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Middletown is a large township of about 67,000 people in Monmouth County, New Jersey, stretching from the Raritan Bay shore inland across rolling hills and woods. Settled in the 1660s, it is one of the oldest towns in the state, and today it is a collection of distinct villages and hamlets such as Leonardo, Belford, Port Monmouth, Lincroft, Navesink and Locust, linked by ferry and rail to New York City.
Middletown is rich in parks. Deep Cut Gardens is a beloved horticultural park with rock gardens, a rose garden and greenhouses, and Hartshorne Woods and Huber Woods offer wooded trails above the Navesink River. Poricy Park is known for its fossil beds, where visitors can find shark teeth and shells from the Cretaceous era, and Thompson Park in Lincroft has lakes, fields and an old estate.
History survives in the colonial Marlpit Hall, the bayfront Seabrook-Wilson House and the Kings Highway Historic District. The township's coastline also includes Sandy Hook, with ocean beaches, the oldest working lighthouse in the United States and historic Fort Hancock.
A Monmouth County park dedicated to home gardening, with a rock garden, a rose garden, a pond, display beds, a greenhouse of succulents and a horticultural library on a former estate. Admission is free. Visit in late spring for the azaleas and roses, and ask the staff for advice on plants for your own garden.
The headquarters park of the Monmouth County park system, set on a former estate with Marlu Lake, open fields, walking trails, a dog park, playgrounds, tennis courts and a historic mansion. It also hosts a theater and craft programs. Walk the lake loop, then picnic under the large shade trees.
A Monmouth County park on a former farm estate with meadows, woodlands, trails and an activity center that hosts nature programs and classes. It is a quiet spot for a walk away from the crowds of the shore. Bring a picnic, walk the trail loop through the woods, and visit in fall for colorful foliage.
A large county park on the hills above the Navesink River with miles of hiking, biking and horse trails, river overlooks and the remains of World War II coastal defense batteries at Rocky Point. The trails are some of the hilliest at the Jersey Shore. Go early on weekends, as parking fills up quickly.
A county park in the Locust section with wooded trails, river views, an environmental center and an equestrian center used for therapeutic riding programs. The trails are good for hiking and mountain biking, with gentle hills. Visit the environmental center for nature exhibits, and look for wildlife on quiet weekday mornings.
A park with woods, meadows, a pond, the historic Murray Farmhouse and the famous Poricy Brook fossil beds, where visitors can sift for Cretaceous shark teeth, shells and other fossils in the stream. Bring a screen and old shoes, follow park rules on collecting, and check the nature center for programs.
A Dutch-English colonial house dating from the 1700s on the historic Kings Highway, run as a museum by the Monmouth County Historical Association. It shows how a prosperous colonial family lived and how the house changed over the centuries. Tours are offered on a seasonal schedule, so check the hours.
A historic house on the Raritan Bay shore in Port Monmouth, sometimes called the Spy House, with parts believed to date from the 1700s and later additions. It sits in a bayfront park with views toward New York. Walk the shoreline, and check for open house days run by local historical volunteers.
A barrier spit in the Gateway National Recreation Area with ocean and bay beaches, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse from 1764, the oldest working lighthouse in the United States, and historic Fort Hancock. It is great for swimming, biking and birding. Parking fees apply in summer, and lots can close when full.
The historic center of Middletown village along Kings Highway, with houses, churches and buildings dating from the 1700s and 1800s, including Marlpit Hall and Christ Church. The tree-lined road is lovely for a short drive or walk. Read the historical markers, and respect that most buildings are private homes.
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