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THE PERFECT FALL DAY IN NEW JERSEY


Alpacas, (Hard) Cider, Nature Walks, and farm-to-table food!
Visiting New Jersey or need a day out of New York City? In this guide, you will find an itinerary for how to spend the best day in New Jersey during fall.

Welcome to the Garden State! New Jersey is the land known for diners, disco fries (yum!), and more Turnpike exits than you ever thought possible. While New Jersey gets a bad rap, it’s one of our favorite places in the entire world. And one of the best places for pork rolls, bagels, and pizza. New Jersey is so much more than it’s made out to be. It’s time to discover the magic hidden behind this beautiful, often overlooked state.

How To Get to new jersey

New Jersey is easily accessible from New York City by car, train, or bus, but for this itinerary you’ll need a car.

Best Time to Visit new jersey

New Jersey is great to visit at any time, but spring, summer, and fall are our favorites! Spring, Summer, and Fall make for ideal hiking weather. Summer is also great for relaxing at the Jersey Shore. If you like winter sports, New Jersey has some great ski slopes and ice skating rinks making it a true winter wonderland.

Summer (June-August): high 70s – low 90s
Fall (September-November): high 50s – mid 60s
Winter (December-February): 20s – 30s
Spring (March-May): mid 40s – high 60s

How Much Time Do You Need in new jersey

While this itinerary is for a day trip, you can easily extend it into a weekend.

AirBnB + Hotel Recs

The closest small town is Morristown, New Jersey. It has a small downtown with lots of bars, restaurants, and shop. You could also stay in Bridgewater, NJ, where you’ll find more small strip malls, but you’ll be slightly closer to some of the activities below. In both places they have some mid-tier chain hotels, and well as some higher-end more specialty hotels. Check these out:
The Madison – mid-tier
Bridgewater Marriott – mid-tier

Morning

Pick up pastries for breakfast at CocoLux
This small bakery in Peapack, NJ offers a solid quick breakfast. You can’t go wrong with any of their croissants or quiche of the day. Their cookies and cakes are also to die for – try the Raspberry Lemon Cake or the Flourless Chocolate Cake!

Feed and pet Alpacas at Bluebird Farm Alpacas
Right down the road is Bluebird Farm – an alpaca farm also in Peapack, NJ. Reservations are required, and there are a couple visitation options:
– $14/person to go in the pen with the alpacas
– A few dollars for seed to feed the alpacas
– Walk the alpacas for $24
You can also support the farm by shopping in their Farm store. They sell yarn made from alpaca fur, as well as socks, gloves, and cute small alpaca dolls.

AFTERNOON

Eat a fresh lunch at Pren Kitchen
They are extremely accommodating of food allergies and offer gluten free//dairy free//vegan options. You can’t go wrong with the Chicken Sandwich, Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, or Avocado Farro Lentil Salad. Their menu changes seasonally, making use of local produce.

Go antiquing in Chester
Chester is a small town with cute antique, gift, and clothing shops. Taylor’s Ice Cream shop is a local fave. 

Apple Picking at Alstede Farm or Stony Hill Farm
Visit one of the local farms in the area. Depending on the season, pick out produce like apples or strawberries, pumpkins, or even your christmas tree! Both farms have a bunch of other family-friendly activities – think corn mazes, feeding animals (Alstede Farm) like horses, cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese, and activities for children like a bounce house and hayrides rides. At Stony Hill Farm you can pick sunflowers in the summer. In the fall, these farms can get a bit crazy with people, so check online to see if you need to pre-purchase tickets. 

Breath in the fresh country air, walking around Natirar
Once home to a former Moroccan King, this nearly 500 acre estate is now open to the public. Walk around the lush grounds. If you’re feeling like a splurge, eat at Ninety Acres – please note, they do have a dress code and athleisure is not allowed. 

NIGHT


Grab a hard cider flight at Burnt Mills Cider
We’ve had a lot of hard cider and Burnt Mills is hands down our favorite! The hard ciders are made from locally grown produce. Blueberry and peach are solid, but don’t sleep on the Cider Donut flavor in the fall. There are rotating food trucks out front, but you can bring your own food or order delivery to the farm. There is a small inside seating area and picnic tables outside. Make sure bring your own chairs or blankets. Some lawn games are also available outside. If you like what you try, you can purchase cans, pints or growlers of your favorite ciders to bring home.

Eat dinner and go dancing in Morristown
Not ready to end your day? Head over to Morristown for a night out. You can also check out Top Golf or Mayo Performing Arts Center to see if they have a musical act or comedian that you like performing. We saw the New Jersey Symphony play the score while we watched Jurassic Park. It was so cool!

Eat

Bars (20 – 30 somethings crowd)


NOT DONE TRAVELING?

Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Ultimate Guide to New York City
Things to do near New Haven, Connecticut
5 Short and Sweet Hikes in Western Connecticut