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!

A house hidden in a…read more house The Thomas Shinn House was originally built waaaay back in 1712. A very primitive English cabin built of roughly cut logs. Nothing fancy about this place. The cool part is that it was actually hidden and part of another house that was built much later. The Shinn House wasn't discovered until the new and much larger house was demolished in 1967. Of course the Shinn House was bought by the Mt Holly Historical Society and moved from it's original location on Water Street to it's present home on Park Drive, right behind the town hall. Unfortunately the old cabin isn't open to the public and you really can't see in the windows. That's too bad because it must be fascinating inside. However just walking around it and seeing the rough and tiny place is amazing enough. I wonder what it must have been like to raise a family in this tiny and crude home. And why was the newer house just built around the little cabin. I'll probably know but it is an incredible cool and historical house located in a town that is just full of surprises.

The grounds and gardens are fabulous, and the house is wonderfully curated. A storied family with a…read morerich and vibrant history, the Biddles have played a pivotal role throughout American history, and the staff does a superb job of guiding the visitor through the many chapters of this legendary lineage.

Andalusia is such a hidden gem!! Located in Northeast Phila, right on the Delaware River, this…read morearboretum/garden estate is honestly magical. From the moment you enter you feel like you are anywhere but Northeast Philly! The grounds are pretty expansive with a variety of landscape design. It's a gorgeous place to wander on a nice day. It's also the ideal spot for a photo shoot - tons of backdrop options!! They do have limited visiting hours so check online before you plan to go - and you will need a ticket. I went on one of their few 'Open Saturdays.' Tickets were $15 each and for a two hour time period. I specifically went to have some photos taken and was not disappointed with them! Stunning backgrounds and lighting. Visitors are also welcome to bring a picnic lunch and sit out by the water, which I did. There is so much space which makes it easy for social distancing, though it wasn't crowded at all. Parking is easy, too. They have a large grassy area fir cars to park on. I believe they have a restroom for guests too, though I didn't use it. This is such a beautiful spot, I will definitely be back in the spring to see the flowers blooming!

Amazing what had happened here. Experiencing history. Tragedy that had happened but it could of…read morebeen a lot worse. Definitely Recommend!!

wonderful piece of colonial NJ's history. Free. Donations appreciated. Linda was our docent and…read moreguide. Friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. 2 floors are open and furnished as a late 1700 NJ Tavern in busy port hub. We just popped in to see the historic site but they have a talk or event once a month. A great stop on your historic rounds. Parking is difficult but we found a place across the street on the municiple lot. 3 steps to get in and of course steps to the second floor.

Great tour! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable. Very enjoyable experience.read more