Must-see attractions in Jersey Shore

Just a 10-mile drive south of the lively Seaside Heights boardwalk—yes, the one made famous by that TV show—you’ll find an entirely different Jersey Shore…

Here you’ll find the nation’s oldest lighthouse; excellent birding in a holly forest; outstanding views of Manhattan’s skyline on clear days; beautiful…

The 190-acre Cape May Point State Park, just off Lighthouse Ave, has 2 miles of trails, plus the famous 1859 Cape May Lighthouse. You can climb the 199…

A nonprofit institute runs tours, recitals and silent films to maintain the Boardwalk Hall's two historic – and impressive – pipe organs: the 'sonic Mount…

In the lush wetlands of Cape May Point State Park, this 1859 lighthouse gives a fine view. The 157ft structure underwent a $2-million restoration in the…

This six-story wooden pachyderm was constructed in 1881 as a land developer's weird scheme to attract customers. It's in Margate (just south of AC), and…

Cape May is one of the country's top birding spots, with more than 400 species during the spring and fall migration seasons, when neotropical birds are…

The Doo Wop Preservation League runs this small museum that tells the story of Wildwood's 1950s heyday. Its 'neon-sign garden' shows off relics from no…

The Steel Pier, directly in front of the Taj Mahal casino, was the site of the famous high-diving horses that plunged into the Atlantic before crowds of…

If you can't get enough of Jersey lighthouses, the medieval-like brownstone double towers of Navesink offer an awesome – and free – view of Sandy Hook Bay…

'Old Barney,' the 1859 lighthouse at the north tip of LBI, receives half a million visitors each year. The adjoining state park, filled with berry and…

The oldest operating lighthouse in the country. Admission by tour only; visitors must be at least 4ft tall. Reservations are recommended; show up in the…

New Jersey's tallest lighthouse at 171ft (228 steps), Absecom (Ab-see-cum) gives you a bird's-eye view of AC. Moonlight climbs are offered monthly during…

The focus is on kids at this boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach: small-scale rides, mini-golf, an aquarium and plenty of candy.

Just a 15-minute-drive from the 21st century and Asbury Park, this quirky museum is what remains of what was once a thriving 19th-century village called…

The amusement pier at the northern end of the Seaside boardwalk has a few kiddie rides and more extreme thrills for the 48in-and-taller set, plus a…

At this worthwhile endeavor by Ralph E Hunter showcasing the history of African Americans in Atlantic City and the USA, there's nice artwork from both…

Robert Ripley spent a lifetime collecting bizarre stuff, and a lot of it's here. Two-headed goat fetuses, a baling-wire Jimi Hendrix head, the world's…

Small but informative – you'll learn all about AC's quirkiest details, such as the high-diving horses that once leapt off a 40ft tower at Steel Pier.