FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Top o The Parkway to Ya
Quiz about Top o The Parkway to Ya

Top o' The Parkway to Ya! Trivia Quiz


Don't sweat the exit numbers. The Garden State Parkway is a mere pretext for these questions about New Jersey.

A multiple-choice quiz by ignotus999. Estimated time: 6 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. U.S. States & Cities
  8. »
  9. New Jersey

Author
ignotus999
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
364,136
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
257
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The Garden State Parkway begins at Milepost Zero in beautiful Cape May County. How did the county get its name? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Exit 38: the Garden State Parkway exit for the Atlantic City Expressway. The TV series "Boardwalk Empire" features Nucky Thompson, a NJ gangster and politician (two different occupations ... maybe). Was there ever a real Nucky in A.C.? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Exit 77: Double Trouble State Park, just off the Garden State Parkway. Be not afraid - it's named after a business founded in the late 19th century. What did The Double Trouble Company produce? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Exits in the late 70s: The Jersey Pine Barrens (Shudder). There's no Garden State Parkway exit named for the Barrens - but what legendary creature supposedly lurks in the bushes just off the shoulder? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Garden State Parkway Exit 100A: "Greetings from Asbury Park," title of Monmouth County native Bruce Springsteen's debut album. Who founded Asbury Park in the 1870s? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Exit 105: Garden State Parkway to Route 36 to Long Branch. Seven Presidents State Park commemorates the U.S. Presidents who summered here. Which President (one of the Seven) passed away in Long Branch? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Long about Milepost 127: The Garden State Parkway crosses the Raritan River via the Driscoll Bridge. What's so special about this span? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Exit 129: the Garden State Parkway crosses NJ's other great highway, the New Jersey Turnpike. Which is longer - the Parkway or the Turnpike? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Exit 153A: Garden State Parkway to Route 3 eastbound, toward The Meadowlands. The stadium there is unique in being the home field for two National Football League teams - the "New York" Giants and the "New York" Jets. The Jets' team colors are green and white. Why? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Top o' the Parkway at last: Mile 172, where the Garden State Parkway ends. What happens if you dare to keep driving? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Garden State Parkway begins at Milepost Zero in beautiful Cape May County. How did the county get its name?

Answer: Captain Cornelius Mey - the English changed the spelling

New Jersey's southernmost County, Cape May, stretches below the Mason-Dixon Line. The Dutch Captain Mey explored the area in 1620-21, and erected the first European-built structure in what would become New Jersey. Dutch and Swedish forces fought over the area until both were ousted by the English.

It's nice to be wanted. Today, the town of Cape May is a beautifully preserved Victorian resort.
2. Exit 38: the Garden State Parkway exit for the Atlantic City Expressway. The TV series "Boardwalk Empire" features Nucky Thompson, a NJ gangster and politician (two different occupations ... maybe). Was there ever a real Nucky in A.C.?

Answer: Sort of - Enoch "Nucky" Johnson

Enoch Johnson (1883-1968) came from a politically active family, succeeding his father as County Sheriff. In 1911, he became head of the Atlantic County Republican political machine (yes, the GOP in NJ) when the previous leader was convicted of corruption. Equally corrupt, Johnson enriched himself in various public offices including Clerk of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Some details of the series are accurate - Johnson had a German valet and a suite at the Ritz Carlton - but he was less violent than his cable counterpart. Won't give away any spoilers, but the real Nucky lived to a ripe old age and succumbed to natural causes.
3. Exit 77: Double Trouble State Park, just off the Garden State Parkway. Be not afraid - it's named after a business founded in the late 19th century. What did The Double Trouble Company produce?

Answer: Cranberries

Despite its name, Double Trouble Park is a pleasant family destination. The Park features over a dozen restored historic buildings, including a sawmill and the cranberry packing house. Cranberries are still a major crop in NJ, thanks to the soggy bogs.
4. Exits in the late 70s: The Jersey Pine Barrens (Shudder). There's no Garden State Parkway exit named for the Barrens - but what legendary creature supposedly lurks in the bushes just off the shoulder?

