13 Overlooked Towns In New Jersey Worth Visiting
New Jersey is one of America’s smallest states by land area, but it is the most densely populated and a hugely popular destination, welcoming millions of tourists yearly. Naturally, the coastal cities and a few others like Trenton, the state capital, and Newark get the most numbers, leaving dozens of towns in the back seat where they await to be discovered by off-the-beaten-path travelers. From Morristown to Hammonton, these New Jersey towns might be overshadowed by nearby bustling cities, but they have so much to offer, minus the crowds. Overlooked but far from ghost towns, these towns in New Jersey are amazing destinations worth visiting.
Spring Lake
Spring Lake sits pretty on the Jersey Coast, where it invites travelers to look past bustling destinations for a memorable seaside experience. Those who heed the call will be met with a two-mile beachfront and Divine Park, a gorgeous place ideal for relaxation, recreation, and memorable events like weddings. At the beach, laid-back travelers can enjoy peaceful strolls on the soft sand or on the Spring Lake Boardwalk while soaking in the views.
Meanwhile, Divine Park is near the beach with picnic tables and a playground amidst lush trees and green fields, and a crystal clear lake featuring a sprinkler and a bridge. The town also accommodates the Spring Lake Theatre, where one can catch great shows and performances year-round. For those who might want more thrills, Spring Lake is within a 10-minute drive from several bustling beaches, including Avalon-By-The-Sea Public Beach and Sea Girt Beach, both great places to sunbathe, stroll, and interact with fellow beach lovers, while soaking in the views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Princeton
Princeton combines history with a vibrant art scene to help travelers forge unforgettable memories. First established in the 1690s by Quakers, this town is one of the oldest in the country. Today it accommodates world-famous landmarks such as Princeton University, which is also among the oldest higher institutions in the country, originally founded in Elizabeth in 1746 as the College of New Jersey. Travelers are invited to visit this world-famous university, if only to explore its attractions, like the prestigious Princeton University Art Museum, which houses over 100,000 artworks, ranging from ancient to contemporary art. The Princeton University Chapel is another cool attraction worth visiting at Princeton University. Built in 1928, this chapel is among the largest of its kind in the world, with an impressive architectural style reminiscent of medieval English cathedrals.
Away from the university, Princeton has other inspiring historic attractions to offer, one of which is the Morven Museum and Garden, a historic landmark that dates to the 1730s and served as the governor’s mansion for decades. When it comes to recreation, the town’s Lake Carnegie is a great spot for paddling and fishing, while Marquand Park is a cool spot to stroll and picnic amidst lush trees, play, or enjoy a baseball game.
Dover
Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is a charming community with a couple of unsullied attractions to delight off-the-beaten-path travelers. First off, it has multiple parks, like the Hurd Park, which is an incredible place to picnic and take photos amidst beautiful cherry trees and greenery. The Hedden County Park is another great park in town, offering more exciting adventures, like fishing, paddling, and hiking through woodlands and along streams. The park also has shaded picnic areas, athletic fields, and a beautiful waterfall.
Dover’s proximity to several great attractions also adds to its appeal. For one, it is around 12 miles from Allamuchy Mountain State Park and just two miles from AMC Rockaway 16, one of New Jersey’s top movie theatres. At the former, over 30 miles of trails, lush woodlands, and multiple waterbodies await to offer memorable experiences. The park features the Musconetcong River, a great place for trout fishing and paddling, plus it has picnic areas and well-equipped campsites.
Roxbury Township
Positioned near Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest freshwater lake, Roxbury may be unnoticed by the majority of travelers to New Jersey, but it remains a paradise for recreation. It is made up of several communities, with Succasunna being the largest, with over 10,000 people. This community is a great place to enjoy a little bit of Roxbury’s pleasures, as it hosts the Horseshoe Lake Recreation Complex, which offers water-based activities and sports facilities. However, Roxbury’s best offering is further north in Landing, one of its communities, where the Hopatcong State Park is located. This park provides access to the tranquil waters of Lake Hopatcong for kayaking, fishing, and swimming. The park also features athletic fields, a picnic area, hiking trails, and two playgrounds.
Roxbury hosts other attractions such as the Circle Bowl & Entertainment, where fun games, special events, and delicious food help forge great memories. This attraction is in the community of Ledgewood in Roxbury, which further hosts the FLG X Adventure Course, an attraction with ziplines, swings, slides, nets, and suspended bridges, among other facilities aimed at satisfying every adrenaline craving.
