Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Stories a place tells about itself, passed down and still repeated.
Alpine, NJ
This stone tower was built in the early twentieth century as part of an estate near the Palisades. Local legend claims the ghost of the owner's wife haunts the tower and that driving around it backward can summon her, but the structure is on private property and should only be viewed from the public road.
Bernards Township, NJ
A solitary oak in a public park has accumulated stories involving curses, unexplained warmth and supposed hangings. Historical evidence does not support many of the more sensational claims, but the tree remains one of New Jersey's best-known pieces of local supernatural folklore.
Knowlton Township, NJ
This small lake beside the famously named Shades of Death Road developed its eerie name from mist that rises from the water on cool mornings. The surrounding road has accumulated decades of murder tales, ghost stories and supernatural folklore; visitors should use the designated state-forest parking area rather than stop in traffic.
Hope Township, NJ
The Jenny Jump legend as told inside Land of Make Believe, where an old house tied to the story is preserved. Around 1748 a nine-year-old girl was cornered on a rocky height and her father shouted "Jump, Jenny, jump". Note this is inside the ticketed park, not at Jenny Jump State Forest.
Jackson, NJ
Stop on New Prospect Road, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Titusville, NJ
Stop on Pleasant Valley Road, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Millburn Township, NJ
Tiny handmade doors, houses and miniature scenes appear along a wooded trail in South Mountain Reservation. The installations turn an ordinary family hike into a search for a hidden fairy village tucked into roots, trunks and rocks.
