If you're at the shore and want to take a short break from all the sun and surf and other…read moreactivities, how about indulging in a little history. The historic life saving station in the north end of Ocean City is a pleasant journey into a bit of maritime history. You can still see some of the old life boats which were used in rescue attempts of people imperiled in and on the sea. The original kitchen and bedrooms are still here which were used by the men and women who worked at this facility and saved many a life over the years. Interesting enough - at one time this life saving station was directly on the beach and ocean but the years have shifted the sands and now it is a very long block inland from the water. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

This Ocean City station was called Beazeley's Station until 1883. Rebuilt in 1885-1886, it is the…read moreonly U.S. Life Saving Service station left in New Jersey that was rebuilt according to the Service's distinctive 1882-type design. This design is both stunning architecturally, with its gabled roof and lookout tower, and highly effective in the use of space to house both boats and surfmen. In 1905-06, the station was expanded to add a boat bay, a wrap-around porch, and other improvements. The footprint of the building was doubled, and the structure is the only surviving 1882-type station to be expanded according to the historic New Jersey Pattern. In 1915, the U.S. Coast Guard absorbed the U.S. Life Saving Service and assumed control of the Ocean City Station. It is the last of the three stations that were located on the island. The others were the Peck's Beach and Corson's Inlet Stations. The Station passed into private hands in 1945 until the city purchased it in 2010. The house changed hands several times during those sixty plus years with a very scary period in the 90's where the home left the hands of private homeowners and was bought by a developer, Pansini Custom Design, who wanted to subdivide (aka knock the original structure down) the property in order to build three duplexes. A group who called themselves Save Our Station Coalition was formed to keep the life saving station from being demolished and finally after several years of rangling over price the home was purchased in 2010 for 958K after the developer initially in 2005 wanted over $2 million. Although the group's website is very spartan and their Facebook page has not been updated in a year, everything continues to move forward with the home currently being jacked up so that work can be done on the foundation. Once that is completed, contracts are in place for everything in the interior to be furnished and completed along with the roof, porches, siding and paint to accurately reflect what the building looked like in 1905. While it may not look like much now, when completed this will be the only Life Saving Station in the country that will be 100% period accurate. Three stars for now but I'm sure five will be on the way when everything is completed next year.

They shut this Privately Owned Bridge Down. I think you can still ride your bike over it.read more

It doesn't take long to see it (even if you read every sign and plaque), but still one of the most…read morefun things to do in the Cape May area. The history of the tower and the network it was a part of is interesting and little known. Parking easy in a dirt lot across the road. Entry is paid (and it's probably not "worth it" but you're helping preserve a piece of history) but you can buy a combo entry to the lighthouse to safe a few bucks.

Bit of history from bad times in WW2. Lots of stairs, so not for those with mobility issues or poor…read morestamina!

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.

Atlantic City has a lot more to do than just gambling. Gardiner's Basin is an area across the cove…read morefrom Harrah's, the Borgata, and Golden Nugget. At the gateway to this neat fishing village hidden in a corner of the city is this cool statue. There were lots of people hanging out near it and taking pictures. Turns out it was commemorated by our president while he still owned casinos in Atlantic City. There are beautiful water views nearby. You can also see commercial fishing boats and the Coast Guard from here. Neptune is fitting because he is the mythological Greek god of the sea. The statue is tastefully done. Cheers to Klaus-Dieter who inspired me to review statues.

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. .

How this beach bum has never been to Ventnor before today is beyond me!…read more Pretty and quaint, with jaw dropping homes. No shops on their small boardwalk, but hell - saves me money . You need beach tags but we had a hook up's on loan. Clean bathrooms close by to the beach - bonus! A decent amount of restaurants. We enjoyed the quiet at the shore for a change.

Stopped by last night hoping to get some sunset photos from the Ventnor City Fishing Pier but was a…read morelittle late and decided to take a walk out on the Pier. Beautiful, specious and clean. Rest rooms were available and we're well maintained. Halfway out, there was a booth manned by a very friendly and informative lady. I thought there might be a charge to enter the furthest section but she explained they charge a fee for Fishing and allowed me in to explore and take some photos. She also explained the types of fish caught in the area and they also would see porpoise and some whales. Great night at Ventnor City Fishing Pier. Also, a block away was St. John's by The Sea - very nice, well kept church

I don't usually write reviews, but I feel like I have to. Very hard pillows, the staff assured me…read morethey would be replaced with softer pillows after the first night but this never happened. On the second day of my stay the stairwell was FILLED with ants. I understand that nature is nature, but let's keep it outside. The final straw for me was breakfast timeliness. We we promised that breakfast would be ready by 10 am, but we were still waiting for the fresh cinnamon rolls at noon. By the time we had eaten and gotten to the beach all the nice spots were taken and we had to set ourselves up by a pile of seaweed. STINKY!!! Otherwise, the property and food offerings were very nice. It was a little weird that they had Christmas movies playing in the lobby in the middle of July but it was kind of kitschy.