chloe hartwell author at My Family Travels
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One Of America’s Largest Open-Air Markets Is Hiding In Plain Sight In New Jersey

Some shopping trips start with a list. This one can end with just about anything. New Jersey is home to a sprawling open-air...

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This New Jersey Kayak Trip Takes You Deep Into The Mysterious Pine Barrens

Traffic noise disappears pretty quickly once the paddle hits the water. This New Jersey adventure sends kayakers and canoeists...

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One Look At The Pastry Case At This New Jersey Bakery And Your Diet Is In Trouble

Walking into a bakery “just for coffee” is one of the great lies we tell ourselves. This New Jersey bakery gives that plan...

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People Line Up For The Fresh Apple Cider Donuts At This New Jersey Farm

There are donuts, and then there are the donuts you start thinking about before you even reach the farm. Fresh apple cider...

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One Of New Jersey’s Oldest Family Farms Is Still Bringing Shoppers Back Season After Season

Nearly 300 years is a pretty impressive run for any family business, never mind one that depends on the weather. The family...

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A Little-Known New Jersey Restaurant Is Bringing Macedonian Flavors To The Table

Your dinner routine may be getting a little too comfortable. This New Jersey restaurant offers a delicious excuse to shake...

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11 New Jersey Counties Have Just Been Declared Natural Disaster Areas Because Of Drought

The dry weather is no longer just something you notice when the lawn starts looking tired. A federal drought designation is...

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10 New Jersey Places Where The Weather Can Make Or Break Your Visit

Weather can turn a great day out into a soggy mess pretty quickly. New Jersey has plenty of places where sunshine, rain, heat, or even a little wind can completely change the experience.

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Thousands Of Birds Turn This Quiet New Jersey Wetland Into A Wildlife Hotspot

The marshes get busy when the birds arrive. New Jersey has a coastal refuge where more than 360 bird species have been recorded, turning quiet wetlands into a remarkable wildlife...

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12 New Jersey Restaurants To Try When You’re Tired Of Chain Restaurants

Another night of burgers, fries, and the same familiar menu? No thanks. New Jersey has thousands of restaurants, and plenty...

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This New Jersey Nature Center Takes You Deep Into A Surprisingly Wild Swamp

Think a swamp sounds boring? Oh, you might want to rethink that. This New Jersey nature escape leads you straight into a surprisingly...

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You Can Ride In A Historic Caboose At This Unique New Jersey Railway Museum

Ever wished you could ride the train like they did back in the day? Well, here’s your chance to do it from the caboose. This...

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A “Deserted Village” Where The Founder Cursed The Town Before Leaving

Some places hum with life, and others hold their breath. I found the second kind on a quiet road in New Jersey, where the...

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One Of New Jersey’s Most Peaceful Hiking Areas Winds Through Forests, Meadows, And Wetlands

Sometimes the best hike is the one that does not feel like a workout at all. You leave the traffic behind, find a quiet trail,...

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Go Underground At This New Jersey Museum Built Around A Real Historic Mine

Most museums ask you to look at history behind glass. This one asks you to put on a jacket and head underground. New Jersey...

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A Full-Size Carousel Spins Beside Giant Breakfasts At This Wild New Jersey Pancake Spot

Listen, breakfast is supposed to be simple. Eggs, pancakes, maybe some bacon. But this New Jersey spot did not get the memo,...

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Locals Claim This Tiny New Jersey Stand Serves The Best Sliders In The State

Big burger reputations do not always come with big dining rooms. Sometimes they come with a tiny counter, a sizzling griddle,...

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Hidden Along A Busy New Jersey Road Is A Victorian Mansion That Time Barely Touched

Some houses age gracefully. This one seems to have made a private agreement with the 1800s and never looked back. Behind the...

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This Classic New Jersey Boardwalk Park Has Roller Coasters Rising Above The Shore

Listen, I do not know about you, but I think any roller coaster with ocean views should come with a warning label that says "may cause spontaneous screaming and a sudden urge to...

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11 New Jersey Places To Pick Apples Without Turning It Into An All-Day Trip

Listen, you do not need to pack a lunch, clear your whole Saturday, or drive two hours into the middle of nowhere just to pick a few apples.

