7 New Jersey Towns with the Best Main Streets

On a main commercial street, a town either has the independent shops, the good coffee, the people actually walking around, or it doesn't. New Jersey has more of them than it gets credit for, from Lambertville's antique-lined blocks along the Delaware River to Cape May's Washington Street Mall with its Victorian backdrop. Red Bank includes record shops and breweries. Chester includes brick sidewalks and a long-running candy store. These are seven New Jersey towns and small cities with notable main streets.

Lambertville

On the banks of the Delaware River, Lambertville is known as the Antique Capital of New Jersey. The downtown includes antique shops, local boutiques, and art galleries along a walkable grid of streets. The river provides access to the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath and the pedestrian bridge across to New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Beyond the antique stores, Lambertville Historical Society runs seasonal walking tours, and the James Wilson Marshall House Museum opens in season to cover the early life of the man who later discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in California. In late April, Shad Fest takes over for a weekend with local art, handcrafted jewelry, food, music, and family-friendly activities along the river.

Montclair

Montclair is a township in Essex County with a long association with musicians, writers, and visual artists. The downtown is walkable, and the town is near Montclair State University, whose main campus is in nearby Little Falls and holds the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, dedicated to the Hall of Fame catcher's life and career. Church Street in the center is the main cluster of cafés, restaurants, boutiques, and specialty shops, including Java Love Coffee Roasting Co. and Cafe Giotto. The Montclair History Center operates the 1796 Israel Crane House along with a separate early-20th-century YWCA Clubhouse and the 1818 Nathaniel Crane House, which includes a 19th-century general store and schoolroom exhibit.

Ocean City

Ocean City is a beach resort city with a long-established family-oriented reputation. Its main commercial corridor along Asbury Avenue includes independent shops, cafés, and restaurants that run parallel to the boardwalk. The Ocean City Boardwalk and the Ocean City Music Pier are the primary waterfront destinations, with summer concerts and performances at the pier. Other stops along the boardwalk include OC Waterpark & Adventure Golf. Ocean City has also been a dry town since its founding as a Methodist retreat in 1879, with local ordinances prohibiting alcohol sales.

Cape May

Cape May sits at the southern tip of the Cape May Peninsula, with the Atlantic to the east and Delaware Bay to the west. The city is known for its concentration of Victorian-era houses and preserved architecture. Its main commercial street, the pedestrian-only Washington Street Mall, runs three blocks through the center and includes shops, restaurants, and cafés under shade trees. The mall and the surrounding blocks maintain a consistent period appearance throughout.

Somerville

Somerville is a historic Somerset County borough in central New Jersey's Raritan Valley, near the Raritan River. The town's main commercial street, Main Street, includes historic buildings, restaurants, specialty shops, and cafés, with regular events programmed by the Downtown Somerville Alliance. Outdoor areas within the broader region include the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park corridor and Washington Rock State Park in Green Brook Township.

Red Bank

Red Bank sits by the Navesink River, a few miles inland from the Jersey Shore. The commercial center around Broad Street and Monmouth Street includes independent shops, restaurants, and music venues. Five Dimes Brewery operates a Red Bank location following the closure of Red Tank Brewing in 2024. Jack's Music Shoppe is a long-running record store on Broad Street, carrying vinyl, CDs, instruments, and collections. The Antique Center of Red Bank operates out of 195 and 226 West Front Street, with more than 100 dealers between the two buildings. Red Bank RiverCenter, a downtown management organization, supports the district through merchant promotion, business recruitment, events, and streetscape maintenance.

Chester

Chester is a small, historic town with a compact central shopping district along Main Street. The commercial strip includes boutiques, antique stores, and Black River Candy Shoppe, a long-running candy store at 44 Main Street, all connected by brick-lined sidewalks. The surrounding Chester Township adds open space at Chubb Park and Tiger Brook Park, with trails, athletic fields, and reservoir scenery. Cooper Gristmill, a preserved water-powered mill in Chester Township, operates seasonally under the Morris County Park Commission and is open for tours.

Main Streets Across the Garden State

New Jersey covers roughly 8,722 square miles, with a land area of about 7,354 square miles, and ranks 11th in U.S. population. The state's main streets vary across beach-town promenades, riverfront districts, historic downtowns, college-town corridors, and rural shopping villages. The seven towns and small cities above each feature a walkable central commercial corridor as the defining element.