Looking for a New Jersey road trip filled with history, culture, and unforgettable stops? In this Travels with Darley road trip itinerary, Darley Newman explores the New Jersey Revolutionary War, guiding you from Camden and Haddonfield in South Jersey up through Princeton, Union County, and Morristown to Paterson and the Passaic County falls that helped build America.

General Washington and the Continental Army spent more time in New Jersey than in any other state during the Revolutionary War, and this route connects the battlefields, taverns, and untold stories that prove it. This route takes you through iconic battlefields, hidden historic gems, historic taverns, and standout food stops — all within about 220 miles. Along the way, you'll walk hallowed ground, meet local historians, and taste your way through some of New Jersey's most storied communities.

Overview: New Jersey Revolutionary War Road Trip

Route: Camden/Haddonfield (South Jersey) → Princeton, Washington Crossing & Trenton → Union County → Morristown → Passaic County
Distance: ~220 miles total
Best Duration: 5-6 days (highlights) to 9 days (immersive, covering every stop in this itinerary)
This south-to-north route starts near Philadelphia and ends near New York City, minimizing backtracking.

South Jersey: Days 1-2

Day 1

Stop 1: Pomona Hall & the Cooper Family Story

Camden, NJ | Suggested time: 1.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Start your journey at the Camden County Historical Society's Pomona Hall, where two Cooper family additions — 1726 and 1788 — sit side by side, and an art exhibition honors the 17 formerly enslaved Africans documented on the property.

What to Do: Tour the two distinct architectural wings; view the Eric Jones Montgomery / Samir Nichols photography exhibition; ask about the Cooper family's Quaker meeting expulsion over slavery.

Pro Tip: Pair this stop with a soul food lunch at Corinne's Place, a Camden institution since 1989.

Stop 2: Lawnside's African American Revolutionary History

Lawnside, NJ | Drive: ~15 minutes | Suggested time: 1 hour

Why This Stop Matters: Lawnside holds a state historical marker recognizing African American contributions to the Revolutionary War, including the First and Second Rhode Island Regiments.

What to Do: Visit with the Lawnside Historical Society; see the Peter Mott House, a rare Underground Railroad station.

Pro Tip: Ask about Oliver Cromwell of Burlington County — one of the lesser-known Patriots of the Revolution.

Stop 3: Indian King Tavern

Haddonfield, NJ | Drive: ~10 minutes | Suggested time: 1 hour

Why This Stop Matters: New Jersey's first state-owned historic site, and where the state legislature met in 1777 after it was no longer safe to convene at Princeton.

What to Do: Tour the public dining room, tap room, and private dining room; see where the Great Seal of New Jersey was adopted in March 1777.

Day 2

Stop 4: Greenwich Tea Burning Monument

Greenwich, Cumberland County, NJ | Drive: ~50 minutes | Suggested time: 45 minutes

Why This Stop Matters: On December 22, 1774, protesters in Greenwich burned a shipment of British tea rather than dumping it — one of the last tea protests of its kind up and down the East Coast.

What to Do: View the monument listing everyone documented or linked to the event; learn how it echoed the Boston Tea Party a year earlier.

Stop 5: Historic Woodbury & the Gabriel Daveis Tavern Museum

Gloucester County, NJ | Drive: ~30 minutes | Suggested time: 2 hours

Why This Stop Matters: One of the best-preserved 1740s taverns in the state, plus a walk down Woodbury's Main Street past the Franklin House and the 1715 Friends Meeting House.

What to Do: Tour the Gabriel Daveis Tavern's original windows and shutters; walk Main Street to the Wilkins Inn, now Charlie Brown's Fresh Grill.

Pro Tip: Grab lunch in Woodbury before continuing on to Red Bank Battlefield.

Stop 6: Red Bank Battlefield & the Whitall House

Gloucester County, NJ | Drive: ~15 minutes | Suggested time: 1.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Site of a major 1777 American victory defending Fort Mercer, and the 2022 discovery of 15 previously undocumented Hessian soldiers' remains.

What to Do: Tour the 1748 Whitall House; walk the bluff overlooking the Delaware River where Fort Mercer once stood.

