Smithville

      Tuesday, August 24, 2021: Therefore, after visiting two places connected with nature, I decided to visit a quaint-looking town: Historic Smithville, Route 9 and Moss Mill Road, Smithville (Atlantic County), New Jersey (609-652-7777). The original Smithville Inn opened in 1787. By 1874, this inn grew to six times its original size, but by the early 20th century, the building was abandoned. In the 1950s, Ethel and Fred Noyes bought the building, restored it, and opened it as a restaurant. Sometime in the 1960s, the Noyes bought different historic buildings from other sections of Southern NJ, moved them near the Smithville Inn, and turned them into shops. It was in the early 1970s that my parents took me to the Smithville Inn for lunch, and we later walked around this town of shops to browse and sometimes buy something. By the 1980s, my husband and I did the same here. Then when we made a return visit in the 1990s, we noticed that there was a whole other area of buildings containing shops and other businesses called the Village Green. On this most recent visit, we viewed the shops and other businesses there as well as the attractions: arcades, an area to operate remote boats and cars, and paddle boats. Other attractions included a shooting gallery, train ride, and carousel. Anyway, it made for an interesting diversion!