Vacations are important for your physical and mental health, whether you take a two-week trip or only have time for a short getaway. Unfortunately, long road trips aren’t the ideal way to de-stress. When you chose a getaway location close to home, you could be sunbathing on the beach or hiking a mountain trail just a few hours after leaving your Central New Jersey home. One of these vacation destinations may be the perfect spot for your summer getaway.

Sunbathing in the Southern End of Jersey

Avalon, located near the southern tip of New Jersey, offers small town charm and beautiful ocean and bay views. Although the beach is the main attraction, you won’t run out of things to do when you’re ready to take a break from sunbathing. Fishing charters, miniature golf, jet ski rentals, casual and fine dining restaurants, art galleries and shopping will keep you busy when you’re not working on your tan.

The Windrift Hotel is the place to stay if you appreciate comfortable rooms, multiple dining options and easy beach access. The hotel offers 10 accommodation types, ranging from classic rooms with two queen beds to four-bedroom condos. Rooms feature Euro Top mattresses with luxurious bedding, flat screen TVs, Red Flower bath products and Keurig coffee brewers. Thanks to six on-site restaurants and bars, you’ll never go hungry or thirsty!

Hotel amenities include a zero-entry heated pool, hot tub, nightly entertainment and dancing, complimentary beach tags, free internet access, valet parking, weekend yoga, complimentary beach cruisers and access to the Stone Harbor Golf Club.

Exploring the Catskills

Boredom won’t be an issue if you book a getaway in the Catskills. The region offers a variety of activities for the entire family, including, hiking, biking, swimming, boating fishing, sky diving, hot air balloon rides, antiquing and wineries.

If you prefer to stay in one place during your getaway, The DeBruce in Livingston Manor, NY, offers the ultimate Catskill vacation experience. With just 14 guest rooms, the hotel never seems overcrowded. Rooms offer views of the mountains or the Willowemoc Valley and River and feature down duvets, Sferra linens and Malin+Goetz toiletries.

In addition to swimming in the outdoor pool, guests enjoy hiking, spa treatments and fishing in one of the ponds or the Willowemoc River. Breakfast and dinner are included in room rates.

Enjoying the Mountain Scenery in the Poconos

Has it been a while since you’ve spent a few days in the mountains? If you’re looking for a little solitude, the Poconos may be the ideal location for your getaway. The area is big enough to contain thousands of vacationers at a time without feeling crowded, yet small enough to make traveling easy.

Hawley, near Lake Wallenpaupack, makes a good home base while you’re in the area. The 5,700-acre lake offers swimming, hiking, boating, jet skiing, paddle boarding, fishing and other recreational activities. 

After a busy day exploring the Poconos, you’ll appreciate the comforts of your room or suite at The Lodge at Woodloch. No matter which type of accommodation you choose, you’ll enjoy sipping your morning coffee on your private veranda overlooking a lake or rock-garden waterfall. Rooms feature down comforters, locally-inspired furniture, complimentary internet, flat-screen TVs and oversized showers with rain showerheads. The resort also offers a spa and a restaurant that features locally-grown vegetables and naturally-raised meats and fish.

Relaxing on Long Beach Island

Long Beach Island is full of walkable little beach towns that provide all of the ocean-side amenities you need for a short getaway or a week-long vacation. Beach Haven is the ideal spot if you’re looking for a location with plenty of activities. In addition to the usual souvenir and surf shops, the town offers clothing boutiques, candy shops, antique stores, restaurants, an amusement park, and a water park.

Brant Beach is a good choice if you’d like a quieter location. Although there are certainly a few stores and businesses in town, this area of Long Beach Island isn’t quite as bustling as some of the neighboring towns. Do you prefer hotel rooms that aren’t covered in shells, starfish, seascapes and other beachy decorations? You’ll want to check out the contemporary Daddy O Hotel in Brant Beach. The 22-room boutique hotel features a modern interior, rooftop bar, restaurant and outdoor dining area. Rooms offer fine linens, ultra plush mattresses, rain showerheads, and marble and natural wood bathrooms.

Icona Diamond Beach

The Icona Diamond Beach, located on one of the few private beaches in New Jersey, offers 104 rooms and suites with interiors designed by celebrity designer Blanche Garcia. Rated as one of the best hotels in the world in TripAdvisor’s 2017 Travelers’ Choice Awards, the resort occupies prime beachfront property in Wildwood Crest. Many accommodations feature floor-to-ceiling windows, private balconies and galley kitchens.

The beach club provides everything you need to enjoy an afternoon on the beach, including lounger, umbrella, surfboard and boogie board rentals and chair-side food and beverage service.

Icona Diamond Beach amenities include an outdoor pool, splash pool for kids, surf lessons, a fitness center and two eateries. Full-service restaurant Coastal Blue is noted for its fresh seafood, while the Star Beach Bar offers food, drinks, fire pits and live music on the beach.

Chestnut Hill on the Delaware

Relaxation is inevitable when you spend your getaway at Chestnut Hill on the Delaware, a Victorian-era home built in 1860. Every guest room in the bed and breakfast features period furnishings and comfortable mattresses that encourage you to linger long after the sun rises.

Summer Morning, one of the six luxurious rooms, offers excellent views of the Delaware River, an electric fireplace, double Jacuzzi with waterfall spout, frameless glass rainfall shower, stained glass bathroom windows, heated towel rack and floor, an electric fireplace and a Claudio Reyes king-size bed designed in Italy. Other rooms in the bed and breakfast offer similar amenities.

