When talk comes around to mentioning historic seaports, the New Jersey
shore doesn’t always command the attention of its more northerly
neighbors – so in the late ‘80s, a group of local sportsmen got together
to create a “gunning club” to teach the tradition of waterfowling.
Out of that modest undertaking has spawned the Tuckerton Seaport, a
40-acre site that replicates the life, art and work of the New Jersey
shore. This beautifully recreated seaport village in southern Ocean
County, New Jersey, was established to “preserve, present and interpret”
the rich maritime heritage of the New Jersey shore and its baymen.
Its 16 recreated historical structures resurrect the life of a
19th-century maritime village. Along with the expected exhibits of
decoys, tools and even Barnegat Bay boats, visitors are treated to
interactive demonstrations and hands-on workshops intended to preserve
the traditional baymen’s trades.
The entire site sits on the Tuckerton Creek, a feeder into
Little Egg Harbor Bay. Located directly across from Lake Pohatcong,
Tuckerton Seaport is just a half-hour north of Atlantic City; take exit
58 (Route 539) from the Garden State Parkway and head south to
Tuckerton, then turn right on Route 9. Open 10am-5pm, March through
December.
For more information, contact: (609) 296-8868, tuckertonseaport.org.
