I love these little places that create a personality to a community and find themselves forever…read moreliving within your memories. This tunnel is a pretty tight drive as you pass through in your vehicle. As I said, this tunnel will stay within your memories as part of South Amboy, New Jersey. I lived in South Amboy, New Jersey and grew up in Central New Jersey, which many claim that central New Jersey does not exist. I disagree. Central New Jersey certainly is a place. It is not the more rural south Jersey nor claim Philadelphia as their city, nor is it directly in the shadow of Manhattan (though here is within the shadow of Staten Island, New York). This "hole-in-the-wall" is part of the landscape of my memories and I am better for having driven through it (definitely a better driver). Again, these little quirks will forever stay within you no matter if your life journey took you far from South Amboy, New Jersey. It is perhaps more poignant will you remember something as seemingly inconsequential as a narrow bridge as a part of a community that you fondly cherish. I remember this "hole-in-the-wall" and smile at its memory.

We checked in today at Hole In The Wall through Chrissy at the front desk. She was definitely the…read morenicest , most welcoming customer service agent we've ever come into contact with. They found the best person to do that job!

I had no idea how special this experience was until I finally took the tour, and wow it completely…read morechanged the way I see the city. Id noticed the murals before just passing by, but seeing them as part of a curated journey gives everything so much more meaning. The guide helped point out details I never would've caught on my own, and it added a whole new layer of appreciation. The artwork is powerful, full of emotion, and spread across the city in a way that makes the whole place feel like an open-air gallery. It celebrates the personality of the neighborhoods and captures stories that stay with you long after you're done. What really stood out to me was how much heart is behind each piece. You can feel the intention, the humor, the honesty, and the love woven into every message along the route. It turns a familiar ride into something unexpectedly uplifting. I left feeling inspired and genuinely connected to the city in a new way. Highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see a different, more meaningful side of Philly.

I love this. They had an initiative in the early 2000s to have graffiti art just work on art…read moreprojects as part of their community service. I believe this project is part of that circle was to have about 2OOO murals up by the mid-late OOs. By the time that happened they were way more than enough it's always nice to see free art as welll.

I did zero reading about this before hand but was with someone who wanted to see it. It seems like…read moreWeird NJ has this covered well: https://weirdnj.com/stories/devils-tree/ So, what was it like in person? First the boring details: No parking in this "park" that I could see. This, however, doesn't make a trip to the tree hard. There is a somewhat quiet street right across from it and parking there, crossing the road, you are left with a one minute walk to the tree. In other words, it you cannot find it you shouldn't be driving. Anyway... on the tree itself it certainly stands out. I cannot say I witnessed anything different happening from a supernatural perspective but something is going on there. It is either a species way outside of what is native to the area or... perhaps... something more sinister?

After reading about the devil's tree in weird new jersey my friends and i thought it would be fun…read moreto check it out. we drove an hour and a half to mountain road and drove around the neighborhood near the tree a few times since we were scared to get out of the car. The whole time we were making fun of the tree and saying it was stupid and none of the stories could possibly be real. Two of my friends got out and touched the tree, they said nothing happened, so we left to go home. Many stories mention car trouble as the aftermath of visiting the tree. Just as we were heading home we noticed the car bumping and wobbling. we got out to check the tires, and one was completely flat.

Love this farm! Great service and very nice people. They put so much work and love into this farm…read more Wish I could have their peaches in a 24/7 reach, The Apple butter is amazing and was so populare at a family party I held!

My friends and I had such a great time picking apples from this farm. They have a variety of…read morecortland, golden delicious, yellow delicious, and red delicious apples. The trees are abundant and beautiful. I would love to come back next fall.

Another way out of Jersey for free. The New Hope/Lamberville bridge is a narrow one but offers…read morebeautiful views of the river and connects the two small shopping towns on either side.