Pro Tip: From here, it's about an hour's drive north to Princeton — a good spot to overnight before Day 3.

Princeton, Washington Crossing & Trenton: Day 3

Stop 7: Old Barracks Museum & the New Jersey State Archives

Trenton, NJ | Suggested time: 2 hours

Why This Stop Matters: The Old Barracks (1758) witnessed both Trenton battles; the State Archives holds New Jersey's original Bill of Rights and one of only 13 surviving original printings of the U.S. Constitution.

What to Do: Try on authentic colonial clothing at the Old Barracks; view founding documents at the State Archives (by appointment).

Stop 8: Washington Crossing

Washington Crossing, NJ/PA border | Drive: ~15 minutes | Suggested time: 1 hour

Why This Stop Matters: Where Washington moved roughly 2,400 troops across the icy Delaware River on the night of December 25-26, 1776, launching the "Ten Crucial Days."

What to Do: See the Durham boat replicas at the water's edge.

Stop 9: Princeton Battlefield, Nassau Hall & Morven Museum

Princeton, NJ | Drive: ~15 minutes | Suggested time: 3 hours

Why This Stop Matters: The final battle of the Ten Crucial Days, plus Nassau Hall's cannonball lore and Morven Museum, home of Declaration signer Richard Stockton.

What to Do: Walk the battlefield and visit the Clark House; tour Nassau Hall and the Princeton University campus; visit Morven Museum & Garden.

Where to Eat: The Yankee Doodle Tap Room (Nassau Inn), or dinner at the Peacock Inn.

Where to Stay: The Peacock Inn, Princeton.

Union County: Day 4

Stop 10: Liberty Hall Museum & Boxwood Hall

Union & Elizabeth, NJ | Drive: ~45 minutes from Princeton | Suggested time: 2.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Liberty Hall was home to New Jersey's first elected governor, William Livingston; Boxwood Hall hosted George Washington for lunch on his way to his 1789 inauguration.

What to Do: Tour both historic homes; ask about the Livingston family's role in shaping New Jersey's wartime leadership.

Stop 11: Connecticut Farms, the Cannonball House & the Drake House

Union & Plainfield, NJ | Drive: ~15 minutes between stops | Suggested time: 2.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: These sites cover the Battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield, plus the story of Nathaniel Drake and his formerly enslaved wagoner, Caesar.

What to Do: See the actual cannonball embedded in the Cannonball House; visit Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church.

Stop 12: Shady Rest Country Club & Stage House Tavern

Scotch Plains, NJ | Drive: ~10 minutes | Suggested time: 2 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Shady Rest is the first Black-owned and operated country club in the United States; Stage House Tavern has served travelers since 1737, including the Marquis de Lafayette.

What to Do: Learn about golf and tennis legends John Shippen and Althea Gibson at Shady Rest; have dinner at Stage House Tavern.

Where to Eat: Valença Restaurant or First Republic in Elizabeth for lunch; Stage House Tavern or Galloping Hill Inn for dinner.

Morristown: Day 5

Stop 13: Ford Mansion & Jockey Hollow

Morristown, NJ | Drive: ~30 minutes from Union County | Suggested time: 3 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Washington's six-month headquarters at Ford Mansion, and Jockey Hollow, where roughly 2,000 soldiers survived the coldest winter of the 18th century.

What to Do: Tour Ford Mansion and Washington's Headquarters Museum; try on reproduction uniforms at the Discovery History Center; walk Jockey Hollow.

Stop 14: Schuyler-Hamilton House & Morris Museum

Morristown, NJ | Suggested time: 2.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Where Alexander Hamilton courted his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, and the Morris Museum's collection of Founding Father portraits.

What to Do: Visit the Schuyler-Hamilton House; see the Gilbert Stuart Washington portrait copy at the Morris Museum.

Where to Eat: The Grain House Restaurant (try the Coppertoptini); Glenbrook Brewery for a toast, or the Black Horse Pub & Tavern (1742) in nearby Mendham for dinner.

