionally. [And this Yelp won't change that--even if I told you about great dining here, this place will always be forlorn and neglected.] Its the location of a vanished Piney town which sprang up in the 1800s around an iron-smelting furnace; and which has now almost completely disappeared from above-ground. Iron? There were iron mines in New Jersey? Not exactly. Its a strange chemical process, organically-occurring, whereby it forms in the swamps and bogs around here. You'll notice all the water is naturally 'tea'-colored. But all the left-behind equipment and abandoned buildings are now, just as if they never were. You might only notice some strange shapes --hummocks, berms--in the terrain and that's about it. This is where your imagination comes to the fore. You're strolling around on top of a village. Chalk one up for NATURE! If it doesn't grab your fancy, then..no matter--just wandering around in the Pine Barrens is in itself, ethereal and stupefying. Take care not to get lost; because the trees have an eerie manner of all looking exactly the same. A few unmindful steps can get you turned around. The Pine Barrens are just a fabulous and unique environment. People love to discredit the Garden State without ever having heard of forests like this. To try to explain: the soil is flat, level, and sandy and without underbrush--covered only with a carpet of pine needles. Thus, with the trees racing up so tall and straight--like columns in a church--and also branching so high; the effect is quite cathedral-like. Sun slants through as if coming through high windows. And its uncannily quiet. Like a big empty room. Just the coolest. Bring boots (its occasionally muddy) and a survival knife *just in case* of feral dogs. I recommend this excursion to all the Yelpers who like to make a fuss over their daring and adventurous, active lifestyles. You're not impressing me with your tour-guide led whitewater rafting adventures. Try exploring the Pine Barrens. .

Wonderful site educating and celebrating NJ history. Handicap friendly. Tour guide was…read moreincredible 5/31 @ 1300. I don't recall his name but he was awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating to those with special needs. I will definitely visit again to learn more.

Atsion Village and Mansion is one of the best kept secrets in South Jersey. The mansion itself is…read morevery well preserved, and you can take tours of it on the weekend in the summer. Many people do not know about the furnace/iron industry in South Jersey that thrived in the early 19th Century, and you can come here to learn all about it. Our tour guide was 80 years old and lived in the area her whole life. She knew EVERYTHING about the history of Atsion, and we both loved listening to her talk. The park service officer who greeted us in the historic general store also filled us in about the history of the village. The cemetery and church are really cool, too. You can combine your visit with lying on the beach on the lake, too.

HAMMONTON: if you look at a map of NJ, you will notice a large section in South Jersey bathed in…read moregreen. That is Wharton State Forest, a gorgeous section of the Pine Barrens full of history, rumored to be where the Jersey Devil roams, and is a great spot to spend time in nature hiking 50 miles of trails, boating from launches on various rivers, bird and wildlife viewing, camping spots, and learning about NJ's past at the Batsto Village historic site. The land was used by the Lenape in prehistoric times and the village dates back to 1766! Batsto Village was an iron and glassmaking community and many of the buildings still stand today including the mansion, grist mill, saw mill, post office, housing, and over 30 buildings in total. There are walking paths to each building and if the door is open, you are welcome to go inside and take a look. Check out the peaceful views of Batsto Lake and the visitor center that features a museum and gift shop. We really enjoyed the Maple Sugaring Day event hosted by Wharton State Forest and Stockton University where they showed us how to turn sugar maple tree sap into syrup. There are sugar maple trees throughout the Batsto and Stockton properties that are tapped to collect sap in buckets and then boiled to make the delicious sweet maple syrup. We saw the tubing system used in a patch of trees to collect the sap and even had a sample; it tastes deliciously like lightly sweetened water. The syrup's end product was so fresh and delicious too. You can buy a bottle of maple syrup in the gift shop. Leashed dogs are allowed and we saw quite a few enjoying a walk amongst the picturesque and sprawling property. There is a small fee to enter the village from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and free admission the rest of the year.

I went for my first time over the weekend & I really enjoyed it! It was just a short 30 min drive…read morefrom where I live near the shore, & I would do it again. If you love history & nature, this is the perfect place, because this village started in 1766!! It's located in Hammonton, NJ in the Wharton State Forest with hiking trails, camping spots, open fields, & picnic benches for a nice forest bath. Take a journey to the past by exploring the Visitor's Center that has a museum & gift shop before venturing out around the historic village. You can sign up for guided mansion & walking tours for a fee, but we just walked around on our own for free. The gift shop also sells water & snacks, but there's also a food truck in the parking lot with hot dogs & Italian sandwiches for sale. This time of year is perfect because it was mosquito free with a nice crisp to the air that made walking around so enjoyable! They're also doing an antique, glass & bottle show on 5/19 with wagon rides available for a great family activity!

Mid! Overpriced. Burger was soggy and fries were fair for the price but simply way too crispy.read more

The food was ok. Mine was a little disappointing. I ordered the seafood lettuce wraps. The lettuce…read morewas soggy and couldn't hold anything in it. The seafood salad was very small portion and tasteless. The jalapeños were jarred yet my husband had fresh jalapeños in his poke bowl. Very little cucumbers served and my dish was missing the crunch element. The service was excellent though. And I love the margaritaville vibe!

