The Surprising New Jersey Town That Makes An Excellent Weekend Getaway
By Meghan Byers|Published April 20, 2022
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Meghan Byers
Author
A New Jersey native, Meghan is passionate about travel and enjoys finding off-the-beaten path destinations. You're most likely to find her at a coffee shop, or hitting the trails with her dogs. She graduated with a creative writing degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and has been writing professionally for over a decade.
If you’re looking for a weekend getaway in the Garden State packed with small-town charm, you can’t go wrong with Frenchtown. Resting along the banks of the Delaware River, this small but inviting community awaits travelers with colorful Victorian architecture, a thriving arts scene, quality restaurants, and unique boutique shops to explore.
Frenchtown is a river town located in Hunterdon County and received its name from early French-speaking settlers, some of whom fled the French Revolution. Today it’s home to only a little over 1,000 residents, but attracts visitors from all over the state.
Start your morning in Frenchtown with a cup of coffee (or tea!) from Early Bird Espresso & Mercantile, a much-beloved local coffee shop on Bridge Street, where you’ll also find an assortment of pastries, and coffee beans to bring home with you.
Early Bird Espresso & Mercantile, 33 Bridge St, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, USA
Wander a little further down Bridge Street, and you’ll come across the Frenchtown Cafe, where you can grab a delicious lunch or breakfast in a historic building estimated to have been built in 1897.
Frenchtown Cafe, 44 Bridge St, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, USA
After your meal, stop by and browse the shelves at Frenchtown Bookshop. This independent bookshop is family-owned and features a diverse selection of books, along with unique “book-adjacent” gifts.
Frenchtown Bookshop, 28 Bridge St, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, USA
Frenchtown has quite a few boutique shops with interesting merchandise to peruse – for example, Modern Love is a specialty shop worth visiting with an eclectic assortment of items.
Also, Sublime is a gift shop on Bridge Street that was voted the best gift shop in Hunterdon County in 2022!
For those with a sweet tooth, don’t miss LibbyBeans, a confectionary selling candies, chocolates, baked goods, and more.
Art enthusiasts will love rounding out the trip with a visit to ArtYard, a contemporary art center with a campus of four buildings, all within walking distance of Frenchtown’s center. ArtYard has rotating indoor exhibits, and a permanent outdoor installation. There’s also a theater where attendees can enjoy musical performances, dances, plays, film screenings, and more, so be sure to check ArtYard’s calendar to see when the next event is.