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Step Into The 1800s At This Beautifully Preserved New Jersey Stagecoach Stop

The floorboards creak under your feet, and the walls hold stories from the late 1700s. This stagecoach stop was constructed...

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11 New Jersey Markets Hiding Surprisingly Serious Bakery Counters

The bakery counters that sneak up on you are always the best ones. Across New Jersey, there are markets that look ordinary...

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Summer Ends But This New Jersey Farmers Market Keeps Going All Year Long

The first cool morning of fall always makes me a little sad, mostly because I assume the good produce is about to disappear until June.

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This New Jersey Attraction Lets You Become A Contestant On Your Own Live Game Show

Listen, you have watched game shows on TV your whole life. You have yelled answers at the screen, rolled your eyes at bad guesses, and thought, "I could do better than that."

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Plants, Home Decor And A Frenchie Greeter Make This New Jersey Shop Impossible To Resist

Some shops are dangerous because everything is expensive. This one is dangerous because everything somehow feels like it belongs in your house.

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Dry-Aged Steaks Get A Manhattan Backdrop At This New Jersey Restaurant

Steak tastes a little more dramatic when Manhattan is sitting across the water like part of the décor. That is the mood here.

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This New Jersey Water Buffalo Farm Produces Some Of The Creamiest Mozzarella In The Country

Most people hear “buffalo mozzarella” and do not expect the buffalo part to be wandering around a farm nearby. That changes...

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This Enormous New Jersey Country Store Is So Big You Could Lose An Entire Afternoon Inside

Listen, some country stores are just a quick stop. This one? This one is a full-blown adventure. We are talking about a sprawling...

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This New Jersey Children’s Museum Has 16,000 Square Feet Of Hands-On Fun

There are places where kids are told not to touch anything. This is very much not one of them. Here, touching, climbing, creating,...

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The Remote Pine Barrens Town So Overlooked Even Most New Jersey Locals Have Never Heard Of It

You know a place is genuinely under the radar when even longtime locals hear the name and respond with, “Wait, where?” That...

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12 New Jersey Spots Where You Can Spend Less Than $20 And Still Have A Great Afternoon

Some afternoons I just want a change of scenery without the whole production of planning a trip. I keep a running mental list...

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Ocean Views Steal The Show At This New Jersey Restaurant Just Across From The Beach

Hey, guess what? There is a rooftop deck in New Jersey that will actually make you forget to check your phone. No joke. Right...

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Silk, Locomotives And Industry Fill This Surprisingly Fascinating New Jersey City Museum

They say this city was built with an arm of iron in a sleeve of silk. This New Jersey museum proves it. Inside a restored 19th-century...

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This Old-School New Jersey Candy Shop Still Makes Chocolates The Traditional Way

Everything in this New Jersey candy shop is still done the old fashioned way. Copper kettles over open flames. Hand-mixed centers....

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A European-Style Bakery Hides Some Of New Jersey’s Most Beautiful Pastries

The name itself tells you something. Dän means "seed" in Kazakh, a nod to the patience and intention behind everything that comes out of this New Jersey bakery.

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This New Jersey Ice Cream Shop Hides A Huge Lineup Of Flavors Steps From The Sand

Some people come for the beach. The smart ones come for the ice cream. This New Jersey scoop shop sits just steps from the...

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Long Before Smartphones, This New Jersey Site Helped Revolutionize Communication

Before WiFi, before cell towers, before you could text your friends from the couch, there was a moment in a New Jersey factory that changed everything.

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You Can Eat Handmade Pasta Then Stock Up On Italian Specialties At This New Jersey Gem

This place does not make you choose between a great meal and great groceries. You walk in, sit down for handmade pasta, and...

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This New Jersey Buffet Looks Easy To Miss But It’s Often Packed With Hungry Diners

Do not let the outside fool you. A quiet storefront on Route 9 that looks easy to miss. But step inside and you will find a...

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11 Old-School New Jersey Breakfast Spots Where The Giant Pancakes Are Bigger Than Your Plate

There's a certain kind of morning where coffee smells better than it has any right to, and the griddle behind the counter is already working overtime.

