Day Trip: Audubon

It’s easy to miss the heart of Audubon. It’s one of those little South Jersey towns shoehorned between the White and Black Horse pikes, and the on ramp to the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Posted January 22, 2010 by Jen A. Miller

Photo by Brian E. Kushner. Courtesy of boroughofaudubon.com.

With a mega strip mall on the far edge of town – one that includes a Wal-Mart and a Sonic – the small town’s charm can be lost in big box-stores and all that exhaust on the way to Philadelphia. But Audubon has a lot to offer, whether your idea of a good day is bidding on antiques or contemplating life to the tune of a fishing pole. You just have to find its core.

Nature Bound: The 73-acre Haddon Lake Park  is shared by Audubon, Haddon Heights, and Mt. Ephram, and includes walking, hiking, biking, and running trails, plus playgrounds. Bonus for Audubon: it gets the fishing pier. The lake is trout stocked, but before you grab your fishing pole, you must have a fishing license. Some dates are blacked out; contact the Camden County Parks Department for more information and a complete 2010 schedule.

Shop a Lot: For all things cold weather, check out Ballyhugh Irish Imports. Their heavy wool Irish sweaters are perfect for dreary days, even if you’re not Irish. Of course, they stock other Irish goods, like Claddagh rings, Barry’s teas, and Irish football (a.k.a. soccer) jerseys.

For less heritage-based browsing, there’s Abbie Road. Beatles items? Of course you can find them at this store, whose name is a clever play on the famed Beatles recording studio Abbey Road. But this shop is about more than just Fab Four memorabilia. It’s a used CD and bookstore with an eclectic bent, from classic rock CDs to books on the Backstreet Boys.

Double Duty: The Auction House Center for the Arts functions as two different spaces. On Thursday nights and the second Saturday of every month, it’s an auction house, selling antiques and collectibles. The owners say the Saturday auctions have the best items (a catalogue is posted online pre-auction). The auction stage also serves as a performing stage for live comedy and music events—the schedule is at http://www.aauctioneers.com/current%20shows.htm.

Got a Whole Lotta Beans: The Treehouse Coffee Shop also hosts live music and events, but most locals know it as the town’s meeting spot. The Treehouse has served that role since it moved from Collingswood to Audubon. They kept the bright green tennis balls on the feet of the chairs, but added a lot of space, plus a kids’ play area. Make sure you check out Randy’s blend—that’s the house coffee created and named after the owner.

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