In New Hope and Lambertville for the first time, I knew I had to cross New Hope-Lambertville…read moreBridge! It connects - duh, you guessed it - New Hope, Pennsylvania, with Lambertville, New Jersey. There are two lanes for cars on the bridge, but one side has a pedestrian bridge area as well. The views are great, and it's just an experience to cross it with so many people who are all stopping to take pictures and selfies and asking strangers to take pictures of them with their families. Crossing at sunset is a special treat! The bridge allows you to see both towns, and it's just a few minutes to cross. It's a must do on a first visit New Hope and Lambertville.

Probably one of the oddest and most unique places I have visited. The lore around Centralia is…read morestuff of legends. Many a show and documentary about abandoned places will mention this town. Even so far as a video game and movie using the premise. The history part of this. Centralia started out as Native American land sold to settlers around 1749. Reading Road was being developed and came through this area causing the land to be surveyed and ultimately developed. A few land swaps later and with the discovery of anthracite coal nearby a village started to pop up. Mining started in 1856 and continued for decades, up until the 1960s. While mining declined, and the population of the town, Centralia continued on. There are differing accounts on when and how the mine caught fire, but most people agree it was during the town dump clean up prior to the Memorial Day celebrations in 1962. Long story short, the fire department set the dump on fire to clean it up and this caught a coal seam as well. Over the years the signs that there was a problem went unnoticed until about 1979. At a gas station where they found the tank holding the gasoline was extremely hot. In 1981 a 12-year-old boy fell into a sinkhole because of the fire. In 1983 the U.S. Congress offered a buyout and nearly all the residence moved out, 500 structures were demolished. By 1990 only 63 people remained. In 1992, eminent domain came into play, condemning the remaining buildings. Legal suits followed, failed, by 2010 only five homes remained. Side note: nearby Byrnesville was also abandoned due to the underground mine fire. The fire continues to this day. Those five people remained after another lawsuit. Claiming the fire had moved on from underneath the town and the air quality had improved to levels o other nearby towns. My visit here was kind of quick. In order to get here I put in the only church left, otherwise I would have bypassed this area completely. But I am persistent and I knew I would find the area. It is interesting, and what an understatement that is. Knowing what happened here, that this used to be a vibrant small town like so many others in the area. Full of shops, houses, government buildings, and schools. But when you drive through here on the broken grid that once ferried numerous vehicles it feels different, you just get this feeling of unease. Not because there is only five houses, one church, a municipal building, and a handful of cemeteries. But because all movies about abandoned places tell you to get gone. But not me, I decided why not just keep going on the grid. That is until I came upon a dead end street (no pun intended there). This dead end literally lead into the woods. See the pictures attached to this, the one where it says "Stay out of the woods, there is more there than you think." That made the hair on the back of neck stand up. While I tried to turn around on the road I felt like I was being watched. Maybe it was subconscious but I made my way back towards the main roads. With that, let's segway into the next topic. Be aware of your surroundings. Not just for your own safety, but because there are still people living here. Also, there might be other vehicles on the broken street grid. Besides the broken street grid there are several reminders that a full town existed here. The cemeteries obviously, but the remnants of sidewalks, fences and retaining walls. You can obviously see where the school once stood as it is kind of obvious with that retaining wall taking up a whole block. On the outskirts you can see where the highway ended. Like I said, if you did not know that a town once existed here, you would fly by the area in your vehicle as if nothing mattered. You might even think to yourself that this would be a nice place for a town.

