WHARTON MONTHLY: August 2026
News and Events from Wharton State Forest
Before the summer is over, spend some time in Wharton State Forest exploring Atsion mansion, observing birds in Batsto Village, gazing at the sky during a star watch or mailing a post card at the Batsto Post Office. There is something to do for everyone this August!
ATTENTION: Entrance fees to Batsto Village will be charged weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Before the summer is over, spend some time in Wharton State Forest exploring Atsion mansion, observing birds in Batsto Village, gazing at the sky during a star watch or mailing a post card at the Batsto Post Office. There is something to do for everyone this August!
August 7, 14, 21 & 28: "August at Atsion" Evening Mansion Tours
Spend an evening exploring Atsion Mansion this August!
Atsion Mansion will be open each Friday evening in August for guided tours. Led by one of Wharton State Forest’s historic interpreters, visitors are invited to experience the 1826 home as it stood nearly two centuries ago. Guests are encouraged to bring their own flashlights, and comfortable shoes for walking up and down narrow staircases are recommended.
Tours are approximately 75-90 minutes and promptly begin outside the Atsion Mansion at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased over the phone or at the Atsion Office and are $5 per person. Space is limited and visitors are encouraged to call ahead to reserve their spot.
For more information about evening tours of Atsion Mansion, please call the Atsion Office at 609-268-0444. Atsion Mansion and Office are located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088.
August 13: Monthly Beginner Bird Watching Walk
Do you want to start birding? Join Wharton State Forest’s nature interpretive staff for a slow-paced, laid-back walk in lower Batsto Village to observe the birds in Wharton State Forest. This walk begins in front of the Batsto Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m. and lasts about 45 minutes. It is free and no registration is required. We will simply walk and observe the birds we see.
Walks in this series are geared toward beginners. Attendees can borrow binoculars, as supplies last, but are encouraged to bring their own if they have them. This month’s walk will cover lower Batsto Village. This program will be cancelled with heavy rain, high winds, extreme heat or thunderstorms. Please wear sneakers and insect repellent, bring lots of water, and dress for the outdoors!
The Batsto Visitor Center is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village. For more information or to confirm, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.
August 14: Storytime in the Pines
Wharton State Forest invites you to Storytime in the Pines, a free monthly story and craft program. Join us once a month from June through October under the trees beside the Annie Carter Nature Center in historic Batsto Village.
Storytime begins at 10 a.m. outside the Nature Center and lasts about 20 minutes, followed by a craft indoors. Children may sit on our outdoor rug or caregivers are welcome to bring their own seating. Please wear insect repellent and sunscreen, bring water, and dress for the outdoors. Please check-in at the Batsto Visitor Center at 9:50 AM before walking down to the Nature Center.
This month, we'll be reading "Home is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly" by Katherine Pryor and completing a monarch lifecycle craft. This program is recommended for children ages four to eight years old.
This program is free, but you must register. Registration opens on August 1st. Supplies and space is limited! When you register, you are only registering for this month's program.
Visit the Eventbrite page after August 1st to register!
The Batsto Visitor Center is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village. For more information or to confirm, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.
August 15: Public Star Watch & Batsto Village Evening Walking Tours
Star Watch
You’re invited to a Free Public Star Watch at Batsto, organized by the West Jersey Astronomical Society (WAS). Members of the Society will have telescopes
available for the public to view objects in the night sky. The event is weather permitting, and visitors are encouraged to check the WAS website
(https://www.wasociety.us) after 1 p.m. the day of the event to confirm it is still happening should there be cloudy skies
The Star Watch begins at 8 p.m. At 8:15 p.m. in the Batsto Visitor Center auditorium there will be a Comet Demonstration and at 9:30 p.m. there will be a Laser-Guided Constellation Tour in the telescope observation field
| For this month’s star watch, Venus low in the west will be a challenge to observe during twilight, but worth the effort. Neptune and Saturn will be visible in the east around 11:00 p.m. The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) in Vulpecula is the first planetary nebula discovered. The nebula is what remains of a sun-like star’s expansion and collapse leaving behind a white dwarf star that gives off high energy radiation in turn exciting an expanding cloud of gas. The excited gas emits light that we can see with binoculars and telescopes. The Globular Clusters in M10 and M12 found in Ophiuchus are well placed for viewing. A Globular Cluster is a spherical group of stars bound together by gravity. These clusters can contain tens of thousands to millions of stars and are generally found in most galaxies. In the Milky Way they are found in the galaxy’s halo. |
Image Caption: The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) is found in the constellation Vulpecula. This Planetary nebula is approximately 1700 light years from the Sun. Image Credit:John McDaniel, WAS Member.
Batsto Village Evening Walking Tours
Historic Interpreters will also be on hand to lead evening walking tours through the village. Tours are free and open to all ages. Visitors interested in walking the village should meet behind the Visitor Center (near the Ore Boat). Tours are 45-55 minutes and are offered at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
For more information on both these events, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024. Batsto Village Historic Site is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037.
August 20: Red, White and Blue Hike
Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary (the nature way) with a hike on portions of Batsto’s Red, White and Blue Trails! Join Wharton State Forest staff on a moderately paced, approximately four mile hike. This hike will be offered once a month this summer. Join us each time to see what new red, white or blue parts of the Pine Barrens will be mentioned!
You can use this hike in your progress of any of the New Jersey State Parks Celebrate 250 Challenge. You can read more about the challenge and how to participate here!
