8 Fairy-Tale Small Towns In New Jersey
Naturally, New Jersey is not one's first idea of a fairy tale setting. But New Jersey is called New Jersey for a reason. Jersey is a British island that lent its name—and much of its whimsy—to the state. Thus, New Jersey blends European folklore with American ingenuity via remarkable attractions scattered across towns. Behold eight such storybooklike settlements in the Garden State. Or shall we call it the Secret Garden State?
Millburn
Take a fairy trail through the fairy tale township of Millburn. New York's smog may sully the horizon, but Millburn's South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail lowers eyelines with wee whimsy. For half a mile, tiny fairy homes dot the South Mountain Reservation grounds. They are made from natural materials and descend from the first houses made by local artist Therese Ojibway in 2011. Although one might be tempted to add their own miniature to the fairy trail, the construction must be approved beforehand. This can be done at the Fairy Trail House Building Contest, where craftspeople make authorized fairy houses leading up to May's Fairy Trail Day. Place your impish yet approved creation along the fairy trail in 2026.
Asbury Park
After celebrating Euro-style fairies in Millburn, you can celebrate an NJ-specific fairy tale in Asbury Park. This small seaside city hosts the Jersey Devil Fable Festival, which is normally held on the first weekend of May but has been postponed to October 11 in 2025. For those unaware, the Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to have been born in New Jersey's Pine Barrens in the 18th century. Said festival features stories, films, costumes, and crafts of the Devil and "all manner of sprites and spirits" that fill NJ folklore. If you cannot make the fest, you can still learn about those cryptids at the festival-sponsored Paranormal Museum/Paranormal Books & Curiosities. Be sure to see the reputed Jersey Devil skull.
Wanaque
Wanaque is a borough with about 11,000 people and thousands of scenic acres. Few of those people but many of those acres occupy Ramapo Mountain State Forest, a picturesque preserve perfect for hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and sightseeing. One sight in particular can seemingly transport you from a modern American forest to a medieval English kingdom. Originally called Foxcroft, the Van Slyke Castle tops Fox Hill on the south side of the forest. It was built around 1910 by stockbroker (and evident Europhile) William Porter. He died in 1911, after which his wife remarried an attorney, Warren Van Slyke, the castle's current namesake. Once the couple passed, their palace changed hands and then stood idle before falling victim to arsonists. Yet much of its regal structure remains, to the delight of hikers and medievalists.
Sandyston
In 1989, NJ artist Ricky Boscarino found a dilapidated cabin in the woods around Sandyston township. What to others was an eyesore was to him a dreamhouse—a place to fulfil his wildest artistic fantasies. Boscarino bought the then-600-square-foot cabin and made it a 4,500-square-foot marvel called Luna Parc. Open to visitors by appointment, Luna Parc has been described by 6abc as a "surreal, psychedelic fairy tale of color, installations, stained glass windows and wind chimes." If looking for more fantastical features in Sandyston's woods, hop on over to the Sussex County Sunflower Maze and get lost (in a good way). This a-maze-ing attraction runs annually in late summer. The 2025 season is underway until September 21.
Hope
Want to visit a literal land of make-believe? Look no further than Hope, a NJ township that hosts the Land of Make Believe. This award-winning amusement park has been running for over 70 years with such spectacular rides as the Red Baron, Flying Pirate Ship, and Blackbeard’s Action River Ride. It also contains the house where NJ legend Jenny Jump supposedly lived, plus the glen where Jenny jumped to her death while pursued by Native Americans. Her spirit lives—at least symbolically and perhaps ironically—in the Land of Make Believe and the adjoining Jenny Jump State Forest. Look for undead Jenny in the Faery Cave, which sits deep inside the forest along aptly titled Ghost Lake.
Hamburg
Hamburg's name is not the only European thing about it. Right off this borough's turnpike stands the Gingerbread Castle, a Hansel-and-Gretel-inspired edifice designed by Austrian architect Joseph Urban. For decades, Gingerbread Castle centered an amusement park packed with fairy tale flair. After closure, it floundered in various roles, including as a nightclub, and today it is mere eye-candy for motorists. There are plans to restore Gingerbread Castle and prevent it from meeting the same fate as its neighbor, the Hamburg Paper Mill Ruins. Yet even its rubbly ruins would be a tourist attraction.
High Bridge
High Bridge is a former railroad hub named for a tall rail bridge that once crossed town. Though the rails were abandoned and the tracks removed, a 15-mile section, running from High Bridge to Washington Township, was repurposed as the Columbia Trail. Now hikers, bikers, joggers, equestrians, and paddlers can explore this route, which hugs the Raritan River and includes such sights as the Ken Lockwood Gorge and the Solitude House. If you take the trail, be careful not to tread on its fantastical inhabitants. Like Millburn's South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail, the Columbia Trail contains miniature houses for fairy tale beings. Little gnomes are particularly suited for those little homes.
Oak Ridge
Gnome homes can also be found in Oak Ridge as part of its Fairy Tale Forest. This "charming, low-key entertaining amusement park" was built by a German immigrant in 1953 and thrived in NJ's woods for several decades. It even hosted the music video for Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Poor attendance led to its closure in 2003, but renewed enthusiasm from its founder's granddaughter led to the park's reopening in 2024. Now, in addition to the Forest Gnomes Home, guests can see dozens of storybook-based attractions ranging from the Old Woman In The Shoe to Little Red Riding Hood to Goldilocks & The Three Bears.
Such communities put the Jersey in New Jersey. By that, we mean they abound with Old Country whimsy. Find Euro-flavored folklore at Millburn's South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail, Wanaque's Van Slyke Castle, Sandyston's Luna Parc, Hope's Land of Make Believe, Hamburg's Gingerbread Castle, High Bridge's Columbia Trail, and Oak Ridge's Fairy Tale Forest. Then combine it with NJ-made mythos at Asbury Park's Jersey Devil Fable Festival. Your imagination will thank you.
