I love towns. While I spent most of my childhood in a house where my backyard abutted a corn field, and most of my 20s residing in several large cities, I realized in my 30s that I love nothing more than living in a town.
As a weekend getaway, towns are ideal. Traffic and parking are manageable, the streets are clean, and the scenery is gorgeous. You don’t have to worry about navigating public transportation. Getting car-jacked or pick-pocketed is the furthest thing from your mind. And it’s very quiet during the evening, so you’ll be sure to get a good night’s sleep.
When Tim and I were dating, we often spent weekends hanging out in New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ, two adorable river towns connected by a quarter-mile bridge. We were smitten with the quaint stores and coffee shops, delicious locally-owned restaurants, interesting history and architecture, and warm-weather activities like festivals, art shows, and fireworks. There are also several good AA meetings in town. We ended up getting married at a venue in Lambertville in 2016 and bought a house there six months later.
Not only are the towns themselves cute and charming, but they are surrounded by natural beauty. Both Bucks County and Hunterdon County are known for their rolling hills, farms and parks. The Delaware River that bisects the towns and the canal tow paths that run for miles alongside it are replete with wildlife and greenery.
Since we moved to Lambertville, the secret has gotten out. On any given day, both towns are bustling with tourists. During the weekends, crowds flow back and forth over the bridge from New Hope to Lambertville, visiting the antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and coffee and ice cream shops on either side. In the past two years, new businesses have opened to cater to these visitors, including several upscale hotels like Riverhouse at Odette’s in New Hope, and Union Coffee and Del-Vue Arcade in Lambertville.
While it’s a “stay-cation” for us, tourists visit from all over the East Coast to enjoy our adorable river towns and all they have to offer. Keep reading to check out our guide!
Getting Around
New Hope and Lambertville are about an hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City by car. There isn’t any public transportation that drops you off in town or nearby, unless you want to take the Trans-Bridge Line from NYC to Lambertville for about $40 one way. It’s a once-per-day route that leaves at 5pm from the city. However, you’ll have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the return ride at 5:40am.
Downtown New Hope and Lambertville are both less than a mile wide and pedestrian-friendly, so if you park in metered parking on the street or in one of the municipal lots around town, you won’t need a car for the rest of the day–or the weekend, for that matter.
Where to Stay
A few years ago, accommodations in New Hope and Lambertville were limited to two small hotels and a handful of Airbnbs. Since then, multiple luxury hotels have opened in both towns and more than 100 places are listed on Airbnb on any given weekend. These have all sprung up to cater to the weekend travelers from New York City and beyond.
The recently renovated Logan Inn in New Hope offers 38 spacious and well-appointed rooms on River Road, the town’s main thoroughfare, across the street from Ferry Market. Like most of the hotels in this guide, there is also a highly-rated restaurant on the premises.
On the towpath steps from downtown New Hope is River House at Odette’s, another boutique hotel. Many of its rooms feature a balcony with stunning views of the Delaware River.
Chimney Hill Estate is a three-minute drive outside of Lambertville, close to Goat Hill Overlook. Established in 2022, this bed and breakfast is located on a beautiful farmhouse estate with large, luxurious suites. Their rooms are pricey but exquisite as far as finishes, space and amenities.
Lambertville Station and Lambertville House are the most tenured hotels in the area, and are centrally located in town on Bridge Street. Both offer restaurants on their premises, although Lambertville House is more of a drinking establishment and their food is mediocre. Lambertville Station is the larger of the two hotels and offers river views in some of their rooms. Both of these hotels are slightly more affordable than the other three mentioned previously.
Fun Activities in New Hope and Lambertville
The ACME is a hidden gem in Lambertville. It’s a movie house that features indie films as well as a film club and various events like a Halloween film fest. They usually show films on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
A well-known and popular theater, BCP has been around since 1930. Over the years, theatrical and cinematic royalty have graced its stage including Robert Redford, Grace Kelly, Kevin Kline and Liza Minnelli. Its proximity to New York City means that it often premieres future Broadway productions. BCP was renovated a few years ago and now is the centerpiece of a complex that includes several high-end restaurants overlooking the river.
