This weekend I visited Whitesbog Historic Farm & Village for a family hike. The small cranberry farming village is located in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Browns Mills, New Jersey. My husband and I met my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece and nephew at their house for the quick drive to the park.

Whitesbog is home to 3,000 acres of bogs, creeks and forests. Blueberry picking is available in the summer. The annual cranberry harvest takes place in fall. Whitesbog hosts numerous other events year-round.

When we arrived, we made our way to the nature trail which wove through part of a forest. The section of the trail ended at a dirt road which we followed until we reached the cranberry bogs. The bogs are striking, even after the cranberries have been harvested. We walked along the sandy trail, observing the leftover cranberries gathered along the edges of the bog.

Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived at the cranberry bog section, it started to rain. Thankfully, we made it back to the parking lot just as it started to thunder. Before getting into the car, my husband and I ran into the Whitesbog General Store. We picked up a few jars of jam, some blueberry and cranberry candies, a book about the New Jersey devil and some stickers for our niece and nephew.

We all were disappointed our hike was cut short due to the storm. We’re looking forward to returning on a sunnier day!

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director