While you’re in the area, book a tubing trip down the Delaware, or explore the one-of-a-kind shops in nearby New Hope, Flemington and Lambertville. The Milford House and the Ship Inn are good lunch and dinner options if you don’t want to venture out of town.

The Reeds at Shelter Haven

Voted one of the “World’s Best Hotels” by Conde Nast Traveler, The Reeds at Shelter Haven makes a stay at the beach a vacation you won’t soon forget. Although the luxury boutique hotel is located on the bay, the beach is only a few short blocks away.

Thirty-seven guestrooms and suites offer all the features and amenities you need for a relaxing vacation, including triple-sheeted 100 percent Egyptian cotton linens, flat screen TVs, frameless glass enclosed showers with rainfall shower heads, Keurig coffee makers, refrigerators, complimentary WiFi and seasonal turn-down service.

Amenities include complimentary transportation to the beach, beach chairs, towels and beach tags; beverage and food service; kayaks and paddle boards; complimentary morning yoga sessions; plunge pool and hot tubs on the rooftop deck; exclusive guest access to Stone Harbor Golf Club; and two on-site restaurants.

Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa

Atlantic City is the perfect getaway location if you want upscale accommodations, beautiful views and abundant entertainment and shopping options. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa offers well-appointed rooms, but it’s the suites that really set the hotel apart. The 1,000-square-foot Opus Suite offers floor-to-ceiling windows, signature custom bed and deep soaking bath/shower for two, while the 1,500-square-foot Piatto Suite features imported marble vanities, a separate powder room, plush sofas and multi-media entertainment center.

Amenities at the Borgata include five indoor/outdoor pools, five boutique shopping experiences, five signature restaurants, a beach shuttle, a fitness center, and spa and salon services. 

Sandy Hook National Recreation Area

Would you prefer a more laid-back beach trip this year? At Sandy Hook National Recreation Center, there are no high-rise hotels or crowded boardwalks. In fact, the landscape looks much as it did when Henry Hudson first discovered the barrier peninsula in the 1600s. You’ll find plenty to do at Sandy Hook, whether you stay for a weekend or a week. In addition to swimming, the area offers surf fishing, birding, boating, hiking and roller blading.

The peninsula once played an important role in the country’s military defense. Fort Hancock on the north end of Sandy Hook protected New York City from sea invasions from 1895 to 1974. Tours of the fort, lighthouse, keeper’s quarters and barn are available during summer visits.

The recreation area offers 20 tent campsites for the ultimate low-key beach vacation experience. If you’d like less rustic accommodations, you may want to check into a hotel in nearby Long Branch or Red Bank.

Crystal Springs Resort

If roughing it isn’t your style, Crystal Springs Resort in northwestern New Jersey provides all the pampering you desire. Both the Minerals Hotel and the Grand Cascades Lodge offer comfortable, tastefully decorated rooms and suites that are ideal for family vacations or golf getaways. An on-site spa, sauna and steam room set the tone for a relaxing trip.

The resort offers an abundance of activities, from swimming to racquet sports to fitness classes. Worried that a rainy day will spoil your fun? Thanks to an indoor pool and tennis court, you won’t have to spend the day in front of the TV when it rains.

Golfers will enjoy trying each of the six golf courses the resort offers. The courses, designed by a variety of prominent designers, including Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Robert Von Hagge, offer challenging greens and outstanding scenery.

Parvin State Park

Do your favorite childhood family vacation memories include swimming in a spring-fed lake and enjoying nightly campfires? These days, it’s not so easy to find lakes that still allow swimming. Parvin State Park, located near the Pine Barrens in the southern New Jersey, is the perfect place to re-create the vacations you fondly remember.

Swimming, boating, hiking and kayaking are popular activities at the historic park, which housed German prisoners in World War II. Pet-friendly campsites are available, as are fully furnished cabins. The cabins sleep six and offer fireplaces, bathroom, stoves, refrigerators and outdoor fire rings.

While you’re in the area, take a road trip to Sharrott Winery in Winslow for a wine tasting or schedule a round of golf at Running Deer Golf Course, located at the north end of the park.

The Town of Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill is the perfect base if you’d like to explore everything southern New Jersey and Philadelphia have to offer. The town offers a range of accommodations and is only about 20 minutes from Philadelphia via local bridges or the PATCO high speed rail line.

The nature lovers in the family will want to spend a day at the Adventure Aquarium, located on the Camden Waterfront. The aquarium features more than 8,500 species of aquatic life, a walk-through shark bridge, a Little Blue penguins exhibit and an impressive shark collection. After your visit to the aquarium, take a walk over to the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial. During a guided tour, you’ll learn about the role the ship played in conflicts from World War II through the Persian Gulf War.

Younger family members may enjoy a visit to the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill. The museum offers hands-on, child-sized displays, including a grocery store, service station and diner, in addition to the Arts and Imagination center and the popular Dinosarium.

Looking for something to do in the evenings? Head over the river to Citizens Bank Park for a Phillies game or take in a Broadway classic at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music. While you’re in the Cherry Hill area, you’ll find plenty of dining choices, ranging from major chain eateries near the Cherry Hill Mall to intimate, one-of-a-kind restaurants in Haddonfield and Collingswood.

All of these New Jersey getaways are only a few hours away at most when you live within a Country Classics new home community. If you are interested in a new home in Central New Jersey with a great location, visit our website to learn more about our current opportunities!