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Category: Day Trips

  • Spring blossoms, biscuits, and Blue Ridge views in Charlottesville, Va. | Field Trip

    Spring blossoms, biscuits, and Blue Ridge views in Charlottesville, Va. | Field Trip

    Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is ready for spring. The season there comes a little earlier than ours — cherry blossoms popping, birds trilling — so those planning a March getaway should consider the Virginian city, where the weather is often mild enough to spend serious time outside. Rails and walking paths wind like shoelaces through downtown and into the surrounding countryside. As a university town, C’ville is also packed with arts, music, shopping and dining, and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate sits just on the outskirts of town, high on a hill.

    Get your history, get your biscuits. Start the car.

    Fuel: Ace Biscuit & BBQ

    The first stop in town, Ace Biscuit BBQ, announces you’ve arrived in the South. The redbrick building, on the literal other side of the tracks from downtown, opens at 7 a.m. with hot, fresh, crumbly biscuits. Get with butter and jam, sausage gravy, or as bookends to a serious breakfast sandwich with smoked brisket, an over-easy egg, caramelized onions, and cheddar.

    📍 600 Concord Ave., Charlottesville, Va. 22903

    Stay: Graduate Charlottesville

    Charlottesville is a college town, with the University of Virginia’s idyllic and historic campus right downtown. Lean into it and stay at the Graduate, a newer property from the collegiate-themed brand under the Hilton umbrella. Opened in 2015, the hotel is still super fresh, with a game room, scenic rooftop, and rooms dressed in soothing blue walls, Cavalier-print curtains, and bolster pillows embroidered with “Wah-hoo-wa,” the university’s sports cheer.

    📍 1309 W. Main St., Charlottesville, Va. 22903

    Stroll: Downtown Mall

    A short walk from the Graduate, Charlottesville’s pedestrian Downtown Mall offers a solid orientation to the city’s commercial core. Visit shops like C’Ville Arts, a co-op gallery representing over 50 Virginia artists, or catch a show at the historic Paramount Theater, which opened in 1931, closed in 1974, and reopened after a $17-million restoration in 2004. When the biscuit craving returns, hit Miller’s Downtown for lunch. It’s famous for the Charlottesville Nasty chicken biscuit, but the pimento-cheese BLT is the actual move.

    📍 E. Main St., between Second Street NW and Ninth Street NE, Charlottesville, Va.

    Visit: Monticello

    Whether you think history is a snooze or can quote Hamilton from memory — “Thomas Jefferson’s coming home!”— Monticello is must-visit. Set on 2,500 bucolic acres, the estate features multiple exhibits inside, outside, and even beneath the mansion, with thoughtful attention paid to the enslaved people who worked Jefferson’s plantation, including Sally Hemings, with whom he fathered six children.

    📍 1050 Monticello Loop, Charlottesville, Va. 22902

    Walk: Saunders-Monticello Trail

    Beyond the landscaped gardens of Monticello proper, the fairytale woods and meadows of the estate beg for exploring. The Saunders-Monticello Trail is an easy lift for all activity levels, with a maximum five-percent incline and two miles of wheelchair-accessible paved paths and boardwalks winding through forest and over ravines. Stop at Carter Overlook for panoramic views of Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

    📍 Parking: 503 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy., Charlottesville, Va. 22902

    Drink: Blenheim Vineyards

    Dave Matthews Band got its start in Charlottesville, gigging at Miller’s on the mall and other stages around town. Though the singer now lives in Seattle, he maintains a strong connection to Virginia. One touchpoint is his winery, Blenheim Vineyards, situated on 32 acres of rolling chartreuse hills stitched with sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and albarino vines. Giant windows in the wood-clad A-frame frame the landscape during guided tastings of five wines (just $25). Consider this your pre-dinner drinks.

    📍 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville, Va. 22902

    Dine: Smyrna

    Back downtown, Smyrna’s oysters with ramp mignonette, hamachi crudo with anise-compressed melon, and manti dumplings dabbed with garlic yogurt earned chef Tarik Sengul a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation this year. You’ll have to wait till April to find out if he advances to the finalist round of the awards — making right now an ideal time to check this sharp Aegean restaurant out for yourself.

    📍 707 W. Main St., Charlottesville, Va. 22903

  • Industrial bones and big flavors in Easton, Pa. | Field Trip

    Industrial bones and big flavors in Easton, Pa. | Field Trip

    Nestled in the crook of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, Easton’s manufacturing might was powered by its waterways during the Industrial Revolution in the early 20th century. Tanneries, flour and silk mills, distilleries, breweries — these were the big businesses in town.

