LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Southern New Jersey is home to a full range of world class attractions. From Atlantic City to Long Beach Island to the Jersey Cape, there is so much to do within easy driving distance of Wading Pines Camping Resort. Whatever your interests, from historical attractions and museums to theme parks to a full spectrum of sporting events, it’s all right here. Every member of your family is sure to enjoy a Shore Region vacation centered at Wading Pines.
ATLANTIC CITY
Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority
Atlantic City is better than ever. Casino gaming. Spas. World-class entertainment. Nightlife. Fine Dining. Ocean. Boardwalk. Golf. Fun attractions. Fishing. Water Sports. Shopping. Any way you look at it, Atlantic City guarantees fast-paced excitement and non-stop activities.
Atlantic City Art Center
Atlantic City Art Center has been providing residents and visitors alike with an unparalleled opportunity to view the work of noted national and regional artists with the beautiful Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop for the past 40 years. Recently restored at a cost of $5 million and a 2-year effort, the historic Garden Pier houses both the Atlantic City Art Center and the Atlantic City Historical Museum. Garden Pier derived its name from the beautifully arranged flower gardens on its deck. Its previous career was glamorous, having featured international headliners while serving as a summer setting for musicals, concerts and plays.
Gardner’s Basin
Gardner’s Basin is nestled on a protected channel along the back bays, directly across from the state marina and Coast Guard station. This maritime park replaces the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk with a different type of activity. Sightseeing and fishing cruises come and go from the docks, the restaurants serve up seafood and ale house brews, the Atlantic City Aquarium offers an interactive aquarium and special events attract thousands.
Lucy the Elephant
Lucy the Elephant is a national historic site as well as a unique example of the eccentric architecture of the late Victorian age. Lucy the Elephant is arguably the most beloved tourist attraction in the Atlantic City area. Located in the neighboring town of Margate, the 119-year-old elephant-shaped building has come to the brink of demoliton several times, only to be saved by outpourings of public protest and grass-roots fund-raising fervor.
FAMILY OUTINGS
Adventure Aquarium
Adventure Aquarium in Camden is home to two dozen sharks in 760,000-gallon open-ocean tanks, 4,000 aquatic animals, and daily seal and dive shows that make this an attraction that the whole family will enjoy.
Cape May County Park and Zoo
Cape May County Park and Zoo is located on 128 wooded acres and features 170 species of animals. There are monkeys, tigers, bobcats, zebra, black bear, leopards, prairie dogs, raccoons, fox, black buck, oryx, deer, exotic birds and reptiles all handsomely displayed in the most modern, impeccably kept and up to date facilities available. Park of the Cape May County Park System, the facility is accredited by the American Association of Zoological Parks & Aquariums.
Diggerland USA
Diggerland USA is the only construction themed adventure park in North America where children and families can drive, ride and operate ACTUAL machinery. The park covers about 21 acres and is comprised of over 25 attractions, the majority of which are real, diesel powered, full size, pieces of construction equipment. Even children as small as 36″ can operate with little to no instruction. Guests who visit Diggerland can drive full size backhoes, dig giant holes with real excavators, and operate just about every sort of construction machine you might imagine.
Fantasy Island Amusement Park
Fantasy Island Amusement Park, on Long Beach Island, was created with a Victorian air that is timeless in its appeal. Z-Brick walkways, oak benches, ornate lamp posts, and Tiffany glass chandeliers and panels all come together in a clean, safe family facility that will delight young and old. The park features rides, games, and an arcade, with free entertainment, free parking, and free admission.
Popcorn Park Zoo
Popcorn Park Zoo, in Forked River, is run by the Associated Humane Societies. Popcorn Park Zoo houses over 200 rescued animals and includes a pet adoption center. Rescued animals in this caring environment will teach your children more about wildlife than many much larger commercial facilities.
Six Flags Theme Parks
Six Flags has three great theme parks in one at its Jackson, New Jersey location: Great Adventure, Wild Safari, and Hurricane Harbor. Great Adventure is well-known for its adrenaline-pumping thrill rides, but the park features just about every kind of ride for every kind of rider. Wild Safari is the largest drive-thru safari outside of Africa, a 350-acre wildlife preserve that is home to 1,200 animals, including several endangered species. Hurricane Harbor is a waterpark that you will not soon forget!
Storybook Land
Storybook Land, a Southern New Jersey classic, has been keeping the spirit of childhood alive in an entertaining and educational atmosphere for over 50 years. The timelessness of childhood will ring true as your family literally walks through its all-time favorite stories and nursery rhymes at Storybook Land. Children’s classics are interspersed with exciting new family rides and attractions in a remarkably clean and enjoyable park setting.
GOLF
Beckett Golf Club
Beckett Golf Club is a Southern New Jersey original, where rolling fairways and medium sized greens await the golfer looking for a classic style golf course, in a country setting.
Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Blue Heron Pines is an award-winning, 18-hole championship golf club. Designed by Stephen Kay and opened in 1993, Blue Heron Pines was rated 4 stars in Golf Digest’s most recent “Places to Play,” and was voted “Best 18-hole Golf Course” by the readers of Casino Connection magazine.
Ocean County Golf Course at Atlantis
Ocean County Golf Course at Atlantis, located on Country Club Boulevard in Little Egg Harbor, is an exceptional par-72 championship course designed by George Fazio. It is meticulously maintained and has many challenging holes, such as the scenic but tricky par-three sixth hole, where the golfer must negotiate a pond in the middle of the fairway in order to reach the green. A full-service restaurant is on the premises and open to the public.
HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS & MUSEUMS
Batsto Village
Batsto Village, is a New Jersey historic site located in the South Central Pinelands, which is administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Parks & Forestry. This site is nationally recognized for its historical significance and beauty. The roots of Batsto Village can be traced back to 1766. Two centuries of American history are available to visitors, with the Pinelands environment as a scenic backdrop.
Noyes Museum of Art
Noyes Museum of Art opened in 1983, the vision of local entrepreneurs Fred and Ethel Noyes, who were avid art and antique collectors. Fred was also an academically trained artist and produced many works which reflect his love of southern New Jersey’s natural features. His art and personal collection of vintage bird decoys are now a part of the Museum’s vast permanent collection of 19th to 21st century fine and folk art.
Tuckerton Seaport
Tuckerton Seaport, which includes the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Bayman’s Museum, is a working maritime village located along the Tuckerton Creek. This one-of-a-kind attraction, in the heart of historic Tuckerton, brings the Jersey Shore’s maritime traditions of the past and present to life through people, exhibits and hands-on activities.
SHOPPING
Columbus Farmers Market
Columbus Farmers Market is the place where everyone shops! Antiques, collectibles, crafts, one-of-a-kind finds by the thousands. Visit for a shopping experience of browsing, bartering and buying. Visit Produce Row for all of your fresh produce and fish needs, and don’t forget Flower Row to add that little splash of floral color to your yard. There’s something for everyone, at the Columbus Farmers Market, not to mention free parking. Open Thursday through Sunday, year round.
Historic Smithville and Village Greene
Historic Smithville and Village Greene are a shopper’s delight. The village is open every day of the year except Christmas. It’s a wonderful place to shop and stroll. Enjoy the views, cafes, restaurants and shoppes. Find a one of a kind gift or just relax and have a cup of coffee.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park is probably best known for its historic 19th-century iron making town, Allaire Village, and its antique steam trains on the Pine Creek Railroad. The Manasquan River, which winds through the park, attracts canoeists and fishermen. The river’s floodplain provides habitat for over 200 species of wildflowers, trees and plants as well as habitat for birds and other wildlife. Hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders enjoy the many trails in the park.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park is the home of Barnegat Lighthouse, on the northern tip of Long Beach Island in Ocean County, regarded as one of the most crucial “change of course” points for coastal vessels. Vessels bound to and from New York along the New Jersey coastline depended on Barnegat Lighthouse to avoid the shoals extending from the shoreline. The swift currents, shifting sandbars, and the offshore shoals challenged the skills of even the most experienced sailor. In 1927, the original lens was removed, and was replaced by a lightship anchored off the coast of Barnegat light. The beloved Barnegat Lighthouse is shining again, re-illuminated on January 1, 2009 - exactly 150 years to the day that it was originally lit in 1859. The new light creates a single beam that can be visible for up to 22 nautical miles. The park is included as a maritime site on the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, within site of the Atlantic City skyline, preserves more than 47,000 acres of Southern New Jersey coastal habitats that are actively protected and managed for migratory birds. Forsythe is one of more than 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park is a preserved barrier island that protects a number of natural shoreline and nearshore habitats. The park contains close to ten miles of sandy beach, an extensive shoreline along Barnegat Bay, dense maritime forests, rolling sand dunes, and tidal marshes. Island Beach is also home to foxes, ospreys, other wildlife, and more than 400 species of plants. The majority of visitors to Island Beach State Park come to swim in the ocean or surf fish from the beach. You can also enjoy other recreational pursuits in the park and see firsthand what the barrier islands of New Jersey looked like many centuries ago.
WINERIES
Balić Winery
Balić Winery makes more than 27 award-winning wines. Descendants of early settlers of Mays Landing planted Balić Winery, a vineyard since the early 1900's. Savo Balić, a former vine-grower from the Adriatic Sea, migrated to the United States. In 1966 he fulfilled his lifelong desire to bring European accent to the American winemaking scene by acquiring the 57-acre vineyard.
Renault Winery
Renault Winery tours begin in The Fountain Room, then continue on to the celebrated Antique Glass Museum which houses a priceless champagne and wine glass collection dating back to medieval times. The Hospitality Room presents the unique history of Renault Winery and its founder, from the mid-nineteenth century, through prohibition and the jazz age to the present. In the European Courtyard, you will see a private collection of antique winemaking equipment, then onto the Pressing Room where the wines are made. You will also see the climate-controlled Wine Cellar where the cellarmaster continually monitors wine being aged in giant oak and redwood casks. The tour continues to the Wine Tasting Emporium where you will have the opportunity to sample the winery’s award winning wine and champagne selections.
Tomasello Winery
Tomasello Winery was founded by Frank Tomasello in 1933. A berry farmer in Hammonton, New Jersey growing raspberries, strawberries, peaches and sweet potatoes, Frank also had a knack for growing grapes and a passion for wine. When Frank heard the federal government was repealing Prohibition and was ready to once again issue winery licenses, he jumped into his truck and drove through a snow storm to Washington, DC to be one of the first in line for a license. The winery is now run by the third generation of the Tomasello family. The family is dedicated to the production of fine varietal wines made from grapes grown on their 70 acres. True to its roots, Tomasello also produces a fine selection of premium fruit wines.