5 NJ Road Trips: Lucy The Elephant, Lakota Wolves, Red Mill And More

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey has one of the country’s highest population densities, but there’s plenty to do outside the state’s urban core. New Jersey also has rugged hills, enormous stretches of pine forest and lush horse country.

When the need to get out of the city calls, here are five New Jersey road trips to consider:

‘I Love Lucy (The Elephant)’

Lucy the Elephant isn’t a pachyderm from Asia, but the six-story-tall functioning building in Margate City was built in 1881 to look like one. Located on the beach in Josephine Harron Park, Lucy is listed on the National Park Registry of Historical Landmarks.

The structure was designed by Philadelphia real estate developer James Vincent de Paul Lafferty Jr., who thought the patented architectural design would draw attention to lots he wanted to sell/ He called the completed structure “Elephant Bazaar.”

The building was sold to the Gertzen family in 1887 and renamed Lucy in 1902. Over the years, Lucy served as a restaurant, business office, summer rental cottage and, briefly, as a tavern until it was closed down during the Prohibition Era.

The building would have been demolished if not for the efforts of a group of local citizens who formed the Save Lucy Committee in 1969 and managed to meet the 30-day deadline to raise enough money to move the structure to its current location.

Lucy is again a popular tourist attraction that offers guided tours. Lucy’s birthday is celebrated every year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the structure’s move to the park on June 20, 1970. This year, that happens on the anniversary date.

While you’re in town, check out the Margate City Beach. The boardwalk doesn’t extend that far, leaving it relatively free of congestion.

Margate is located about 5 miles south of Atlantic City via Ventnor Avenue and Atlantic Avenue.

Walk On The Wild Side

The nonprofit Lakota Wolf Preserve, located in the mountains of the Delaware Water Gap near Columbia, allows visitors of all ages to see wolves, bobcats, foxes and lynx in their natural habitat while also learning about the importance of the preservation of endangered species and other wildlife.

Daily educational tours and photography sessions are available at the privately run preserve, the largest for the four species in the Northeast. Its goal is to give animals born in captivity and unable to return to the wild the best home imaginable.

Tour guides tell stories of the wolves’ lives, both as members of the four packs that live on the property or as individuals who form lasting monogamous mating relationships and grieve the loss of a mate or pack member.

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is worth a visit with or without wolves. Located in the most densely populated region of the United States, it offers a unique opportunity to experience tranquil landscapes, rich human history and striking scenery. The park offers year-round recreation, including hiking, paddling, fishing and hunting.

Columbia is located about 60 miles northwest of Newark via I-80W.

Fall For New Jersey

New Jersey has a couple dozen waterfalls worth a sightseeing trip. One of the most impressive is located in Paterson, where the Passaic River drops through a notch carved by glaciers that receded 13,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. The second-largest waterfall by volume east of the Mississippi River, Paterson Falls is exceeded only in volume and power by Niagara Falls in this part of the country.

There are plenty of other things to do at Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park. Several nearby museums tell the story of Paterson, the first planned industrial city in the nation. The Paterson Museum is a 2-3 minute walk from the falls. Just 10 minutes away in Haledon is the American Labor Museum (Botto House).

Lambert Castle is a 10-minute drive from the falls. Belle Vista, as the Medieval Revival masterpiece was known when it was built in the early 1890s, was the estate of industrialist Catholina Lambert, who amassed a fortune in the silk industry, and his wife, Isabella. When President William McKinley visited the completed castle and gallery in 1898, he described it as the “Louvre of America.”

Garret Mountain's hiking trails are open for hiking for those who are interested in more physical activity.

Paterson is located about 15 miles north of Newark via NJ-21N.

And if you’re still in the mood for waterfalls, Boonton, another town shaped by a majestic waterfall, is about 18 miles away via I–80W. Boonton Falls is located in Grace Lord Park, a family-friendly park with a playground, gazebo, walking trails and historic ruins. If you go, be sure to check out Boonton’s historic Main Street

Experience Small-Town Jersey

Visitors are often surprised to discover the pockets of Americana in New Jersey’s small towns, places where they “can stroll down Main Street, wander through one-of-a-kind stores, and dine at family-owned restaurants,” according to a state tourism website.

Picturesque Clinton is a great place to start exploring. It is home to one of New Jersey’s most photographed structures, the Red Mill, part of the Red Mill Museum Village, which has a dozen more historic buildings. The village also has a replica of a log cabin, an old schoolhouse and the Mulligan quarry buildings on its grounds, and is also home to the Hunterdon Historical Museum, which has more than 40,000 artifacts.

The Hunterdon Art Museum, a center for contemporary arts, crafts and design, is a great place to explore. And don’t miss Clinton’s Main Street, which is lined with cafés, specialty shops and art galleries.

Clinton is set on the banks of the Raritan River, home to the town’s annual Rubber Ducky Race — this year, it’s on July 14.

Clinton is located about 45 miles west of Newark via I-78W.

Drive The Jersey Shore

This quintessential New Jersey road trip is about 125 miles via the Garden State Parkway but is best spread over two or three days, so there will be plenty of time to explore charming beach towns, see lighthouses and stroll along the state’s famous boardwalks.

Start in Sandy Hook at the Gateway National Recreation Area and end at Cape May, known for its charming inns and high-end dining scene.

A sample three-day Jersey Shore itinerary on the state tourism website takes road trippers through Long Branch, home of Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park; the historic downtown of Asbury Park; Pleasant Point Beach and Jenkinson’s Aquarium; Forked River; Bay Front Park; Atlantic City, famous for its casinos and boardwalk along with offbeat attractions like Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum; and Ocean City before ending at Cape May.

More New Jersey Road Trips

• Immerse Yourself In The Arts
• Take A Haunted Road Trip
• Get Away From It All In Sussex County
• Plan Now To Take In A County Fair

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