NEW JERSEY (USA)

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The long, skinny state of New Jersey has been at the heart of US history since the Revolution , when a battle was fought at Princeton , and George Washington spent two bleak winters at Morristown . As the Civil War came, the state's commitment to an industrial future ensured that, despite its border location along the Mason-Dixon line, it fought with the Union.

One of the Mid-Atlantic States, the tiny state of New Jersey is often overshadowed by neighbouring New York City. Travelling south on the New Jersey Turnpike toll road from New York, visitors will be stuck with the picture of popular imagination that has been the brunt of jokes with many an on-stage comedian. The ugly highway, traversing an industrial landscape of grey, smoking chimneys and factories, and passing bleak cities like Newark and the state capital of Trenton, does little to encourage visitors, while even the songs of Bruce Springsteen describe his birthplace in disparaging terms.

But surprisingly there is more to New Jersey than grey factories and industrial estates. One of the state's most treasured prizes is its 127 miles (204km) of sandy beaches along the Atlantic coast, lined with many holiday resorts, bustling boardwalks and quaint seaside towns that draw thousands of tourists to enjoy the sun, surf and excitement of the famous Jersey Shore. The world's first boardwalk has its home in Atlantic City, famous for its 24-hour gambling entertainment and casino hotels redolent of Las Vegas, while the old-world charm of Cape May takes one back to the Victorian age with beautifully restored 19th-century buildings home to some of the finest Bed and Breakfast Inns anywhere. In between are miles of fun and entertainment, from water parks and zoos to Ferris wheels, roller coasters, shopping and nightlife, along with surf and sand.

Nature lovers can enjoy wilderness hiking trails in the scenic hills of the Skylands that also offers perfect conditions for skiing in winter. Historically this region is known as the Military Capital of the Revolution and visitors can trace the movements of General George Washington and his troops during the winter of 1779 at the Morristown National Historic Park. The state's rich history also includes some of America's greatest inventors and physicists such as Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein, and the Liberty State Park overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island that was one of the country's main immigration stations from 1892 to 1954.

That commitment to industry has doomed New Jersey in modern times. Most travelers only see "the Garden State" (so called for the rich market garden territory at the state's heart) from the stupendously ugly New Jersey Turnpike toll road which, heavy with truck traffic, cuts through a landscape of gray smokestacks and industrial estates. Even the songs of Bruce Springsteen , Asbury Park's golden boy, paint his home state as a gritty urban wasteland of empty lots, gray highways, lost dreams and blue-collar tragedy. The majority of the refineries and factories hug only a mere fifteen-mile-wide swath along the turnpike, but bleak cities like Newark , home to the major airport, and Trenton , the capital, do little to improve the look of the place and the state suffers from a major image problem.

But there is more to New Jersey than factories and pollution. Alongside its revolutionary history, Thomas Paine and Walt Whitman both wrote nostalgically of the happy years they spent there; while the northwest corner near the Delaware Water Gap is traced with picturesque lakes, streams and woodlands. Best of all, the Atlantic shore offers many bustling resorts, from the tattered glitz of Atlantic City to the glorious kitsch of Wildwoods and the old-world charm of Cape May.

With a car , New Jersey is easily accessible from New York City, via I-95, while the New Jersey Turnpike (a $6 toll road) sweeps from the northeast down to Philadelphia. The Garden State Parkway runs parallel to the Atlantic from New York to Cape May (with a 35¢ toll every twenty miles), and gives easy access to the shoreline resorts. One nice route in the north of the state is US-29, from Trenton along the Delaware River. In general, driving in the Garden State is not pleasurable, though, as New Jersey must have the worst and most confusing set of roadsigns in the States.

Newark International Airport (tel 973/961-6000) is the fastest-growing gateway to the US, served by all the major international carriers and popular for its convenient access to Manhattan (a 30min bus ride away; $11) rather than for being in New Jersey.

Numerous Amtrak trains pass through Newark, Princeton and Trenton, en route between Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC. There's also a service that links Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Greyhound covers most of the state, while New Jersey Transit also provides a good train and bus service, extending to Philadelphia and New York as well as out to the coast. New Jersey's south coast is connected to Delaware by the Cape May-Lewes ferry