    Now, those old industrial shells and the former mansions of tycoons house cafés and galleries, boutique hotels and French-inspired markets. Easton sits just 90 minutes from Philly, making it an easy weekend getaway. Take the Turnpike north, hook a right at Allentown, and head toward the river.

    Start the car.

    Stay: Townley House Hotel

    In dining, shopping and arts, Easton way overdelivers. Hotels are still catching up. Fortunately, the popular Gusto Hospitality Group (see Dine, below) opened the Townley House Hotel several years ago, and the 16-room boutique remains the best place to stay in town. An original mahogany staircase links the levels of this restored brick townhouse on Easton’s historic Millionaire’s Row. There’s a sun-dappled courtyard, Mercer-tiled fireplaces, maximalist wallpapers and custom headboards — a different one for each room.

    📍 130 N. 3rd St., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Stroll: Karl Stirner Arts Trail

    Running nearly two miles along scenic Bushkill Creek to Lafayette College’s William Visual Arts Building, the Karl Stirner Arts Trail weaves through 27 works of public art. The trail is named for the German-born sculptor and metalsmith largely credited for making Easton an arts destination in the ‘80s. You’ll find his untitled steel arch, painted an unmissable scarlet, about two-thirds of the way down the path.

    📍 Parking at 521 N. 13th St., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Snack: Pie + Tart

    In this world, there are people who love pie, and there are monsters. Don’t be a monster. On Northampton Street, Easton’s main drag, Pie + Tart is charming spot with exposed brick walls and Shaker-style chairs from bakers Lisa Yelagin and Anne Gerr. Savory pies (coq au vin) and sweet ones (Mexican chocolate chess, cherry cheesecake) rotate weekly, alongside soups, quiches, and other cozy blackboard specials.

    📍 349 Northampton St., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Create: Crayola Experience

    If you’re bringing kids — or you simply have strong feelings about Burnt Sienna and Tickle-Me-Pink — meet the Crayola Experience. The king of crayons was born — and still manufactured — right here in Easton. The four-floor experience mixes analog crafts and digital diversions, including an 85-foot water table and a photo booth that generates a coloring-book selfie. Great opportunity to see what you’d look like as a Mango Tango redhead.

    📍 30 Centre Sq. Cir., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Shop: Belleville Market

    Men’s shearling-lined shackets, watercolor paint-by-numbers journals, irreverent incense (“Chai-Scented Laziness,” “Burn Away the BS”) and more fill Belleville Market, a three-level department store inspired by the marketplaces the owners fell for in France. Keep an eye on their events page to see if your Easton trip lines up with the shop’s happenings, like the upcoming Moka pot demonstration and tasting and floral-filled spring open house.

    📍 20 S. 3rd St., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Drink: Kabinett

    We don’t need to tell you: The PLCB does not make sourcing great wine easy. Which makes Kabinett, a Bavarian-inspired refuge furnished with warm woods, wishbone chairs, and framed botanical prints, all the more impressive. A grandly antlered stag skull presides over the bar. The Wine Spectator-recognized list ranges from whole-cluster Santa Barbara Sangiovese and South Australian Riesling from 175-year-old vines. It’s deep but playful, organized under headings like:“Reds ~ OK, Boomer. Safe Cabernet & oak space for full-throttle bottles.”

    📍 125 Northampton St., Easton, Pa. 18042

    Dine: Albanesi Restaurant & Bar

    Italian restaurants run by Albanians form their own industry sub-genre. At Albanesi Restaurant & Bar, Gusto Group’s Mick Gjevukaj, who grew up in the war-torn former Yugoslavia, is putting his heritage center stage with dishes like harissa-spiced rib-eye qofte (kofte), veal goulash, and braised lamb shoulder lacquered in pomegranate. Climb into one of the camel-colored clamshell banquettes, order some samuna bread and hummus swirled with ajvar, a Balkan condiment of roasted peppers and tomatoes, and settle in for culinary geography lesson. Who knew you’d learn it in Easton?

    📍 235 Ferry St., Easton, Pa. 18042

  • Offseason eats, arcades, and live music in Asbury Park | Field Trip

    Offseason eats, arcades, and live music in Asbury Park | Field Trip

    Would you believe it if we told you Asbury Park is the same distance from Philly as Sea Isle? For many Philadelphians, the north end of the Shore might as well exist on another planet. Fortunately, the offseason is the perfect time to broaden one’s horizons — so that come summer, you might break out of the tribal nature that governs which sands you plant your umbrella in.

