A Philadelphian’s Guide to Exploring New Jersey — Beyond the Shore
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area / Photograph by EyeEm Mobile GmbH/Getty Images
Sure, the Shore is our default New Jersey destination. But there’s so much more to our next-door neighbor than beaches alone — from an expanded museum where you can spend hours exploring to a new resort perfect for leaning into fall vibes. Here’s everything to see and do right now.
Creative Class
Bruce Beasley’s stainless steel Dorion sculpture at Grounds for Sculpture / Photograph by David Michael Howarth Photography
Cutting-edge contemporary art and centuries of craft and history come alive.
Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton spans 42 acres with more than 270 works set amid landscaped gardens, plus six indoor galleries. It’s the brainchild of artist and philanthropist Seward Johnson, whose realistic bronze figures are peppered throughout the property. Wander the grounds to encounter larger-than-life sculptures set within a copse of trees or smack in the middle of an idyllic pond.
The Princeton University Art Museum recently reopened after a major expansion, unveiling a striking new facility that doubled gallery and educational spaces. The inaugural exhibitions spotlight Mark Rothko and Joan Mitchell alongside highlights from a collection of more than 117,000 works spanning 5,000 years. (To see art of the wearable variety, browse Princeton’s new Hermès boutique in nearby Palmer Square.)
The Grand Hall at the Princeton University Art Museum / Photograph by Richard Barnes
In the southern part of the state, WheatonArts in Millville houses the Museum of American Glass — the largest collection of its kind in the country. Visitors can watch glassblowing demonstrations, tour rotating exhibitions, and shop for artisan-made souvenirs.
A little farther afield, the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey’s only Smithsonian affiliate, blends art, history, and science. Its Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Music and Automata is a particular draw, with everything from delicate bird boxes and dancing dolls to an orchestrion — a room-size machine that once entertained crowds with the sound of a full orchestra.
Jersey’s Finest
The pork chop with pea purée, strawberries, molasses, and pickled cherry peppers at Heirloom Kitchen / Photograph by Neilly Robinson
Trade diners and boardwalk fry stands for restaurant experiences to write home about.
Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City has earned a national reputation for wood-fired pizzas that reflect the obsessive standards of James Beard Award–nominated chef Dan Richer. The dough is fermented for days, and ingredients — a unique blend of flour, house-made mozzarella — are top-notch. And while the pizza alone is worth the visit, don’t skip the equally thoughtful salads and a standout bread and cultured butter course.
Canal House Station, just across the river from Bucks County in Milford, is the passion project of former Saveur editors Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton. Set in a restored train station, the restaurant offers weekend dinners that revolve around unfussy but exquisite seasonal cooking, like buttered toast topped with foraged chanterelles sautéed in garlic, or lush almond cake served alongside roasted Italian plums.
At Iberian restaurant Lita, right outside Newark, chef David Viana (another James Beard nominee) specializes in Portuguese and Spanish fare, like garlicky shrimp and paella, that nods to his upbringing. For dessert, order Rosa’s flan, made from his mother’s own Portuguese recipe.
Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge is sister to Lita and doubles as a cooking school and restaurant, offering hands-on classes and seasonal dishes — think roasted duck with local cherries — served from an open kitchen. And in Ringoes, Unionville Vineyards pairs award-winning pours with bucolic scenery. Rows of vines make a perfect backdrop for tasting estate-grown wines, from an unoaked chardonnay to an aromatic pinot noir.
Offbeat New Jersey
Book an excursion via Delaware River Tubing for free lunch from the Famous River Hot Dog Man. / Illustration by Teddy Kang
Dive into the state’s most curious corners.
Cowtown Rodeo & Flea
Dating to 1929, Cowtown hosts the nation’s oldest weekly rodeo. Go for bucking broncos; stay for the sprawling flea market selling all the treasures you didn’t know you needed. Pilesgrove.
The Raptor Trust
This sanctuary rehabilitates injured wild birds. Visitors can stroll wooded paths and see hawks, eagles, and falcons up close. Millington.
Lakota Wolf Preserve
Observe wolves in a natural setting. Guided tours (reservations required) introduce visitors to packs of gray wolves as well as the preserve’s bobcat and lynx. (It should go without saying, but leave Fido at home.) Columbia.
Insectropolis
Part science museum, part bug zoo, Insectropolis delights kids with creepy-crawlies plus hands-on exhibits that make insects oddly lovable. Millington.