Abandoned town and tourist attraction are not words that usually go together but that's what has…read morebeen going on for the past few decades in the town formally known as Centralia. For the people that don't know the history I'm not going to go over it because I assume if you're looking at a listing for this place you probably have some idea of the backstory and if not, there are more than enough websites, blogs and videos out there that explain what has gone on here over the past 60 years. If you go, understand that this is not a destination stop because there is not a lot to see. Maybe a brief stop on the way to/from somewhere else like Knoebels, Yuengling or the Pioneer Coal Mine for example. What are you going to see? It's basically the three cemeteries and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church (Mass is Sunday at 11am - if you attempt to worship there you will be welcomed but they also very much know who is an outsider and who is a regular) and not much else. The few houses that remain are occupied by the last of the remaining residents. IME, no, they don't want to be bothered and no they don't want to talk with the tourists. Lots of dumped garbage and overgrown weeds/foliage. On weekends there will always be other people driving/walking/dirt biking/ATVing/off-roading the same as you looking for ?? whatever people come to Centralia for. The main prior "attraction" of the Graffiti Highway has been mostly covered over with dirt mounds for a few years yet when we were walking around during our visit we ran into two other groups near Odd Fellows Cemetery that had no idea and were looking to ATV on it. Good luck with that. I've seen other sites and reviews referencing that at this point in time there is no more smoke to be seen and that's not true in the least. Before coming here we stopped at the Pioneer Coal Mine in Ashland and our guide said that's an urban legend that is told to dissuade visitors. He told us that if you come during winter or on cold days you will definitely see smoke somewhere if you spend a few minutes driving around. Sure enough as we were driving down Big Mine Run Road we saw a few plumes of smoke coming up from the hillside not terribly far from the back of Odd Fellows. There is no goon squad up there telling people they can't wander around but at the same time I think the legend obviously is greater than the reality. It's worth a visit to say that you've been and that you've seen it but I think it's best to just leave well enough alone and have your expectations in check or else you might be disappointed that whatever you think is here, isn't really here.

Visited this neat geyser on the side of the road on my way to Hershey park. Not much in the area as…read moreit's located in the side of the road/across from someone's house. There is a space to pull over on the side of the road. Didn't smell too much like sulphur until up close

Let's clear one myth out of the way. This is not an actual geyser. I mean sure it's called that,…read morebut in reality it's not. I think overall though, the name works better than calling it a man made air ventilation hole that excess ground water now escapes from under high pressure from a long vacant mine. Why Big Mine Run? Was the mine big? Did it have the runs? I don't know but it could also simply be the name of the street it's located on so over time the name just stuck. Either way this geyser serves a purpose as without it the underground water would have nowhere to escape to except into local homeowners basements. If you're coming, know that now, in summer, is not the best time. Ideally you're looking for early to mid-spring when there has been a good combination of snow melt and some recent rain. During our visit in April the water was a solid 6-7 feet in the air. After a long dry spell you may not get much past some gurgling. Speaking of air, note that it does indeed stink by the geyser. That luscious sexy rotten egg scent is Sulphur from all of the mineral runoff. It's not bad then every so often the water will surge a bit and like Old Aunt Dinah Flo after $40 of Taco Bell, Wham!, it stinks. One last obvious one is that at the end of the day this is not a tourist attraction. This is not a place to leave garbage just like there is no parking here for a reason and that reason is I'm pretty sure the geyser is on private property. If you take a look on Google or Trip Advisor that of course doesn't mean anything to a lot of dipshits out there. Be decent. Pull over, stay in the car and take your pictures/video and leave it at that. Obviously this is not a destination stop by itself. This is at best a 5-10 minute junket which can easily be coupled with a visit to Centralia, Knoebels, Yuengling or the Pioneer Coal Mine. But if you love a good roadside oddity/curiosity and are in the area, this one is a must see and is worth the brief detour.

