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Highlands Q3 where the JERSEY SHORE begins Explore all that Highlands has to offer and you’ll want to return often. Aquick ferry ride away from Manhattan, Highlands feels like an island getaway. Start your day with a bicycle ride or short walk over the newly constructed Highlands Bridge to the Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook, a 7-mile-long peninsula with over 1,600 acres of pristine beach and a spectacular holly forest where over 300 species of migratory shorebirds can be spotted. Spend the day sunbathing and swimming on the wide beaches or enjoy premier surf fishing. Horseshoe Cove on the bay side of Sandy Hook offers plenty of spots to anchor your boat and ideal conditions for kayaking, parasailing, windsurfing and Jet Skiing. History buffs can tour the 1764 Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, and the Fort Hancock historic area, with Spanish-American War–era experimental gun batteries and Cold War–era missile sites. From Sandy Hook, head up to Twin Lights Historic Site for a tour of the Civil War–era lighthouse and the site where Marconi demonstrated the commercial potential of wireless radio by broadcasting the 1899 America’s Cup race. Tour the museum, marvel at the massive Fresnel lens and climb the steps to the top of the north tower for panoramic views of New York City, Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean from the highest point on the eastern seaboard south of Maine. Near Twin Lights is Monmouth County Park System’s Hartshorne Woods—787 acres of parkland featuring 19 miles of acclaimed forest trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding plus memorable ocean views. Closer to sea level, the 1.8-mile Bayshore section of the Henry Hudson Trail, open to both foot and bike traffic, provides a level waterfront passage between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. Pick up the trail at Popamora Park in Highlands or the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor. Stay at one of Highlands’ charming bed & breakfast inns and spend a day exploring downtown’s original “summer bungalow” colonies, unique shops, waterfront restaurants Photo by T. Morrison www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com 73


VisitMonmouth2017
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