N.J.’s 33 best small towns, ranked, for the ultimate spring or summer day trip

Divine Park, Spring Lake

​New Jersey is the nation’s most densely populated state. And somehow, it’s a state teeming with small towns — New Jersey’s least-publicized asset.
Which make for the perfect spring road trip, especially at a time when we want and need to get out of the house and get some fresh air.
There’s no better time for a weekend getaway than now — good weather, less crowds, little traffic. The small towns on this list are not necessarily there because they are super shopping and eating destinations. They’re just great places to escape the rat race (or whatever it is you’re running away from). Perfect for (socially distanced) day trips or weekend getaways, these towns are packed with history, tradition, charm and congeniality.

Definitions of “small town” vary — all my towns, with one exception, have populations under 15,000. So you won’t see such worthy places as Westfield, Cranford and Ridgewood on this list. Some of these towns, such as Ocean Grove and Crosswicks, are sections of municipalities.

This is an expansion of a list I first did in 2015, when I picked 10 towns, and 2017, when I picked 25 towns. Quite a few towns on the 2017 list moved up, moved down or fell off the list. This, after all, is a ranking, and thus subject to re-evaluation. Again, this is not a ranking of the best downtowns, but the best small towns to live in. All the towns here have one thing in common: I could move into any of them tomorrow.

​33. Mauricetown
​Pronounced like the much-better-known Morristown, Mauricetown is a world, and then some, from the Morris County town. Part of Commercial Township, Mauricetown is one of many Cumberland County towns with a rich seafaring history. It was home to many sea captains in the 1800s. Today it’s a tranquil place along the Maurice River and a great jumping-off point to Bivalve and the rest of New Jersey’s least-known county. Tours and meetings of the Mauricetown Historical Society are canceled until further notice; check their web site for updates.

Old Stillwater General Store

​32. StillwaterStillwater Township, population 4,200, comprises three villages: Middleville, Swartswood and Stillwater, the latter the home of the Stillwater General Store. George Dallas Garris used his mustering-out pay from the Civil War to open the store in 1871, across the street from where it sits today. The store’s latest owner, Dean Voris, has renovated the building, which will now be called the Geo. D. Garris General Store. The store and village are an evocative slice of rural Americana in the nation’s most densely populated state. And New Jersey is rich with general stores.

31. Island Heights
It’s the Jersey Shore town many have never heard of, much less visited. Minutes from frenetic Seaside Heights and tucked along the Toms River almost as an afterthought, Island Heights was formed — like Ocean Grove — as a religious camp meeting/summer resort in the late 1800s. The Pennsylvania Railroad once ran through town, but today the loudest noise you’ll hear is probably your own breathing. There’s no public beach, no boardwalk, no rides, just peace and quiet. Must-stops: the Corner Deli, Playa Bowls and the Cottage Museum.
30. Atlantic HighlandsBayfront setting. Vibrant restaurant and cafe scene. One of the state’s best breweries (Carton). Ferry to New York City. What more could you want? Atlantic Highlands, not to be confused with next-door-neighbor Highlands, is an architectural treasure house, with Victorian, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes. Take a guided walk starting at the Strauss Mansion through the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society. Must-stop: Mount Mitchill, the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic Seaboard.

Nomad Pizza, Hopewell

​29. Hopewell
​My favorite Mercer County town, Hopewell exudes history, tradition, gentility and small-town charm. Churches, restaurants, banks and markets line the picturesque main street. Brick Farm Market is a popular spot for breakfast and lunch. Stop at Nomad Pizza for excellent Neapolitan-style pizza (Antimo’s is also recommended). Hopewell is also home to Troon Brewing.

28. Brigantine
​Brigantine may always be Atlantic City’s little brother, but the former wouldn’t have it any other way. No casinos or clubs. No high-end restaurants. No gigantic boardwalk. No industry. Brigantine bills itself as “An Island You’ll Love for Life.” Legend has it that Captain Kidd once buried a treasure chest here. Good luck finding it. One cool thing: You can drive on the beach with four-wheel drive, as long as you obtain a permit. Must-visits: Aversa’s Bakery (the Shore’s best rolls and sticky buns); Ernest & Son; Marine Mammal Stranding Center; The Cove.

Brigantine Surf Jam

27. Maywood
​Maywood claims the best shopping district in Bergen County, and “a small town feel that you just can’t find anywhere else” in the state’s most populous county. I won’t disagree. Pleasant Avenue is home to several personal favorites — Uncle Paulie’s, a Peruvian restaurant, and Seafood Gourmet. Maywood was incorporated as a borough on June 30, 1894 at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County and the United States.