This is one of the coolest holiday light displays ever!! The family really goes all out!…read more The home is DRIPPING in lights, Clark is out front, as is the 1989 Ford Taurus family station wagon complete with the oversized Christmas tree they plucked right from the ground, roots and all! There's even the 1984 Chicago cop car with flashing lights! Of course, this scene wouldn't be complete without crazy Cousin Eddy and his RV!!! This is THEE coolest! He looks JUST like him and waves too! It's kind of unreal! The characters are actually made of latex and have been commissioned from an artist in California The family who owns the house, The Harbaughs', seem like the absolute sweetest! Their goal each of the past three years they've decorated is to fill the RV with Toys For Tots! The toys will specifically be given to the children at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, so if you visit, definitely bring one or a few! They don't need to be wrapped! There is also a donation box! Please give! The first year they collected donations they accumulated more than 4,000 toys! Last year that total topped out at 9,000 toys!! Cops are patrolling the street and directing traffic so it wasn't crazy at all! You can surely drive-by in your vehicle or if you feel safe, there's a cul-de-sac right behind the house with a clearly marked path! Usually, you can get up close and take photos IN the set but this year because of Covid there is a barrier. This infamous house, which gets lit on Thanksgiving and stays that way until New Years Day has gained much buzz! Even Clark, played by Chevy Chase, and Ellen, played by Beverly D'Angelo, sent the family a video shout out! Way cool! By the way, you're totally going to want to go home and rewatch this classic again! .

Willowwood Arboretum is a 130 acre track of land which displays 2100 kinds of native exotic plants…read moremany of which are rare. It is presently administered by the Willowwood Foundation and the Morris County Park Commission. Open daily from 8 am-dusk, you can visit the arboretum free of charge on a self-guided tour. Featured in the arboretum is Pan's Garden and the Rosarie located behind the Tubb's house. An additional garden is the Cottage Garden located near the Shingle Bar. Other structures include the Red Barn. Hoop House, Stone Cottage and Myer's Center Stone Barn. Bamboo Brook is a three minute ride from Willowwood or you can walk the path which joins the property. It is also free to visit. I personally like to run the meadow and wooded paths areas of the property. Unfortunately, Oatie (golden doodle) is not allowed to set foot in either location. Oatie was very disappointed. A map of Willowwood can be found on their website with a description of the various areas and plant identification data. Visitor's can dial 973-349-3020 for a station to station self-guided tour. The clips are short but informative.

This special and beautiful property, open to the pubic, is a must-visit location every Spring about…read morethe first or second week of May. It is a glorious immersion into nature's amazing world of lilacs, tulips, daffodils, wisteria, ferns, trees, fauna and other greenery. And it's FREE! There is a babbling brook and a special garden behind the main house. There is a parking lot and restrooms available. Don't miss this special place!

Coryell's Ferry (now New Hope) is over 200 years old as a crossing over the Delaware River to…read moreLambertville, NJ. An iron truss bridge replaced the flat bottomed boat a century ago, but the site that once was a small village relying on this transport for its survival has become a major tourist attraction for those loving arts and crafts, good restaurants and a weekend away from the bustle of New York and Philadelphia. Those in the know have learned that summer and fall find the borough crammed with visitors and impossible parking. The best time to go is when no one but locals are in town. Winter may be dreary, but the shops, bars, inns and restaurants are dying for customers and no reservations are required. As a local (15 minute drive from home) I love the nearly empty streets and the attention provided by the shopkeepers. Sure there is often snow, ice and wind to contend with, but all that just adds to the charm. Warm weather is a different story altogether, and we avoid New Hope at all costs. Havana, Karla's, The Logan Inn, are three of my favorite hangs for entertainment and decent grub, but there are dozens of other kitchens worth a taste. When I go, I can just walk around and walk into any that strike my fancy; step inside and grab a table without reservations. I will be heading to a new Indian house next week (New Hope Spice Lover) to check out their curries, chaats, Gobi Manchurian and naan. February is a perfect time to visit New Hope. You may be the only out of town visitor around. Maybe that's why Bradley Cooper bought a home nearby.

Cute little town along the river…read more Parking can be tough but definitely are available around- even if you have to pay. This is a good place to park- walk around- have some food and drinks- see some stores- like have crystals, wine, few witch craft, erotic clothing and toys, ice cream, clothing, Indian , chocolates etc. You can also stroll over the bridge and check out Lambertville which also has some nice places to eat/ drink and some stores to check out. Walking over the bridge was nice -saw a dog on a jet ski which was awes