    As one of the larger towns on the coast, with a healthy year-round population, Asbury Park makes an ideal entrée. Things are open in the winter.

    Not everything — but enough to keep you busy for a weekend of city-level food, idiosyncratic shopping, and live music. Start the car.

    Fuel: Hey Peach

    Make your first stop just to the south of Asbury, at Hey Peach in Bradley Beach. This inviting granny-core café-bakery from Erin “Peach” Kilker lines its wooden sideboard and pastry case with holey olive fougasses, crackling croissants, Scottish shortbread, fat cream puffs, and more. If the weather cooperates, grab one of the bistro tables out front and enjoy your pastry (or three) with a Counter Culture coffee.

    📍 126 Main St., Bradley Beach, N.J. 07720

    Stay: Asbury Ocean Club

    It might not be beach weather, but the glittering sea views from the 11-foot windows at Asbury Ocean Club are just as dramatic in winter. The soothing dune-and-khaki suites in this luxurious 54-room high-rise — which opened in 2019 — feel especially indulgent in the offseason. Winter rates hover in the mid-$300s; that same room can top $1,000 on a summer weekend.

    📍 1101 Ocean Ave. N., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

    Play: Silverball Retro Arcade

    Cosplay your favorite Stranger Things kid (minus the Vecna creepy-crawlies) at Silverball Retro Arcade. Gamer or not, it’s impossible not to light up like the 1992 Addams Family pinball machine when you step inside this clanging, jangling boardwalk fixture. And because it’s not summer, the chances are good you’ll have no trouble finding an empty Skee-Ball lane. (Fun fact: Skee-Ball was invented in Vineland in 1907, with early alleys manufactured in Philly.)

    📍 1000 Ocean Ave. N., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

    Shop: Asbury Park Bazaar

    Right in the middle of the boardwalk, where you can shop for travel-inspired hoodies at Promised Land Apparel and thrifted art supplies at Asbury Park Art Club, Asbury Park Bazaar pops up through the year inside the Grand Arcade at Convention Hall. More than 50 vendors will fill the space on Valentine’s Day weekend, selling everything from patch-customized beanies and travel-inspired hoodies to candles that melt into massage oil.

    📍 1300 Ocean Ave. N., Unit C-4, Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

    Read: Paranormal Books & Curiosities

    Ghost ships, Victorian murders, haunted houses — in Asbury Park, spooky season never really ends. Paranormal Books & Curiosities anchors the city’s supernatural streak, selling horror novels, spellbooks, and oddities, while also running ghost tours and curating a small paranormal museum. Whether you’re looking for Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, or something to summon the corners, you’ll find it here.

    📍 621 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

    Dine: Judy & Harry’s

    Named for owner Neilly Robinson’s parents, Judy & Harry’s in the St. Laurent Hotel is a two-in-one restaurant and cocktail bar with butterscotch leather barstools, frosted globe lights, and framed family photos. The menu, by Robinson’s partner and James Beard semifinalist David Viana, blends her Italian and Jewish heritage with dishes like limoncello-splashed hamachi crudo, ricotta-matzo ball soup, schmaltzy potatoes, and chicken and eggplant parm. If you’re visiting Asbury on a Sunday, swing in for their $38 Sunday Sauce prix fixe supper.

    📍 408 Seventh Ave., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

    Jam: The Stone Pony

    What’s the opposite of a sleeper pick? First opened in 1974, Stone Pony is so deeply and inextricably tethered to Asbury Park. Everyone knows it. The bar and venue runs shows every weekend through the offseason, and the variety is pretty astounding: a Dave Matthews tribute band, country singer Hunter Hayes, a student showcase from Red Bank’s School of Rock, bassist and Phish cofounder Mike Gordon. Tourists go. Summer people go. Locals go. You should go.

    📍 913 Ocean Ave. N., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712

  • Pizza, museums, and waterfront walks in New Haven | Field Trip

    Pizza, museums, and waterfront walks in New Haven | Field Trip

    With a population of just over 140,000, New Haven still manages to be tiny Connecticut’s third-largest city — and one that punches well above its weight as a weekend getaway.

    It’s a university town, a harbor town, and a New England town, all folded into one. The result is a destination with world-class cultural institutions, excellent food — the pizza is as outrageous as you’ve heard — and easy access to the outdoors, from the river-fed coast of Long Island Sound to one of the largest urban parks in the region. From Philly, it’s about three hours and change up I-95, depending on traffic around New York. Start the car.

