Bay Head
Cape May
Collingswood
Glen Ridge
Lambertville
Jersey City
Mount Holly
Mount Tabor
Ocean Grove
Paterson
Princeton
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Bay Head, Cape May, Collingswood , Glen Ridge, Lambertville, Jersey City, Mount Holly, Mount Tabor, Ocean Grove, Paterson, Princeton , Related coverage:

Lambert Castle on Valley Road in Paterson. The castle has been closed since January 2020 as part of a $10 million restoration that includes the observation tower nearby in Garret Mountain Reservation.

New Jersey’s exceeding diversity reaches beyond its terrains, populations and cuisines, extending to its beautiful historic architecture. Traverse the Garden State and you’ll be treated to an eclectic range of homes, from vibrant Victorians to coastal cottages to stately brownstones — if you know where to look.

For all you old-house lovers out there, we’ve put together a list of the best towns in the state to see these vintage residences. Whether you prefer to casually stroll along quaint Main Street USA-style streets or sign up for a formal house museum tour, you’ll find something here to pique your interest.

The 11 towns listed below are organized alphabetically.

Bay Head

Bay Head might be the closest thing in New Jersey you’ll find to the feel of an old New England whaling town. Everywhere you look are cedar-clad Shingle-style homes, complete with blooming hydrangea bushes, nautical touches, and double-height porches. You’ll also find more ornate Queen Anne-style homes sprinkled in, such as the can’t-miss pink Grenville Hotel.

The town was originally developed as a summer retreat for wealthy families from New York City and Philadelphia, thanks to its location as the southern terminus of the New York and Long Branch railroad that was completed in 1875, according to the Bay Head Historic District National Register report.

In recent years, the commercial hub of Bay Head around Bridge Avenue has seen an influx of cute shops and cafes. And no visit to this Ocean County town is complete without a crumb cake from the 135-year-old Mueller’s Bakery.

Cape May

It’s no surprise that Cape May made it onto this list. After all, it’s the oldest seaside resort in the country, has one of the largest collections of Victorian homes in the U.S., and is a town-wide National Historic Landmark, according to Cape May MAC.

Most of these grand Victorians date to the late 19th Century, and today, many operate as bed and breakfasts. To immerse yourself in Cape May’s history, consider taking one of MAC’s trolley tours (choose between “Mansions of the Sea” or “Historic District”). But for a truly special experience, plan your trip around the Christmas Candlelight House Tour, which lets you into many of the B&Bs and private homes all dressed up for the holidays.

Historic homes in Ocean Grove.

Hungry? Snag a table at Louisa’s, a lovely little seafood spot in a cheery yellow historic building, tucked away off bustling Washington Street.

Collingswood

This Philadelphia suburb has a residential historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is made up of three “distinct enclaves.” Park Avenue is a stretch of attractive Queen Anne homes across from Knight Park, while the other sides of the triangular park feature a mix of charming early 20th Century houses, including the Collings-Knight House. This was originally owned by the family who laid out Collingwood and built the park; today it’s a house museum.

The historic library at 31 Trinity Place in Mt. Tabor on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Also along the park is Merrick Villa, a bungalow colony built in the early 1900s, where you can meander down little landscaped paths.

Collingswood has a commercial historic district, too, where the shops and restaurants along Haddon Avenue reside in two-story Colonial Revival-style commercial buildings.

Glen Ridge

This affluent Essex County town saw a residential boom in the late 19th Century when railroads made Glen Ridge an accessible commuter suburb.

Glen Ridge is impressively well-manicured because when it broke off from Bloomfield in 1895, it became one of the first communities to employ a professional town planner. “As a by-product of that planning, older portions of the Borough possess a museum quality having all the necessary elements of late Victorian and Edwardian ‘townscape,’” explains the borough website. This is also why so many homes retain their historic gas-lit street lamps.

All throughout town, you’ll see Carpenter Gothic mansions, Italianate “villas,” stucco Medieval-style homes, Queen Anne cottages, grand Tudors, and more. For fans of Frank Lloyd Wright, see if you can get a peek of the architect’s Stuart Richardson House, a hexagonal home built in 1951 that is completely lacking right angles.

