Nice Drives - Southern NJ

• Walks
  
• History
  
• Small towns
  
• Museums
  
• 120 miles

Start: Camden, just outside Philadelphia

• Drive Route 70 east, onto Route 72 east, and enter the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, former cranberry and blueberry community.
• Continue on Route 72, the follow Country Route 563 into Wharton State Forest.
• Right on Country Route 542 west at Green Bank, into Basto.
• South on CR 623, left on CR 643, following Mullica River.
• Right on CR 563, and detour to Renault Winery off Mill Road
• Reverse direction on CR 563 and merge with NJ 50. Right onto NJ 49 west into Wheaton.
• Follow NJ 49 into Bridgeton, with over 2,200 Victorian, Colonial, and Federalist buildings.
• Continue on NJ 49 to Fort Mott State Park, with 19c fortifications

Destinations:
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly called the Lebanon State Forest) 
Batona Trail, south Jersey’s longest hiking trail.
Basto Historic Village
Renault Winery
Museum of American Glass
Wheaton Glass Factory and Crafts & Traders’ Row
Bridgeton Historic District

Source: Mid-Atlantic, Mobile Travel Guide, Rand McNally 2004

• Beaches
  
• Parks
  
• Victorian architecture

Start: Garden State Parkway south to Exit 48

• From exit 48, follow Route 9 South. Continue south past Smithville. At the traffic light in Oceanville, turn left, and continue to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
• Enjoy the 8-mile driving loop through the park.
• Drive south on Route 9, then follow the Atlantic City Expressway to Atlantic City for the boardwalk, beach, casinos, and the tallest lighthouse in NJ (3rd tallest in the US).
• Get back on Route 9 south, then turn left on MacArthur Boulevard, go over the Stainton Memorial Causeway into Ocean City for summer fun.
• Via Route 623, get back on Garden State Parkway South, get off on exit 10 and go into Stone Harbor. The Wetlands Institute for hiking and exhibits.
• Further south, North Wildwood has classic diner and motel architecture and fair ground rides.
• Finally, via Route 9, you’ll get to Cape May and its famous Victorian houses, beaches, and state park.

Destinations:
Abescon Lighthouse
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Cape May Point State Park

Source: Fodor’s Road Guide USA: New Jersey, New York, 2001

• From Camden to Long Branch
• 100 miles

Start in Camden on Country Route 537

• Drive east, following CR 537 all the way to the shore, ending up in Long Branch
• Start in an urban space, end in what might be called a New York Suburb

Destinations:
Adventure Aquarium in Camden
Museums at Fort Monmouth
Monmouth Battlefield & reenactments

Source: DiIonno, Mark, “Backroads, New Jersey, Driving at the Speed of Life,” Rutgers University Press, 2002