Vineland Off The Beaten Path

The Vineland Historical Society is a very interesting little place. Open to the public only on Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. You can make an appointment for other times. Located at 108 S. 7th Street.

There are also a lot of good (illegal) swimming holes (sandwashes) to swim at. In South Jersey, old sand quarries are abundant. They are dangerous* (see footnote) but fun, and most of them the water is very cold and clear. You must ALWAYS swim with a group in one of these places. There are drownings every year at these places because sandwashes are fed by underground springs. For this reason, the water is very cold in some spots and can paralyze you. Also, whirlpools also open up in these things at certain times of day and the current is very strong and can pull you under. Still they're fun if you aren't an idiot and swim with friends. They're fun places to swim, roast wienies on the fire and hang out on the beach and catch some rays.

One legal place to go is called 'Menantico.' It's actually located in Millville on Route 49. You're allowed to swim there, but boating, fishing and hiking. (If you are going boating there you MUST have a lifejacket-- park rangers are all over the place.)

***In 1999 the public awareness "Stay Out–Stay Alive" campaign was launched to warn people about the dangers of recreating at abandoned quarries and mines. To read more about the potential dangers of recreation and thrill seeking in these locations, please visit the MSHA website.

The Vineland Produce Auction or "the Block" as we call it around here, is the biggest produce auction in the northeast of the USA. Located at the on Main Road near Oak Road it goes unnoticed by most passers-by. But it is surely a noteworthy place, not ony in our community which is strongly agricultural, but also on a national level.

To witness a little bit of Americana, you can visit "Tony's Lunch, 'the Breakfast spot" (an oxymoron, no?) which is located at the produce block. It's a smallish galley diner that sells cheap food to hungry working men, like the employees of the block and the truckers who ship the produce, as well as construction workers, electricians and carpenters. It's a real slice of life. The food is cheap, not very good and the place is kind of dirty- but it's America, real and up-close.

Awesome new golf place on Lincoln avenue in East Vineland. Very pricey, but there's not much to do around here, so I'm not complaining! There's a mini golf course, a driving range, an indoor snack shop, and a pro shop. PGA lessons are also available.

Vineland is one of the few cities in all of New Jersey that still has it's own electric generating plant. It only operates at partial capacity because many people worry about the pollution it generates, since it's located downtown. But it also makes Vineland a strategic location in the event of a disaster because we have the capacity to produce our own power.