Regardless of season, New Jersey offers something for everyone. From its 127 miles of white sandy beaches to its scenic mountains, the Garden State is home to an endless array of natural wonders and attractions. One such wonder includes the Pinelands-America's first national Reserve and the largest wilderness tract east of the Mississippi River. In addition to its natural beauty, New Jersey offers ample opportunities to enjoy days and nights of fun-filled adventures. World-class museums and award-winning theater, music, and dance are among the many cultural attractions found here. For family fun, visit one of our many amusement parks or sporting events. And when the sun goes down, enjoy the dazzling nightlife and world-class gaming of Atlantic City.

Greater Atlantic City Region
For more than two decades, Atlantic City has been known the world over as a first-rate casino-gaming mecca. Today, 37 million people visit each year. With 12 casino resorts, more than seven miles of white sandy beaches, and the famous 4.5-mile-long Boardwalk (the very first in the world), the Greater Atlantic City Region is an extremely popular area. You can also tour three vineyards, test your skill at the region's 23 golf courses, see Miss America crowned every year in September, or munch on saltwater taffy where it was first made.

Art lovers and history enthusiasts can peruse the collections at the Atlantic City Art Center and Historical Museum on Garden Pier at the Boardwalk. The Noyes Museum of Art is well known for its vast collection of American fine art and folk art, vintage bird decoys, and outstanding traveling exhibitions. Or be one of the first to visit Historic Absecon Lighthouse, which has once again opened its doors to visitors following a two-year restoration project. For nature lovers, the new Ocean Life Center at Gardner's Basin in Atlantic City has hands-on learning adventures within its eight aquarium tanks and nearly 30,000 gallons of water, home to more than 100 varieties of fish and marine animals.

Skylands Region
New Jersey's Great Northwest is a romantic land lush with two national parks at its edges, 60,000 acres of state parkland, 70 miles of the legendary Appalachian Trail, and breathtakingly diverse geography rich with lakes, rivers, hills, and farms. See the timeless majesty of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the serenity of the state's largest lake, Hopatcong. Or check out the summit of New Jersey at High Point State Park and the spectacular autumn foliage floating throughout the Skylands.

Amidst the tranquility and pastoral mountains and countryside, you'll also discover the 7,000-acre Great Swamp of Basking Ridge, a National Wildlife Refuge with more than eight miles of trails, wildlife, and bird watching. And, for another unique activity, be sure to tour the underground fluorescent caverns at Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg; the 18th-century Village of Waterloo in Stanhope also shouldn't be missed. The Skylands has mountains, villages, valleys, lakes, festivals, and family attractions to please a diverse cross-section of leisure and vacation travelers.

Delaware River Region
The Delaware River Region is founded on Revolutionary history, science, and invention, while surrounded by the pristine, tranquil beauty of the Pine Barrens. It has colonial towns and farms, the state capitol in Trenton, spectacular cultural museums, the State Aquarium and Children's Garden in Camden, first-rate sports stadiums, and the world-renowned university in Princeton.

The region's namesake is the river on which General George Washington made his famous Revolutionary Crossing on Christmas Day in 1776. You can see the crossing re-enacted each Christmas at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville. The Trenton Statehouse Dome has been completely renovated, and today the 110-year-old dome gleams with new brilliant gold leafing. Also restored in late 1998, you can now view the Old Barracks Museum exactly as it was over 200 years ago when it was used by British troops during the French and Indian War.

To discover the ultimate hidden treasure, stroll along the streets of the beautiful tree-lined Haddonfield Historic District, home to over 400 Colonial and Victorian buildings, including the Indian King Tavern House Museum. Also, be sure to set your sights on Wharton State Forest in Burlington County where you can camp, hike, and canoe. Or, visit the historic Fort Mott State Park in Pennsville, the authentic Rancocas Indian Reservation in Rancocas, and Whitesbog Village in Browns Mills, a turn-of-the-century agricultural settlement.

Gateway Region
The Gateway Region is home to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Central Railroad Terminal Building, now all centered around Liberty State Park in Jersey City. It was here that more than 12 million immigrants entered the nation between 1892 and 1954. Today, over 3 million annual visitors travel to Liberty State Park each year. And, adjacent to the Park, the Liberty Science Center is the perfect place to spend a day with the family, with its hands-on exhibits on science and nature.

