8 Prettiest Main Streetscapes In New Jersey
As an all-season state, New Jersey is ready with new adventures and places to discover throughout the year. When winter has you feeling cooped up, you can find yourself in delightful villages where theaters like the Count Basie Center for the Arts entertain in Red Bank and galleries like Art@ Bainbridge offer quiet contemplation in Princeton. In the spring and summer, you can take a cruise in your vintage muscle car to Sunday Motor Company for a cup of joe in Morristown, hop a train to one of Reader's Digest's 20 Most Beautiful Main Streets in America in Ridgewood, or drive down the coast to seaside towns like Ocean Grove or Cape May. To help inspire your wanderings, here are the eight prettiest main streetscapes in New Jersey, sure to make your trip worthwhile.
Cape May
With homes dripping with ornate gingerbread trim and enough colorful period flamboyance to make up the country’s second-largest concentration of Victorian houses, Cape May is pretty overloaded. If you want character, Cape May’s red brick pedestrian-only pathway has got it in spades. Its unique design might fire up debates on whether it is a main street, city square, or mall, but it is a little bit of each, taking up three blocks of the town’s main street, acting as the host for major signature events, and containing a high concentration of the town's finest shops and eateries. Foodies need to hold themselves back while browsing the displays in shop windows, from the temptations at The Original Fudge Kitchen to the charcuterie-platter-worthy morsels at The Cheese Shop.
Nostalgia is everywhere, and Cape May is no stranger to the eerie side of its history as night falls. With a Victorian-level obsession for all things occult, Cape May Continental Ghost Tours takes you on an otherworldly journey along Cape May’s oldest street, to legendary haunted locations, and hot spots where seaside specters are said to wander. Hold onto your hats while exploring New Jersey’s windy coastline at Cape May Point State Park, where you can hike to the beach, visit the Cape May Lighthouse, and take in the changing landscape through forests and marshes, around ponds, and over coastal dunes.
Frenchtown
Green and pastoral in the spring and summer, bursting with a symphony of golds, reds, and oranges in the fall, and softened by a blanket of snow in the winter, Frenchtown is a picture of loveliness all year round. The heart of Frenchtown is found along a mile of the Delaware River, where towpaths head to Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, and a pleasant cycling route takes you as far as Trenton. Mismatched buildings in the village shopping area are movie-set sweet, with cute painted facades, unruly rooflines, and quirky shop signs that entice passersby to stop and admire the window displays. Lunch at Bridge Cafe comes with an intriguing backstory, as the town’s former train station, along with bridge and river views. Guests never feel rushed and can take a beat before ordering dessert after a satisfying lunch.
The town’s allure attracted authors and artists to rent apartments and open studios in the 1930s. Today ArtYard’s contemporary art center is a hub for local artists, collaborators, and performing artists with a calendar of changing exhibits and events. Creative written works are also celebrated in town at Frenchtown Book Shop, where bookworms can take their time browsing the titles or ask the owners to recommend their next great read.
Morristown
Although the hit musical Hamilton does not name the town where Alexander Hamilton fell in love, history shows that he met Elizabeth Schuyler in Morristown. The stately Campfield House, where Hamilton courted Miss Schuyler, now offers Sunday tours of the home where the wife of General Washington’s personal physician, Dr. John Cochran, introduced them. So while this town has always been a history buff’s destination, romantic stories like this reveal a fair lady hidden beneath the town’s historic cloak. One of the prettiest spots on the main street is The Morristown Green’s graceful trees, manicured lawns and gardens, where you can follow meandering paths to find a spot to rest after touring the town's historic sites.
Food tends to come to mind after a day of touring, and the menu and ambiance at South + Pine are fashioned after a former Bobby Flay sous chef’s idea of what dining out is all about, from a thumbs up for BYOB to rustic chic décor and, of course, the menu focused on local, seasonally driven dishes. Auto and coffee enthusiasts make a beeline for Sunday Motor Company, where the garage doors of the converted 50s-era Mobil service station are a salute to the shop’s love of the motoring culture and commitment to creating American-inspired experiences with food, cups of joe, and all things motor-car related.
Red Bank
With the arrival of warm weather, Red Bank’s Broad Street becomes a pedestrian-only mall affectionately known as The Broadwalk. Often thought of as New Jersey’s own little Greenwich Village, while this riverside town’s shops and eateries lean into a funkier, edgier side, the sweetness of its village feel does not immediately give off that kind of vibe. Instead, its postcard aesthetic draws you into its quaintness, making discovering its artistic side feel all the more magical. Jack’s Music Shop has been a Red Bank landmark for half a century, where finds from a collection of used vinyl, CDs, instruments, and books are filled with nostalgia and often come with bragging rights among hardcore audiophiles.
The cool shops are not confined to the main strip, with gems like Monmouth Street Emporium sending collectors off on a frenzied search among over 15 dealerships specializing in all things vintage and treasurable. Live performances are also big town attractions where you can buy tickets for world-class shows at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, from kid-friendly Disney favorites like The Little Mermaid to the offbeat Evil Dead: The Musical.
