Seaside towns are popular tourist attractions in every country with a coastline, and the United States is no different. As people began to settle in the “New World” centuries ago, the famous Atlantic City quickly became the destination of choice for those wanting to enjoy some time at the beach.
Unfortunately for beach lovers though, New Jersey sits at a much higher latitude than California on the West Coast, or Florida further down South. On the other hand, as time has passed and the state has been keen to remain a popular tourist area in the era of cheap air travel, New Jersey has arguably found itself with a broader range of activities than many other tourist states.
Let’s take a look at a handful of New Jersey’s most popular tourist attractions – you might be surprised by just how much there is on offer in the Garden State.
- The Boardwalk
We’ll kick things off with the most obvious – you probably already know that Atlantic City is the East Coast equivalent of Las Vegas, with a string of huge casino hotels located along the cities iconic Boardwalk. This of course means that if you like to gamble, there is no better place to be in the Northeastern United States, but there is much more to the boardwalk too.
The Boardwalk is technically a street name (and the most expensive square on the American Monopoly board, replacing London’s Mayfair) but the vast majority is dedicated to the four-mile-long promenade which was first constructed in 1870. Most of the best sightseeing opportunities are located somewhere along the Boardwalk, there is an amusement park named the Steel Pier, the famous “Entrance to the Stars” landmark and several other interesting and exciting historic and cultural attractions.
- Princeton Stadium
The Powers Field at Princeton Stadium is primarily used for American Football and is the home of the Princeton Tigers NCAA team. This 27,773-seater stadium was built in 1998 to replace the aging Palmer Stadium and has been maintained to an excellent standard ever since despite not hosting a full NFL team.
Watching a match at Princeton is a great way to experience American Football and is regularly filled to capacity. Those who are visiting Atlantic City to gamble may also enjoy being able to place legal sports bets both online and even at the stadium, with a NJ Sports Betting provider such as Unibet. American’s love to bet on sports, and it remains the only gambling related activity to be fully regulated in (almost) every state.
- The Liberty State Park
There’s a famous story regarding New York’s Statue of Liberty, which sits on what was once a disputed island in Upper New York Bay. When the United States was still in its infancy, a row waged between New York and New Jersey over who should own the land inside the bay, which was exacerbated when New York began dredging to create extra land around their Statue of Liberty.
This backfired on New York when the US Supreme Court awarded all of the newly created land to New Jersey, who successfully argued that the turf used to create it had been pulled from New Jersey’s area of the bay.
Today, the two states have long ago put their differences behind them, and the two islands – Liberty Island and Ellis Island –boast 1,212 waterside acres with stunning views of the Statue itself, as well as a designated nature reserve, a host of other memorials and monuments, and recreational facilities for fishing, picnicking, kayaking, and cycling.
- Battleship New Jersey
The enormous USS New Jersey is the US Navys most decorated vessel, but was retired some years ago and now serves as an amazing floating museum, moored in a convenient location for tourists on the Delaware River. Visiting the Iowa-class battleship is a must for visitors for the state, who can enjoy a guided tour of one of the largest military vessels ever built.
The USS New Jersey was first built to help fight against German UBoats in World War 2, but also saw action in other conflict zones including Desert Storm. You can even visit the bridge of the ship, where Admiral Halsey once commanded the entire Pacific Fleet. It’s hard not be awestruck by the six high caliber machine guns mounted on deck!
In Conclusion
We’ve barely touched on everything New Jersey has to offer here. Art fans might want to check out the Grounds for Sculpture, whilst youngsters might prefer a day out at The Adventure Aquarium, or the Cape May County Park & Zoo. With New York being just a short drive across the river, you’ll never be short of things to do in this area of the United States.
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