Came here for a 52 Firsts event during Spring Fest and it ended up being such a fun day. There was…read morea lot going on without feeling overwhelming. Live energy, little activity tables, and a small plant sale that was honestly very tempting. One of the coolest things I learned is that they have what's believed to be the oldest ginkgo tree in both North and South America. That alone made the visit feel a little special. I spent some time walking the trails and made my way around the water too. It's really pretty back there. Lots of flowers in bloom, open space, and quieter areas if you want a break from the crowd. I definitely liked the more shaded, tree-heavy sections the most. Some of the booths were set up fully in the sun and it got a bit intense after a while, so having those cooler, shaded areas made a big difference. Staff were very helpful and the trails are clearly marked, which made it easy to just wander without worrying about getting lost. Only downside is the location can be a little tricky to get to, especially if you're not driving. But once you're there, it's absolutely worth it. Overall just a really enjoyable, laid-back outdoor spot with a lot to explore. I'd come back, especially for another event.

Had a few hours before my flight and was looking for something to do. I came across this garden…read moreand it was beautiful. Well maintained and relaxing. Plenty of trails and benches. The flowers were gorgeous. You get a nice view of the city from the boat dock and parking area. I spent a few hours here. Great if you're solo or with people.

Have you always wanted to see what it's like inside Lucy the Elephant? Stop by and take the tour!…read moreOnly $9 for a history of Lucy plus pretty views. Our tour guide Lorraine was super knowledgeable and entertained us with stories from her childhood growing up in the AC area. Did you know Lucy is the only surviving pachyderm from the 3 that were built? Or that she is older than the statue of liberty?

I've heard of Lucy the Elephant for years, she has a lot of History and has been around since the…read more20th Century. I didn't know she was so close to Atlantic City about 5 miles. She was closed today so we couldn't take the tour. But I got some nice outside pictures. She's big and colorful and stands out amongst the Neighborhood.

Such a beautiful park in Old City/Society Hill. It is similar to Rittenhouse square but a little…read moresmaller. The grass was well kept. Lots of trees for shade, beautiful flowers and benches make it a perfect place to sit and relax! It also has one of the former Fairmount Park Guard Houses. I love to see these unique small structures being reused! The Eternal Flame monument is also in the park. Yeh park is not far from Independence Park.

Nice spot to stroll near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. A few blocks away and you're away…read morefrom the hustle and bustle. Nice tree lined park. Some history to read up on. Nice fountain. And, of course, the obligatory Washington statue.

We booked our trip over a year ago and pre-paid in advance. Mahmoud was very professional through…read morethe process but when we canceled out of concern for our safety given the violence in the region, he refused to grant any kind of refund or even credit forward future trip, despite incurring no cost for our canceled trip.

I pretty much woke up one day and decided I wanted to go to Egypt. Ok maybe not quite true, I have…read morealways wanted to go to Egypt, but had put it on a back-burner due to political unrest. Well, I started to notice lots of "friends" in a travel group had begun traveling there again in the last 9 months and I moved Egypt back to the top of my list. I wasn't quite ready to do it all alone, so I started looking into tour options. I knew my fiancé wasn't ready for a group tour, so I looked into private options and found Osiris after reading several reviews. After one email to Mahmoud I knew I had made the right decision and we were able to completely customize a private tour around my schedule, budget, and interests. From almost the second we stepped off the plane (not exaggerating, a rep was there waiting BEFORE immigration) we were guided the entire way. With some unforeseeable changes to our itinerary (flight delays) Osiris was able to rearrange things as needed and the whole process was seamless. We managed to pack Cairo and Luxor in a one week trip and see everything both cities have to offer, with a good amount of free time too. Tours were arranged at the best hours to avoid the heat and the tourists and we can't say enough good things about our Egyptologists (Amy and Mahmoud Ali) as well! Extremely impressed with the service we received, the options in tours, the drivers (driving in Cairo is some scary stuff lol) etc etc!! Definitely reach out to Mahmoud at Osiris to help you plan your trip!!

A slew of good things to say about the Music Box at Borgata. First, they have their own box office…read morefor 'Day of show' convenience. The Music Box is located alongside the casino near the Borgata buffet. The location makes it very easy to enter comfortably right before showtime. The Music Box is not Borgata's main showroom, but instead a medium size venue with about 1000 seats. There are floor seats and elevated seating to suit most people's needs. You'll get a great view and sound from just about anywhere. If you're seeing a rock band, the first few floor seat rows to the side of stage may be too close to the speakers. They do have a bar within the theater with basic drinks. The venue is well-staffed with experienced help to ensure a smooth show.

Went to the Raymond Lam concert at the Borgata Music Box on Thanksgiving and overall it was a great…read moreexperience! The Music Box is an intimate venue, so every seat feels close to the stage and the sound quality was clean and well-balanced with the screens. The seats are small and not the most comfortable at the back section. The Borgata staff also did a good job managing the holiday crowd, keeping everything organized without long waits or confusion. There's also a bar you can get some drinks, but lines are long!