freya benson author at My Family Travels
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A Nearly 100-Year-Old New Jersey Hot Dog Legend Is Moving Into A Major Sports Arena

A hot dog legend is heading somewhere nobody would have expected a few decades ago: straight into a major sports arena. The...

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This New Jersey Attraction Transforms Into An Adults-Only Experience After Dark

Apparently, even battleships have an after-dark side. On select evenings, one massive New Jersey attraction swaps its regular...

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11 New Jersey Churches That Were Transformed Into Something Completely Unexpected

A church doesn't always stop having a story when the final service ends. Across New Jersey, former houses of worship have found...

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This New Jersey Train Turns A 60-Minute Ride Into A Dining Journey Through The Countryside

Dinner reservations are nice. Dinner reservations that start with “all aboard” are considerably harder to beat. This New...

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New Jersey Has A Tiny Town With One Of The State’s Most Photographed Buildings

A red mill, a waterfall, an iron bridge, and a downtown small enough to explore without turning the day into a logistical exercise.

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8 New Jersey Places That Tell The Story Of The Lenape And Native American Past

New Jersey history did not begin with colonial houses, Revolutionary War battlefields, or old industrial towns. Long before...

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New Jersey Has A Beach Where You Can Hunt For “Diamonds” Beside A Century-Old Shipwreck

Most beachcombing ends with a pretty shell or a suspiciously smooth rock. This shoreline raises the stakes. Along one unusual...

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New Jersey Has A 205-Acre Park Designed By The Family Behind Central Park

Central Park has a little cousin hiding in New Jersey. Okay, maybe not literally, but the family resemblance is hard to miss. This...

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Good Luck Choosing Just One Treat At This Longtime New Jersey Pastry Shop

Walking past the display case without changing your order deserves some kind of award. There is simply too much happening behind that glass.

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This New Jersey Soul Food Spot Serves Fried Chicken With A Side Of Serious Comfort

There are meals you eat politely, and then there is fried chicken. That first crackle of crispy coating tends to make table manners feel considerably less important.

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This New Jersey Italian Shop Makes Its Own Fresh Mozzarella And Puts It On Almost Everything

There are worse problems than having too much fresh mozzarella. Frankly, we’re struggling to think of one. At this little...

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This New Jersey Italian Bakery Is Open 365 Days A Year For Your Pastry Fix

Christmas morning craving a cannoli? Apparently, that is not an emergency here. One family-run New Jersey bakery keeps its...

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Meat Lovers Could Spend A While Choosing Their Next Dinner At This New Jersey Butcher Shop

Choosing dinner sounds easy until you are standing in front of a butcher case packed with enough possibilities to derail the whole plan.

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Pumpkin Season Turns This New Jersey Farm Into A Full-Blown Country Escape

There is a point every fall when buying one pumpkin from a grocery-store bin simply will not do. You want the fields. You want...

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This New Jersey Wildlife Spot Offers A Closer Look At The State’s Wild Side

Cape May gets plenty of attention for beaches and Victorian charm. Meanwhile, something with wings may be stealing the show overhead.

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New Jersey Has More Than 200 Shops Packed Along One Charming Main Street

“Just one store” is a dangerous promise to make around here. One charming downtown in New Jersey squeezes more than 200...

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This Gigantic New Jersey Thrift Store Is Where Bargain Hunters Go To Fill Their Carts

“Just looking” is a dangerous thing to say before entering a 25,000-square-foot thrift store. Furniture might catch your...

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This New Jersey Diner Serves Its Famous Buttermilk Pancakes All Day Long

Pancakes after lunch? Absolutely. Breakfast does not need to know what time it is.

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This New Jersey Hiking Spot Is At Its Best When The Leaves Start Changing

Ready for the trees to put on their annual show? This New Jersey hiking spot gets a serious makeover when autumn arrives,...

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12 New Jersey Orchards That Make A Perfect September Road Trip

September has a funny way of making perfectly reasonable adults want to spend Saturday carrying a bag of apples around. And why...

