Thompson Beach
Thompson Beach Road
Heislerville, NJ
Top Things to See in the Philadelphia Area before you die.
Okay, this place is gorgeous yet eerie at the same time.
It sits on the beautiful Delaware Bay in a very desolate and unpopulated area.
On your way here, you will most likely see turtles crossing the street and a few unlucky ones at that.
nature lookout area on Thompson Beach Road
This place was a town at one point. However, the township was tired of maintaining the road to get here. It was constantly being flooded out by the Delaware Bay. They decided in the late 1990s to buy the residents out of their properties on the beach. The government used their eminent domain power and demolished the homes. Then they permanently blocked off the road.
What remains are a few ruins of fireplaces, a small beach, and a blocked off street that you can hike to. If walking to the beach there will be some mud if you are daring. The mud is on top of the asphalt road and won’t be like you are knee deep in it. Take precautions if you decide to explore and go at low tide. You want to be safe just in case part of the bay is covering the road by the time you come back to your car.
Thompson’s beach is sort of creepy. A ghost town. Odd. It’s like nature just fought back and wanted their land back.
The beautiful wetlands off of Thompson Rd.
Well, nature won. This land is now owned by PSE&G. An electric and gas company here in South Jersey. I do find a bit odd that they own this place. They are probably receiving a generous tax break for preserving this land.
The Thompson’s Beach lookout is a great location to look at nature, enjoy the scenery and to see the migrating birds every spring.
If you are a bird enthusiast, this is a great estuary spot. It is a pretty location with wetlands all around you. You probably won’t be bothered by people.
You can also squawk like a duck if you want to. I’m sure no one will hear ya. I do it all the time.
My bird friend
See she’s posing for me
If you have a little boat, there’s a tiny launch ramp that you can use. Thompson’s Beach is a great fishing and crabbing location. Only use the ramp at high tide as per the NJ Wildlife site suggests.
Watch out for the greenheads they will attack you viscously. In which, they ravaged yummygal’s momma completely.
Bring the bug spray. I will repeat again, bring the bug spray.
The Heislerville area is definitely a unique place to explore.
boat ramp at Thompson beach lookout
Check out the East Point Lighthouse which is right down the street from this beauty and make a day out of it. Enjoy New Jersey, my friends!
another shot of the surroundings
South Jersey History & Adventures 