South Jersey Weekend

A fresh place for unforgettable family fun.
By Beth D’Addono

If your definition of a weekend in New Jersey is limited to a trip to the Jersey shore, you’re missing the boat. There is a treasure trove of family attractions, historic sites, great restaurants and scenic beauty located along the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, heading north towards Trenton. This section of the Garden State, still relatively undiscovered by tourists, is home to quaint small towns, rolling farmland and picturesque back roads. No longer just a cut-through on the way to the beach, South Jersey is worth investigating as a destination in its own right.

Start your visit at the Camden Waterfront, which boasts the best view you’ll ever see of the Philadelphia skyline. Start with the waterfront’s pioneering attraction, the New Jersey State Aquarium, with hippo swamp and walk through shark tank. While across the Delaware, development plans for Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing are perpetually stalled, Camden’s one square mile of real estate adjacent to the river includes The Tweeter Center concert venue, Camden Children’s Garden, Campbell’s Field minor league baseball, Wiggins Park & Marina, South Jersey Performing Arts Center and the USS Battleship New Jersey museum, all of which offer real entertainment value, much of it geared to families and kids.

If time is limited, the Battleship New Jersey is the must-see. Nearly three football fields long and more than 11 stories high, the most decorated battleship in U.S. naval history participated in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and the 1983-1984 Beirut, Lebanon crisis. You can see the missile launchers up close on your tour – the guns can launch a 1,900-pound shell 23 miles – and climb up and down the ship’s narrow stairs for a look into the navigation room. Future plans include an IMAX theater and at least two much needed restaurants. The retooled Victor Building, housing luxury loft apartments and a casual restaurant in the former RCA Victor headquarters, is the latest sign that Camden’s stars are finally in alignment.

Start your tour of the quaint, tree-lined historic district of Burlington at a restored carriage house originally built in 1876 and now the starting point for guided tours by costumed docents. Visit the birthplace of James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans, and the early home of Captain James Lawrence, hero of the war of 1812 whose dying words were “Don’t Give Up the Ship.”

There are some 40 historic sites in all, more than enough for this downtown to be declared a federally protected historic district. Visit the oldest pharmacy in New Jersey, once a center of anti-slavery activity, the circa 1758 library, whose first patron was William Franklin, son of Ben, and the Surveyor General’s Office, home to an original copy of The Concession and Agreements, a frame of the government of West Jersey signed by William Penn that incorporated principles of civil and religious liberty and freedom of speech, and was an inspiration for the U.S. Constitution.

Although Burlington’s retail center along High Street is still a work in progress, a handful of antique shops, craft and art galleries, restaurants and cafes are slowly livening up this picturesque slice of Americana. Stop for an ice cream at Ummms, an old fashioned ice cream parlor with homemade flavors like caramel banana hazelnut and chocolate fudge. Take a short walk to the river promenade, enjoy the view, pull up a bench, and relax. You’ll find yourself thinking about the benefits of small town living as you get comfortable.

Continue your South Jersey experience with a visit to Haddonfield, another small town that’s worth a walkabout.  Settled by Europeans more than 300 years ago, Haddonfield is located a stone’s throw across the river from Philadelphia, and was a major tavern stop in the route between Philadelphia and New York.  This affluent, sophisticated burg houses charming Victorian homes, upscale shopping and historic attractions.

History buffs will want to stop by the Indian King Tavern, New Jersey’s oldest and now a NJ State landmark. Visit rooms once inhabited by the forefathers of our nation and the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stop by Greenfield Hall, home of the Haddonfield Historical Society where a costumed docent will take you on journey back to Colonial America.  There’s just a plaque to mark the spot, but it was here, in 1858, that paleontologist Joseph Leidy discovered the fossil of Hadrosaurus, a duck-billed, plant-eating dinosaur that lived roughly 84 to 71 million years ago.  In case anyone asks, Hadrosaurus remains are New Jersey’s state fossil.

Stroll Kings Highway, dotted by lots of al fresco cafes, dozens of tony shops, bakeries, florists and the like. A multitude of consignment shops, most offering barely worn designer duds and decent prices. Home furnishings, yoga studio and day spas, jewelry, antiques, toys – it’s all here and ideal for browsing.

It would take more than a weekend to check out the many attractions along the Delaware River in New Jersey. The next time you’re thinking about going to Philly for a long weekend, keep going until you cross the Delaware, and take in a few South Jersey attractions. You’ll be surprised at how much the region has to offer.

For more information about South Jersey Tourism Corporation, call (856) 757-9400 or click onto www.visitsouthjersey.com or www.forevergreennj.com.

Beth D’Addono is Bucks and Montgomery Living Magazine’s Travel Editor.