Answer: The Jersey Devil

The NJ hockey team's logo doesn't capture this vicious, leathery, flying, carnivorous, ravenous, stealthy - actually, there's no consensus as to what the Devil looks like. A Native American tribe called the Barrens "land of the dragon." Others tell of a spawn of the Devil, born to a local woman in 1735: bat wings, goat's head, forked tail, destined for politics. Made up the last bit, but that's what legends are for.
5. Garden State Parkway Exit 100A: "Greetings from Asbury Park," title of Monmouth County native Bruce Springsteen's debut album. Who founded Asbury Park in the 1870s?

Answer: James Bradley - a New York manufacturer

In 1871, Manhattan industrialist and philanthropist James A. Bradley began developing this city, which he named for Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury. Bradley also founded the nearby town of Bradley Beach, but that's too easy. Under Bradley's influence, Asbury Park was equiped with electrical service and an artesian water supply - major advances for the time.

In the 20th century, Asbury Park experienced an economic decline, but is now being redeveloped as a pleasant shore resort. (Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch - that's Exit 105!)
6. Exit 105: Garden State Parkway to Route 36 to Long Branch. Seven Presidents State Park commemorates the U.S. Presidents who summered here. Which President (one of the Seven) passed away in Long Branch?

Answer: James Garfield

James Garfield was shot and wounded by an assassin in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. In September, he was transported by train to Long Branch's milder climate. The last part of the journey was on a rail spur specially laid to a cottage near the beach.

The medical knowledge of the time could not save his life. The other six Presidents to summer in Long Branch were Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Woodrow Wilson.
7. Long about Milepost 127: The Garden State Parkway crosses the Raritan River via the Driscoll Bridge. What's so special about this span?

Answer: It's the widest highway bridge in the world

When first opened in 1954, the bridge had no name and only two lanes in each direction. In 1972, a second span was added, giving five lanes each way, but traffic jams persisted. In 1974, the bridge was named for Gov. Alfred Driscoll, who advocated construction of both the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.

In 2009, a rebuilt Driscoll Bridge opened with a total of 15 travel lanes (8 northbound; 7 southbound) plus six shoulder lanes for police and emergency vehicles, making it the widest highway bridge on earth. New Yorkers still snarl traffic on Friday evenings in the summer, but it's way better now.
8. Exit 129: the Garden State Parkway crosses NJ's other great highway, the New Jersey Turnpike. Which is longer - the Parkway or the Turnpike?

Answer: The Parkway, about 50 miles longer

The GSP is 172 miles and a bit long. It's easy to tell because GSP Exit numbers correspond to the distance north of "Mile Zero" in Cape May County. The Jersey Turnpike is a tad over 122 miles in length from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the northern end near the George Washington Bridge. Turnpike exit numbers are sequential and not related to distances.

Some drivers claim that both highways grow significantly longer on hot summer days in heavy traffic, but the phenomenon has yet to be proven.
9. Exit 153A: Garden State Parkway to Route 3 eastbound, toward The Meadowlands. The stadium there is unique in being the home field for two National Football League teams - the "New York" Giants and the "New York" Jets. The Jets' team colors are green and white. Why?

Answer: Gasoline stations

The team originally sported blue-and-gold uniforms. In the early 1960s, New Jersey oilman Leon Hess became a major stockholder. Under his leadership, the team switched to green-and-white, which was the color scheme of Hess gasoline stations. Mr. Hess passed away in 1999, but the colors live on, and so does the "New York" part of the team's name.
10. Top o' the Parkway at last: Mile 172, where the Garden State Parkway ends. What happens if you dare to keep driving?

Answer: You join the New York State Thruway

The New York State Thruway - New Yorkers don't have the time to spell properly - extends a tentacle southward to link up with the GSP. When you reach the Thruway proper, you can head west to Suffern or east to the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River.

As of 2013, the Z-Bridge is slated to be replaced by a new and very expensive span. The bridge is at one of the widest points along the entire river. Silly New Yorkers.
Source: Author ignotus999

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us