Knowlton Township
Positioned on the Delaware River, Knowlton Township is one of New Jersey’s smallest towns, with a population below 3,000. The town encompasses multiple communities, including Columbia, Delaware, and Hainesburg, and despite being overlooked, this town has pleasant surprises to offer across its tiny communities. For one, it is home to Lakota Wolf Preserve, the most popular wolf preserve in New Jersey, and a great place to see and learn about wolves, foxes, lynx, and bobcats. Meanwhile, just outside town is the Worthington State Forest, where a host of experiences await, including camping, fishing, canoeing, and some of the best hiking trails in New Jersey.
Notably, this forest is where to find the famous Mount Tammany Red dot trail, which offers a challenging 1.2-mile hike to a summit with breathtaking views of the Delaware Water Gap and the river. Elsewhere in Columbia, the Brook Hollow Winery invites wine lovers to enjoy a great selection of wines, alongside live music and wine-making tours.
Morristown
This town in the northern part of New Jersey is largely overlooked, perhaps because it is not on the Atlantic Ocean like Ocean City and other bustling beach cities. However, this town is a delightful place worth visiting for recreation and an eye-opening historic experience. One of the oldest towns in the country, founded in 1715, Morristown has a rich history and played a crucial role during the American Revolutionary War. Between 1779 and 1780, the area was the winter encampment of General George Washington and the Continental Army, and today, the Morristown National Historical Park preserves that history.
The oldest of its kind in the US, established in March 1933, this park features structures from the Revolutionary era, including Ford Mansion, a Georgian-style home which was built in the 1770s and served as the headquarters of General George Washington from 1779 to 1780. The park also hosts the Washington’s Headquarters Museum, where visitors can see military objects, documents, and other artifacts about the American Revolution.
In addition to its history, Morristown is home to several outdoor attractions, with the most popular being Lewis Morris Park. Covering over 2,200 acres, this park is a charming place with lush trees, well-maintained fields, picnic areas, and over 25 miles of trails ideal for hiking, running, horseback riding, and biking. To crown it all, the park has the picturesque Sunrise Lake, where one can swim, boat, or enjoy beach relaxation. The Loankata Brook Reservation is another cool attraction in Morristown, featuring picnic areas, green fields, and eight miles of trails winding through scenic forest areas.
Sayreville
Sayreville is one of New Jersey’s larger towns that’s surprisingly underrated, even when it is an incredibly exciting place, with several parks drenched in impressive scenery. Raritan Bay Waterfront Park is the most famous of them, located right on the scenic Raritan Bay and featuring a waterfront trail for walking and biking, beautiful fields for football and other sports, a playground, a nature study area, and picnic pavilions with gorgeous views of the bay. The John F Kennedy Memorial Park is another great park in town, offering a beautiful lake for fishing, sports facilities, picnic areas, a skate park, and walking trails.
Meanwhile, Sayreville is home to Starland Ballroom, a renowned concert venue where one can lose track of time vibing to high-energy music performances. The town is also near a couple of famous attractions, including the Cheesaquake State Park, which features lakes for fishing, boating, and swimming, as well as campsites and trails that wind through wetlands and a hardwood forest.
Brigantine
Brigantine is a charming seaside town in New Jersey, with plenty of coastal attractions to offer, yet it often goes unnoticed compared to its busier neighbors. Located just north of Atlantic City, this island community boasts miles of clean beaches perfect for relaxation, surfing, and sunbathing. The North Brigantine Natural Area has over two miles of pristine beachfront, and although swimming is not allowed, the area is an amazing place to watch birds, surf, and fish. Elsewhere, the Brigantine Seawall is another great beach spot where travelers can walk or bike with breathtaking views of the ocean.
Notably, Brigantine is near the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, one of New Jersey’s natural treasures, offering opportunities to hike through coastal wetlands and maritime forests with sights of migratory birds. Back in town, travelers are always welcome to delve into the area’s history at the Brigantine Beach Historical Museum or see rescued marine mammals at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
Manasquan
Manasquan is a less-visited town on the Atlantic Ocean, ideal for a laid-back coastal experience. Here, retreat seekers have the Manasquan Beach to relax, sunbathe, and surf. For a quieter experience, the 55-acre Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area is recommended as it has an uncrowded beachfront, which is also ideal for fishing and sunbathing. Besides the beaches, however, Mannasquan is home to the Algonquin Arts Theatre, where a variety of live performances can be enjoyed year-round.
