Explore Coastal Defense Day/Ocean Fun Day At Sandy Hook Sunday

HIGHLANDS, NJ — This Sunday, May 19 celebrate Coastal Defense Day and Ocean Fun Day at Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area.

Join the National Park Service, Army Ground Forces Association, NY-56 Nike Volunteers and New Jersey Sea Consortium for a day of free family fun celebrating both the rich military history and marine ecology of Sandy Hook.

Coastal Defense Day highlights Fort Hancock’s military history and its role in the defense of New York Harbor from the American Revolution through the Cold War era.

Visitors can tour Batteries Gunnison and Potter, the Mortar Battery, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the History House and the Fort Hancock Museum from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tour times vary depending on the site. Members of the Army Ground Forces Association will join Sandy Hook park rangers in leading tours and greeting visitors.

Ocean Fun Day is happening on the same day, and is hosted by New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. This day of oceanside fun features hands-on exhibits, eco tours, children’s activities and fiddler crab races from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Events take place at Building 22 in Fort Hancock, home of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.