    Stay: Hotel Marcel

    Originally the HQ of the tire-producing Armstrong Rubber Co., the Wharf District Hotel Marcel inhabits an architecturally significant, brutalist concrete building honeycombed with windows and retrofitted to run entirely on renewable energy. The inside is just as interesting: terrazzo staircases with mahogany rails, Connecticut-made walnut beds, and a circular bar pouring spirulina margaritas and nonalcoholic spiced cranberry cider.

    📍 500 Sargent Dr., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    Hike: East Rock Park

    New Haven’s central green space, East Rock Park, spans 427 acres and rises 350 feet above the city, rewarding visitors with sweeping views of downtown and Long Island Sound. Not feeling a winter hike? You can drive to the summit instead. Traveling with kids? Stop by the Trowbridge Environmental Center on the park’s west side for hands-on exhibits about the local ecology.

    📍 41 Cold Spring St., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    Lunch: Frank Pepe and Sally’s Apizza

    If there’s only one thing you know about New Haven, it’s probably the pizza. Or as they call it here, apizza (“a-beetz”), derived from the southern Italian immigrants that opened the first shops in the early 1900s.

    For lunch, stage a mini pie crawl along Wooster Street and compare two legends located a block apart. At Frank Pepe (est. 1925), the tomato pie and oregano-dusted white clam pie are classics for a reason. At Sally’s Apizza (1938), whose recent expansion hasn’t dimmed the original’s quality, the blistered tomato pie with mozzarella is the move.

    📍 Frank Pepe: 157 Wooster St., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    📍 Sally’s Apizza: 237 Wooster St., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    Visit: Yale Peabody Museum

    If there are only two things you know about New Haven, they’re probably the pizza and Yale. The Ivy’s lovely, leafy campus dominates the center of town. (It’s no Penn, but…) The impressive collection at the Yale Peabody Museum, which is free to visit and requires no advance ticketing, includes a towering brontosaurus skeleton, a 300-pound Brazilian tourmaline cluster, and 4000-year-old Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets.

    📍 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    Read: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

    Decried as an incongruous eyesore when the Gordon Bunshaft-designed Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library opened in 1963, the modernist building has become an architectural icon on campus. Translucent marble cladding gives the interior a cozy glow while protecting the literary treasures, which are arranged in a stunning five-story cubic column, from sun damage. Even if you’re not a rare-books obsessive, it’s worth visiting for the space alone. Current exhibits include a 15th-century Gutenberg Bible and illustrated Japanese crepe-paper books.

    📍 121 Wall St., New Haven, Conn. 06511

    Dine: Fair Haven Oyster Co.

    It’ll likely be a bit too chilly to sit out on the pretty deck over the Quinnipiac River, but the warm woodwork and porthole windows get the seafood-tavern vibe across well at Fair Haven Oyster Co. Start with four different types of New England oysters, then progress to tots topped with American sturgeon caviar, oil-poached tuna toast, and bone-in skate wing in Meyer lemon brown butter. Skip dessert.

    📍 307 Front St., New Haven, Conn. 06513

    Scoop: Arethusa Farm Dairy

    Based in Litchfield County, Arethusa Farm Dairy produces some of the richest ice cream around, using 16%-butterfat milk from its own cows. Lucky for New Haven visitors, there’s an outpost at the Yale Shops. Breathe in the smell of freshly pressed waffle cones while choosing from classic flavors like coconut-coconut chunk, strawberry that actually tastes like strawberries, and an excellent coffee ice cream. One scoop is never enough.

    📍 1020 Chapel St., New Haven, Conn. 06510

  • Waterfalls, cabins, art, and eats in Milford, Pa. | Field Trip

    Waterfalls, cabins, art, and eats in Milford, Pa. | Field Trip

    Milford is an outdoorsy town — and then some.

    It sits along the scenic banks of the Upper Delaware River in Pike County, surrounded by mountains, with access to major trails, canoeing, kayaking, and biking, and the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania. It’s an adventure hub among the best in the tristate region.

    But Milford isn’t just for people in hiking boots. It’s also an artsy town, with galleries, a theater, and dedicated film, music, and writers’ festivals. It’s a shopping destination too, with a slew of antique and gift shops, and a healthy-living store that rivals anything in Philadelphia or New York.

