2023 Lighthouse Challenge of NJ - How Many Will You Visit? (Oct 21st & 22nd)

The Lighthouse Challenge of NJ is a rain-or-shine, two-day opportunity to visit land-based lighthouses, museums and life-saving stations!

For more information about this great event, please visit lighthousechallengenj.com

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Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Monmouth County, Ocean County, Salem County

Atlantic County

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Absecon Lighthouse

Atlantic City, Atlantic County, NJ

Climb 228 steps up New Jersey's tallest lighthouse for views of the Atlantic City skyline, then stand next to the original first-order Fresnel lens at the top. The restored two-acre site has a Keeper's House museum, a gift shop, a Fresnel lens exhibit in the old Oil House and a community garden. Kids can join the free Wacky Wednesdays crafts all summer, and the lens is lit every evening.

Address: 31 South Rhode Island Avenue,, Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401
Phone: 609-449-1360
Website: http://www.abseconlighthouse.org
Events Calendar: https://abseconlighthouse.org/events/event/

Cape May County

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Cape May Point State Park

Cape May Point, Cape May County, NJ

Located on the southern tip of New Jersey, Cape May Point State Park is a key site on the NJ Coastal Heritage Trail, with an environmental center that houses a classroom for interpretive programs and a museum about the park.

Address: P O Box 107,, Cape May Point, New Jersey 08212
Phone: (609) 884-2159
Website: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/capemay.html

Tatham Life Saving Station and Museum

Stone Harbor, Cape May County, NJ

Climb the tower of an 1895 U.S. Life-Saving Service station for views of southern Stone Harbor, the ocean, Hereford Inlet and the back bays. Free guided tours take in a life-saving museum with a restored surfboat on the first floor and a military museum on the second. The station is the oldest building in Stone Harbor.

Address: 11617 Second Avenue,, Stone Harbor, New Jersey 08247
Phone: (609) 368-2294
Website: https://stephencludlampost331.org/museum/
Events Calendar: https://stephencludlampost331.org/events/

Cumberland County

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East Point Lighthouse

Heislerville, Cumberland County, NJ

Wander the grounds and the bay beach at the mouth of the Maurice River, where the red-roofed 1849 lighthouse makes a classic photograph, especially at sunset. Birders come for shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs in spring and for raptors and songbirds after fall cold fronts. Anglers fish for stripers and weakfish here in spring. In July, diamondback terrapins come ashore to lay eggs on the beach.

Address: Lighthouse Road,, Heislerville, New Jersey 08324
Website: http://eastpointlight.com/

Gloucester County

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Tinicum Rear Range

Paulsboro, Gloucester County, NJ

Climb the 112 step spiral staircase inside an 85 foot lighthouse tower for a view of the Delaware River, the Philadelphia skyline and the airport. The tower stands in the middle of a baseball complex in Billingsport, and the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse Society leads the climbs on scheduled days. It is one of the stops on the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey every October.

Address: 70 Second Street,, Paulsboro, New Jersey 08066
Phone: 856-423-1554
Website: https://paulsboronj.org/boards-groups/tinicum-rear-range-lighthouse-society-at-paulsboro-inc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/609424585755202/

Monmouth County

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Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Highlands, Monmouth County, NJ

Climb 95 steps and a nine-rung ladder with a park ranger to the top of the oldest operating lighthouse in the country, still guiding ships into New York Harbor. Tours are free and first come, first served, and the Keepers Quarters next door is the Sandy Hook Visitor Center. Children need to be 48 inches tall to climb. Parking at Fort Hancock is free.

Address: 26 Hudson Road,, Highlands, New Jersey 07732
Phone: 732-872-5970
Website: https://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/sandy-hook.htm
Website: https://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm
Website: https://www.lighthousechallengenj.com/

Sea Girt Lighthouse

Sea Girt, Monmouth County, NJ

Tour the keeper's house, from the parlor up to the lantern room, at the last live-in lighthouse built on the Atlantic Coast. Exhibits include a rare Fresnel lens, a 1903 keeper's logbook and two lifejackets from the 1934 Morro Castle fire. Guided tours run Sundays from mid-April to late November, and the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey stops here in October.

Address: 9 Ocean Avenue,, Sea Girt, New Jersey 08750
Phone: 732-974-0514
Website: https://lighthousechallengenj.com/

Twin Lights Historic Site

Highlands, Monmouth County, NJ

Climb the two stone towers of this 1862 brownstone lighthouse station for views over Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline. The museum and grounds are free, with picnic tables on site, and the north tower is free to climb in the off-season. Guided tours with a historian are available on request. The station looks more like a castle than a lighthouse.

Address: 2 Lighthouse Road,, Highlands, New Jersey 07732
Phone: 732-872-1814
Website: https://www.twinlightslighthouse.org/
Website: https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/twin-lights/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twinlightslighthouse/
Website: https://www.lighthousechallengenj.com/

Ocean County

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Barnegat Light House

Barnegat Light, Ocean County, NJ

Take the short Maritime Forest Trail, then follow the inlet-side paths over the dunes to the beach and out along the south jetty walkway. Picnic tables sit along Barnegat Inlet, and anglers cast from the bulkhead for striped bass and bluefish. The big draw is the lighthouse: climb 217 steps to the top of the 169 foot tower for views of the bay, the inlet and the ocean. Parking and entry are free.

Address: 208 Broadway,, Barnegat Light, New Jersey 08006
Phone: (609) 494-2016
Website: https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/barnegat-lighthouse-state-park/
Website: https://www.friendsofbarnegatlighthouse.org/
Events Calendar: https://friendsofbarnegatlighthouse.org/events
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofbarnegatlighthouse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsofbarnegatlighthouse/
Website: https://lighthousechallengenj.com/

Tuckers Island Lighthouse Replica

Tuckerton, Ocean County, NJ

Climb the tower of this replica lighthouse for a view of the Seaport, Tuckerton Creek and Lake Pohatcong. Inside are exhibits on New Jersey maritime history, shipwrecks, lighthouse keepers and the U.S. Lifesaving Service, plus an upstairs Tuckerton Railroad exhibit with a working model train. The lighthouse is the entrance to Tuckerton Seaport, and it still lights at night.

Address: 120 West Main Street,, Tuckerton, New Jersey 08087
Phone: 609- 296-8868
Website: https://tuckertonseaport.org/visit/
Website: https://lighthousechallengenj.com/

Salem County

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Finns Point Rear Range Light

Pennsville, Salem County, NJ

Hike the Grassland Trail from the lot on Lighthouse Road, then look up at a 115 foot black wrought iron range light that came from Buffalo by train and mule wagon. The refuge around it has a second trail through forest and busy spring and fall bird migrations. Climb about 130 steps to the lantern room on the days the tower opens. Fort Mott State Park's old gun emplacements are a short drive away.