{"id":53692,"date":"2017-06-13T14:32:32","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T18:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=53692"},"modified":"2025-09-02T00:37:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T04:37:33","slug":"frenchtown-nj-things-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/53692\/frenchtown-nj-things-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Frenchtown, NJ: The Best Kept Secret Weekend Destination"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer, instead of following the hoi polloi\u00a0to the east end or upstate\u00a0New York, consider\u00a0the quaint undiscovered hamlet of Frenchtown, located about 90 minutes from midtown Manhattan. This once bustling industrious river town along the Delaware is like a throwback in time, a sweet taste of New England right in your own backyard.<\/p>\n

The boro of Frenchtown got its start back in 1794 when a French-speaking Swiss native bought and settled the town. In the decades that followed, trade in farm products, ferries that carried both people and cargo, and eventually the Belvidere Delaware Railroad came through town, further fueling its rapid growth. Now the river is used for recreation, and hotels that were once busy transit points, are restaurants with covered porches and original mahogany bars to while away your summer evening.<\/p>\n

Get Outdoors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"bike

Rent a bike at Cycle Corner<\/a> (or bring your own on the bus). Ask helpful owner Dave for directions to the tow path along the Pennsylvania Canal; the covered wooden bridge, the old industrial barns- and mills-turned-houses, and Tinicum State Park make for a delightful ride. Or take the tow path on the NJ side north to Frenchtown\u2019s sister village of Milford about 20-minutes up the road. The Milford Station Bakery<\/a> is a great place for a rest before exploring the town. Want a little romance with your outdoorsy weekend? Cycle Corner has tandem bikes for rent, as well as bikes with kid\u2019s trailers for a family-friendly ride.<\/p>\n

Eats + Drinks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Lovin

For breakfast or lunch with a view, check out The Bridge Caf\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0in what was once the old railroad station. The food is delicious, as are their old fashioned handmade doughnuts.<\/p>\n

For dinner, first make a pitstop at Frenchtown Wine and Liquor for a bottle of vino or a cool six- pack, then try the BYOB Mexican eatery Cochina Del Sol (downstairs in the basement at 10 Bridge St). Or, see and be seen at a table on the porch of the award-winning Frenchtown Inn (7 Bridge St) where the bartender SarahBeth will make you the cocktail of your dreams.<\/p>\n

Stay in Frenchtown<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rittenhouse Inn<\/a> (49 Kingwood Av) is the newest bed and breakfast in town offering respite in one of 6 suites in their beautifully restored Victorian house for $200\/night. This family run operation will make you feel at home with rocking chairs and board games adding to the exceptionally cozy atmosphere.<\/p>\n

The National Hotel <\/a>(31 Race St) has lovely rooms and suites for families, friends, or couples (weekends $159-$209\/night) with continental breakfast. The B&B in town, Widow McCrea House, has five elegantly furnished rooms from $145\/night, plus a pet- and family-friendly cottage with its own private patio for $350\/night. If you don\u2019t mind a little walk, there are several Airbnb’s in the area.<\/p>\n

Insider Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do not get back on the bus without peeking your head into Country Chic<\/a>, the resale shop that also sells goodies from local artists. Those in the know flock here from far and wide for good reason. This once-NYC-fashionista has gotten a thousand-dollar suede Gucci handbag for $34, perfect fitting Joe jeans for $10, and several lovely designer cashmere sweaters for about $30.<\/p>\n

How to Get to Frenchtown from NYC<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Transbridge Bus Lines<\/a> goes directly to Frenchtown from PABT in about two hours. $47.50 round trip. Buy your ticket at the PABT ticket counter, or pay the driver with exact cash from local stops. At the discretion of the driver, it\u2019s an additional $7 each way to bring a bicycle, although if you place it under the bus and retrieve it yourself, the drivers often waive the fee.<\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0Violette79<\/a>,\u00a0Martin Thomas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Also see our guide for a romantic weekend in Frenchtown<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Located just 90 minutes from midtown Manhattan, this once bustling industrious river town along the Delaware is like a throwback in time, a sweet taste of New England right in your own backyard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":53815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316,750,747,1869,1940,1865,329],"tags":[238,176,381,143,120,130,600,299,11268,133,282,84],"class_list":{"0":"post-53692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-weekend-getaways","8":"category-bike-2","9":"category-bus-2","10":"category-editors-picks","11":"category-editors-picks-summer","12":"category-frenchtown","13":"category-new-jersey-destination","14":"tag-adventure","15":"tag-bed-and-breakfast","16":"tag-biking","17":"tag-bus","18":"tag-family-fun","19":"tag-green","20":"tag-hudson-river","21":"tag-locally-sourced","22":"tag-new-jersey-guide","23":"tag-outdoors","24":"tag-romantic","25":"tag-shopping"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":53815,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/28769087822_ba1f843c7e_k-e1470761810748-350x197.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}