HGTV just put out its annual list of the 50 best small towns in the country. For New Jersey, the winner isn’t Red Bank, Collingswood, Cape May, or even one of the Shore towns most people think of first. The spotlight went to Lambertville, a little riverside community that a lot of people skip past, even though it’s been around for centuries.
Lambertville was founded back in 1705, and the history is hard to miss. You’ll find brick townhouses from the Federal period on one block, then Victorian-style homes around the corner. Even the old train depot from the 1800s is still standing, only now it’s a restaurant where people grab dinner by the tracks.
What makes Lambertville special is how many different ways you can spend a day there. Some visitors come for the antiques and vintage shops, others for the art galleries and studios tucked into side streets. You can walk down to the Delaware River in just a few minutes, and if you feel like stretching your legs, cross the bridge into Pennsylvania. The whole trip takes less than five minutes.
It’s close enough to North Jersey and New York City that you can be there in under two hours, but once you arrive, it feels much farther away. There are cozy inns, bars that have been around forever, and flea markets that fill up every weekend. The mix of history, art, and river views gives Lambertville its own energy—quiet but full of life at the same time.
HGTV’s pick might surprise people who only know the well-worn tourist spots, but locals will tell you this recognition was long overdue.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.