Refuge From Atlantic City – Near Atlantic City

If you’re planning a visit to Atlantic City, there’s no reason to spend all your time inside casinos.  There are many interesting places to visit within a short drive of “AC”, including the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.  Only about a 20 minute ride from the Boardwalk, the refuge is a great spot for bird viewing.  It’s outdoors, it’s educational, it’s scenic and it’s one of the best bargains in the region – only $4 per car.

The Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge includes over 47,000 acres of wildlife habitat, mostly on the mainland side of the bays that separate New Jersey’s barrier islands from the mainland.  Hundreds of different kinds of migratory birds fly along the Atlantic Coast every year and many thousands of those birds make a stop at the Forsythe NWR.  The opportunity to see all kinds of ducks, geese, swans, herons, egrets…plovers, skimmers, terns…the list really does go on and on…make the refuge a “must see” spot for serious “birders”.

But you don’t have to know the names of birds to enjoy an hour or two on the refuge’s 8-mile Wildlife Drive.  Located adjacent to the refuge’s headquarters, the drive takes you out into the bay and around some of the “impoundment” ponds created and managed for the benefit of visiting birds.  During the summer months a variety of shorebirds hang around to breed and raise their young.  Drop by during October or November and you may experience the memorable sight of flocks of thousands of migrating ducks or geese.

The popularity of Atlantic City and the other oceanfront towns of New Jersey make it easy to find hotels near the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.  The Atlantic City Expressway puts it all about an hour from Philadelphia while the Garden State Parkway makes it an easy day trip from the New York metropolitan area.

About TheRealPlaces 1656 Articles
Real places to go and real places to stay once you get there.