I am sometimes asked how my wife and I come up with ideas for the road trips that make their way into this blog. The truth is that we are always on the lookout for new places to explore, be it awesome nature hikes, cool museums, or bizarre roadside attractions. Whether it’s word-of-mouth recommendations from a friend, a segment we see on TV, an article in a magazine, or a random post on social media, we try to keep an eye (and an ear) out for new ideas.
Once we hear of something cool, we’ll add it to our ever-growing list in Trello, an organization and planning app that we both have installed on our phones. The app allows us to add and edit a shared list where we track our road trip ideas. Despite all of our adventures, it seems like the list just keeps growing and growing… darn jobs and grownup responsibilities get in the way of our wanderlust! However, this past Saturday we were able to cross off not one or two, but three locations from our Trello list, all thanks to one daylong adventure.
So come along, then, as we venture to a national wildlife refuge, a historic winery, and several amazing eating spots!
Let’s begin:
The 200 Mile Saturday Adventure
Our plan for the day – over 200 miles of driving along the central and southern New Jersey shore. While the most popular NJ summer destinations are on the barrier islands that line the coast, we were instead staying on the bay side of the shore, visiting some lesser-known, but equally amazing, places.This is a small section of our “Places to Go” list on Trello – we’d be crossing the Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Maxwell Shellfish, and Renault Winery off the list. Three down – seventy more places to go!Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, but as we set off in the morning, we encountered only cloudy skies. Fortunately, by mid-morning, the clouds would break and we would be treated to a day of unexpected sunshine.Our first stop was an early breakfast at Grits & Grace, a dinette in Bayville that’s only open for breakfast and lunch.While my wife enjoyed an order of eggs and corned beef hash, I devoured this pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwich. A pork roll is a minced ham that is flavored with salt and spices. How you order it in New Jersey depends on what part of the state you are visiting. In the northern half of New Jersey, it’s called “Taylor Ham.” South Jersey refers to it as a pork roll. Each half of the state zealously defends its name for the product. Even former President Barack Obama mentioned the Taylor Ham vs. Pork Roll debate in his commencement address at Rutgers University in 2015 (via Wikipedia).Although not scheduled, we followed some signs and made a detour to Mill Creek County Park in Berkeley Township. The park offers picnic areas, as well as boat launches onto scenic Toms River.My wife spotted this egret atop a tree branch along the river. I had left my camera in the car, so all I had with me was my phone. I recently upgraded to an iPhone 14 Pro, and while not as good as my “real” camera, the new phone continues to impress me with its image quality – I took this shot using the phone’s zoom function. Impressive!About 45 minutes after departing Mill Creek County Park, we arrived at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established in 1984, near Atlantic City, to protect an important wetlands area that is crucial for migratory and wading birds. It’s named for Edwin B. Forsythe (R), a US Congressman from New Jersey who was a staunch nature conservationist (via Wikipedia).Upon our arrival, we stopped by the visitor center to learn more about the refuge. The two staff members on duty were invaluable, giving us a great overview of the park, and offering tips to make the most of our stop.A large monitor in the visitor center shows various webcams, including several shots of an osprey nest in the refuge.The refuge offers an 8-mile auto tour, allowing you to see various bird species from the comfort of your own vehicle. There is a nominal fee for the auto tour ($4), but we used the opportunity to renew our US National Parks Service Annual Pass, which granted us free access to the tour.At a small observation area behind the visitor center, my wife borrowed my camera and snagged this fantastic shot of a Carolina wren in song.We next we walked down to the Leeds Eco-Trail, a fully handicapped-accessible boardwalk along the wetlands that offers some amazing views.From the trail, we could see an osprey nest, with one of the parents watching over its chicks.Initially, we thought this bird in flight was a heron – its long legs stretched out behind its body. It turned out to be an osprey carrying a branch!The osprey was bringing the branch back to the nest to further fortify it. It was basically on a run to Home Depot for some additional lumber.Just goes to show – even in nature, weekends are for home improvement.The Eco-Trail also offers an impressive view of the Atlantic City skyline.My wife spotted movement in the mucky ground beneath the boardwalk – it was a fiddler crab maneuvering its way through the mud. The fiddler is instantly recognizable due to the male’s enlarged claw. The large claw is used to attract a mate, and is not used for fighting or killing prey. Fiddlers burrow into the mud of wetlands, helping to keep oxygen moving through the ecosystem (via Texas Parks and Wildlife).As we climbed back into the Accord, the sun broke through the clouds just in time for our drive along the auto tour. The 8-mile gravel and