Ocean Grove
The funny thing about Ocean Grove is that it covers no more than a square mile yet packs an impressive punch of prettiness that has kept vacationers coming back for over a century. Better yet, you are not likely to break a sweat exploring the lovely streetscape thanks to the fresh ocean breeze. As far as seaside towns go, Ocean Grove is a condensed beauty centered around The Great Auditorium, constructed in 1894. The wooden building remains almost as it was when it was first completed, and during the summer months, visitors can step behind the "barn door" entrances to admire the interiors with their grand barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling and ginormous organ. Founded in 1869 by Methodist clergymen, the town operated as a summer camp and became known as the “Queen of Religious Resorts” in the early 19th century. The whimsical striped awnings, colorful hanging baskets, and quaint wood porch doors of the town’s tent community line the auditorium grounds, where descendants of the original families have carried on the camp meeting tradition since 1870.
Ocean Grove’s boardwalk is free of shops and eateries, allowing visitors to focus on the natural beauty of the shoreline. The short and sweet main street has the seaside attractions you expect, like Bellalicious' ice cream parlor favorites, or a touch of cosmopolitan flair at the Majestic Hotel, where the casual-chic ambience at The Dining Room is upscale bistro cuisine at its best.
Westfield
This North Jersey bedroom community is the picture of loveliness, where former Manhattanites often find a place to hang their hats. Westfield’s upscale feel caters to visitors seeking a reprieve from the city without sacrificing the higher-end shops and eateries they have come to expect. The result is a streetscape where the trees and pond at picturesque Mindowaskin Park, globally recognized brands like the Gap and Banana Republic in restored historic buildings, and the latest fashions at shops like locally owned Luxe Threads have made Westfield a New Jersey destination. That explains why the town’s annual Girls’ Night Out is one of its most anticipated events of the year and a tradition for BFFs, moms and daughters, and groups of girlfriends large and small, taking advantage of the glam cams and playful girl power vibes. Everyone is welcome in Westfield, where cafes like Boxwood Coffee Roasters might appear a little bougie, but the warm and friendly staff create a real sense of community while serving up a wicked cup of java made with site-roasted beans.
Even the music in Westfield has a twist of sophistication when one of New Jersey’s largest professional orchestras' seasons is in full swing with performances at unexpected venues like town churches. Although the New Jersey Festival Orchestra is no stranger to major venues like Carnegie Hall, a far-reaching range of performances from their classical repertoire to adventures in music and art makes their concert schedule worth checking out when you are in town.
Ridgewood
A 1916 train station and nostalgic town square helped list Ridgewood as one of Reader's Digest's 20 Most Beautiful Main Streets in America. In fact, to get the true feel for the town’s appeal, you might consider taking the train so you can roll up in style at the California Mission Revival-style station and take advantage of the walkable downtown. Pubs and taverns like Steel Wheel Tavern celebrate hops, barley, and malt with extensive craft beer on tap and exceptional fare on order. Housed in a 19th-century building, it is a popular eatery for train travelers who quaff cold beer with a warm meal across from the station. Veering off the main street leads to even more shops and eateries, like the Village Green Restaurant at the corner of Prospect and Hudson Street, where the sophisticated menu celebrates American cuisine with creative dishes served in a comfortable, cozy dining room.
Celebrity spotters and film buffs crowd Ridgewood village at the annual Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival, a well-respected industry event showcasing independent filmmakers. The happening scene is all about screenings, mingling with cast members and directors, and Hollywood-inspired parties. Van Neste Square hosts artsy events like Art in the Park, where Jersey artisans and craftspeople gather, and art lovers spend hours hunting for new pieces to add to their collections.
Princeton
As home to Princeton University, the collegiate air of this Jersey town has made it a celebrated cultural center where its hallowed history is well-preserved in heritage buildings, and the youthful exuberance of the caps-and-gown spirit has kept its eateries and boutiques modern and relevant. Art abounds at Princeton's purposefully designed galleries, from Art@ Bainbridge’s exhibits in the restored Colonial-period Bainbridge House to the collections at Princeton University Art Museum’s stunning new contemporary space.
While in the Garden State, you need to stroll through at least one garden, and the five acres at Princeton’s Morven Museum & Garden will do nicely. Dating back over two centuries, there is not a season that the garden fails to impress, and the restored Colonial Revival Garden of Helen Hamilton Shields Stockton is one of its most breathtaking installments. The house on the estate was built by Richard Stockton, who signed the Declaration of Independence and also served as the home for five New Jersey governors between 1730 and 1781. If the main street overwhelms you with food choices, a booth at the Nassau Diner is always a safe bet, where classics are done very well, and a dedicated pastrami menu says it all.
The eight prettiest main streetscapes in New Jersey keep the lights on throughout the year so you always have somewhere to find a new eatery like South + Pine in Morristown, a funky boutique like Jack's Music Shop in Red Bank, or an offbeat adventure like Continental Ghost Tours in Cape May. World-class events like the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival or a Girls' Night Out in Westfield are plan-worthy happenings to add to your 2026 calendar.
