Customer Reviews

New Jersey Off the Beaten Path, 8th (Off the Beaten Path Series)

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This book gives you a truly comprehensive look at all that the Garden State has to offer. There are so many interesting things to see and do in New Jersey. What's great about this book is that many of the places discussed are truly "off the beaten path." I've lived in New Jersey my whole life and had never heard of many of the places in the book! There are wolf preserves, museums dedicated to snowmobiles and the state police, farms, historic towns, deserted villages, the Pine Barrens, and the Jersey shore. Since the eighth edition is already 3 years old, I would advise everyone to check online to make sure some of these places are still open. I highly recommend this book.

As I read through the first few pages I couldn't help focusing on repeated errors anyone from NJ would recognise instantly. Being a life long resident of NJ I find this very annoying. Missing or lazy writing does not make for a good "guide book".

In the beginning of the book the author gives information about the phone area codes of NJ. Simple enough right? I mean if you can't get the area codes correct how can you trust any info in the rest of the book? They completely missed the 908 and 609 area codes. I mean c'mon 609 was one of the original 2 area codes in the state for over 50 years. Maybe I'm just picky.

Then they have a section on "major" newspapers in the state. For South Jersey they list The Philadelphia Inquirer? HUH?? An out of state newspaper?!
Yet they fail to list 1)The Asbury Park Press which covers a great swath of the Shore area, 2&3) either Trenton Newspaper which just happen to cover the state capitol region or 4)the Courier-Post which is the major paper in the Cherry Hill area covering the south west.

Since the author was born in North Jersey, and went to college in North Jersey, Then moved to Vermont, it's very apparent to this Jerseyan he fails to really know anything about NJ below Newark.

Also apparent is the author hasn't been to any shore towns other then Ocean Grove and Cape May. The Shore section lacks much basic information on great places and shore towns that are truly "off the beaten path" Unfortunately Ocean Grove and Cape May sit right in the pot hole of the beaten path.
They also give the obligatory paragraph on Springsteen and The Stone Pony but fail to mention Bon Jovi and The Fastlane or The Wonder Bar.

The entire guide book is made up of their unrealistic division of the state. Some how they include The Watchung mountains and the surrounding towns like Mountainside, Summit, Westfield, Scotch Plains and clearly the Central towns of Woodbridge or Perth Amboy as part of the "Urban Northeast" section which is ridiculous.

Looking through the lists of resturants, places to stay, etc. They routinely place locations that fall in their odd mapping from the "urban north" instead of the "central" completely confusing a nonlocal about the locations.

If you buy this book skim it as an idea finder then Google for more acurate information. The authors live in Vermont and are truely out of touch with NJ and what one would concider as off the beaten path locations. I'm no author but if Insiders Guide wants to improve their Off The Beaten Path series for NJ contact me. I'd be glad to fill in and correct the gaping holes.