Toms River

1. Cattus Island County Park

Spanning across approximately 530 acres, the Cattus Island County Park is home to seven miles of hiking trails, including ones leading to the beautiful views of Barnegat Bay and the beach.

The park also includes the Cooper Environmental Center, which offers several hands-on displays and exhibits for visitors of any age, including collections of live fish and reptiles, a children’s activity corner, a bird viewing area, a habitat tunnel and tree, and the live view osprey camera.

The center highlights the Barnegat Bay and the park’s natural beauty as well. There is also a butterfly garden at the Cattus Island County Park.

1170 Cattus Island Blvd, Toms River, NJ 08753, Phone: 732-270-6960

2. Insectropolis, the Bugseum of New Jersey

Insectropolis, also known as the “Bugseum of New Jersey,” is a unique attraction in Toms River where visitors can view thousands of different bizarre, beautiful, and exotic insects from throughout the world. The “bugseum” also provides several other activities that are particularly fun for children, such as pretending to be a termite crawling through a mud tube and playing bug games on the facility’s touchscreen computers. Guests can watch numerous live insects, including safely getting up close to the Insectropolis observation bee hive, as well participate in one of the daily touch presentations, which include millipedes and tarantulas.

1761 Route 9, Toms River, NJ 08755, Phone: 732-349-7090

3. Toms River Brewing

The Irish are a large part of the population of New Jersey and the town of Toms River is possibly the home to the state’s largest Irish population. Toms River Brewing is rooted in the Rinn Duin Brewery, known for its Irish-style and UK ales.

In 2018, Jim Mulligan acquired the brewery and began his vision of a wide selection of beer styles that are able to be explored through adding natural extracts and fruits, in addition to an expanded selection of hop and yeast. The Tap Room at Toms River Brewing is open Wednesday through Sunday.

1540 Rt 37 W, Toms River, NJ 08755, Phone: 732-608-1004

4. Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts

The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts is situated on the campus of Toms Rivers’s Ocean County College and is dedicated to providing the Jersey Shore and Ocean County with entertainment and art. The performing arts center features premiere acts from all over the world, allowing guests to experience “once-in-a-lifetime performances” from unique entertainers, hometown musicians, and venerated artists within an intimate venue. The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts also includes an Art Gallery and fine arts and performing arts programs, educational organizations, and an Orchestra-in-Residence, which is the Garden State Philharmonic.

1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754, Phone: 732-255-0500

5. Ocean County Historical Museum

The Ocean County Historical Museum is operated by The Ocean County Historical Society, which was formed during the centennial celebration of Ocean County in 1950 by Dr. Joshua Hilliard, as well as several other dedicated residents who had a strong desire to collect and preserve the local area’s history. The historical museum is housed inside of a Victorian home in the town of Toms River and offers guided tours led by docents on certain days.

26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ 08753, Phone: 732-341-1880

6. Ocean County Mall

The Ocean County Mall in Toms River, New Jersey is a “super-regional mall” that first opened in the community in July of 1976.

Located off of New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway at Exit 82 down Route 37 East, the Ocean County Mall, which is the county’s only enclosed mall, is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney, and Boscov’s. The mall, owned by the Simon Property Group, is also a particularly popular place for tourists in the area during the summer months. There are several places to eat at the mall as well, such as Applebee’s, Bahama Breeze, and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.

1201 Hooper Ave, Toms River, NJ 08753, Phone: 732-244-8200

7. Exit 82 Theatre Company

The Exit 82 Theatre Company was established in 2009 as a non-profit performing arts organization in the town of Toms River, New Jersey.

The theater company boasts a mission of producing quality theatrical programming, as well as an educational environment that unifies the arts community, in addition to inspiring artistic development. Along with its adult theatrical programming, Exit 82: A Toms River Theatre Company operates the Creative and Performing Art Academy, which was formed to educate the next generations of artists. A wide variety of theatre performances are put on by Exit 82 throughout the year.

73 Main St, Toms River, NJ 08753

8. Shogun Legacy

Shogun Legacy provides locals and visitors alike in Toms River with a unique dining experience, serving a menu of traditional sashimi and sushi, as well as contemporary Asian dishes within an upscale and elegant setting.

The restaurant features an elegant dining room, a private dining room for private parties, a large sushi bar, and an outdoor deck consisting of a dining and bar area. Shogun Legacy offers a menu of originality and creativity, representing some of Central New Jersey’s finest Asian cuisine, consisting of a comprehensive assortment of Asian entrees. The restaurant also contains a wine cellar designed to compliment the menu.

1536 North Bay Ave, Toms River, NJ 08753, Phone: 732-286-9888

9. Solve the Room

Solve the Room provides an escape room experience for friends and team building in the quiet township of Toms River, New Jersey.

Participants have sixty minutes to solve the clues and puzzles of one of several different rooms in order to escape. That escape could be a prison break from a high security prison or finding a way out from a watering hole during the Prohibition Era. Or perhaps players will choose to try to replace the Pharaoh’s lost necklace and escape from the tomb before they run out of oxygen or pull off a heist for the Cullinan Diamond.

1555 NJ-37 #12, Toms River, NJ 08755, 732-244-2481