7 Perfect Destinations For A Long Weekend In New Jersey

With 130 miles of beaches and 6,450 miles of rivers, New Jersey is perfect for a weekend away. If you are looking to learn to surf or fish, for example, you can head to Avalon, which offers surf camps and sport fishing charters. Travel to Frenchtown, meanwhile, and you can enjoy a bike ride along the Delaware River, followed by a cozy night at the National Hotel. Or focus your weekend on art and history with a visit to Princeton, which is home to the Garden Theatre and Princeton Battlefield State Park! The following seven destinations will make for your best long weekend yet this year in New Jersey.

Red Bank

Red Bank sits along the Navesink River and has a wonderful arts and culture scene to explore over a weekend trip. Travelers can kick off their weekend by attending an event at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre (Count Basie Center for the Arts), which puts on classical music performances, country music shows, plays, band tributes, and more. The next day, browse some artwork at the Beacon Fine Arts Gallery, which exhibits paintings, sculptures, and glasswork, among other types of media. Once you start working up an appetite, you can swing by the Anderson Market, which has a coffee shop, a bakery, a bar, seafood, Asian noodles, and other local food establishments inside its walls. The best way to round it all out is with a couple of nights at the Molly Pitcher Inn, sitting in the heart of town, near the water, with an on-site restaurant that has live music on the weekends.

Avalon

A weekend at the beach has never been easier in Avalon, which has seven miles of white sandy shores. The ICONA Hotel is the perfect place to check in on Friday evening, a year-round hotel with a Nantucket-inspired architecture and beachfront hotel rooms. Hopefully, you are well-rested the next day, because there are plenty of adventures awaiting! If you have ever wanted to learn to surf, you can sign up for a class or lesson from Avalon Surf Camp, which has one-day, three-day, and five-day classes. Alternatively, enjoy an afternoon of fishing with Nev-R-Enuf Sportfishing, a local agency that will take you out on the waters for ocean flounder fishing, light tackle inshore and offshore fishing, and ocean trolling.

Stone Harbor

Just a 10-minute drive from Avalon is Stone Harbor, another beautiful Atlantic Coast resort town. Here, travelers can enjoy a weekend at the beach or head to the Wetlands Institute, a natural preserve that protects coastal and wetland ecosystems and provides habitat for local wildlife like shorebirds, horseshoe crabs, and diamondback terrapins. The Stone Harbor Museum is another popular attraction in town, established in 1999 and showcasing oral stories from the 1930s and a vintage collection of artifacts and photographs. The Reeds at Shelter Haven is a lovely place to spend the night, with luxurious amenities like a salt spa, beach service, yoga and zumba, and complimentary bay activities.

Frenchtown

If you are looking to explore New Jersey’s rolling green countryside, Frenchtown is the destination for you. Located along the Delaware River, this town offers easy access to the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. This 70-mile linear park winds along the riverfront, providing endless opportunities for hiking and biking. The art scene in Frenchtown is quite interesting as well, apparent through attractions like ArtYard. This art center is composed of four buildings, including a theater, exhibition space, a workshop, and two artist residencies. Once you finish exploring, unwind for the evening at the National Hotel, a boutique hotel with upscale rooms and an on-site restaurant.

Cape May

Perhaps most well known for its beaches, Cape May is also an excellent town to visit for its history! Many of the inns in town are historic and Victorian-style, such as the Angel of the Sea, a 27-room Victorian mansion that was transformed into a bed and breakfast in 1989. Travelers can see even more Victorian architecture and history at the Emlen Physick Estate, an 18-room mansion that was built in 1879, today standing as a fascinating museum. And, of course, don’t miss out on the chance to climb the Cape May Lighthouse! Dating back to 1859, this light features a 199-step climb to the top, offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay from above. You’ll certainly be hungry by the end of the day, so finish off your activities with a meal at Lucky Bones Backwater Grille, a casual dining spot with sandwiches,, burgers, salads, and seafood.

Princeton

Home to the one and only Princeton University, Princeton is naturally a cultural hub in New Jersey. The town has plenty of unique cultural establishments, starting with the Garden Theatre, a historic cinema that was built in 1920, today screening international, indie, classic films, documentaries, and educational programs. You can also explore American Revolution history at the Princeton Battlefield State Park, which hosted one of the fiercest battles of the Revolution. If you prefer to go canoeing or kayaking, head over to Lake Carnegie, which was created in 1906 for competitive rowing and is open to the public via a public boat launch. Travelers looking for a boutique inn experience can spend the night at the Peacock Inn, a colonial-style mansion with 16 rooms downtown.

Ocean City

Ocean City is a fantastic pick for a family weekend since it is a "dry" city and offers plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained. During the summer, Music Pier often hosts live music events, including orchestra performances, comedies, and musicals. Starting in June, travelers can also spend a sunny Saturday at OC Waterpark, which has a lazy river, waterslides, a fantasy playground for children, and more. The Scarborough Inn, meanwhile, is open year-round and serves guests a full hot breakfast each morning, with dishes ranging from French toast to Caprese frittatas!

A Memorable Weekend In These Seven Towns

Whether you are planning to use a little bit of PTO or are waiting for the next long weekend to roll around, you can definitely count on having a spectacular getaway in any one of these seven towns. While many of them, like Ocean City and Stone Harbor, are centered around the beach, others, like Princeton and Red Bank, offer plenty of cultural attractions. Your memorable weekend is just around the corner!