Town · Clinton, Hunterdon County
Clinton
A Hunterdon river town where the Red Mill and an old stone mill face each other across the South Branch of the Raritan, with a walkable Main Street and two big reservoirs close by.
16 places
Small Towns
Main streets, river towns and Victorian seaside villages
Photo: NJ Getaway
Some of the best days out in New Jersey need no big destination at all: just a small town with a good main street, a river or a beach, and somewhere nice for lunch. The state is full of them, from Delaware River towns with bridges to Pennsylvania to Victorian resorts at the Shore and crossroads villages in the hills of Hunterdon.
Each of these is worth a day trip on its own, and each has parks, gardens or historic sites close by to fill out the day. Shops and restaurants come and go, so check what's open before a special trip.
Our picks
Where to start
Town · Lambertville, Hunterdon County
Lambertville
A Delaware River town of brick rowhouses, galleries and restaurants, joined to New Hope by a walkable bridge, with the canal towpath at its door.
Photo: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Town · Cape May, Cape May County
Cape May
One of America's oldest seaside resorts, with streets of painted Victorian houses, a pedestrian mall, beaches and some of the best bird-watching in North America.
Town · Princeton, Mercer County
Princeton
A university town with a lively downtown, the Gothic campus of Princeton University, and Revolutionary history at every turn.
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net )., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Town · Frenchtown Borough, Hunterdon County
Frenchtown
A pocket-sized river town on the Delaware with shops and cafes, a bridge to Pennsylvania, river tubing in summer and the canal trail heading south.
Town · Haddonfield Borough, Camden County
Haddonfield
A handsome colonial town with a brick-sidewalked main street, the tavern where New Jersey became a state, and the site of a famous dinosaur find.
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page , my Commons user talk page , or my English Wikipedia user talk page ; I'll know about it a lot faster), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The full list
Every small towns place
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Cape May
One of America's oldest seaside resorts, with streets of painted Victorian houses, a pedestrian mall, beaches and some of the best bird-watching in North America.
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Chester
A Morris County crossroads town with a long Main Street of shops and cafes in old houses, surrounded by farms, gardens and hiking.
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Clinton
A Hunterdon river town where the Red Mill and an old stone mill face each other across the South Branch of the Raritan, with a walkable Main Street and two big reservoirs close by.
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Frenchtown
A pocket-sized river town on the Delaware with shops and cafes, a bridge to Pennsylvania, river tubing in summer and the canal trail heading south.
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Haddonfield
A handsome colonial town with a brick-sidewalked main street, the tavern where New Jersey became a state, and the site of a famous dinosaur find.
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Hopewell
A small, friendly borough at the foot of the Sourland Mountains, with a Victorian main street and farm country all around.
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Lambertville
A Delaware River town of brick rowhouses, galleries and restaurants, joined to New Hope by a walkable bridge, with the canal towpath at its door.
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Oldwick
A tiny 18th-century village in Hunterdon horse country: a crossroads of old houses, a white-steepled church and some of the prettiest back roads in the state.
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Princeton
A university town with a lively downtown, the Gothic campus of Princeton University, and Revolutionary history at every turn.
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Red Bank
A lively town on the Navesink River with independent shops, restaurants, riverfront parks and two well-known theaters.
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Somerville
The Somerset County seat, with a busy Main Street, a car-free dining street, Washington's 1778-79 headquarters and a famous Memorial Day bike race.
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Spring Lake
The quiet, elegant end of the Jersey Shore: grand old summer houses, a spring-fed lake with footbridges and a two-mile boardwalk with no shops at all.
Over the border
A short drive into New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
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Chadds Ford
A Brandywine Valley village known for the Wyeth family of painters, the Brandywine Museum of Art and the 1777 Battle of Brandywine.
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Doylestown
The Bucks County seat, home of Henry Mercer's three concrete landmarks (the Mercer Museum, Fonthill Castle and the Moravian Tile Works) and the Michener Art Museum.
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New Hope
A riverside arts town across the bridge from Lambertville, with galleries, the Bucks County Playhouse, the canal towpath and a heritage railroad.
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Peddler's Village
A village of shops, restaurants and an inn among landscaped gardens in Lahaska, with seasonal festivals and holiday lights.