    “Geographically, I believe Milford has the edge over most small towns around,” said local entrepreneur Bill Rosado, who owns some popular businesses in town. “It is centered so well. Just looking at the town is a treat to me.”

    There’s plenty of history in Milford, too, which calls itself the “birthplace of the conservation movement” as it was home to Gifford Pinchot, founder and first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. It also has a historical museum that’s home to a unique and morbid artifact from the Civil War era.

    And, finally, you have to eat. Milford is home to fine dining at historic hotels, both fancy and cozy bars, along with breweries, classic diners, organic coffee, and, thanks to Rosado, authentic food from Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. (He was born there.)

    Milford’s about 75 miles northwest of Manhattan and just across the river from North Jersey, so yes, you’ll see Yankees and Giants gear, but it’s just 135 miles from Philly, so get up there.

    One of the cabins available for rent at Sean Strub’s Dwarfskill Preserve in Milford, Pa.

    Stay: Dwarfskill Preserve

    There are plenty of hotels in downtown Milford that are in the midst of everything the town has to offer, including the historic and ornate Hotel Fauchère and the Tom Quick Inn, which would be at home in Cape May. Rosado owns both of them.

    I’ve been eyeing up the tiny cabin at the 575-acre Dwarfskill Preserve, up in the hills above town, for years now, as a former colleague had spent extended time there over the years and shared lovely pictures. It’s owned by former Milford mayor Sean Strub and consists of three separate properties: the one-room cabin I rented for a few nights with my girlfriend, Jen, and my dog, Wanda, and two larger cabins that can fit more people.

    We stayed there over the New Year’s holiday, cooking brisket in the microwave and making coffee on the hot plate. While Milford and the Dwarfskill are undoubtedly at their best in the summer and fall, when you can take full advantage of the outdoor opportunities, including the swimming hole at the cabin, we watched both the wood fireplace and the ample snowfall outside for hours. It was hard to leave, a full hygge experience, in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

    📍 Dwarfskill Falls Lane, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Grey Towers, the Pinchot family residence, outside Milford, and the family’s haven from 1886 to 1963. The family made its fortune in lumber.

    Explore: Grey Towers National Historic Site

    If you drive around Pennsylvania as much as I do, you’ll see the name Gifford Pinchot quite a bit. Pinchot was a two-term governor of the Commonwealth and has a 54,000-acre state forest named after him.

    He went on to found and run the U.S. Forest Service and is generally considered a pioneer in the U.S. conservation movement. Pinchot was born in Milford and his home, Grey Towers, is a national historic landmark run by the U.S. Forest Service. Its curated gardens, French chateau-style stone architecture, and expansive library can all be seen on tours, both in-person during spring, summer, and fall, and online all year round.

    At 150-feet tall, Raymondskill Falls is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania.

    If you’re interested in something a little more outdoorsy, visit Raymondskill Falls, which, at 150 feet, is the tallest in Pennsylvania. You can, technically, visit in winter, but the ice and snow could be treacherous. In summer, you might have to brave some crowds and jammed parking lots, but the views are worth it.

    📍 Grey Towers: 122 Old Owego Turnpike, Milford, Pa. 18337

    📍 Raymondskill Falls: Raymondskill Road, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Learn: The Pike County Historical Society at the Columns

    It’s not every day that a county historical society can really wow you with an artifact, but Pike County punches up with a Civil War relic you won’t find anywhere else in the world: the bloody U.S. flag used to cradle Abraham Lincoln’s head after he was shot at Ford’s Theatre in 1865.

    The flag and other exhibits are housed in “the Columns,” a 1904 neoclassical-style mansion. Want to learn how they obtained the flag? Visit on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

    📍 608 Broad St., Milford, Pa. 18337

    Shop: Better World Store and Cafe

    It’s hard to pin down Better World Store and Cafe in one category.

    It’s a place to get coffee or tea and healthy pastries. It’s a community hub, where people gather to meet or work remotely.

    It’s also a place to look good, with woolens and other “natural” clothes, and smell good, or simply be good, with homesteading supplies and books.

    📍 Broad Street, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Eat: Felix’s Cantina at La Posada

    Jen spends weeks in the Yucatan every winter, so she was surprised to see a restaurant in Northeastern Pennsylvania promising a “taste of the Yucatan Peninsula and other regional dishes from southern Mexico.”

    Rosado, who also owns a historic theater in town, owns the Cantina at La Posada, yet another one of his hotels. He was born in Merida, the capital of Yucatan.