dirt road takes you through the wetlands, offering amazing views of the landscape and the wildlife.Within a few hundred yards of starting the tour, I pulled over to grab a shot of an egret wading in the water. This, however, would be the last time I exited the car during the tour…Check out the mirror – it’s greenhead season at the shore! The greenhead is a horse fly that enjoys feasting on the blood of animals, birds… and humans. They swarm along the coastal regions of the eastern United States in early summer, and they were in full force during our visit. As we crept along on tour, we could hear them bouncing off my car’s sheet metal as they swarmed it, trying to take a bite. Yuck, yuck, yuck.As such, the remainder of the photos were shot from the safety of my vehicle. Fortunately, there were very few other cars on the auto route, allowing plenty of time to stop and photograph wildlife, such as this tree full of egrets.During most of our trips to the shore, I’ll feel fortunate to spot an egret or two. We saw dozens of these birds during our time in the refuge.My wife spotted this adult osprey and its juvenile offspring in the nest. Osprey hatchlings will stay in the nest for 55 days, but even after leaving the nest they will continue to return to it until the end of the summer (via Friends of Blackwater).My wife also snagged this shot of a glossy ibis hunting for food. It seemed entirely unperturbed by the seagulls, and the gulls didn’t seem to mind the company.Meanwhile, this egret seemed entirely unimpressed as we drove past.The last bird we spotted was this small red wing blackbird, perched atop a branch.We emerged from the 8-mile auto tour with hundreds of photos, and plenty of great memories. If you stop into the visitor center, be sure to grab a copy of the auto tour guide. The road has numbered signs (#22 is pictured) which correspond to entries on the guide, telling you more information about the refuge. If you’re at the shore and are looking for a really cool place to explore, the Edwin B. Forsyth National Wildlife Refuge is an awesome spot!Our next stop took us to a gas station, and in the corner of the lot, housed in a former service garage, is Kizbee’s Kitchen, a 100% gluten-free bakery! Kizbee’s is located in Egg Harbor City, along White Horse Pike. Cakes, cookies, donuts, brownies, pies… literally every item in Kizbee’s in gluten free! We bought a scone for an immediate snack, and then got a strawberry and lemon curd cookie sandwich, along with a brookie (a brownie/cookie) to go. So, so, so good!Our next stop was Renault Winery, the second-oldest winery in the United States.Renault was established in 1864 and has operated on this same spot for the past 158 years. It has since grown to include a golf course and a luxury hotel, but the winery is still its core.We tried a tasting flight, which offers samples of five wines. The “must try” wine is the champagne. “Champagne” is a term that can only be used for wine originating in the Champagne region of France. Louis Renault, the founder of the winery, brought the champagne grapes with him to New Jersey, and Renault is one of the few vineyards outside of France that is allowed to call its sparkling wine “champagne” (via Renault Winery).Our server told us to check out two rooms before we left. The first stop was the Champagne Glass Museum, featuring champagne glasses from various countries and time periods.This ornate champagne glass dates back to the 16th century, and was created in Venice.This is the oldest glass in the collection – it was blown in the 13th century. I love the detailing on the base!We next made our way to the Speakeasy Room. During Prohibition, Renault stayed open by officially selling non-alcoholic tonics, but their largest income source was a rollicking speakeasy. This is a recreation – the original exited on the second floor of the building. Still, it’s super cool to see the winery preserve its heritage. Curiosity (and palettes) satisfied, we set off for some lunch!Our final destination for the day was a late seafood lunch at Maxwell Shellfish, a fish market and raw bar in Port Republic. The Maxwell family has been in the seafood business in New Jersey for over 150 years!After ordering, we took this buoy to our picnic table and waited for our food.Not a bad view during our lunch! Maxwell Shellfish is near the Mullica River, which leads out to the Atlantic Ocean, making this area a prime launching point for fishing trips.Our lunch arrived – a platter of lobster tail, steamed shrimp, clams, and oysters. The homemade mignonette sauce was an absolutely perfect pairing with the oysters. Aside from “Mmmm…. good!” and “Try this!”, my wife and I barely spoke to each other, too busy were we in devouring our meal! Full, and happy, we set off for home.Two hours later, we pulled into the garage. Along the way, the Accord crossed yet another milestone – 221,000 is now in the books. The quarter-million mile mark is fast approaching. Onward!
Wrapping Up
A beautiful Saturday in early July made for a great day to cross stuff off the list! From the delicious meals, to views of amazing wildlife, to sipping champagne at a historic winery, we had a lovely day on the road. Every spot we visited is open year round, so if you’re at the shore and want to get away from the crowds, head a little inland and check out some really cool locations!
Thanks, as always, for coming along on another journey down the open road ahead!
The Open Road Ahead 
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