Published Oct 25, 2019

Have A Frighteningly Good Time At New Jersey’s New Friday The 13th Museum

New Jersey's rich cinematic history includes iconic filming locations for movies like Friday the 13th, with tours and museums dedicated to the film.

Published Oct 25, 2019

Written by

Kristen

Experiences|Museums

Published Aug 15, 2024

There’s a Taylor Swift Exhibit At This Small Jersey Shore Museum

Published Aug 15, 2024

Written by

Raymond Goldfield

It seems impossible to escape Taylor Swift these days - whether you like her music or not, the superstar songstress is everywhere, crisscrossing the globe and being front and center at every KC Chiefs game. But did you know that the world's most famous woman actually has some surprising New Jersey roots? No, she might not have been born here - but she and her family spent much of her childhood living in Stone Harbor. Yes, that Stone Harbor - one of the shore's most peaceful and most charming towns just got an infusion of superstardom thanks to the opening of a temporary Taylor Swift Exhibit at the Stone Harbor Museum, one of the state's smallest museums. That means it might suddenly be a lot more crowded - but don't delay, because this unique exhibit is only open until the end of September!

A few years back, the Stone Harbor Museum moved from an old house to a more accessible location on Main Street.

This tiny museum is dedicated to the history of this charming shore town and its place on the Jersey Shore ecosystem - complete with plenty of sea artifacts.

Additionally, many of the exhibits here tie back to the history of the town and its role in the development of the shore.

It's a pretty sleepy town - so why are there lines out the door these days?

It's all due to one exhibit - devoted to Taylor Swift's New Jersey childhood. The iconic superstar spent twelve years growing up here while her father worked as a firefighter for the local company.

In addition to rare photos, the exhibit contains quotes from Swift about how Stone Harbor influenced her life.

Swifties (of all ages) have wasted no time rushing to visit the exhibit and learn about the town that helped make the world's most famous singer who she is.

Have you visited the Taylor Swift exhibit at the Stone Harbor Museum? What's your favorite Swift era? (I'm an old-head and I'll always be partial to those first country albums) If you want to visit for yourself, check out the Stone Harbor Museum website and Stone Harbor Museum Facebook page for more details. While you're in Stone Harbor, make sure to visit Springer's - this old-school ice cream parlor has been open for many decades, so it's possible a certain blonde-haired girl had a cone here in summer's past. And if you're looking for a hotel stay to make you feel like a celebrity, check out The Reeds at Shelter Haven, an acclaimed luxury resort only feet from the museum.

Experiences|Museums

Published Jul 17, 2024

The Completely Free Museum Hiding In A New Jersey Historic District Is A Must-Visit

Published Jul 17, 2024

Written by

Raymond Goldfield

There are few things I love more than a visit to a good museum, and they're often a fascinating look back into the history of humanity or the creatures that lived before us - and they're often very low-priced or even free to enter! But one free museum in New Jersey is bridging the gap and giving us a look into a unique part of human history that often gets overlooked. The Alan Ewing Carman Museum of Prehistory, part of the Cumberland County Historical Society's network of small museums, is a museum dedicated to early man, focusing on the Native Americans who lived here before recorded history - hunting, gathering, crafting simple tools, and creating the building blocks of human civilization. This is the kind of place that looks small, but is well worth exploring for a fascinating look into the past.

Located in a tiny shed, the Museum of Prehistory is easy to miss - but history buffs won't want to drive on by.

alt — Alan Ewing Carman Museum of Prehistory/Google Local

This one-room museum specializes in artifacts belonging to the earliest native Americans, who developed many of the basic tools that formed the foundations of human civilization.

alt — Alan Ewing Carman Museum of Prehistory/Google Local

One of the most impressive exhibits in the museum is its massive collection of found arrowheads.

There are also some impressive fossils of the animals the Native Americans hunted and coexisted with preserved here.

What's this? It's a Bannerstone. What's a Bannerstone? We don't know! This is one of the most mysterious artifacts on display here.

alt — Cumberland County Historical Society/Facebook

The museum is staffed by a skilled team of volunteer archaeologists who examine the ancient tools and figure out where they came from and what they were used for.

alt — Cumberland County Historical Society/Facebook

The museum is only minutes away from the Nicholas Gibbon House, one of the oldest houses in New Jersey and a fascinating historical site in its own right.

Have you visited the Alan Ewing Carman Museum of Prehistory? What's your favorite free museum in New Jersey? Let us know in the comments section! You can find out more about this whole network of museums by following the Cumberland County Historical Society Facebook page. While you're in South Jersey, take a quick trip east to Millville, where you'll find some of the most fascinating art history in New Jersey. That's also where you'll find the Fairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott Millville/Vineland, which is a reasonably priced and well-reviewed hotel with an Art Deco design.

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Have A Frighteningly Good Time At New Jersey’s New Friday The 13th Museum

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There’s a Taylor Swift Exhibit At This Small Jersey Shore Museum

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The Completely Free Museum Hiding In A New Jersey Historic District Is A Must-Visit

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