Start the summer off by visiting Wharton State Forest! Take a hike on National Trails Day, attend the Batsto Mansion “open house” on Father’s Day or stop by the museum shop to purchase the new Batsto Soda!  

June 7: National Trails Day Hike - "How To Hike" the 1808 Trail

Have you hiked the 1808 Trail yet? Celebrate National Trails Day with a hike out to the wildly popular 1808 Trail! The 1808 Trail is a 1.7-mile-long trail (one way) that travels through towering Atlantic White Cedar Swamp and follows the path of road dating back to the year 1808.

Join Wharton State Forest’s naturalist for a moderately paced hike out to the 1808 Trail. The naturalist will lead a group out onto the trail and then give participants the option to either continue on the 1808 trail themselves or return back to Batsto Village with her. She’ll provide trail maps at the stopping point and show participants various routes you can take to complete a hike on the 1808 Trail. We will hike at a moderate pace with minimal to no interpretive stops. Participants should be prepared to travel at least two miles but the other routes participants can take back could be longer. There is very little elevation change on this hike, but participants should be prepared to walk across multiple, uneven wood bridges, step over shallow roots and some fallen trees.

The hike will begin in front of the Batsto Visitor Center at 10 AM. Please wear appropriate clothes and shoes and bring plenty of water and bug spray. This hike is not ADA accessible and will be canceled if there are thunderstorms or heavy rain in the area.

The hike is free and for all ages! Please note that we will be walking at a moderate pace and we do not recommend bringing strollers. Registration is required and will close once we reach capacity. For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.

 

June 13: Hidden History Tours of Batsto Village and Mansion

Spend your Friday the 13th exploring the “secret” spaces and little-known corners of Batsto Village Historic Site! Guided through the mansion and village by

one of Wharton State Forest’s interpretive staff, visitors will have access to “behind-the-scenes” areas in places including the Workers’ Cottages, General

Store, and Mansion. Guests will see spaces not ordinarily open to the public, view odd and interesting objects from Batsto’s archival collection, and separate

fact from fiction in Pine Barrens history. Tours are approximately 90-120 minutes and begin in the Batsto Visitor Center promptly at 10 AM and 2 PM. Tickets

are $10 per person and can be purchased in the Visitor Center or over the phone. Space is limited and interested visitors are highly encouraged to purchase

their tickets in advance to secure a spot!  Visitors attending the Hidden History Tours are strongly encouraged to wear comfortable shoes for walking and

climbing multiple staircases. Guests are advised that portions of this tour will take place in tight spaces or with low clearance.  For more information, please

call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024. 

 

June 15: Father's Day Open House at Batsto Mansion

Enjoy free “open house” access to Batsto Mansion on Fathers’ Day, Sunday, June 15th! Wharton State Forest’s historic interpreters will be on-hand to answer

questions as visitors explore the first and second floors of the nineteenth-century home. Batsto Mansion will be open from 10 AM to 3 PM and reservations/tickets

are not required for entry. For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.

 

 

June 28: 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 PM. the day of the event to confirm it is still happening should there be cloudy skies. 

The Star Watch Begins at 8:00 PM. At 8:30 PM in the Batsto Visitor Center Auditorium there will be a Comet Demonstration and at 9:30 PM there will be a Laser-Guided Constellation Tour in the telescope observation field. 

During this month’s star watch, enjoy the 15% illuminated waxing crescent Moon in the western portion of the sky. Moving eastward from the Moon one can find the bright star Rigel at the bottom of the Sickle asterism in the constellation Leo. Also, in Leo’s Sickle one can find the double star Algieba (Gamma Leonis). A little farther eastward find the rust-colored planet Mars.  

Batsto Village Evening Walking Tours 

Historic Interpreters will also be on hand to lead evening walking tours through the village. Tours are open to all ages and are free of charge. 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 PM and 8 PM. 

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. 

Happening Throughout June

Batsto Post Office Open Wednesdays in June

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 Wednesday afternoon (12 to 3 PM) in June. 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.

Atsion Mansion Tours

Have you ever wanted to see inside the Atsion Mansion? Guided tours are available each weekend in June! 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 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 summer breeze this June 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 June:

• 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

Celebrate Father's Day with the gift of artwork by David Williams. Mr. Williams, a local woodworker, has carved a special selection of the fish that live in Batsto

Lake.  These unique pieces can be displayed on the wall or tabletop. Before cellphones, and even before photography, fish models were used to

commemorate and celebrate a great catch.  David Williams has captured that spirit, but added a modern look to his carvings. The pieces are artistically

rendered with layered paint, carved with anatomical realism, and available for purchase in the Batsto Museum Shop.

 

 

The Batsto Museum Shop is pleased to announce that Batsto Village now has their own soda! The Jersey Shore Soda Company has produced, for Batsto Village, a Black Cherry Souvenir Soda. The soda comes in a bottle with some important village buildings on the label. The Atsion Mansion is included on the label too! This is a truly unique addition to the Batsto Museum shop and a great take home souvenir of your trip to Batsto. The flavor is similar to cola, but with a cherry flavor this satisfies your taste for both sweet and fruity. The new Batsto Soda is a great addition and goes well with the other unique and unusual local sodas in the shop. Stop in after your tour of the village and grab a Batsto Soda or any of the other 18 varieties of local landmark sodas. 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!  

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! It’s time to plan a 2025 trip and reserve your cabin! Availability is limited.