Tuckerton Seaport facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | May 2000 |
|---|---|
| Location | 120 West Main Street (Route 9) Tuckerton, NJ 08087  United States |
| Type | Maritime museum |
The Tuckerton Seaport is a fun place to visit in Tuckerton, a small town right on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey. It's like a living museum where you can explore a historic village and learn all about life by the sea. The seaport covers a big 40-acre area and first opened its doors in May 2000.
You'll find 17 old and new buildings connected by a boardwalk. There are also nature trails that wind through a forest and wetlands. The Tuckerton Seaport is part of a group called the Council of American Maritime Museums. It celebrated its 10th birthday in 2010!
Contents
What is the History of Tuckerton Seaport?
The land where the Tuckerton Seaport now stands used to be a wooded area. People had plans to build shops and hotels there for a long time. In 1989, ideas for a motel, campground, and boat dock were discussed.
In July 1993, a smaller museum called the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen's Museum opened nearby. This museum later announced a bigger plan: an 11-building village called the "Tuckerton Seaport." As they started planning, the project grew even larger than first imagined.
How Was Tuckerton Seaport Built?
The Tuckerton Seaport project cost $11.3 million to build. It was developed by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The seaport officially opened on May 13, 2000. Over a thousand people came to the opening day! The governor at the time, Christine Todd Whitman, and the wife of famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau were there. The village had a "soft opening" a week before the official event.
To handle the new visitors, the roads around the seaport were changed. The intersection of Route 9 and Great Bay Boulevard was redesigned. This also added Tuckerton's second traffic light. The cool nautical-style lampposts you see at the seaport have a history too. They used to be at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City. They were moved to Tuckerton when new roads were built in Atlantic City.
Special License Plates for the Seaport
New Jersey has a special license plate called "Baymen's Heritage." It shows the Tucker's Island Lighthouse and a Canada goose decoy. These plates were first sold in 1998 to help raise money for building the Tuckerton Seaport. You can still buy them today!
New Jersey Surf Museum Opens
In 2010, the New Jersey Surf Museum opened at the seaport. This museum shows the history of surfing in New Jersey. It has over 300 surfboards on display! It is the only surfing museum in the entire state.
What Can You See at Tuckerton Seaport?
The Tuckerton Seaport has many interesting buildings and exhibits to explore.
- Visitor's Center/Gift Shop - This is where you start your visit. It's also home to the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve. On the third floor, you'll find the "Life on the Edge" exhibit. This exhibit teaches you about the Barnegat Bay Estuary. Downstairs, the "Walk on the Wildside" exhibit shows the four different habitats of the Jersey Shore. It has a big mural and taxidermied animals.
- New Jersey Surf Museum - This museum tells the story of surfing in New Jersey. You can see many rare and special surfboards here.
Historic Buildings and Recreations
.jpg)
The seaport has many buildings that have been moved there or rebuilt to look like old ones.
- Tucker's Island Lighthouse - This lighthouse is a main attraction at the seaport. The original lighthouse was on Tucker's Island. That island was a resort that was destroyed by a storm in the 1920s. This lighthouse is now at the museum's entrance, right along Route 9.
- Skinner/Donnelly & Periwinkle Houseboats - These are two old houseboats that have been saved and are now at the museum.
- Joe Dayton's Sawmill - See how wood was cut in the past.
- Perrine Boatworks - This is a working boat shop. You can learn about how boats were built long ago. It shows how traditional boats like Barnegat Bay sneakboxes and garveys were made.
- Parson's Clam & Oyster House - This building is a copy of an old seafood shop called "Parson's Seafood."
- Jay C. Parker's Decoy Shop - This is a recreated workshop where people made decoys. Decoys are fake birds used to attract real birds for hunting.
- Crest Fishery - This is a smaller version of a "pound fishery" from Long Beach Island (LBI). It shows how people used to catch fish in big nets. It also has an interactive fish market.
- Hotel DeCrab - This building shows what hotels were like when the Jersey Shore first became popular.
- Hunting Shanty - This building is the original one from the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen's Museum. It was moved to the seaport in 2000.
- Sunny Brae Salt Box - Parts of this house are from the early 1700s. It was rebuilt and added to in the 1960s. Today, it serves as the Tuckerton Borough mayor's office. It's also a meeting hall for the town.
- Sea Captain's House - This is a historic Victorian house built around 1835.
- Andrews-Barlett Homestead - This house was built around 1699. It was built for one of the people who first started the Tuckerton Community. It is thought to be the oldest home in Ocean County.
See also