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Tools From Forgotten Jobs Fill One Of New Jersey’s Most Unexpected Small Museums

Ever looked at an old tool and thought, “Okay... but what on earth did that do?” That question could keep you busy for...

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This Wild New Jersey Beach Feels A World Away From The Usual Jersey Shore

Forget the packed boardwalks and rows of beach chairs for a minute. New Jersey has a wilder side where dunes, woods, and open shoreline create a completely different kind of coastal...

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This New Jersey Seafood Market Brings The Day’s Catch Straight To Your Plate

Fresh seafood just hits differently, doesn’t it? Especially when you can see the day’s catch waiting behind the counter and know your dinner is about to be seriously good.

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11 New Jersey Trails That Lead To Ruins, Old Railroads And Forgotten Structures

Some hikes are just hikes, and then there are the ones where the woods hand you a mystery. I still think about the first time...

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We Ranked 10 Of The Top Steakhouses In New Jersey And Here’s Who Made The Cut

Ranking steakhouses is the kind of job that sounds easy until the first perfectly cooked ribeye lands on the table and suddenly everyone has opinions.

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This New Jersey Arts Center Was A Family Farm That Became A Creative Oasis For All Ages

You would never guess it from the outside. A 176-acre farm that once raised chickens turned into a creative oasis for thousands of people.

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Dinner Comes With Centuries Of History And Reported Ghostly Guests At This New Jersey Inn

Dinner gets a little more interesting when the building may already have a few regulars you cannot see. This old inn has been...

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Behind This Quiet New Jersey Farm Is A Cheese Cave Filled With Aged Italian Favorites

Cheese lovers, this is where self-control goes to take the afternoon off. Behind a quiet farm sits something far more exciting...

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This Secret French Bakery In New Jersey Has Chocolate Croissants Worth Crossing The State For

Chocolate croissants are one of those foods that can ruin perfectly good plans in the best possible way. You stop in for coffee,...

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A Former Landfill In New Jersey Is Now A 640-Acre Park With Boardwalks And Skyline Views

You would never guess this place used to be a dump. Seriously. This remarkable New Jersey park transformed former landfill...

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Pack Your Bike And Head To This Flat, Paved New Jersey Trail Perfect For All Ages

I once bought a bike that sat in my garage for two years. If only I had known about this trail, that bike would have seen the light of day much sooner.

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This New Jersey Hiking Trail Looks Easy At First But Gets Wildly Different Once You Reach The Woods

A gentle stroll around a pond. Then the trail laughs and shows you what it is really made of. Rocks, ledges, and a climb that...

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Treasure Hunters Could Spend Ages Browsing This New Jersey Vintage Store

Some people plan their weekends around garage sales. Others have a better idea. This New Jersey vintage store is a treasure...

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The Pasta At This New Jersey Restaurant Is Made Using A Method Found Nowhere Else In America

Who knew a cold heart could be a good thing? Turns out, it is the secret behind the most unique pasta in America. This New...

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This Lesser-Known New Jersey Mountain Hike Is Where Locals Go To Avoid Crowds

There is a trail in New Jersey where the crowds vanish and the views feel like a secret. Locals have been keeping this spot...

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13 Places In New Jersey To Eat Breakfast With A Million-Dollar View This Fall

Breakfast should feel like more than just a pit stop. This fall, some of the best mornings in New Jersey come with waterfront...

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This Massive New Jersey Vintage Shop Has Two Floors Of Clothes You Won’t Find At The Mall

Two floors of vintage treasures in Jersey City, and you will need every minute to explore them. This New Jersey shop is packed...

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This Historic Irish Pub In New Jersey Has A Janitor-To-Owner Story You Won’t Believe

You know a place has a good story when the owner used to mop the floors. That is exactly how this Wildwood legend began. A local...

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This Is The Oldest Pick-Your-Own Orchard In New Jersey, And It Is Still Going Strong

The sun had barely risen over the fields when this New Jersey orchard started doing something revolutionary. In the early...

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This New Jersey Gas Station Is Famous For Fried Chicken Made Right Inside The Store

You pull up for gas. You leave with a box of crispy, golden fried chicken. That is the magic of this New Jersey stop.

