Nice park, with trails and bathroom. Maybe not be accessible for those in wheelchairs. The museum…read moreis pretty and the Christmas tours a defiantly worth the time and money. The lake has fishing available.

This is a very interesting park. I visited back in June at the height of park season so to speak,…read moreand was delighted by the area. The mansion grounds are open to explore, and they keep the landscaping in good condition. You can wander around many of the buildings as well, and we stumbled upon an art gallery made entirely of repurposed materials (such as some awesome dryer lint portraits; I wish I could remember the artist's name!). If you venture into the park definitely check out their floating trail (i.e. a walking bridge that spans the entire lake) and their butterfly garden (which houses mostly moths but is still cool). I found this place really enjoyable, and even romantic to walk around it with your partner. Definitely the best park in Burlington county.

Always fun to visit a lighthouse! This one sits at the northern tip of LBI and is a nice little…read morescenic walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse. Very clean and well-kept, with a peaceful atmosphere and beautiful views. A perfect spot to take a leisurely stroll, relax, and enjoy the scenery. We didn't get a chance to go up the lighthouse, but for anyone interested in climbing the 217 steps to the top, admission is $3 for ages 12+, $1 for ages 6-11, and free for kids under 6.

Very interesting lighthouse and museum. Easy to get to, park, and walk up to the lighthouse.read 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.

I only saw the visitors center and outside of the house, but how perfect for a lantern tour in the…read morefall. The house is creepy, especially with the placement of windows. There are signs around the outside to give you additional information. A beautiful but creepy place.

I'm generally not an advocate of hiking in the rain (or really whenever anything is falling from…read morethe sky), but this is definitely the place to do it if you're going to. The Millennial Chum and I made our Pine Barrens hiking debut here this past Saturday, which was rainy and hovering in the high 40s. Our itinerary was very straight-forward - it was an 8.5-mile hike along the white trail (my ye olde pre-Sandy NJ hiking book identifies it as the Penns Hill Trail, but the website for Wells Mills cites it as the Macri trail; regardless, it's the white one), which is basically one giant loop circling Wells Mills Lake, though it veers much further west than that at several points. Our book claimed this would take four to five hours, which we thought was a ridiculous overestimate and was - we did this in a little over three hours, though we're both in good shape and really didn't stop. We were both enormously impressed by the facilities and trail markings here. The Nature Center at the beginning of the hike looks and is pretty spiffy, with a toasty, clean bathroom and helpful kiosks with maps to grab (handheld maps are not a given in this day and age). They DID run out of hand soap, but I think any of us would take a warm, functioning indoor plumbing situation over what we usually have to deal with. There was one time late in the hike when we stopped to peer around for the next marking, but we literally found it about five seconds later. Given that a lot of the trails overlap, turn and often cut into or across non-hiking fire trails, I thought they did a great job denoting the specific routes. I expected the entire hike to be flat, which is my general/uninformed impression of the Pine Barrens, but it actually had a few ups and downs over dune-like, woody hills, especially in the first two miles. Nothing crazy, and while we stopped for a few water breaks at the top of those mounds, we never felt obligated to pause to catch our breaths. I'm at a point in 2023 where I'm gauging the strenuousness of an activity based on what my Fitbit says, and it claimed I had no zone moments, which is essentially high cardio activity. So take that for what you will. Regardless, I think this is also a selling point, as I've actually been reluctant to hike around here due to the lack of terrain; definitely adds some character. The viewpoint situation was not my favorite. On a rainy day like this, you're treated to an X-files-esque view of a lake right at the beginning, complete with Vancouver-like pine trees (if you know, you know), but this is not a hike where you're going to end up looking out over anything; even the tops of the hills are in the middle of the woods, so you're just looking at the same trees you were looking at when you were at the bottom, just...higher. The other downside (depending on your perspective) is that this is probably the best kind of weather for the Pine Barrens in many ways, but it's hazardous. This hike has many boardwalks throughout the damper/swampier areas, but they get very slippery when it's rainy. I don't believe either of us legit lost our footing but we both hollered, 'Careful!' a lot. I'd recommend some tread on the hindpaws. I suspect due mostly to the weather, the wildlife and canine chum situations were terrible. We saw a pooch in the parking lot getting ready for a walk, but never encountered one during the entire 8.5 miles (and only saw a miserable-looking boy scout troop and two other people). Hopefully others have better luck. There was also a bright pink port-a-potty about halfway through right where the trail brushes up against the scout reservation, so if nature calls and you're trying to avoid direct body contact with pine needles dot dot dot. A lot of the hiking intangibles are here, so it's hard not to recommend this for just about anyone, regardless of skill level. It's not the kind of hike I'd do for a real workout, but to just get some fresh air and steps in? It's a nice change of pace if you're in the area.

