Hello Friends- I live in South Jersey/Philly area and looking for places to visit in and around New jersey.

1) Looking for natural beauty- 1 day or 2 day trips. We can drive for 2-3 hours
2) We have been to philly many times
3) We have been to Jersey shores many times.
4) We have seen Washington DC's main buildings
5) Seen NYC's main buildings


I think I am looking for places that are beautiful (scenic)...like you find on west coast.

Any recommendations to get out of our house on weekends.
Help and Thank You
Regards

http://www.nj.gov/travel/
http://www.lambertville.org/


http://www.nj.gov/travel/wheretogo_att_garden_list.html

http://www.nj.gov/travel/wtg_outdoor_fun.html

And just outside NJ,

http://www.lyndhurst.org/home.html

http://winterthur.org/visiting/visiting.asp

Your first trip should be to Skyline Drive/Shenandoah Natl. Park in VA.They have a range of cabin/room prices that you might want to review for this spring ASAP.For a 2-dayer, I would recommend adding Charlottesville? and seeing Monticello & Univ. of VA.
Williamsburg is also very doable for you.They are often 5-10 degrees warmer and have some great deals until Spring rush arrives.Leave on Friday evening and you'll still have 2 full days.

cheapbutnice2 that is a great suggestion but definitely more than 2-3 hours from southern NJ.

How about the New Hope area? or further north? There are some great little towns on the Delaware the entire border of PA/NJ.

Much further north is the Delaware Water Gap Recreation area which might be testing your 2-3 hour drive but is well worth it. Great rafting/canoeing in the summer.

I recently visited New Jersey and really enjoyed a day trip to Clinton - it has a nice old town with shops and restaurants, a picturesque river and and old mill.

The Appalachian Trail goes through NJ -- maybe you could hike part of it each weekend. And the Delaware Water Gap area is really beautiful.

Lancaster, PA
Eagles Mere area, PA
Harpers Ferry, WV
Asateague and Chincateage(sp??)
Annapolis
Eastern Shore, MD
Chester County, PA

I live near you....I like all these places

Years ago, about the time when I love NY become popular, there was a New Jersey tourism board slogan "Jersey's Got It"

Unfortunately the the all too frequent response was "they can keep it!"

Most people only see the non-stop suburban sprawl or the endless chemical plants and refineries along the Turnpike.

For some natural beauty some nice 1 day trips in NJ are

1. Canoeing in the Pine Barrens in Southern NJ. This can be fun, but it can also be very hot and very buggy.

2. I 2nd the idea of a canoe trip along the Delaware water gap - there are outfitters who will pick you up at the end of the day and bring you back to the base.

I know you say "New Jersey swamp" and the reaction is usually not great, but really there are two nice swamps in NJ that are great wildlife areas. The Great Swamp near Long Hill is great for Herons, and Secaucus (I know, I know) actually has coyotes. Believe me or not, I've seen them. The Liberty Science Center is also near there, and is a fun place for hands-on science.

Just a few "out of the box" suggestions.

It is by the shore, but some of my fav places in NJ (besides those mentioned) are the Spring Lake or Cape May area; favorite beach only location - Island Beach State Park.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson has the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.

But that's only for you if you enjoy amusement parks.

6 Flags also has a Safari to drive through. Just watch out for the monkeys.

I would agree with driving north along the River Road. From just north of Trenton on up is a slew of cute towns: Lambertville, Stockton, Frenchtown, Milton. Then Clinton and Flemington are further inland.

On the Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap is the lovely Watching State Forest.

Beyond that is the Skylands. http://www.njskylands.com/ The Botanical Gardens and Riingwood Manor are nice.