The Atlas Obscura Guide To New Jersey

158 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Jersey

Updated September 10, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in New Jersey

The colorful, glowing rocks of Sterling Hill

Ogdensburg, New Jersey

Fluorescent Rocks of Sterling Hill Mine

Hundreds of glow-in-the-dark objects light up a museum in a historic zinc mine.

Entrance to the Museum is through Paranormal Books & Curiosities

Asbury Park, New Jersey

Paranormal Museum

A storefront museum in Asbury Park honoring the Jersey Shore’s deep history of mystery—including the Jersey Devil.

Hamilton Township, New Jersey

Grounds for Sculpture

A unique sculpture park that specializes in the huge and bizarre.

Egg Harbor City, New Jersey

Batsto Village

This historic iron-working village is now a ghost town so immaculate that it looks as though it was recently built.

Glen Gardner, New Jersey

Abandoned Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital

A recently abandoned psych ward at the end of Sanatorium Road.

Hammonton, New Jersey

Amatol Ghost Town

In the woods of New Jersey lie the ruins of a munitions village abandoned after World War I and the remnants of a 1920s wooden racetrack.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal

Hidden in plain sight on the Hudson River is an abandoned train station where nature has taken over.

Hamilton Township, New Jersey

Rat's Restaurant

Step into Monet's world at this fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a New Jersey sculpture park.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in New Jersey

Hamilton Township, New Jersey

Rat's Restaurant

Step into Monet's world at this fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a New Jersey sculpture park.

Bloomfield, New Jersey

Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery

This old-fashioned candy shop, ice cream parlor, and diner served as the setting for one of TV's most controversial series finales.

Jersey City, New Jersey

White Mana Diner

This unassuming retro burger joint was billed as “diner of the future” at the 1939 World's Fair.

Milford, New Jersey

The Famous River Hot Dog Man

The only thing better than tubing down New Jersey's scenic Delaware River is doing so while eating a hot dog from a giant floating stand.

See all 8 Places to Eat in New Jersey

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

7 Spots to Explore New Jersey’s Horrors, Hauntings, and Hoaxes

In New Jersey, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. In 1909, newspapers published accounts of a monster known as the “Jersey Devil” said to be prowling the Pine Barrens. In 1938, a radio broadcast declared that aliens were invading the small community of Grover’s Mill. And today, streets and signs suggest ominous origins with names like Ghost Lake and Shades of Death Road. If you know where to look, the Garden State offers stories far stranger than any Springsteen song or scene from The Sopranos. Here are seven sites to explore the hauntings, horrors, and supernatural phenomena of New Jersey.

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