Mustache Bill's Diner, Barnegat Light

26. Barnegat Light
​Having one of the state’s great classic diners (Mustache Bill’s, which re-opens on Mother’s Day weekend) might have been enough to put Barnegat Light on this list. When you add the state’s best-known lighthouse (Barnegat Light, known as Old Barney) and an atmospheric, end-of-the-road feel (it’s the northernmost community on Long Beach Island), it’s a Shore small-town slam dunk. Viking Village, one of the state’s commercial fishing ports, is here. Visit Viking Fresh off The Hook for seafood platters and sandwiches.

​25. Hammonton
This Atlantic County town is slowly getting on the tourist radar, with a diverse mix of restaurants — pizzerias, Mexican restaurants, wine bar and cafes. Penza’s Pies at The Red Barn makes delicious, fruit-loaded pies. Pick your own blueberries at DeMeo Farms or Blueberry Bill Farms. Hammonton is, after all, “the blueberry capital of the world.”

24. Sparta
​Sparta, formed in 1845 from portions of Byram, Hardyston, Frankford and since-defunct Newton Township, is known for its private lake communities — 11 in all. Man-made Lake Mohawk, with its meandering boardwalk and Alpine-style buildings, is a big draw. Sussex County’s best bakery, Cafe Pierrot, can be found in Sparta, along with Andre’s Lakeside Dining, Krogh’s Restaurant & Brew Pub, Tanti Baci and the Mohawk House.

23. Ocean Grove
​There is no Jersey town quite like Ocean Grove. Oceanfront setting. Charming main street (Main Avenue). Cute shops. Ample restaurants. Maybe the state’s most splendid structure (the Great Auditorium). And did we mention the 100 or so tents residents call home in the summer (rules: no barbecues, no dogs, and definitely no loud music)? Ocean Grove, part of Neptune Township, is a dry town, but you can have beer or wine on your tent porch, as long as it’s in a cup (no cans or glasses allowed). They don’t make towns like this anymore.

A row of the tents that make up the eclectic and long-standing village of Ocean Grove

Kids swing on tires at LifeCamp in Pottersville

​22. Pottersville
​It’s not easy for a town to be in three counties at once, but Pottersville is part of Bedminister in Somerset County, Tewksbury in Hunterdon and Washington Township in Morris. The Lamington River runs through this sleepy hamlet, home to the LifeCamp, which provides a summer day camp experience to 300 Newark-area kids every July and August.

21. Belvidere
Quick, name the Warren County seat. No, not Phillipsburg. Nope, not Hackettstown. Tiny Belvidere, where the Delaware and Pequest rivers meet. Incorporated in 1845, Belvidere boasts a 19th century historic district, alone worth the visit. Thisilldous Eatery, open nearly 40 years, is a locals hangout. Departing staff get the traditional pie-in-the-face. The highlight of the town’s social calendar: Victorian Days, normally held in early September.

20. Collingswood
​The Camden County town has become a popular destination in recent years, and you can thank the Mob — in part, anyway. Angelo Lutz, former Merlino family associate, runs the Kitchen Consigliere, an Italian restaurant in the center of town. The commercial strip is the longest of any town on this list, with a heady mix of hip and old-school shops, stores and restaurants. Try the excellent Italian fare at Zeppoli. Sample the 50 kinds of olive oil at Blue Moon or dig the retro cool at The Pop Shop. The Painted Cottage, down an alley, specializes in vintage painted furniture. The fabulous Scottish Rite Auditorium is also in town.

19. Keyport
​“The Pearl of the Bayshore” gains more luster every year, with its unstuffy, blue-collar atmosphere, waterfront setting, and an eclectic mix of eateries: Broad Street Diner, winner of our N.J.’s best diner showdown; Drew’s Bayshore Bistro, whose owner/chef, Drew Araneo, won best chef in the first Garden State Culinary Arts Awards; Mike’s Giant Sized Submarine Sandwiches and local landmark Keyport Fishery. Bring that sub or seafood to the waterfront, pull up a bench, and enjoy the view.