Delaware River Tubing
Drift between Frenchtown and Lambertville and stop mid-river for the Famous River Hot Dog Man, a floating grill serving snacks to hungry tubers. Book through Delaware River Tubing for free lunch. Stockton.
Nature Made
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park / Photograph by Stef Ko/Alamy
River gorges, pine forests, sprawling estates turned public parks — explore Jersey’s great outdoors.
In Hillsborough, Duke Farms — the 2,700-acre former Doris Duke estate — has been reimagined as a free environmental center. Visitors can bike or hike 18 miles of trails, wander through sculpture gardens, check out the glass and steel Orchid Range (housing 1,300 varieties!), and refuel at the on-site farm-to-table cafe.
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park is home to a 77-foot waterfall that once powered America’s first planned industrial city. Go for scenic overlooks, former mills, and ranger-led tours that explain how the falls shaped the nation’s early industrial growth.
For a more rugged outing, head south to the New Jersey Pinelands, 1.1 million protected acres that make up the largest remaining tract of wild land in the mid-Atlantic (and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). Rivers wind through the forest, offering a haven for kayakers, and outfitters like Mick’s in Chatsworth provide boats, transport, and gear so you can paddle past rare orchids, carnivorous plants, and groves of pitch pines.
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, on the border with Pennsylvania, stretches across 70,000 acres of wilderness in both states. In Sussex County, waterfalls like the 200-foot Buttermilk Falls (New Jersey’s tallest) and nearby Van Campen Glen make for rewarding day hikes.
Child’s Play
South Mountain Reserve Fairy Trail / Illustration by Teddy Kang
Big thrills and small wonders keep the little ones entertained.
New Jersey is packed with kid-friendly adventures, from high-octane thrills to quieter, curiosity-sparking outings.
Budding builders can take the wheel of backhoes and bulldozers at Diggerland USA in West Berlin, the only construction-themed amusement park in the country. For pure spectacle, head to American Dream in East Rutherford, home to North America’s largest indoor water park, year-round skiing, and a staggering sprawl of attractions like black-light mini golf and the world’s tallest ropes course. In Jackson Township, thrill seekers can ride the Flash, Six Flags Great Adventure’s newest coaster, before slowing things down with a magical stroll along the South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail in Millburn, where tiny houses made of acorns and twigs dot the half-mile hiking trail.
Searching for more serenity? Wander the blooms and bamboo grove at Rutgers Gardens in North Brunswick Township, or step into history at the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, where you can explore artifacts from the inventor and see the Memorial Tower, an Art Deco spire topped with one of the world’s largest light bulbs.
Stay Awhile
The modern wing of Pendry Natirar / Photograph courtesy of Pendry Natirar
This luxe countryside getaway is less than two hours from Center City.
Pulling onto the grounds of Pendry Natirar (rooms from $715) makes you feel like you’ve exited the Jersey Turnpike and entered the rolling hills of rural Ireland. The luxury resort opened last fall, set within a 500-acre park in Somerset County that will remind you that this is, in fact, the Garden State.
A 1912 Tudor-style mansion and new modern wing anchor the property and house 66 rooms; an all-day restaurant, Ladd’s Tavern; and common spaces like a billiards room and a library — both feature original woodwork and contribute to the feeling that you’re visiting a moneyed relative’s estate.
Begin your stay at the property’s on-site 10-acre farm, run by dynamic farmer Melinda Hopkins. The Farmer for the Day experience starts with a tour through rows of lacinato kale that chefs from flagship restaurant Ninety Acres are cutting for that evening’s salads. You’ll also meet the resident chickens that provide eggs for breakfast omelets, fluffy lambs, and some 80,000 honeybees — and finish by cutting your own fresh herbs.
Ninety Acres restaurant / Photograph courtesy of Pendry Natirar
For a little adventure, visit Compass Sports, the on-property outfitter, where you can rent fishing poles, take archery lessons, or join a bike tour to pedal past flower-filled meadows and on trails winding along the Raritan River. (Natirar is Raritan spelled backwards — a playful nod to the waterway that cuts through the property.)
When relaxation calls, head to Spa Pendry, with its saunas, an indoor pool, and a Himalayan salt room. Book the self-guided Harvest Bathing Ritual, incorporating herbs that grow on the farm.
Reserve a table for dinner at Ninety Acres, where you’ll sample more of the farm’s bounty in dishes like the charred carrot and beet tartare with strawberry-rhubarb vinaigrette. Finish with a butterscotch pretzel sundae — sweet proof that sometimes the best surprises come from the most unexpected places.
Published as “Garden State” in the November 2025 issue of Philadelphia magazine.