Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
By Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media
Spring, that most glorious of seasons, is here, even if it has already featured both snow and record high temps.
Spring is the perfect time for exploration and discovery, for road trips and weekend getaways, for visiting all those places you've been meaning to get to.
Here is our ultimate N.J. spring bucket list. We bet you've never visited, or even heard of, many of these places. We've done summer bucket lists and winter bucket lists, but this one features all-new destinations and discoveries.
Get your motor running and head out on the highway. New Jersey awaits.
Visit the state's only chocolate museum
Chocolatrium? The very word sends sugary shivers down my spine. Chocolatier Michel Cluziel offers tours and tastings at the West Berlin store, known as the Chocolatrium, a popular destination for area middle school students since 2013. Various tours and packages are available for adults; check the company website. Good luck keeping your sweet tooth in check.
Hop aboard the Cape May-Lewes Ferry
The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is more than just a pleasant, stress-free alternative to traffic armageddon on I-95. It makes for a great day or extended trip, with harbors, lighthouses, seabirds and ocean-going ships along the way. On Saturday, ferries depart Cape May at 7 a.m., with the last departure from Lewes at 7:45 p.m. The journey takes about an hour and a half, and there's plenty to do in Lewes, the "First Town in the First State.'' Adult fares are $18 round trip May-June. Bring your car along for $39 one way or $72 round trip.
Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Go on a Jersey diner pilgrimage
New Jersey is the diner capital of the world, with about 600 diners from top to bottom. What better food road trip than your own ramble through the world of omelets, club sandwiches, meatloaf and cheesecake? Hit one diner for breakfast, another for lunch, one for dinner, and a few more in between! You'll come away with renewed admiration for New Jersey's greatest contribution to culinary culture. In the photo: The Tops Diner in East Newark.
John Munson I The Star-Ledger
Find great bargains - and good food - at a flea market
Yeah, yeah, we know, bunch of people selling others peoples' junk. That may be somewhat true of today's flea markets, but there's great fun to be had wandering down those endless aisles, and there are bargains to be found on everything from socks to LPs to housewares to just plain stuff. The best-known ones are the Columbus Farmers Market, Englishtown Auction Sales and the Collingwood Auction & Flea Market; other notable ones include the New Egypt Flea Market and Berlin Farmers Market. At Columbus you'll find two of the state's better pizzerias: Kate & Al's, and Pete's.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Get lost on a country road
New Jersey is the nation's most densely populated state. It's also full of scenic wonder - farms, forests, mountains, valleys - and country roads begging to be explored. New Jersey's scenic highways include Route 519 from Colesville to Rosemont; Route 29 from Washington Crossing to Frenchtown; Route 542 from New Gretna to Hammonton; and Route 521 from Montague to Hope. They all show you a New Jersey you never knew existed.
Visit the nation's most decorated battleship
That's the Battleship New Jersey, which was launched Dec. 7, 1942 and saw action during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and in the Middle East. It's now on the Camden waterfront. On a self-guided tour, you can visit the bridge, climb inside the massive 16-inch gun turret, even lay down on a bunk. One great day for a tour: May 24, when you can watch the parade of tall ships along the Delaware River from the battleship.
Ed Murray I The Star-Ledger
Bike/run/walk the Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath
A shady, often-overlooked oasis in the midst of the megalopolis, Delaware & Raritan State Park, 70 miles long in two sections from Frenchtown to New Brunswick, is paradise for walkers, hikers, fishermen, canoeists and folks who just want to lose themselves for a while. Beside the paths, there are tender houses, wooden bridges and remnants of locks, a reminder of an age when freight moved by mule teams or steam tugboats. Scenic spots include Washington Crossing, Bull's Island and Griggstown.
Go to prison
Legally, of course, by visiting the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mount Holly. Built in 1811, the jail, with its massive front door and interior vaulted ceilings, was in use until November, 1965; up until then, it was the oldest continually used prison in the country. Today, you can wander the ghostly corridors, pop your head in a cell, even visit the dungeon.
Liberty Science Center
Star-gaze at the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere
The largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere is in New Jersey - where else did you think it would be? That would be the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium and LSC Giant Dome Theater at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. A lighting system capable of producing nearly 300 trillion colors and speakers that can blast 30,000 watts of digital sound add up to a mind-blowing celestial experience.
Fly like an eagle
Or some kind of bird, anyway, by parasailing over the beach and water. It's done all over the world, and will surely be the height (sorry) of any day trip. Operators include LBI Parasail and Ocean City Parasail.
Avi Steinhardt
Drive to the state's coolest car museum
That would be the Matchbox Road Museum in Newfield (Gloucester County), with 50,000 of the colorful little cars on display. It's the work of Everett Marshall III, a former Newfield mayor who founded the museum in 1992. It's open by appointment only; call Marshall at (856) 697-6900.
