It’s starting to feel like spring! Consider visiting Wharton State Forest to learn about American eels, see what’s in bloom on our trails or spend an evening exploring the Atsion Mansion!  

April 5: The Mysterious American Eel Talk

Join Wharton State Forest’s naturalist for a 20-minute talk about American eels! We’ll begin behind the Batsto Visitor Center before taking a short, easy walk to the fish ladder in Batsto Village. We’ll talk about the natural history of the American eel, its life cycle and the journey the eels took before crossing the Batsto Dam.

Talks will be held at 10 AM and 12 PM. This event is free and registration is not required. The event is canceled if there are storms nearby or it’s raining.

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

 

April 5, 12, 19 & 26: “April at Atsion” Evening Mansion Tours

Spend an evening exploring Atsion Mansion this April!  

 

Atsion Mansion will be open each Saturday evening in April 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 jackets are recommended.   

Tours are approximately 75-90 minutes and promptly begin outside the Atsion Mansion at 6 PM. 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. 

 

April 6, 13, 20 & 27: Spring Inside/Outside Tours of Batsto Village

Start your spring at Wharton State Forest with a tour of Batsto Village and its impressive Italianate mansion!    

Tours meet in the Batsto Visitor Center and begin with a walk through the village, stopping at notable buildings and locations along the way. They then move

inside the mansion, where visitors are invited to explore the nineteenth century home. Both first-time visitors to Batsto and returning guests will find plenty to

enjoy and learn about Pine Barrens history! 

Tours are approximately two hours and are available each Sunday in April. Tours begin at 10 AM and 2 PM inside the Batsto Visitor Center and are $5 per

person. Visitors are strongly encouraged to dress in layers and with comfortable footwear for the outside portion of the tour. Tours may be cancelled due to inclement weather.  

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. 

 

April 26: Public Star Watch at Atsion

You’re invited to a Free Public Star Watch at Atsion, 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 PM the day of the event to confirm it is still happening should there be cloudy skies.

The Star Watch begins in the Atsion Field at 8:00 PM.  

For this month’s star watch, the Zodiacal constellations found along the ecliptic from east to west are Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus. Mars can

be found in Cancer and Jupiter in Taurus. You can also enjoy a view of the Beehive Cluster just east of Mars. Also known as M44, this Open Cluster of stars

can be seen as a fuzzy patch of light with the unaided eye in dark sky locations such as the Atsion Field in Wharton State Forest. 

For more information about the Public Star Watch, please call the Atsion Office at 609-268-0444.   

Atsion Mansion and Office are located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088. 

 

Atsion Mansion Tours

Have you ever wanted to see inside the Atsion Mansion? Guided tours are available each weekend in April! 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 in1826. 

Tours of Atsion Mansion are offered on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning at 1 and 2 PM. Each tour is approximately 45-55 minutes long and begin outside,

between the mansion and office.    

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. 

 

Batsto Mansion Tours

Enjoy the cool spring breeze this April on Batsto’s 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 April:

• Wednesday through Friday: 11 AM, 1 and 2 PM

• Saturday and Sunday: 10 and 11 AM; 1, 2 and 3 PM

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

April Feature: Pollinator Plant Seed Packets

April Feature: Pollinator Plant Seed Packets The Batsto Museum Gift Shop is excited to feature Pollinator Plant Seed Packets! Spring is in the air and it’s the perfect time to help nurture the buzzing, fluttering creatures that keep our world blooming! These carefully selected seeds are perfect for attracting bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators to your garden or outdoor space. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting to grow, these seed packets offer a wonderful way to support the local ecosystem while enjoying the beauty of nature. What’s inside? Each packet contains a mix of flowers that are not only beautiful but also beneficial to our pollinators. Planting them is an easy way to contribute to environmental sustainability right in your own backyard. Why Pollinators Matter: Pollinators help plants reproduce by transferring pollen. Without pollinators, many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers we love would not thrive. By planting these seeds, you’ll be giving back to nature in a meaningful way.

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. Spring camping in the New Jersey Pine Barrens is filled with fascinating 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 now closed for the season and will reopen in May 2025. It’s now time to plan a 2025 trip and reserve your cabin! Availability is limited.

Make your camping or cabin reservations here.

 

 

 

 

A Nature Note: Signs of Spring

It’s April in Wharton State Forest and the signs of spring are all around you. In Batsto Village, you might see our eastern blue birds starting to nest in one of the 13 blue

bird boxes throughout the village. They’re not the only ones doing some house hunting! Tree swallows often try to nest in our blue bird boxes, so you might see their

blue-green bodies and white bellies diving and catching insects, their food of choice, over Batsto lake. Another one of our swallow species, the purple martins, will also

start nesting in the gourd rack houses across from Batsto Mansion. Their streamlined dark purple, almost black bodies are not hard to miss! Look for them diving for

insects in the fields around Batsto Village. If you’re hiking on a trail and pass through some wetlands, look for the white, bell shaped flowers of leatherleaf (Cassandra)

hanging in a long row. Leatherleaf typically takes over the habitat it’s growing in, so if you see one, look around for more! Leatherleaf is a tough shrub that grows about

one to two feet tall. Their leaves are covered in small, round, rusty scales. Can you see the rusty scales in the photo above?

 

 

A History Highlight: A Pocket Door on the Mansion Porch? 

 

Before it opened to the public as a house museum, Batsto Mansion was once a vacation home for one of the most powerful families in the

United States. Much like visitors to Wharton State Forest today, the Wharton Family came to South Jersey in the spring and fall to enjoy

fresh air, clean water, and the peaceful tranquility of a former Pine Barrens industrial town. Many of Batsto Mansion’s most notable features

served multiple functions when they were added to the home: providing comfort to the Wharton family, fulfilling the practical needs of

nineteenth- century architecture and acting as impressive displays of wealth for guests and visitors. Today, it is common to find guests

enjoying cool, spring breezes on the mansion porch, just as the Whartons did over a century ago.  

Did you know, though, that the porch is also home to a “hidden” entrance to the mansion? Made to look like an ordinary window, the dining

room and porch are connected by a pocket door that slides up into the ceiling above! This pocket door and section of the porch do not

appear in Sloan and Balderston’s 1878 drawings of the home’s first floor instead, it seems to be a custom request made by the Wharton

family during renovations. When opened, the dining room pocket door allows the Whartons to quickly step outside after meals to enjoy the fresh Pine Barrens air helps to cool the room

and serves to remind Victorian guests that they are visiting a cutting-edge home!