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Spend A Quiet Afternoon Wandering This Beautiful New Jersey Garden

It is barely an acre. But somehow, it packs more charm than gardens three times its size. A tiny oasis set between a school...

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This New Jersey Farm Turns Fresh Apples Into Cider Donuts That Sell Out Before Noon

There is something about a cider donut that just hits different when it comes from the farm where the apples were grown. That...

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This New Jersey Italian Restaurant Takes Chicken Parm To A Seriously Delicious Level

Okay, picture this. A cart rolls up to your table with a chicken parm that is about to become the highlight of your week. They...

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This Rural New Jersey General Store Serves Some Of The Best Hoagies In The State

You know a hoagie is good when people drive past half a dozen other spots just to get to this one. Hidden in rural New Jersey,...

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This New Jersey Restaurant Turns Dinner Into A Wacky Museum With Free Candy On The Way Out

This is not just dinner. This is a scavenger hunt with a side of comfort food. The place is a maze of quirky decor, antique...

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Good Luck Choosing Just One Flavor At This Irresistible New Jersey Italian Ice Shop

Walk in and the hardest decision of your day begins. Flavors everywhere. Lemon, cherry, mango, lime mint, pina colada, and...

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This New Jersey Town Has A 272-Year-Old House That Served As A Revolutionary War Hospital

Some houses get a plaque. This one got a battlefield. A 272-year-old New Jersey home that watched the Revolution unfold from...

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The New Jersey Towns Where Almost Nothing Is Open After Dark And Nightlife Barely Exists

Forget the neon lights and late-night crowds. In these New Jersey towns, the streets roll up early and the quiet takes over after dark.

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This Cold War Missile Tracking Base In New Jersey Was Bought For Just $1 And Transformed Into An Art Park

A Cold War relic bought for a single dollar. That is not a typo. This New Jersey site once tracked Soviet bombers heading for...

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What $100 Gets You In One Of New Jersey’s Most Popular Beach Towns

The salty air hit me before the parking meter did, and somehow that felt like a warning. I had exactly one crisp hundred-dollar...

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11 Shady New Jersey Hike Trails Perfect For Surviving Late Summer Heat

Summer in New Jersey hits hard. The sun blazes. The humidity clings. Your hiking plans start to look like a terrible idea.

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A New Jersey Shore Classic That Proves A Great Lobster Roll Doesn’t Have To Cost A Fortune

Some lobster rolls require a second mortgage. This one just requires a parking spot. A walk-up window on the Jersey Shore,...

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The Build-Your-Own Breakfast Sandwich Is The Top Seller At This New Jersey Bagel Shop

There is a breakfast revolution happening in New Jersey, and it involves a bagel, endless toppings, and pure creativity. This...

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13 New Jersey Campgrounds That Make Last-Minute Outdoor Trips Easy

You know that feeling when you need to get out of town and you need it now? The car is packed and your patience is thin. The...

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This Old-School Polish Bakery In New Jersey Has Been A Family Tradition Since 1917

Butter. Sugar. That is what hits you first at this New Jersey bakery. Since...

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This New Jersey Movie Theater Has A Full Dine-In Menu Delivered Right To Your Seat

Imagine settling into your movie seat and having a gourmet burger arrive before the trailers even finish. That is the reality...

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One Of New Jersey’s Best-Ranked Tomato Pies Is Hiding Inside This Unassuming Cafe

A plain white building next to a firehouse. A modest sign. A small dining room. Not the kind of place you would expect to...

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This New Jersey Town Looks Peaceful Today But Its Creek Once Made National Headlines

Today, you would never guess it. The water looks calm. The town feels quiet.

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This New Jersey Indoor Waterpark Is North America’s Largest With Over 40 Slides And A 1,500-Foot Lazy River

It does not matter what the weather is doing outside. Inside this New Jersey behemoth, it is always a perfect summer day. North...

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13 Of New Jersey’s Most Remote Places That Are Well Worth The Drive

Forget everything you think you know about the Garden State. Tucked far from the crowded highways and bustling shore towns lie pockets of pure solitude that feel completely worlds...

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