This hike is free, no registration is required, and it begins in front of the Batsto Visitor Center at 10 a.m. before traveling on mostly the Batsto White Trail. We will travel over shallow roots and some bridges. The route is mostly sandy forest. This hike is not ADA accessible. This program is free and open to all ages but recommended for adults and children age 12 and older. This program will be cancelled with heavy rain, high winds, extreme heat, or thunderstorms. Please wear sneakers and insect repellent, bring lots of water, and dress for the outdoors!
The Batsto Visitor Center is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village. For more information or to confirm, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.
Happening Throughout August
Visit the Annie M. Carter Nature Center
The Annie M. Carter Nature Center will be open to the public from 12 to 3 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in July, except for Sunday, August 2 (closed for the day).
The Annie M. Carter Nature Center, located on the banks of Batsto Lake in Batsto Village, offers interpretive exhibits about Pine Barrens ecology including preserved wildlife specimen and interactive displays. Stop by and grab a coloring page, borrow a children’s book, or take a closer look at some nature artifacts at our study station.
Staffing availability, inclement weather, and other unforeseen circumstances could affect open hours. We encourage you to call, day-of, to confirm hours.
The Annie M. Carter Nature Center is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037, in historic Batsto Village, along Batsto Lake, across from the sawmill. For more information or to confirm open hours, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at (609) 561-0024.
Batsto Post Office Open Sundays in August
Did you know that the Batsto Post Office can still send mail? First opened by Jesse Richards in 1852, the Batsto Post Office is one of the four oldest post offices currently operating in the United States!
The Batsto Post Office will be open each Sunday afternoon (12 to 3 p.m.) in August. Bring your pre-stamped postcards and letters to the village to receive a unique Batsto postal cancellation. Stamped postcards are also available for purchase. While you are in the Post Office, be sure to spend some time in the attached Glass Museum! Containing examples of nineteenth and twentieth-century glass, as well as historic artifacts found throughout Batsto, the Glass Museum is the perfect complement to a mansion tour and stroll through the village.
For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024. Batsto Village Historic Site is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037.
Guided Tours of Atsion Mansion
Spend your summer exploring a luxurious summer home of the past! Guided tours of Atsion Mansion are available each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Come see one of the most significant examples of Greek Revival architecture in South Jersey. Never “modernized” with plumbing or electricity, the house stands largely as it did when it was constructed in 1826.
Tours of Atsion Mansion are offered at the following times throughout August:
- Friday: 1 and 2 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m.
Tours are approximately 45-55 minutes long and begin outside, between the mansion and office. Scheduled events and public programming may impact Atsion Mansion’s tour schedule, so visitors are encouraged to call ahead on the day of their visit to confirm tour times and availability.
Tour tickets can be purchased at the Atsion Office and are $3 for visitors over the age of 12, $1 for visitors ages 5-11 and free for visitors under 5-years-old.
Atsion Mansion is located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088. For more information or to confirm Atsion Mansion Tour availability, please call the Atsion Office at 609-268-0444.
Guided Tours of Batsto Mansion
Enjoy the summer breeze this August on Batsto Mansion’s porch and then step inside for a guided tour! Originally built in the eighteenth century as a small ironmaster’s house, the mansion now stands as it appeared after Joseph Wharton renovated the home in 1878. Serving as a vacation home for his family, the Batsto Mansion is an excellent example of the Italianate and Eastlake styles, both popular with the Victorian upper-class.
Tours of Batsto Mansion are offered at the following times throughout August:
- Wednesday through Friday: 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 10 and 11 a.m.; 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Tours are approximately 45-55 minutes long and begin on the mansion porch. Scheduled events and public programming may impact Batsto Mansion’s tour schedule, so visitors are encouraged to call ahead on the day of their visit to confirm tour times and availability.
Tickets can be purchased at the Batsto Visitor Center and are $3 for visitors over the age of 12, $1 for visitors ages 5-11 and free for visitors under 5-years-old.
Batsto Mansion is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village. For more information or to confirm Batsto Mansion Tour availability, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.
Shopping at Wharton State Forest
This month, in the Batsto Museum Shop, we have merchandise for some of our young visitors or maybe adults looking for some nostalgia! In our kid’s section, you can
find New Jersey themed coloring books, activity books, children’s books about beehives and ant colonies, and nature exploration books. We also have small, handheld
games including the wooden triangle game, tic-tac-toe, and more! All great ways to occupy the family while camping in our forest!
Batsto Museum Shop is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village.
The Atsion General Store is located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088. For more information or to confirm inventory availability, please call the Atsion General Store
at 609-268-0444 or the Batsto Museum Shop at 609-561-0024.
Camping & Cabins
Camping in Wharton State Forest is available year-round! Summer camping in the New Jersey Pine Barrens is filled with interesting evening sounds!
Camping is permitted in developed campgrounds with a permit at Atsion Family, Batona, Bodine Field, Buttonwood Hill, Godfreys Bridge, Goshen Pond, Hawkins Bridge, Lower Forge and Mullica River.
Atsion Cabins are open for the season. It’s now time to plan a trip and reserve your cabin! Availability is limited.
Make your camping or cabin reservations here.
About Wharton State Forest
Located in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Wharton State Forest is New Jersey's largest state forest. It encompasses approximately 125,000 acres covering parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Camden
counties providing a variety of recreational activities including hiking, biking, swimming and horseback riding. It is home to historic Batsto Village, Batsto and Atsion Mansions, and the Atsion Recreation Area.
You can find more information about Wharton State Forest and other New Jersey state parks on our website at https://dep.nj.gov/wharton.
Wharton State Forest Office Locations
Atsion Office
744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088, (609) 268-0444
Batsto Office, Museum and Store
31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037, (609) 561-0024
