In this book, Mark Di Ionno invites you to join him in discovering New Jerseys rich and varied coastal heritage. Hell take you on a personal tour to explore the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Spermaceti Cove Station, admire offbeat collections of saltwater taffy boxes and sand art in Atlantic City, spend an afternoon at Brigantine and unravel the legend of Captain Kidd, marvel at the skills of Tuckertons boatbuilders, discover New Jerseys own version of the Boston Tea Party in Greenwich, and find inspiration at Ocean Grove, a Methodist meeting place.

Organized by county and amply illustrated with photographs and maps, the guides entries give directions and information about hours, programs, and accessibility, and, above all, lively descriptions of the local history and cultural traditions that make each place special. Di Ionno includes many sites on the National Park Services Coastal Heritage Trail, but roves beyond the Trail to highlight a host of other wonderful museums, buildings, byways, and landmarks that could not be incorporated into the official trail.

Mark Di Ionno is a journalist at The Star-Ledger in Newark. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Di Ionno draws on his own childhood memories of life in the small towns of the Jersey Shore. He lives with his family in Boonton, New Jersey.

"Youll find the old, familiar placesOld Barney plus other lighthouses; Lucy the Margate elephant; the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, in Brigantine . . . but also places you probably dont know aboutthe Cream Ridge Horse Farm, where some of the countrys best trotters and pacers come from; the Steamboat Dock Museum, where they built the paddlewheelers that plied our waterways; the Spy House in Shoal Harbor. . . . Museums, memorials, all are here, some brought alive by the people DiIonno met. The book is unusual, enjoyable, and long overdue."The Beachcomber