Passaic County: Days 6-9

Day 6

Stop 15: Ringwood Manor & Long Pond Ironworks

Ringwood & West Milford, NJ | Drive: ~30 minutes from Morristown | Suggested time: 3 hours

Why This Stop Matters: The Cooper and Hewitt family estate, and the ironworks that supplied the Continental Army, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

What to Do: 10:00 am — Ringwood Manor, 1304 Sloatsburg Road, Ringwood. 11:00 am (7-10 min drive) — Long Pond Ironworks, 1334 County Road 511, West Milford.

Where to Eat: 1:00 pm (15-20 min drive) — Lunch at The Vreeland Store, 1383 Macopin Road, West Milford.

Stop 16: New Jersey Botanical Gardens & Skylands Manor

Ringwood, NJ | Drive: ~25 minutes | Suggested time: 2 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Not Revolutionary-era, but a scenic, well-preserved detour on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, 2 Morris Road, Ringwood.

Where to Stay: Residence Inn, 30 Nevins Road, Wayne, NJ (home base for Days 6-9). Dinner options nearby: Maggie's Tavern, or ramen, Irish, or Thai food in Wayne.

Day 7

Stop 17: Dey Mansion

Wayne, NJ | Drive: ~11 minutes from hotel | Suggested time: 1.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Washington's headquarters for summer/fall 1780, 199 Totowa Road, Wayne — where he decided which officers to trust after Benedict Arnold's betrayal.

What to Do: Tour the aides-de-camp room where Hamilton worked and slept; walk the Olmsted-designed gardens.

Stop 18: American Labor Museum at the Botto House & Bottagra

Haledon & Hawthorne, NJ | Drive: ~15 minutes | Suggested time: 2.5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: The Botto House, 83 Norwood Street, Haledon, is where 20,000 silk workers gathered during the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike; Bottagra, 80 Wagaraw Road, Hawthorne, is a circa-1760 home used as Lafayette's headquarters.

What to Do: Tour the Botto House National Landmark. 12:30 pm (10 min drive) — Lunch at Bottagra, try the Spaghetti Bottagra. 1:30 pm (3 min drive) — John W. Rea House / Passaic County Arts Center and Goffle Brook Park, 675 Goffle Road, Hawthorne.

Where to Eat: 4:00 pm (20-25 min drive) — The Barrow House, 1296 Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, for dinner.

Where to Stay: Residence Inn, Wayne, NJ.

Day 8

Stop 19: Garret Mountain, Lambert Castle & Hinchliffe Stadium

Woodland Park & Paterson, NJ | Suggested time: 4-5 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Garret Mountain was strategically important during Washington's stay at Dey Mansion; Hinchliffe Stadium is the only baseball stadium inside a National Park and a Negro Leagues landmark.

What to Do: 9:00 am (23 min drive) — Horseback riding at Garret Mountain Equestrian Center, 1 Park Road, Woodland Park, with NYC skyline views from Lambert Tower. Garret Mountain Reservation, 8 Mountain Avenue, Woodland Park. 2:30 pm (10-15 min drive) — Hinchliffe Stadium, 186 Maple Street, Paterson.

Where to Eat: 12:00 pm — Lunch at My Sister's Deli, 150 Rifle Camp Road, Woodland Park (try The Tattletailer).

Pro Tip: 4:00 pm (under 5 min drive) — Walk Little Peru on Market Street, Paterson, and have dinner at Leña y Carbón — order El Barco.

Day 9

Stop 20: Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park

Paterson, NJ | Suggested time: 2 hours

Why This Stop Matters: Where Alexander Hamilton founded America's first planned industrial city in 1792 — 72 McBride Avenue, Paterson.

What to Do: 8:00 am (14 min drive) — Coffee/breakfast at Westside Grille Diner, 275 Union Avenue, Paterson. 9:00 am — Meet by the Hamilton statue at the Great Falls. 10:30 am — Walk Main Street & downtown Passaic.

Where to Eat: 12:00 pm (4 min drive) — Lunch at Mexico Restaurant, 141 Market St, Passaic.

Pro Tip: From here, Newark Liberty International Airport is about 25-30 minutes away, or continue into New York City, about 30-40 minutes from Paterson.

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New Jersey Revolutionary War Road Trip Itinerary | Travels with Darley