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www.sparkexploreocean.com 25 Riverfront Landing County Park 71 East Water Street, Toms River 732-506-9090 This “pocket” park is in a beautiful and tranquil environment on the Toms River in downtown Toms River. For those employed in and around the town, a picnic at this meticulously manicured park overlooking the Toms River is a great lunchtime alternative. E. B. Leone County Conservation Area 45 acres Hooper Avenue & South Shore Drive, Toms River These pristine wetlands on the northern shore of Silver Bay can be visited via the Parks & Recreation Department’s pontoon boat tours. Stanley H. “Tip” Seaman County Park 22 acres 120 Lakeside Drive (Route 9), Tuckerton 609-296-5606 ““Tip” Seaman County Park on the shores of Lake Pohatcong is probably best-known as the site of the Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show. This two-day event draws exhibitors and visitors from the entire eastern seaboard and beyond and has been named as one of the top 100 events in North America. “Tip” was also the home of the first Barnegat Bay Decoy Museum, and the newly constructed and expanded museum is just across Route 9 at the site of the Tuckerton Seaport. Wells Mills County Park 910 acres 905 Wells Mills Road (Route 532), Waretown 609-971-3085 Wells Mills is the largest park in the Ocean County park system with over 900 acres of pine and oak forest within southern New Jersey’s environmental marvel, the Pine Barrens. Miles of hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty can be found here, including a “VIP” (Visually Impaired Persons) Trail. Beautiful Wells Mills Lake has trails meandering around it, and canoe rentals are available at a nominal cost. The three-story Nature Center offers a great display floor, a library, and Elizabeth Meirs Morgan Observation Deck on the third floor, dedicated in honor of a very active local naturalist and conservationist. Environmental programs and classes are held regularly at Wells Mills, with experienced naturalists available to answer questions about the ecology of this area. The annual “Pine Barrens Jamboree,” a day filled with music, piney vittles and hand-made crafts, is held at Wells Mills each October. Photo by C. Leslie


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