As for adventurers, the town features Edgar Felix Bikeway, a 5.4-mile trail that winds through wooded areas, farms, and ponds as it leads to Allaire State Park, where more exciting experiences await. Covering over 3,200 acres, this park preserves restored structures from a 19th-century iron-producing village, including a blacksmith shop, church, and carpenter’s shop. It also has dozens of well-equipped campsites, a historic railroad, and over 20 miles of trails winding through beautiful forests and wetlands.
Asbury Park
Asbury Park is a charming town in New Jersey, where time is never enough due to the surprisingly long list of things to see and do. Located right on the ocean, this town hosts the Asbury Park Boardwalk, one of New Jersey’s most famous attractions, featuring a variety of fun features from restaurants and shops to the Silverball Retro Arcade, where one can lose track of time with exciting arcade games. A soft sand beach ideal for sunbathing and surfing is also along the boardwalk.
Away from the boardwalk, Asbury Park is where to find some of the country’s top event venues, including the famous The Stone Pony, where the country’s best musicians have come to thrill thousands of music lovers since 1974, when it opened its doors. Additionally, art lovers in town have a couple of galleries to enjoy, with the Parlor Gallery being one of the most popular, featuring works by some of the region’s best emerging and established artists.
Hammonton
Hammonton is a charming little town that’s not yet getting the numbers it deserves. A small gem in New Jersey’s southern region, this town is an amazing place for entertainment, outdoor fun, and endless wine. Here, one will find some of the best wineries in the state, including Tomasello Winery and Dimatteo Vineyards, all offering delicious wines and beautiful vineyards. Notably, Tomasello Winery is one of the oldest operating wineries in New Jersey, opened in 1933, and has 70 acres of vineyards, which is also a great venue for memorable weddings.
When it comes to entertainment, the Eagle Theatre in town is a great place to catch a variety of live performances year-round. Moreover, the town’s DiDonato Family Fun Center is a cool spot to hang out with good music, food, and bowling. As for the outdoors, the town hosts the Hammonton Lake Park, where one can walk, picnic, fish, and kayak with the scenic views.
Middle Township
Middle Township is more popular than many inland towns in New Jersey, but compared to other towns on the state’s coast, like Ocean City and Stone Harbor, it is less popular. Made up of 15 communities, including Cape May Court House and Rio Grande, this town is worth visiting if only to explore its famous attractions, starting with the Cape May County Park & Zoo. Located in Cape May Court House, this park is incredibly exciting, as it contains hundreds of animals representing over 250 species. Notable animals visitors will see in the park include the snow leopard, giraffe, cheetah, and the African Lion.
Meanwhile, the park has other attractions, including an animal carousel, playgrounds, picnic areas, nature trails, and a fishing pond. The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is another great nature-based attraction just outside Middle Township, where travelers will enjoy hiking through a maritime forest habitat teeming with migratory shorebirds and other wildlife such as deer.
But besides the wildlife and nature, Middle Township has a couple of wineries to delight travelers, including Jessie Creek Winery, which features a charming inn, beautiful vineyard, delicious wines, local artworks, and live music on weekends. For those who love biking, the Middle Township Bike Path is available to offer a 12-mile adventure through the town and surrounding woodlands.
Cape May
One of the oldest vacation destinations in the US, Cape May is a delightful place to visit in New Jersey. Populated by just below 3,000 people, this often overlooked town promises to leave travelers with fond memories with its interesting attractions, including over two miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean that doubles as the southernmost point in New Jersey. Elsewhere, Cape May’s pedestrian-friendly Washington Street Mall is an amazing place where travelers will enjoy strolling, while exploring restaurants, shops, and admiring attractions like Our Lady Star of the Sea, a Roman catholic church with stained glass windows and impressive decor. The Cape May Stage is also in this part of town and hosts an array of live performances year-round.
In the meantime, a few miles west of this town is Cape May Point State Park, a 244-acre area featuring the historic Cape May Lighthouse, which was first lit in 1859, a beach, and trails that wind through wetlands, coastal dunes, and forests. Notably, this park is one of the best places for bird watching in New Jersey.
New Jersey is much more than its vibrant ocean cities and proximity to metropolitan hot spots like Philadelphia and New York City. This state, bordering New York, the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, boasts small towns where one can truly disconnect from the hustle and bustle and connect with nature. While they may be overlooked, these New Jersey towns are far from boring, as they all boast considerable numbers of attractions. Moreover, the towns hold some of the state’s priceless natural features, shedding more light on why the state is known as the Garden State.
