Special churches
St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Jersey City
The St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Jersey City is the first Coptic, an ancient Oriental Egyptian church in the United States. It is one of only a few 200 Coptic Orthodox churches across the United States and was founded due to the persecution of the Copts in Egypt and their clashes with Muslims. It first appeared in the 1960s after many of them fled to the United States and was registered as an official church in 1970. There are currently more than 750 Coptic families living, that is around 30,000 followers of the Coptic Church in Jersey City. The building itself is not particularly appealing optically and architecturally and is more like a box-shaped complex, but a visit is definitely worthwhile to learn more about the persecution of the Copts from Egypt.
Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark
The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on 89 Ridge Street in Newark is the fifth largest cathedral in the entire United States. The huge French Gothic style cathedral is a breathtaking structure belonging to the Archdiocese of Newark. Its construction began in 1899 and lasted a total of 55 years. What is special about their construction is that during their construction, essential changes were made to the actual plan for the construction of the church. So you changed z. B. their height from 101 m to 70 m, but also their entire exterior. While it was originally supposed to be built in the style of Anglo-Irish Gothic, in 1913 it was decided to switch to French construction.
St. Henry’s Church in Bayonne
St. Henry’s Church in the 63,000-resident city of Bayonne in Hudson County is a Roman Catholic church, which was founded in 1889 by around 50 different immigrant families from Bavaria. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Newark. The church was built in the style of the English Gothic style with medieval stylistic elements. It is shaped like a cross and its exterior consists mainly of white sandstone. The interior consists mainly of Italian marble, which was specially imported – one is particularly proud of the large marble altar.
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Big celebrations and events
Atlantic City Air Show
The Atlantic City Air Show, also called the Thunder over the Boardwalk Airshow, is an air show that has been held annually in August on the Atlantic City waterfront since 2003. It is one of the largest of its kind and has raised the bar for other air shows in the United States. It is not just the scenario on the beach and the casinos in the back that make this air show an unforgettable event for around 750,000 guests every year. The participants reach heights of up to 4.5 km with their aerobatic planes or take their breath away by doing somersaults just 15 m above the water and performing flight acrobatics.
New Jersey State Fair
As in almost every state in the United States, there has been a state fair in New Jersey every year since 1999 that is particularly relevant to the topic of agriculture. The New Jersey State Fair is usually held in the first week of August at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, Sussex County. While most state fairs are primarily geared towards keeping or breeding livestock and plants, the New Jersey State Fair specializes in horses and has partnered with the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. Every year it boasts special specimens and around 200,000 people, most of them especially horse lovers, flock to the tournaments and auctions every year.
Zoos, parks and amusement parks
Six Flags Great Adeventure
In the Jackson Township in Ocean County there is a Six Flags Great Adeventure fun park, which is held by the well-known and extremely successful Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The park also includes the Six Flags Wild Safari Park Animal Zoo and Hurrican Harbor Water Park. The park, opened in 1977, consists of eleven different themes, four of which are intended for small children. There are a total of 51 rides in the Six Flags Great Adeventure Park, including 13 different eight lanes.
Mountain Creek Water Park
On the site of the Mountain Creek Ski Resort in Vernom Township in Sussex County is the water park of the same name, which was founded in 1976 as a fun park. It consists of more than a dozen different water slides and swings as well as water rides and diving boards and is considered one of the largest of its kind. Its opening times depend entirely on the weather conditions.
Prudential Center
The Prudential Center in Newark is a multifunctional center, which due to its complex design is also affectionately called the rock (in German: the Brocken). It is the home of the national hockey and basketball teams and was opened in 2007. Mainly sports activities like the above mentioned as well as ice hockey and soccer take place in the Prudential Hall, but concerts and festivals are also held in the fun center. Its construction cost $ 375 and took 3 years.
New Jersey Botanical Garden
The New Jersey Botanical Garden, also known as Skylands, is a 390,000m² botanical garden located in Ringwood State Park in Passaic County that is open year round. The huge 44-room English-style villa, its gardens, penitentiaries and golf course were built by a New York stockbroker during the 1920s and designed by architect John Russell Pope. The huge winter garden of the Skylands is home to New Jersey’s largest Jeffreys pine.
Palisades Interstate Park
The Palisades Interstate Park was created in 1900 by the two New York and New Jersey governors Theodore Roosevelt and Foster M. Voorhees. It is intended to protect the large, overgrown cliffs on the Hudson River and to focus tourism more specifically. Today, the park consists of a total of 24 sub-parks, eight historic locations, 23 newly created lakes, 103 holiday resorts and 160 km of so-called scenic drives, picturesque roads through forests and along the 23 km long Hudson River coast. The total area is 405 km².
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
On the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a recreational area on the northern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The area is particularly popular with fans of extreme water rafting, but anglers, hikers, campers and swimmers also get their money’s worth here. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area covers a total of 280 km², including the 62 km Middle Delaware National Scenic River. The local recreation area is a popular place to spot black bears as they are at home in the area.
Other natural beauties
Great Falls
The Great Falls at Paterson in Passaic County is a 23 m high waterfall that is one of the most popular tourist attractions in New Jersey. It originates from the Passaic River and is one of the largest waterfalls in the United States. In 2009 the Great Falls and the area around it was designated as a National Historic Park. The waterfall is particularly interesting during rainy and high tides when huge masses of water plunge down the Passaic River.
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
In central New Jersey, between Morris and Somerset County, is the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, the state’s largest natural park with 30 square kilometers. The Passaic River, which is home to many different types of fish, also originates in this former area, which originally developed from a glacial lake. Furthermore, game and foxes, snakes and turtles as well as 244 different bird species live in the swamp area. The area almost fell victim to the construction of a major airport in the 1950s, but could still be saved by a citizens’ initiative.
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a 10 km long spit of fine-grained sand in the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of New Jersey and belongs to Monmouth County. The small island-like area with the distinctive Sandy Hook lighthouse is a popular destination for families and athletes. It is particularly popular with surfers.
New Jersey Meadowlands
The New Jersey Meadowlands (or Hackensack Meadowlands) are a large ecosystem in northeastern New Jersey that consists primarily of wetlands and swamps. They are approx. 34 km² in size and have remained untouched and protected for a long time and have only recently become victims of pollution and destruction. In the Meadowland Environment Center, visitors can find out about the development of the Meadowlands and their change, and be aware of the impact human intervention has had on flora and fauna in this ecosystem.
Branch Brook Park
The approximately 1.5 km² Branch Brook Park in Essex County is a county park of breathtaking beauty, which is also known from numerous American films. It is known for the largest number of mainly pink-colored Japanese cherry blossom trees in the USA. Around 4,300 trees, which are subject to 15 different species, are in Branch Brook Park, which was built in 1895. In 1980, he was included in the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.
Long Beach Island and Cape May
Both places are known for their excellent beaches. Cape May is the southernmost city in the state of New Jersey and attracts numerous visitors every year for a beach holiday on the fine, almost white sandy beach. The same applies to Long Beach Island, an approx. 30 km² large offshore island on the Atlantic coast, which is around 0.8 km wide at its widest point. However, caution is advised, because shark attacks occur repeatedly on the coasts of New Jersey.
Pine Barrens
The Pine Barrens are a heavily forested area of approximately 4,500 km² in the southern part of the state that extends from the center to the south of New Jersey along the Atlantic coast and is also known as the pine wasteland. The Barrens, also known as Pinelands, belong to the Pinelands National Reserve as a biosphere reserve and are mainly overgrown by dwarf pitch pines, Virginia pines and even rare and various carnivorous plants.