Broad Street Diner, Keyport

18. Walpack Center
No one lives in Walpack Center (about 10 people live in Walpack Township, of which it is part), but that’s exactly its charm. It’s the prettiest town no one lives in that you’ll ever visit, a haunting reminder of the ill-fated Tocks Island project, when the government spent $100 million to buy homes in the area, evicting 8,000 people, for a dam that was never built. The National Park Service now owns all the buildings in Walpack Center except the school, which serves as town hall. The only building open on a regular basis (although not currently due to COVID-19) is the local museum. Two miles away is beautiful Buttermilk Falls. The town that time forgot is well worth a visit any time of year.

17. Pitman
​Pitman, like Ocean Grove, was founded as a summer religious camp. It was named after the Rev. Charles Pitman. The community, according to Barbara Westergaard in the indispensable New Jersey A Guide to the State, was laid out in the shape of a wheel, with an auditorium as the hub, and 160 small cottages radiating from the center. Today, Pitman is a lively little town, with Broadway the main drag and the Broadway Theatre, built in the early 1920s, a retro wonder. There are two craft breweries (Kelly Green and Human Village), a first-rate ice cream shop (Alaura Kitchen); an excellent pizzeria (Mannino’s); Nine Thai, replacing Thai Burger Cafe; and a creme puff shop (Chloe’s Creme Puffs).

Verve staff and customers celebrate after the restaurantbar was named NJ's best in 2020

​16. Somerville
​If you haven’t visited Somerville in the past 10 or so years, you may not recognize the place. New apartments, stores, restaurants and a pedestrian mall (Division Street) have turned the once-sleepy county seat into a thriving commercial center. Verve (staff and customers in photo) won our N.J.’s best bar showdown in 2019.


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​15. Cape May
​Cape May is one of the nation’s Victorian jewels and the Jersey Shore’s most romantic town, with its postcard-pretty inns/B&Bs and generally unhurried manner. And what other Shore town allows you a grace period on your expired meter? “The Nation’s Oldest Seaside Resort” is named after Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who explored the area in the early 1600s. Must-visits: Emlen Physick Estate; Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities; Washington Street Mall (pedestrians-only); the Mad Batter; Hot Dog Tommy’s; C-View Inn.

​14. Frenchtown
​No county boasts more picturesque small towns than Hunterdon — Stockton, Clinton, Flemington and Lambertville just to name a few. Frenchtown, where the Delaware & Raritan Canal starts — or ends (you can bike or walk all the way to Trenton) — is dotted with charming shops and restaurants, including the Frenchtown Cafe, Bridge Cafe and Cocina Del Sol. Work off any extra calories with a brisk walk across the bridge over the Delaware River.

HOB Tavern, Bordentown City

​13. Bordentown City​
One of these days the rest of the state will become acquainted with overlooked Bordentown City (not to be confused with Bordentown Township). An excellent Italian/steak restaurant (Toscano). Marcello’s, for pizza. And a great local bar (HOB Tavern). And that’s just the food. Take a pleasant stroll down historic Farnsworth Avenue. One must-stop: Randy Now’s Man Cave, with its head-spinning collection of CDs, records and pop culture artifacts.

​12. Strathmere
Being one of just five free Jersey Shore oceanfront beaches should get you on any list, but Strathmere — part of Upper Township — is a Shore town notable for what it doesn’t have. There is no boardwalk. No amusement parks or water slides. No parking meters. Not even a pizzeria. The post office is on the ground floor of a faded white house. But there’s The Deauville Inn (whose website asks “Where the hell is Strathmere?”) and The Old Shack, a sandwich spot. And don’t forget Twisties, a red-shingled neighborhood bar with a great bayfront setting. The bar was one of 10 finalists in our N.J.’s best bar showdown last summer.

Twisties Tavern, Strathmere

Groovy by Maggie Hance. Boonton Arts Dog Days of Summer and some cool cats art installation in Boonton

​11. Boonton​
Boonton is a vibrant, All-American small town, the kind made for 4th of July parades and assorted celebrations. The restaurant mix includes Thai, Mexican, Italian, Jamaican and Japanese, and don’t forget the incomparable Johnnies Tavern, one of the state’s great dive bars.

10. Crosswicks​
Crosswicks claims to be the birthplace of Taylor pork roll — John Taylor, a descendant of Crosswicks settlers, made his soon-to-be-famous ham for a local market — but that’s not why it’s on this list. The village, part of Chesterfield Township, is a charming step back in time, with 100 or so historic houses and buildings. Check out the cannonball, fired during a battle with Hessian troops in 1778, still embedded in the wall of the Crosswicks Friends Meeting. The town library is in the former fire department, and the Crosswicks Inn, which opened as a tavern in 1681, is now a pizzeria (and a good one, Osteria Procaccini).

