Places In New Jersey You've Probably Never Heard Of (But Should Visit)

There's a lot of hidden treasures in the Armpit of America. So, maybe stop calling it that.

Twin Lights Lighthouse

Capture This Photography by Laurie Jackson / Via capturethisphotography.com

No, this isn't Medieval Times. It's actually a lighthouse. It rests atop the Atlantic Highlands with breathtaking views of Sandy Hook, NJ and faraway Manhattan & Brooklyn.

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Manhattan skyline from Twin Lights (2011).

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A ton of history took place there, too. It was the first American lighthouse to use a Fresnel lens. It's still on display there. It weighs 10 tons and is 9.5 feet in diameter.

Wikipedia / Via en.wikipedia.org

The Twin Lights from Sandy Hook, NJ pretending to be some sort of freaky castle.

Paterson Great Falls

Wikipedia / Via en.wikipedia.org

**Disclaimer** this is not a screenshot from The Lord of the Rings (especially not The Hobbit - but who really is following that series???). This is a 77 foot tall waterfall in Paterson, NJ. It's so spectacular that it's a national park.

Great Falls NPS / Via Flickr: patersongreatfalls

In 1793, two years after the society's foundation, the falls was the site of the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in New Jersey.

Wikipedia / Via en.wikipedia.org

The Falls are a great reminder that New Jersey was a major player in early American history. Here's an engraving of it in the 1700s made by some dude. Do you see a McDonald's in the distance or is that just me?

Great Falls NPS / Via Flickr: patersongreatfalls

Oh, and the Sopranos filmed here, too. You can catch The Falls in Season 1, Episode 6 when a drug dealer is tossed off from the top.

Historic Cold Spring Village

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"The village is an Early American open-air living history museum that brings to life the day-to-day activities of southern New Jersey residents from 1790-1840." (from Press of Atlantic City)

thelittlebirdsareurgingme.blogspot.com / Via blogger.com

It's like a miniature Colonial Williamsburg, VA. You can visit shops, learn how to churn butter, and ride horses.

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It's 30 acres, so it's pretty big. Here's a map of it, complete with colonial stuff like a "blacksmith shop."

Exit Zero Magazine / Via exitzero.us

Exit Zero Magazine. / Via exitzero.us

It's located at the very tip of New Jersey in Cape May.

Northlandz

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Located in Flemington, NJ, Northlandz is the world's largest model railroad.

The Dailymail / Via dailymail.co.uk

It took 16 years to build Northlandz and it contains 100 trains, 400 bridges, and 3,000 miniature buildings.

The Dailymail / Via dailymail.co.uk

The tallest points are around 30 feet tall.

The Dailymail / Via dailymail.co.uk

Some of the residents of Northlandz, in a pre-NJ Transit time.

River Horse Brewing Company

Via usmilitarygamers.com

This brewing factory is located in Ewing, NJ. Once a local New Jersey staple, River Horse is now making a name for themselves beyond the state. It's shipped to PA, CT & NY.

NJ.com / Via nj.com

It's a hip beer palace.

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You can get intimate tours of how the beer is made and distributed.

River Horse / Via Twitter: @RiverHorseBrew

...and after your tour, you get to taste all of their awesome beers on tap! Some favorites include: Hipp-O-Lantern: Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Tripel Horse: Belgian Style Tripel & the Oatmeal Milk Stout.

Cowtown Rodeo

Via cowtownrodeo.com

Located in Pilesgrove, NJ, this is *actually* the home of the United States' oldest weekly running rodeo show.

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Some classic rodeo favorites take place here, like: bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and bareback riding.

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It's been around since 1929 and kept together by the Harris Family.

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It's pretty amazing that something so seemingly non-New Jersey has held onto success as long as it has.

Papa's Tomato Pie

Via papastomatopies.com

Located in Robbinsville, NJ, this is the oldest family-owned pizza restaurant in the entire United States.

Via papastomatopies.com

It first opened in 1912 in Trenton, NJ. It moved to Chambers Street in Trenton in 1945 and then recently moved to Robbinsville, NJ in 2013.

Via photos.nj.com

And if you don't care about the cool history of the place, then rest assured you will be served insanely good pizza. It was voted the best in the entire state of New Jersey and ranked 18th in the United States.

Via photos.nj.com

Look at that cheesy goodness.

Lakota Wolf Preserve

Via tripadvisor.com

Located in Columbia, NJ, this is a safe haven for not only wolves, but bobcats and foxes, too.

Via Flickr: johndhoboken

A bobcat, lurkin'.

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You can take up-close-and personal tours of the wildlife - even photography tours, so you can snap some Nat Geo-level close-ups of the pups.

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Don't you want to cuddle!?

Unionville Winery

Via wine-compass.com

Located in Ringoes, NJ, this is considered one of the finest vineyards in the Northeast.

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The tasting room.

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The vineyard sits on 88 acres of preserved farmland.

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...in fact, it's so beautiful that....

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weddings are held here all the time.

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...so the next time you're in New Jersey...

...and are annoyed by the traffic, smell, people, and everything else you (sometimes maybe) should be legitimately annoyed about, check out these unknown spots.