Time-Capsule Museums New Jersey’s history comes alive in museums that feel as though their stories are still unfolding. In Trenton, the pre-Revolutionary Old Barracks Museum shares centuries-old military narratives within its original stone walls. Head north to Ogdensburg to explore Sterling Hill Mining Museum , where you can walk inside a former zinc mine and marvel at brilliantly fluorescent minerals that glow under UV light. Train lovers can climb aboard restored railcars at Whippany Railway Museum —or dive into the surreal scale of Northlandz , “the World’s Largest Miniature Wonderland & Model Railroad Museum.” Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University in Mantua transports visitors 66 million years back in time with hands-on fossil digs, life-size dinosaurs and exhibits of the state’s prehistoric landscapes. Along the coast, Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum preserves the boat-building skills and maritime traditions that shaped nautical life on Barnegat Bay. OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP: EDELMAN FOSSIL PARK AND MUSEUM; WILDWOOD WAWA/THE GREATER WILDWOODS TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. THIS PAGE: HEREFORD INLET LIGHTHOUSE. Spotlight on Lighthouses Once brightly lit beacons for mariner safety in the Atlantic Ocean, 23 lighthouses still line the Jersey shorelines (with 11 welcoming visitors). Look up at an unusual 1764 octagonal tower in Sandy Hook —the oldest—or at the traditional cone design of the state’s tallest in Absecon . Towers tucked into lighthouse keepers’ homes stand tall in Hereford Inlet , while a museum resides at Barnegat Light ’s one-room former schoolhouse at the tip of Long Beach Island. Want to see them all? There’s no better time than the third weekend of October, when the annual Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey takes place, challenging visitors to hit 11 lighthouse sites, three lifesaving stations and one museum over the weekend. Pay a nominal registration fee and collect a souvenir from each site! VisitNJ.org 25
New Jersey Travel Guide New Jersey 2026 Official Travel Guide: Page 25