9. West Cape May​
No, not Cape May, but sleepy West Cape May, where 1,020 people live at the end of Jersey. Drive down Sunset Boulevard, past the Chattel House Village series of shops (Exit Zero Magazine, The Bird House), past the Nature Conservancy’s South Cape Meadows (weekly guided bird walks) to Sunset Beach in Lower, home of an evening flag-lowering ceremony and the state’s spookiest attraction — the concrete ship Atlantus, which sank in 1926. Just down the road, also in Lower: The Bread Lady — Elizabeth Degener — and her Enfin Farms roadside stand on Sunset Boulevard. One more stop: Willow Creek Winery.

8. Spring Lake​
Home to the Jersey Shore’s longest non-commercial boardwalk, Spring Lake features one of the Shore’s liveliest commercial strips — 3rd Avenue — and aptly-named Divine Park, which wraps around Spring Lake. The grand Essex and Sussex Hotel, now condominiums, is the main landmark on the oceanfront strand. Must-stops: Third Avenue Chocolate Shoppe and the Scone Pony, one of my favorite bakeries Down the Shore.

Divine Park, Spring Lake

Street scene, Chester

​6. Chester Borough​
Turn off the cookie-cutter stretch of Route 206 onto Main Street Chester and its picturesque array of shops and restaurants. One sweet stop: Taylor’s Ice Cream Parlor, with its white benches. Pick up homemade soup, or lemonade with fresh basil and strawberry at Maria’s. imagiNations is a cool gift shop with items from around the world.

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5. Clinton
I once lived above Joan’s Jewelry Box here, but that’s not why Clinton is on the list. A river — the south branch of the Raritan River — runs through it, and the Red Mill Museum might be the most popular Jersey postcard scene ever. The town boasts Jersey’s most compact Main Street, with most of the shops and restaurants gathered on one block. Grab a sandwich at Ye Old Sub Base, a cone at JJ Scoops, or a riverfront table at The Clean Plate Kitchen. The town is a great gateway to the rest of beautiful Hunterdon County.

View of south branch of Raritan River and the Red Mill, Clinton

4. Cranbury
Cranbury, one of the state’s best-preserved 19th century villages, scarcely seems to have changed, with its tree-lined Main Street and well-maintained homes. Teddy’s Restaurant, open since 1973, is where the locals eat, and a cone at Gil & Bert’s Ice Cream (re-opens April 9) is a summer night tradition. One other thing to love about this town: no parking meters.

Sleepy Port Republic

3. Port Republic​
Thousands of people drive past picture-postcard Port Republic every year without realizing it. It’s to your left as you cross the Mullica River southbound on the Garden State Parkway around milepost 50. There’s a boatyard, a pleasant town park with a gazebo and a collection of modest homes. Port Republic is a city in name only — a mere 1,000 or so lucky souls live here. There are modest tree-shaded homes on sizeable lots. Atlantic City is minutes and another planet away.
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​2. Haddonfield​
Nearby Collingswood is the It Destination, but I like Haddonfield more. It’s more tranquil, more historic-looking and what other town has a dinosaur downtown? That’s Hadrosaurus foulkii, which was the most complete dinosaur skeleton unearthed anywhere in the world when it was discovered in 1858. The Indian King Tavern Museum marks the site where New Jersey became a state and the great seal of the state was adopted. The English Gardener Gift Shop was voted one of top three British shops in the U.S. Restaurants include Zaffron (Mediterranean).
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Downtown Haddonfield

The Boat House, Lambertville

​1. Lambertville
Great riverfront setting, lively arts community, loads of shops, an eclectic mix of restaurants and a funky sister city (New Hope) just a short walk, away. Hunterdon County is packed with scenic small towns, but none offer quite the complete package as Lambertville. The state’s most unique bar, The Boat House, is here. For great pizza, Liberty Hall. Steps away is oWowCow Creamery, winner of our N.J.’s best ice cream showdown. For Middle Eastern food, try Marhaba. Route 29, which winds along the Delaware River, is one of the state’s great drives. A stop at Washington Crossing State Park, just south of Lambertville, is a must. Lambertville was incorporated as a city in 1849, but in today’s real world it’s very much a small town.

This article originally appeared on NJ.com. written & contributed By Peter Genovese