12 Things You Only Understand If You Grew Up In South Jersey
You’ll only understand these 12 things if you grew up in South Jersey. But you’ll love them. You can take the girl out of South Jersey, but you can’t the South Jersey out of the girl. And no, I don’t know Snooki.
1. Wawa is King. Better than Sheetz, 7-11, or Quik Check.
Moving into a place around the US without Wawa is devastating. When I first moved away from home, I had no idea what “Sheetz” was. I knew Wawa was only in certain states, but I
didn’t know there was a substitute convenience store that tries to soak up the glory. Nonetheless, it certainly does not compare to Wawa’s fresh hoagies (or Hoagiefest!) Wawa pretzels, Wawa iced tea, and especially Wawa coffee and coffee thins. You can’t get this kind of quality anywhere else, let alone a Sheetz. Wawa for life!
2. Deer are a pretty common sight in South Jersey (living or otherwise), but not everywhere else.
One time, I was driving in Lancaster, PA, and my friend spotted a deer in someone’s yard. He FLIPPED. Like, he had literally never seen one in his entire life before. I just smiled and kept driving, but he was like, “No!! Slow down!! I wanna see it!” He was baffled when I told him I see one almost every day at home and he now wants to visit South Jersey. He couldn’t even wrap his head around Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford, NJ, which has rescued/recovering deer that come almost right up to you! Also, I came back from school for Thanksgiving break last year, and after dropping off my friend whom I had driven home, I pulled out of her driveway and nearly hit a deer. Welcome home.
3. It’s the only place where you can be going
80 in a 55mph zone, and someone will pass you, clearly displeased with your driving. It’s happened to me on several occasions, and not even on highways.
4. Experiencing four actual seasons is glorious.
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. We get to witness the change in all of them, fairly equally spread out in time. Fall in South Jersey is the most beautiful thing, because of all the leaves changing, everywhere. Then the freshly fallen snow? So beautiful and peaceful. Spring has so much new life to behold, and the summer sunsets are irreplaceable.
5. You don’t “go to the beach.” You go “down the shore.”
The first nice day of the season comes around and the beaches are packed. The traffic jams are oh so worth it though. Long Beach Island, Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Island Beach State Park, Ocean City, Cape May, the list goes on.
6. Speaking of the shore, Salt Water Taffy is better than life itself. So is Kohr Bros. Ice Cream.
Nothing beats Kohr Bros on a hot summers day, or the delicious gooey salt water taffy! I miss the Boardwalk just thinking about it.
7. While we’re down at the shore, don’t tempt the seagulls to come near you.
Once, when my brother was young, a seagull took the hot dog out of his bun (leaving the bun in this poor child’s hands). He looked at the bun, then the sky, then back at the bun, and slowly dropped down and cried. Poor child. Never feed a seagull, seriously. Be wary of falling poop from the sky, too. Yikes.
8. Farms and fresh produce.
I can’t even begin to describe the taste of our produce. Jersey tomatoes, sweet corn on the cob, strawberries, apples, blueberries — and don’t even get me started on Russo’s or Johnson’s Apple Cider Donuts. The farmers here are friendly and love what they do. We love them right back! Whether a Farmers Markets or Street-side Farm Stand, you can’t go wrong.
One of my favorite memories as a kid was strawberry, pumpkin, blueberry, and apple picking (depending on the season)! The local farms would drive you back on a hay ride and you got to pick what you wanted.
9. It’s called “Great Adventure” not Six Flags.
We love our amusement park in Jackson, New Jersey. I even worked there for a summer, myself. It’s a fun place to be, especially around Halloween for Fright Fest! My favorite part is the Safari Ride, where you go around an animal sanctuary. You can even feed the giraffes! Who can forget the commercials with the dancing old man?
10. South Jersey is different from North Jersey, and Central Jersey. That “Jerrrsee” accent, by the way, is only in North Jersey, too. And Jersey Shore. We stay away.
Central Jersey is definitely a real place, too. And South Jersey is definitely NOT it. All those
stereotypical assumptions you have about New Jersey is probably only about North Jersey. Like Jersey Shore.
11. Speaking of, it’s PORK ROLL. Not Taylor Ham.
Another timeless debate. I can’t stress enough that it’s a pork roll and cheese sandwich. Not Taylor Ham and cheese. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
12. Last but not least, we have the most beautiful forest — the Pine Barrens, home to the Jersey Devil. And we love it.
Having some folk lore about your home is pretty cool, especially one so widely known! There are so many origin stories about the Jersey Devil that we don’t even have a solid one to tell. It’s almost like an oral tradition passed along from parent to child when inevitably camping. So many great places for hiking and camping in the Pine Barrens, like Batsto Historic Village! The Pine Barrens Festival in Tabernacle, NJ is the best summer fest hands down, every year. Holy Eucharist Church holds it towards the end of July into early August, and a part of my world would be missing without going at least once for the live music, games, and rides.