Get your thrills at one of the state's old-school amusement parks
Six Flags Great Adventure is wonderful - one of these days I'll have the guts to ride Kingda Ka, the world's tallest roller coaster - but here we're giving a shout-out to New Jersey's old-school amusement parks, which eschew high-tech bells and whistles for good old-fashioned fun. The Land of Make Believe in Hope opened in 1954, Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township a year later. Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, founded in 1929, is the best-known seaside version, with its Tilt-a-Whirl, bumper cars, carousel and other old-school rides. And don't forget Wild West City.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Meander down Main Street
New Jersey may be the nation's most densely-populated state, but it's also packed with scenic small towns with postcard-perfect main streets (even if they're all not known as "Main Street.'') No part of the state has the franchise on cute, either: Stillwater, Lambertville, Atlantic Highlands, Allentown, Ocean Grove, Frenchtown, Bordentown City and Mauricetown rank among the state's great small towns. Park the car, and take a leisurely stroll down those tranquil, tree-lined streets. (And go now, not summer, when the crowds intensify.)
Christopher Barth I For The Star-Ledger
Climb a mountain
OK, New Jersey is not exactly Colorado when it comes to mountains, but that doesn't mean you can't scramble to the top of some Jersey peak and enjoy heart-stopping views. High Point State Park, of course, is the state's highest elevation, but it's hardly a challenge; you can drive up there. For much more exercise, try Mount Tammany in the Delaware Water Gap (see photo).
Ed Murray I The Star-Ledger
Get bowled over at a bocce tournament
Old man's game? Not anymore. Bocce attracts millenials to grandmas and everyone in between. The Wildwood Bocce Club maintains a court on that boardwalk, but the biggest event on this spring's bocce calendar is the Mayor's Cup Bocce Tournament in Avalon on May 20.
Visit our veterans memorials
You shouldn't have to wait until Veterans Day to honor our veterans; their service should be acknowledged every day of the year. The Vietnam War Veterans Memorial in Holmdel honors the 1,563 New Jerseyans who made the supreme sacrifice in that war. Engraved on the granite wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the Atlantic City boardwalk (next to Bally's) are the names of 890 sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines killed or missing in action. There is also a World War I Memorial in Atlantic City and a World War II Memorial in Trenton.
John Munson I The Star-Ledger
Visit the state's greatest natural wonder
That would be the Great Falls in Paterson. It appeared on my 18 Places to Visit in N.J. in 2018 list, but I'm going to keep writing about the Great Falls until every last New Jerseyan visits it. That may take a while; I'm continually astonished how many people have never been there. Go. Now. Or I'm going to pester you until the end of time.
Stay at one of Wildwood's kitschy motels
Many gloriously retro hotels and motels, especially in Wildwood Crest, have fallen victim to the wrecking ball in the past decade, but several remain as cool, kitschy alternatives to sterile, run-of-the-mill hotels. There's the Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest, the Suitcase Motel in North Wildwood, the StarLux in Wildwood and the Lollipop Motel in North Wildwood, among others. Break out your finest Hawaiian shirts, fire up a tiki torch, you'll feel right at home.
Patti Sapone I The Star-Ledger
Visit this incredible rock garden
New Jersey is awash in beautiful gardens; personal favorites include the Gardens at Wyckoff in Wyckoff and the rose garden at Colonial Park in Somerset. The Leonard J. Buck Garden in Far Hills is one of the East Coast's premier rock gardens, a 33-acre retreat filled with rare and exotic plants. Peak bloom: right now.
Ed Murray I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Attend the 'Kentucky Derby of cycling'
The Tour of Somerville, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is not merely three days of great cycling (the culminating race, the 50-mile Kugler-Anderson Tour of Somerville on Memorial Day, is known as the Kentucky Derby of cycling). It's pretty much a town-wide block party, with residents cheering on participants from their front lawns, others enjoying the outdoor cafes and live music. It's one of the great spectacles on the Jersey events calendar.
Donald B. Kravitz
Unlock the ocean!
Unlocking the ocean is a little-known Jersey seaside ritual; the first may have been Atlantic City's, which started its ceremony sometime around World War I. The most common version: officials wade into the ocean with a giant wooden key over Memorial Day weekend, signaling the unofficial start of summer. Ocean City's ceremony is undoubtedly the kookiest: Participants march into the water with business suits and briefcases to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance (photo). The event will be held May 25 at the Moorlyn Terrace beach.
Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
What's on your spring bucket list?
There are scores of great things to do every New Jersey spring; we've undoubtedly left out many worthy activities, attractions, etc. What's on your N.J. spring bucket list? Let us know in the comments section.
Joe Proudman I The Star-Ledger
More stories about N.J. travel/sightseeing
New Jersey's 10 Most Scenic Roads
New Jersey's 25 Best Small Towns
The 10 Most Scenic Views in New Jersey
Ad Choices