- Art Galleries & Antique Stores
Both towns are home to a cluster of art galleries and antique stores, however, Lambertville has a higher concentration. Highlights include The People’s Store, a collection of jewelry, furniture, art and decor spanning three floors, as well as The Golden Nugget, an outdoor flea market a few miles outside of town that runs on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Multiple art galleries showcasing a variety of styles and mediums line Bridge Street and Union Street in Lambertville.
Opened earlier this year, Del-Vue is a video game arcade with an assortment of retro games, pinball and ski ball machines, pool tables as well as a soda shop. It’s a fun, casual way to spend an afternoon or evening with kids, with friends or on a date. It’s located in Lambertville across the street from the ACME.
If you need some time out to recharge and reconnect, the Menlha Center is a Buddhist meditation center on North Union Street in Lambertville that runs classes and meditation sessions throughout the week. They also hold special events on most Saturday mornings. Their space is absolutely gorgeous, with high, white-washed brick walls, large windows, comfortable couches and free refreshments.
Food
- Mexican
With a significant Latino population, Lambertville boasts several top-notch Mexican restaurants. Aztlan Mexican Grill and El Tule are neck and neck, as both offer delicious, authentic cuisine and a pleasant outdoor seating area. Aztlan has amazing nachos (chicken tinga and steak are equally good), and El Tule offers exceptional ceviche and seafood dishes with tacu tacu, a Peruvian grain that they cook to crispy perfection.
- Italian
Broadmoor is a small and elegant restaurant serving up excellent pasta dishes and the best simple appetizer salads in town. Taverna 54 is a newer establishment earning rave reviews for their dinner and weekend brunch offerings.
- American
A transplant from Peddler’s Village, Chive Cafe is a breakfast and lunch favorite, with a large assortment of sandwich options including buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and southwestern black bean burger. They also do dinner Monday through Wednesday and have a rotating menu of specials.
The Hawke is a casual steakhouse with a shaded, expansive patio area that is a joy to dine on during a warm evening. The steak is very good and their potato dishes are killer. At most restaurants, potatoes are an afterthought, but The Hawke takes pride in their sides.
- Dessert
Owowcow is an ice cream shop located at the far end of Lambertville on North Union. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the center of town past wide, leafy streets and Victorian-style mansions. Owowcow delivers some of the best ice cream in the region, sourcing all of their ingredients from local organic farms. They have flavors like caramel cashew, honey lavender and cookie monstah.
Nina’s Waffles is a local chain with several Bucks County shops, including one in New Hope. They offer chewy, warm Belgian waffles topped with home-made ice cream. Their New Hope location has a spacious outdoor seating area, perfect for a summer evening. If you get a waffle and ice cream, you might want to skip dinner or share it, as it is quite filling.
Running
- Goat Hill Overlook
A 5-minute drive outside of town, Goat Hill Overlook is a park with a short, upward gravel path that leads to a spectacular view of the Delaware River and the New Hope/Lambertville bridge. According to local legend, General George Washington stood on a rock atop the palisade to oversee preparations for the attack on Trenton during the Revolutionary War. In addition to the path leading to the overlook, there are other trails winding through the woods; in total they run about 2.5 miles.
- Towpath
There are two parallel canal tow paths running through New Hope and Lambertville, along the Delaware River. On the Pennsylvania side, the path stretches almost 59 miles from Easton to Bristol. New Jersey’s trail runs in multiple segments, including the one from Frenchtown to Trenton. During the Industrial Revolution, these canals and tow paths carried grain, textiles, and other goods up and down the river. Now they are used by bikers, joggers and pedestrians. You can do a 7-mile loop if you take the tow path North from Lambertville to Stockton, cross over the bridge and then head South back to New Hope.
Recovery Meetings
There are several quality, well-attended AA meetings on both sides of the river. Foglifters is the best known; a strong and robust group with multiple meetings per day, including one daily at 7am. It’s located a few miles outside of downtown New Hope, next to Bowman’s Wildflower Preserve. Lambertville offers several meetings on Sundays, Tuesdays and Saturdays that are located in town.
New Hope and Lambertville are two towns steeped in history. If you are a history buff and interested in more locations like this, check out our destination guide!
The Temperate Traveler 