Arguably the most common question you’ll pose to your vehicle-mates on a road trip through New Jersey is: “What exit?” The answer is important, of course, but there are no wrong ones. Each turnoff will lead you somewhere memorable, oftentimes to sights you wouldn’t expect. From whimsical art and kitschy roadside landmarks to venues reminiscent of bygone eras, the Garden State is full of eclectic and creative places to point your wheels. Here are just a few.
Oddities Worth a Detour
Celebrate the state’s greats…
New Jersey’s two main thoroughfares are the NJ Turnpike (NJTP) and the Garden State Parkway (GSP), each with its own set of south-north exits. Between these exits, you’ll find service areas named in honor of famous New Jerseyans. On the NJTP, they pay homage to the American revolutionary figure Molly Pitcher, famed inventor Thomas Edison, and legendary football coach Vince Lombardi (who once coached at a high school in Englewood).
In 2021, the GSP’s pit stops were renamed to honor more recent notables, including the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, iconic Newark-born singer Whitney Houston, and rock legend Jon Bon Jovi.
…along with its quirkiest icons.
On smaller highways, things take a wacky turn, with eccentric statues popping up in unexpected places. Take “Mighty Joe,” a 25-foot gorilla that stands guard at a grill, deli, and gas station in Shamong (between NJTP Exit 7 and GSP Exit 44). In Blackwood, off NJTP Exit 3, the 18-foot “Nitro Girl” hoists a giant tire for local business Werbany Tire Town.
Then there are the “muffler men,” 1960s-era advertising statues with rigid postures and outstretched arms, each uniquely dressed. Near NJTP Exit 2, there’s one outfitted as a cowboy for a rodeo and farmer’s market in Pilesgrove. In Hammonton, between NJTP Exit 3 and GSP Exit 38B, one called “Mr. Bill” sells ice cream and burgers. And beyond NJTP Exit 15E in Jersey City, there’s another dressed like Paul Bunyan — only instead of chopping lumber, he’s hawking carpets.
Lights, Camera, Jersey
Track down your favorite filming locations…
Driving around New Jersey, you might spot something that feels oddly familiar. Then it hits you: you’ve seen it on the big screen. That’s because New Jersey has served as the location for many film and TV shoots. In the pre-Hollywood age, Fort Lee (NJTP Exit 18W) was America’s film capital between 1910 and 1920, and the state has continued to make its way into a ton of media in the years since.
Today, you can visit Sopranos landmarks like a pizza shop in North Arlington and a gentlemen’s club in Lodi (off GSP Exits 153B and 157). There’s also the unassuming Quick Stop in Leonardo (GSP Exit 117), which would just be your normal run-of-the-mill convenience store — unless you’ve seen Kevin Smith’s cult classic, Clerks.
…and the place where Martians made headlines.
Before video killed the radio star, Orson Welles was one of the greatest talents of American radio programming. In 1938, along with a cast of four voice actors, he caused nationwide panic with a seemingly real-life performance of a radio play adapted from H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Listeners were convinced that Martians had landed on Earth and were attacking humans — starting in, of all places on the planet, Grovers Mill (NJTP Exit 8A). A bronze memorial was erected there in 1988 to commemorate the infamous hoax.
Those more familiar with Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film version of War of the Worlds will appreciate that the director brought the imaginary alien invasion back to its Jersey roots by setting the first attack in Bayonne (NJTP Exit 14A). Previous Hollywood adaptations had moved ground zero to California.
19th-Century Time Warps
Hop between Gilded Age glamor…
At the southernmost tip of the state (GSP Exit 0), Cape May is an anomaly among Jersey Shore towns. Just blocks from the beach, there’s a preserved Victorian district with more than 600 historic buildings. A casual stroll takes you back in time through architectural history, with mansions, old banks and hotels, and grand halls. While their interiors have been repurposed for life in present-day Jersey, the Victorian exteriors are so well-preserved that the Cape May Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
…and the Wild West, Jersey style.
Another 1800s time warp awaits at Wild West City, an Old West theme park tucked away in rural Sussex County, just off several GSP and NJTP exits. Open since 1957, it still celebrates classic Western tropes — think spaghetti Westerns and Bonanza — with a dusty main street that doubles as a stage for daily performances by cowboy and cowgirl reenactors. Family-friendly skits like shootouts, robberies, and can-can routines unfold between stagecoach and pony rides and live music in the old saloon.
The Shore Like You’ve Never Seen It
Get a little retro…
For a different kind of throwback, head to Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, and Wildwood (GSP Exits 4–6). These three adjacent beach towns scream 1950s and ’60s, with around 50 vintage motels still standing in the Doo Wop Motel District (officially the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District). Kitschy plastic palm trees line the streets by day, while buzzing neon signs light up Ocean Avenue at night, just as they did during Doo Wop’s heyday.
In fact, Wildwood was such a part of that musical era that it’s believed to be the birthplace of “The Twist,” the dance phenomenon that swept the nation (and the world) when Chubby Checker started performing his cover of the corresponding song in 1960 at Wildwood’s Rainbow Club. Though the club is gone, a museum — complete with a Neon Sign Garden — keeps the era alive across from today’s convention center.
…and visit a timeless landmark.
Driving through Margate off GSP Exit 36, one question is bound to cross your mind: Can we talk about the elephant outside the room? That would be Lucy, the self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Elephant” — a six-story, elephant-shaped building originally constructed in 1881 by a real estate developer to attract potential buyers. Known then as the “Elephant Bazaar,” Lucy changed hands in 1902, was renamed to reflect her identity as female, and even operated as a tavern for a time.
After falling into disrepair and facing demolition, a “Save Lucy” committee formed in 1970 to raise funds for her relocation and restoration. Now a National Historic Landmark, Lucy welcomes curious visitors inside and offers plenty of elephant-themed souvenirs.
Not Your Average Gallery Crawl
Stroll an open-air museum…
Opened in 1992, Grounds for Sculpture is a 42-acre campus in the Trenton suburb of Hamilton (NJTP Exits 7 and 7A) with a sculpture park dedicated to the rotating exhibition and year-round celebration of over 300 contemporary works by established and emerging sculptors. There’s also a museum with a few indoor galleries for more intimate exhibitions, not to mention a flock of peacocks that roams the grounds.
If you’re not into the arts, come hungry. The grounds are not only a feast for the eyes but also for the stomach at Rat’s Restaurant — named after the character from The Wind in the Willows. This romantic, French-inspired eatery serves farm-to-table fare in a setting that’s right out of France, including on an outdoor patio that evokes one of Monet’s “Water Lilies” paintings.
…and step into surrealism.
Driving toward Luna Parc in rural Sandyston in northwestern New Jersey — way beyond NJTP Exit 18 or GSP Exit 145 — it appears you’ve entered a whimsical, mythical destination out of a storybook. It’s actually the residence and art studio of its creator, Ricky Boscarino, a “madcap artist” who blends eclectic motifs that sometimes resemble sets from Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice or Alice in Wonderland, or the mosaics of Gaudí’s Park Güell in Barcelona, all wrapped in Pee Wee Herman’s playhouse. The interiors are just as fanciful in every room.
Note: You can’t simply ring the doorbell and poke around. Boscarino only opens to the public for inside tours on certain days of the year, so be sure to check his Facebook page for tour dates.
From towering roadside art and Victorian time capsules to quirky museums and hidden sculpture gardens, New Jersey is far more than meets the eye. Pack your curiosity, hit the exits, and find out what unexpected wonders await in the Garden State. 
