New Jersey 2007 Travel Guide

The New Jersey Department of Travel & Tourism just released the state’s annual travel guide in an effort to entice tourists to visit the garden state. I will, of course, be ordering one as I recently moved to Newark. And it’s just good policy to get tourism information for places you visit often. You never know when you’ll end up with some spare time and you should get out and see the state rather than see more of the hotel bar. The guide is supposed to “help visitors discover the hidden gems across the Garden State.” You can travel to different parts of the state so quickly, you really should get the guide to find out what side trips you can make on your New Jersey business travel.

For example, did you know you can do/see the following in Jersey?

1. Hammonton, in the southern part of the state, is known as the blueberry capital of the world.
2. Adventure Aquarium in Camden is the only aquarium in the country with hippos.
3. New Jersey has a growing wine industry with 21 wineries producing over 40 different varieties of wines from dry and semi-dry to sparkling and fruit and dessert wines.
4. The first National Historic Park in America was established in 1933 in Morristown. (I did know that one)
5. Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove is the longest running regular Saturday night rodeo in the entire United States. (Rodeo in Jersey ?!)
6. Atlantic City holds the distinction of having America’s first, and the world’s longest boardwalk, built in 1870. Atlantic City is also where the street names came from for the game Monopoly(R).
7. New Jersey is known as the “Crossroads of the American Revolution.” More than 100 battles were fought on New Jersey soil, many of which are reenacted annually.
8. New Jersey is home to the country’s first National Reserve, the Pinelands. Established by Congress in 1978, it includes portions of seven counties, and encompasses over one-million acres of farms, forests and wetlands.
9. There are over 4,000 scuba diving wreck sites off the New Jersey coastline. (Wow, sounds like you don’t want to drive your boat around here)
10. Picturesque Cape May holds the distinction of being the oldest seashore resort in the United States. Opening in the early 1800s, Cape May was frequented by Presidents Abe Lincoln, James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison.

For a free copy, visit the state’s tourism Web site at www.visitnj.org or call the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism at (800) VISIT-NJ. Ordering is SUPER easy, and you can get additional publications such as the Eco-Tourism Guide, Lighthouse Guide and Calendar of Events.