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This Hidden New Jersey Park Has A 100-Acre Lake Most People Don’t Know About

A lake this big has no business being this quiet. You would think a 100-acre lake would attract crowds, but this one keeps its mouth shut.

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This New Jersey Japanese Restaurant Serves All-You-Can-Eat Sushi That Keeps Locals Coming Back

A stack of empty plates, a pile of sushi rolls, and that moment when you lose count of how many you have ordered. That is...

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One Of The Best Used Bookstores In New Jersey Is Hidden In This Historic Bank Building

You walk into a bank and leave with a stack of books instead of a withdrawal slip. That is the kind of transaction this New Jersey spot offers.

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This Unassuming New Jersey Sushi Spot Serves Big Portions Without The Big Price Tag

Some places are easy to miss from the outside. A quiet storefront in a strip mall, nothing flashy. But walk in and you will...

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One Of New Jersey’s Cutest Little Bakeries Is Hiding On A Quiet Side Street

The sweet scent of butter and citrus drifts out onto a quiet side street, stopping you mid-stride before you even see the sign. That...

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9 Waterfall Trails In New Jersey That Are Surprisingly Easy To Complete

Who says you need to be a mountain goat to see a waterfall? New Jersey has plenty of trails that hand you gorgeous cascades without making you earn it with a brutal climb.

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This New Jersey Shore Seafood Spot Is Winning Big Praise For Its Incredible Lobster Rolls

There is a spot on the shore that keeps winning people over with a single dish. The lobster roll is the one you will hear about first, loaded with chunks of fresh lobster in a...

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You Can Eat Some Of The Best Cevapi In New Jersey At This Tiny Balkan Spot

Some meals are worth changing your lunch plans for, and a hot plate of cevapi is a pretty convincing reason. At one tiny Balkan...

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This New Jersey Bookshop Has Enough Used Books To Keep Treasure Hunters Busy For Hours

Books are like potato chips. You can never have just one. That is especially true at this New Jersey shop, where the shelves...

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Free Pizza Comes With Every Drink At This Wildly Quirky New Jersey Hangout

You get a voucher for a free pizza with every drink order. Fresh, hot, and made to order. That is the simple genius of this...

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This Black-Owned New Jersey Bookstore Was Named Publishers Weekly’s 2026 Bookstore Of The Year

Every so often, a bookstore comes along that reminds you why independent shops matter. This one was just named Publishers...

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This New Jersey Farmers Market Has Fresh Produce At Prices That Will Make You Do A Double Take

Some places make you check the price tag twice. And then a third time for good measure. That is exactly what happens at this...

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This New Jersey Park Has A Five-Story Observation Deck With Breathtaking Views Of The Pinelands

There's a spot in New Jersey where you can climb five stories above the treetops and watch pitch pines roll out toward the horizon like a green ocean.

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13 New Jersey Shops Where Runners Can Stock Up On Shoes And Gear

The first time I laced up a pair of shoes that actually fit my feet, I understood why runners get so weirdly loyal to one little shop.

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This New Jersey Dominican Ice Cream Shop Started As A Side Hustle In A Bronx Hair Salon

You know the best ideas often start small. This one started in a Bronx hair salon where a stylist with thirty years of experience...

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This New Jersey Dessert Shop Makes The Kind Of Sweets You Have To See To Believe

I walked in expecting a cupcake and left with a box full of things I could not name but absolutely needed. That is the magic...

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This Tiny New Jersey Mexican Joint Is Cash-Only But People Still Crowd In For The Food

The ATM should be your first stop. This tiny New Jersey joint runs on cash and pure Mexican magic. People still crowd in, because...

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This Independent New Jersey Bookshop Is Worth Building A Road Trip Around

Some places make you slow down without asking, and I found one of those on a quiet main street lined with old brick storefronts and leafy sidewalks.

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This New Jersey Wilderness Area Has So Many Snake Species Visitors Are Told To Watch Their Step

I am not saying you will definitely see a snake on this trail. But I am also not saying you will not. This New Jersey wilderness...

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12 Fun Things Families Can Do For Free In New Jersey This September

September has this funny way of sneaking up on you, and I always forget how good the weather gets once the humidity finally breaks.

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