Double Trouble State Park is really two parks in one. And with 7,881 acres there’s lots of room for both.

There’s the “history park” that features the original buildings from the Double Trouble Company, a cranberry production town that thrived in the 19th century. Fourteen buildings from the turn of the century still stand, including the old general store, school house and cottages. And after a restoration project that brought back the sawmill and the cranberry sorting and packing houses, it's easy to get a sense of what life was like for the workers who toiled away, laying the foundation for New Jersey’s cranberry industry.

Then there is the “natural park” and the many (many!) outdoor activities that go on here. At the center of it all is Cedar Creek, which runs from the Greenwood Forest Management Area to Barnegat Bay. Back in the village’s heyday, Cedar Creek was essential in nurturing the early stages of the cranberry industry. Today, it's where folks spend lazy afternoons paddling a kayak or canoe along its calm waters. It's also where anglers come to drop their lines – if they catch something, that’s fine, but even if they go home empty-handed, a bad day fishing in such a beautiful spot beats a good day almost anywhere else.

Double Trouble’s cedar swamps are rife with wildlife and if you take a stroll along the 1.5 mile self-guided trail, you can spot plants, birds and other critters that happen to think the Pine Barrens is a nifty place to call home.