    He knows the dishes well, and she approved, describing our pork and birria tacos as “fattening and delicious.”

    For breakfast, the Waterwheel Café Bakery Bar, an old grist mill along Sawkill Creek, serves up a killer thick-cut challah French toast. We basically licked the plate clean.

    The Waterwheel Café Bakery Bar

    📍 Felix’s: 210 Second St., Milford, Pa. 18337

    📍 Waterwheel: 150 Water St., Milford, Pa. 18337

  • Antiques, river hikes, and cozy inns in Lambertville and Stockton | Field Trip

    Antiques, river hikes, and cozy inns in Lambertville and Stockton | Field Trip

    Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross — these are the massive engineering marvels that come to mind when most Philadelphians think of the bridges between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But less than an hour north of the city, the Delaware narrows enough to let charming, Norman Rockwell-type trusses span the forested riverbanks.

    Everyone knows New Hope. But on the opposite side of the river, Lambertville and neighboring Stockton make a compelling case for a Jersey-side getaway, thanks to stylish revived historic inns, a vibrant arts scene, and some excellent shopping. Start the car.

    Hunt: Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market

    Coming off I-95 and up River Road, you’ll hit Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market, just outside Lambertville. Over five decades, this sprawling indoor-outdoor operation has grown into one of the largest antique markets in the region. Treasure hunt for Tiffany-glass lamps, rare baseball cards, glittering geodes, and more. Don’t miss Art & Restoration gallery on the first floor, where the chatty owner is happy to talk through the process of paper deacidification and the highlights of his ever-changing collection (which recently included a Picasso).

    📍 1850 River Rd., Lambertville, N.J. 08530

    Hike: Goat Hill Overlook

    River towns offer plenty of scenic walks along the water, but a little elevation makes all the difference. Goat Hill Overlook, halfway between the Golden Nugget and downtown Lambertville, is a low-effort, high-reward climb: a gently uphill, paved path that clocks just under a mile from the trailhead parking lot. At the summit, the blue, bridge-laced Delaware slides toward the horizon before dissolving into the woods.

    📍 Coon Path, Lambertville, N.J. 08530

    Shop: Downtown Lambertville

    Indie boutiques, antique dealers, and cafés line the streets of downtown Lambertville, which stretches along Bridge Street (at the foot of the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge) and spiders out in a series of charming alleys and lanes. Wander into Zinc for home and garden inspo, Lambert + Hope for Flamingo Estate candles and Laguiole knives, and Panoply for special-edition books and vintage vinyl.

    📍 Bridge Street, Lambertville, N.J. 08530

    Snack: RSC Atelier

    Perhaps the only gourmet grocery you’ll find attached to a gas station, RSC Atelier in Stockton grew out of the old Rosemont Supper Club nearby. Build a picnic basket with Iberico ham, upscale tinned fish, and farmstead cheese sourced by sister business Immortal Milk Cheese Co.

    📍 10 Risler St., Stockton, N.J. 08559

    Stay: The Stockton Inn

    A crossroads for travelers since 1710, the nine-key Stockton Inn reopened in 2024 after a seven-year renovation that modernized the staying experience while still preserving the building’s historic bones. Earthy colors and natural fabrics give the rooms and suites a tranquil, contemporary vibe that feels both at home in the country but also more stylish than the typical area B&Bs.

    📍 1 S. Main St., Stockton, N.J. 08559

    See: Music Mountain Theatre

    New Hope’s Bucks County Playhouse gets most of the attention, but just a mile from Lambertville’s downtown, Music Mountain Theatre is quietly expanding the arts scene on the Jersey side of the river. Founded in 2017, the company stages polished productions year-round for families and adults alike. This winter’s lineup includes Grease (through Feb. 1), followed by Dangerous Liaisons and Shrek the Musical.

    📍 1483 N.J.-179, Lambertville, N.J. 08530

    Dine: Sergeantsville Inn

    True to headline, nearly everywhere in this guide has a Lambertville or Stockton address. Dinner is the only exception. For that, head three and a half miles inland to the Sergeantsville Inn. Chef Sean Gray, formerly of New York’s Momofuku Ko, runs the tavern and restaurant housed in a building that dates to 1734. Stone walls, wood beams, and Shaker-style chairs set the stage for a candlelit meal of radicchio salad with cheddar and pears, beer-battered onion rings with horseradish aioli, or a whole roasted duck. Look alive — the Revolution is here.

    📍 601 Rosemont Ringoes Rd., Sergeantsville, N.J. 08557