Camden (New Jersey)

The U.S. Navy’s most decorated battleship: Discover the dangerous and exciting life of a sailor on a guided tour aboard the “Big J.” Hear tales of its missions in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and Persian Gulf War, then experience combat firsthand as you engage the new 4-D Flight Simulator, a jaw-dropping ride that lets you fly your own Seahawk plane into a dog fight with the enemy and land on the water next to the battleship. Then, tour the radar and sonar-tracking stations featuring dramatic videos of actual Tomahawk missile launches. You can spend the night on board the ship as part of the overnight encampment program.

Visits by guided tour only., Call for tour schedule. The only house famed poet Walt Whitman ever owned is a National Historic Landmark. The small house, now a museum dedicated to the legacy of this great American poet, contains a giant collection of original letters, personal belongings, photographs and furnishings. Not far from the house is historic Harleigh Cemetery, Whitman's final resting place.

Located between the Adventure Aquarium and the Battleship, Wiggins Park & Marina features a 50-slip marina, a promenade along the Delaware River and outdoor concerts on its Riverstage for summer strolls and barbeques, or views of the River and Philadelphia skyline year-round. A hot spot for free concerts and Waterfront festivals, including the annual Sunset Jazz Series, boaters can also dock boats up to 30 feet long for the day, week, month or season.

Over two-dozen sharks in the 550,000-gallon Shark Realm. 4-D theater. Adventure Aquarium will lead you through an underwater world complete with the West African River Experience (home to the only two hippos inside an aquarium and a free-flight aviary), a 40-foot, walk-through shark tunnel and the Jules Verne Gallery, where you will discover all kinds of exotic and wonderful animals.

Fine art exhibits.

A 25,000-seat outdoor amphitheater that features views of the Philadelphia skyline. During the summer, it serves as the perfect place to spread out a blanket under the stars for evening concerts. Jimmy Buffett holds an annual concert here around late August and all of downtown Camden becomes packed with Parrotheads. During the fall and winter months, it becomes an enclosed, climate-controlled, 1,600– to 7,000-seat theater featuring concerts, Broadway productions and family-friendly entertainment.

Martin Luther King Jr. boarded here during his time as a graduate student of Crozer Theological Seminary. It is slated for demolition.