Page 12 - 2023 Southern NJ Vacationer

Trail Biking at the Maurice River Bluffs Preserve
Lucy the Elephant
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Sunshine Dog Park, Bridgeton
THE MAURICE RIVER BLUFFS PRESERVE:
Named for its majestic rounded cliffs overlooking the “Wild and Scenic” Maurice River, this 500-acre preserve offers hilly terrain not often found in southern New Jersey. The preserve provides crucial stopover habitat for migrating and breeding birds, including songbirds, waterfowl and raptors like nesting osprey and bald eagles. In addition to six miles of hiking trails there are also six-miles of challenging mountain biking trails. They are one of the few trails in southern New Jersey that offers a significant elevation change.
ATLANTIC CITY AIR SHOW—Thunder Over The Boardwalk: The FREE event is set for August 16, 2023, and is one of the largest air shows in North America, and sets the bar for air shows across the United States, The Atlantic City Air Show is
unique with its mid-week date and beach setting. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side and casinos lining the New Jersey skyline on the other, the air show fills the afternoon sky with aircraft that fly as high as 15,000 feet and as low as 50 feet along Atlantic City’s busy Boardwalk. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be showing off their heart-stopping maneuvers and roaring aircraft flying high above the Atlantic City beach and boardwalk. www.airshow.acchamber.com
LEGENDARY LUCY: Ever stepped inside the belly of that big, gray elephant named Lucy in Margate? Put that on your summer bucket list! Built by a real estate developer in 1881, and recently reopened after a $2.4 Million Restoration Project, Lucy stands six stories tall, weighs over 90 tons and is made up of more than a million pieces of wood. Fun fact: Lucy is the oldest
roadside attraction in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. No legend along the Southern New Jersey shore matches the sight of a 65-foot-high wooden elephant looking out to sea, and according to historians, made many seamen aboard tramp ships swear off their rum rations for days! 609- 823-6473; www.lucytheelephant.org
REEL FUN: Just in case you hook one for the record books, the Cape May County Fishing Contest runs from January through December and is open to anyone catching one of 30 recognized species of fish in Cape May County waters which include the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay off Cape May County, inland waterways and the bays around the county. There is no fee and no pre-registration. Rules, regulations at www.thejerseycape.com
10 SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY VACATIONER