A dog park in the woods and Walt Whitman's last house

Timber Creek Park · Chews Landing Road, Lindenwold and Gloucester Township (dog park entrance at Chews Landing Road and Taylor Avenue, Blackwood)

Timber Creek Park - nine acres of woods for your dog

If your dog has outgrown the little fenced square by the tennis courts, take him to Timber Creek Park. The county fenced in nine acres of actual woods there, with trails, so the dog gets a hike instead of a pen.

The park itself is 128 acres between Chews Landing Road and Somerdale Road, split between Lindenwold and Gloucester Township, with the north branch of Big Timber Creek running along one side. There's a paved accessible walking track just under half a mile around, two pavilions, an outdoor amphitheater and indoor restrooms, which is a bigger deal than it sounds in November.

The full guide has where to park, how the dog park works, the trails the county's high school cross-country teams race on, and why you should check the pond signs before your dog jumps in.

Somebody caught a rocket launch from a Pennsauken Wawa parking lot. Plus a Gobbler that fixed a bad night, and a Westmont guy who reviews Wawa parking lots.

It's Election Day, and Collingswood has two questions of its own at the bottom of the ballot. Here's what each one actually asks before you head over.

Collingswood · Tue Nov 3 · polls open 6am to 8pm

Collingswood's two local questions on today's ballot

Collingswood voters get two local questions today, plus the countywide open space question we covered last week. The first asks whether to allow restaurants and bars in the borough to sell alcohol by the glass for drinking on site. The Retrospect and the Inquirer both report it would allow up to four licenses under the state's population formula, and The Retrospect says the borough would still have to pass local rules on how they're issued. A yes allows those sales, and a no keeps Collingswood dry. The second question asks whether the Collingswood Board of Education can raise an extra $4,560,822 a year in local property taxes, starting with the 2027-2028 school year, to keep current staffing, student services, programs and facilities. The district estimates it adds $1,324 a year for a home assessed at the borough average of $448,000. A yes makes it a permanent part of the school tax levy, and a no means the district doesn't raise that money through this vote. Read both questions on the county's sample ballot and find your polling place before you go. Collingswood sample ballot · Find your polling place

The holiday markets are starting early this year. Hott's sets up its pop-up in the Cherry Hill Mall's Grand Court Friday through Sunday, and Santa rolls in Saturday morning.

Cherry Hill · Fri Nov 6 to Sun Nov 8 · Fri and Sat 10am to 9pm, Sun 11am to 6pm

Hott's Pop-Up Holiday Market at the Cherry Hill Mall

Hott's Promotions fills the Grand Court of the Cherry Hill Mall, 2000 Route 38, with small-business vendor tables for three days, and the mall pitches it as a way to support small businesses. Vendors bring their own tables, so expect a mix of everything from handmade stuff to side hustles. Saturday from 11am to 1pm the mall also does its Welcome Santa party, with Santa arriving on a fire truck at the Route 38 entrance by Seasons 52, plus a face painter, a stilt walker and kids' crafts. You can knock out three gifts and a Santa sighting before lunch, and that's the most productive Saturday I've had all year. Hott's Promotions · Welcome Santa

Walt Whitman House · 330 Mickle Boulevard, Camden (and his tomb at Harleigh Cemetery, 1640 Haddon Avenue)

Walt Whitman's last house - the little place on Mickle Street

Walt Whitman, the guy who wrote "Leaves of Grass," only ever owned one house, and it's a plain two-story frame house in Camden. He came to town in 1873 to live with his brother George, and when George moved out to a farm, Walt stayed put.

In 1884 he bought the house on Mickle Street for $1,750, mostly with royalties from "Leaves of Grass" plus a loan. He lived there until he died in 1892, and famous writers came to Camden to see him.

The house is closed right now for a big state restoration, with a target of summer 2027. The full story has what's inside, the state's nearly $10 million rehab contract, and how to visit the tomb he sketched for himself in the meantime.

The farmers markets are on their last few weekends. Haddon Heights still has three Sundays left, and Berlin's market runs every weekend all year.

Haddon Heights · Sun Nov 8 · 9:30am to 1pm · Sundays through Nov 22

The Haddon Heights Farmers Market on Station Avenue

The Haddon Heights Farmers Market sets up every Sunday at the corner of Station and Atlantic Avenues, and the 2026 season runs through Nov 22, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Expect produce, crafts, local business specials and live music. There's also a Cars and Coffee car show every Sunday, so the people who don't care about squash have something to look at. This late in the year it's your shot at stocking up on the Thanksgiving vegetables from a person instead of a shelf. Haddon Heights Farmers Market

Berlin · Fri Nov 6 to Sun Nov 8 · outdoor market 8am to 4pm

The Berlin Farmers Market on Clementon Road

The Berlin Farmers Market at 41 Clementon Road runs an outdoor flea market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the year from 8am to 4pm, and the market says you'll find fresh local produce out there alongside tools, toys, antiques and furniture. The indoor shopping center has more than 65 businesses and is open Thursday through Saturday 9am to 8pm and Sunday 9am to 6pm. Go early for the good stuff outside, and bring a bag, because you will leave with apples and a lamp you didn't need. Hours and directions