Wells Mills County Park is the largest county park in Ocean County. It's substantial actually. It…read moreactually feels more like a state park because the trails are longer and more involved. There's no admission fee to enter, which is great. You can just hang out closer to the main entrance by the lake. You can also go down the trails for just a little bit and come back. So, it can be what do you make of it. They have trails of all different lengths, however. The trails interconnect, so you can "cheat" and don't have to go down the full length of them. The green trail takes about an hour and a half to walk around. The white trail is windier and a little bit more scenic. The white trail also goes down much closer to the lake and through the cedar or swamp next to the lake. The yellow trail is very long. I've been on parts of it, but I've heard that it's relatively boring. One day I will want to walk the whole distance of it because it's close to 10 miles long. While most parks in Ocean County tend to be flat like a pancake, there's a little bit more elevation here. Some parts of the green and white trail would be easy to moderately difficult. But the trails are well blazed, and it's not terrible. Be careful because the trail map that I found online is old, and they have since updated it. When you come in there's a board that has a map posted. You can pick up an updated trail map there. It's also recommended that you sign in if you are going to be hiking for a distance. You don't want to get stuck in there and have the gates close on you. It's for your safety. There is a canoe launching dock on the lake, as well. When my friend comes next summer, who is a big kayaker, then I'll try it out. But I mostly go just for exercise and to go on the trails now. The park has a very safe feel, and I feel comfortable walking there. People generally say hi to you when you pass them on the trail. The only thing you need to worry about is ticks that may cause Lyme disease. So, make sure that you check for ticks, and take a shower as soon as you get home from there.

We stayed at Baker's Acres twice this summer. We went back because we liked the location, the…read moresites, the people, and the staff. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. They have fun activities scheduled. I would go again.

10 years ago this place was probably worth 5 stars, but not anymore. More money needs to be spent…read moreon cleaning and up keep. Entrance shows its age with a faded sign and pot holes galore. Bath houses are dirty, and some had broken mirrors. Pool was surprisingly nice, though. We stayed on a weekend and the place was quiet, no activities or anything going on. We were surprised by the number of empty sites. WiFi is horrible. They give you 1 WiFi code good for 1 device and if you need another it's $1 a day. Beach badges are also $1 a day. Really? For about the same price you can stay at The Sea Pirate down the road which is 100x nicer.

If you start at the parking lot on the Caranza Memorial, just walk across the way to the Batona…read moreCampground you can pick up the part of the Batona Trail called the Apple Pie Hike. It's about 8 1/2 mile out and back to the Apple Pie Hill about 215 feet elevation this is a relatively flat hike. The tail is marked my pink squares be sure to pay attention there many ways to make a wrong turn.

Beautiful trails through the pine barrens - full of wildlife and scenic vistas. A must visit!read more

Love waking the trails at FPR . Trails are well kept no trash on the ground.Beautiful scenery all…read morearound the trails. Peace and quiet! Friendly people walking the trails

Way out in the middle of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, this is a very secluded spot. Do not plan…read moreto drive east from the site as it is about ten miles of hard packed dirt road. I didn't know that at the time, so that was an adventure in itself. Referred to as the "Lindbergh of Mexico," 22-year-old Emilio Carranza Rodriguez was inspired by Charles Lindbergh after Lindbergh's flight to Mexico City. Influential men in Mexico decided that their country should have its own glory. So they built the "Mexico-Excelsior" (an exact copy of Lindbergh's Spirit of Saint Louis), and it was announced that Captain Carranza would fly from Mexico City to New York and then back again. Carranza made it to New York City and met Lindbergh himself, who told him to not to fly into the thunderstorm. Carranza ignored the suggestion to his peril and only made it about 50 miles south before crashing in this very desolate part of Jersey. People back in Mexico were heartbroken and funded this monument for the crash site. It is inscribed in both English and Spanish, to mark the spot where their hero had died. An Aztec eagle plummeting to Earth on one side, an arrow pointing skyward on the opposite. The monument reads, "The people of Mexico hope that your high ideals will be realized." A sad end for a young hero. Note: The road between here and Egg Harbor IS NOT PAVED. And you will not find much cellular service out here. It would have been nice to know that before hand. Oops. [Review 17759 overall - 88 in New Jersey - 1280 of 2022.]

It's s cool little place in the middle of the Pine Barrons in South Jersey. A lot of history worth…read morethe visit and remembering. People still put pennies and stones on the monument in memory of the "Lindbergh of Mexico," Emilio Carranza Rodriguez