The Gateway is also a cultural mecca with world-class theaters, museums, and concert halls including The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Sports lovers will also be enraptured with the Gateway because of the Giants Stadium, where fans can see the New York Jets and New York Giants football teams in action. At Continental Airlines Arena you can take in a concert or catch the fast-paced excitement of the NBA New Jersey Nets and the Stanley Cup Champions, the New Jersey Devils.

Nature lovers will be right at home on the new environmental boardwalk in West Milford, which opened in September 1999. Along the 900-foot suspended path above the area's wetlands, signs identify the abundance of rare and endangered plants, which you can see along the self-guided walking tour.

The region is also rich with historical significance. The mile-square city of Hoboken-famous as the birthplace of Frank Sinatra-made headlines back in 1642 as the site of the first brewery in the nation, and the town where the first organized baseball game took place in 1846. (Today, be sure to cool your heels at any one of Hoboken's many fine outdoor cafes.)

Shoreline region
Sunny days spent swimming along 71 miles of sandy oceanfront beaches. Building your dream house out of sand. Snacking on fresh Jersey fruits and vegetables. From Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park to Long Beach Island, the beaches and boardwalks of the Shore's Monmouth and Ocean Counties offer an unforgettable vacation. All you have to bring is your love of adventure and a loaded camera-particularly to the lighthouses at Sandy Hook, Twin Lights of Navesink, Sea Girt, and Barnegat Light.

The region is famous for the world-renowned Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari in Jackson. If you've got the guts, Six Flags has got the ride. Real daredevils should try the new Medusa, the world's first floor-less roller coaster. For the tots, head over to Looney Tunes Seaport.

Lit by antique lamp posts, the quaint and cheerful community of Red Bank charms with its brick-lined main street of boutiques, cafes, and fine restaurants. Fast becoming known as the "hippest town in New Jersey," Red Bank has music and food festivals throughout the year, and an unrivaled Fourth of July fireworks display.

You can also catch a summer Broadway show at the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven. After the show, stroll next door to the Show Place Ice Cream Parlour, complete with singing and dancing waiters and waitresses. Or, how about a live country, bluegrass, or folk concert? Albert Music Hall in Waretown has showcased a wide range of musicians every Saturday night for the past 25 years. And, new this April, the Tuckerton Seaport, a unique maritime village at the Jersey Shore, opened to preserve the traditions and culture of the state's baymen.

Southern Shore
The rich diversity of the Southern Shore region lets visitors lose themselves in Victorian history, find themselves along the sand and surf, and challenge themselves through fishing, boating, or golfing along the shores. There are also plenty of leisure opportunities in each of the shore towns that dot the coast. Ocean City is often called 'America's Greatest Family Resort.' The Wildwoods are famous for non-stop fun and boardwalk thrills. The charming communities of Sea Isle City, Avalon, and Stone Harbor are fine family retreats. The National Historic Landmark City of Cape May, the nation's oldest seashore resort, hypnotizes its visitors with stately Victorian charm preserved in gas-lit streets, quaint bed & breakfasts, art galleries, and over 600 restored Victorian structures.

The area is a haven for history buffs. New Jersey's largest historic district is in Bridgeton, with 2,200 colonial, federal, and Victorian buildings. Historic Cold Spring Village is a 19th-century living history museum with 25 restored buildings. Millville, which dates back to the 1700s, has the Millville Army Air Museum, and Wheaton Village, home of the Museum of American Glass.

Another of the region's lesser known attributes is the horseshoe crab phenomenon, which occurs each year along the beaches of the Delaware Bay. Every spring, over one million migrant shorebirds stop to feed on the hundreds of thousands of recently laid horseshoe crab eggs, making this the second largest gathering of shorebirds in North America.

State Capital: Trenton.

Population: 7,904,000.

Entered the Union: December 18, 1787 as the 3rd state.

State Motto: Liberty and Prosperity.

State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch.

State Flower: Purple Violet.

State Nickname: Garden State.

Origin of Name: From the Channel Isle of Jersey.