Lambertville

Directly across the Delaware River from New Hope, Pennsylvania, sits Lambertville, a great place to visit if you’re looking for period-appropriate decor to fill your own old house. This charming town is known as “The Antiques Capital of New Jersey.” Stroll down Bridge, Main, and Union Streets to browse these shops, suggests Visit NJ. Or, drive 10 minutes to the 50-year-old Golden Nugget Flea Market.

211 Mill St. in Mount Holly, New Jersey Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Assuming you’re not shopped out, leave plenty of time to walk along Swan Street and North Union to see the unique attached Federal-style homes in Lambertville. As the National Register report notes, many of these date back to the mid-19th Century when the town became a manufacturing hub along the newly opened railroad. To round out the historic experience, enjoy dinner at the Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn, originally built in 1867 as the Pennsylvania Railroad Depot.

Historic homes in Jersey City.

Jersey City

23 York St. built in 1870 Lambertville, New Jersey. Thursday, June 12, 2025 Thursday, June 12, 2025. Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Perhaps nowhere in New Jersey has as robust a preservation program as Jersey City, which boasts the city-led Historic Preservation Commission and the nonprofit Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.

Some of the best places to see their advocacy efforts are in Downtown Jersey City. The historic districts surrounding Van Vorst Park and Hamilton Park are full of gorgeous 19th-Century brownstones that could give Greenwich Village a run for its money. If you happen to visit around Halloween, these neighborhoods go all out with their decorations.

The Eldridge Johnson House located at 33 Perry Street in Cape May, N.J. seen on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Not far from the parks is Paulus Hook, another historic district with brownstones aplenty. Here, you can access the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway that offers incredible views of Liberty State Park and Lower Manhattan.

On the other side of town is the White Mana Diner, a 79-year-old burger joint housed in a transported building constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows.

A historic home in Bay Head.

Mount Holly

Mount Holly was the location of a pivotal American Revolution battle (The Battle of Iron Works Hill), and several buildings from the 1700s remain, including the Burlington County Courthouse, the Old Schoolhouse, and the Friends Meeting House.

As for residential architecture, Mill Street and High Street are lined with 18th-Century rowhouses, including the Stephen Girard House, which was once owned by “the richest man in Colonial America.” Many of these houses actually predate the Revolution, as they were built earlier in the century when a sawmill opened.

The beautiful historic homes in Cape May are among the finest views in New Jersey sight-seeing.

For some grander architecture, walk or drive down Upper High Street, which has sprawling Victorian and Colonial homes.

Mount Tabor

Cape May and Ocean Grove tend to get all the glory when it comes to Victorians, but Mount Tabor is a hidden gem for these cotton candy-colored beauties. In fact, this town was also founded in 1869 as a Methodist camp meeting site, the wooded complement to its seaside sister.

Though you won’t find the original tent city in Mount Tabor, you will find an eclectic array of Carpenter Gothic Victorian cottages dripping with gingerbread trim, especially surrounding Trinity Park. Also around the park are a trio of original octagonal community buildings, the Tabernacle, the Bethel, and the library.

The Mount Tabor Historical Society offers a great virtual tour of these homes and buildings, so you can learn about their original residents and architecture. Or, if you visit in person, they operate the Richardson History House, an 1873 Camp Meeting Cottage Museum. In September, they sponsor a house and garden tour, as well.

Ocean Grove

You could consider Ocean Grove the quirky, younger sibling to Cape May. Founded in 1869 by Methodist ministers as a summer camp meeting site, the town’s original seasonal dwellers lived in cottage tents that eventually numbered 660, according to the Historical Society of Ocean Grove. Today, 114 tents remain, most of which have been handed down to fourth- or fifth-generation family members.

Visitors can walk through “tent city,” taking in the pastel awnings and storybook porches. (The canvas tents get taken down and stored in the cottage half of the structure for the winter.) You can even go inside some of the private tents if you purchase a ticket for the August Ocean Grove house tour.

Outside of tent city, Ocean Grove is chock-full of candy-colored Victorian homes. Interestingly, each house is slightly set back from its neighbor, a product of the Methodist planned community that ensured all residents had a view of the beach.

Paterson

Paterson might not be the first town that comes to mind when you think of historic homes, but “Silk City’s” industrial past gives it a completely unique architectural viewpoint.

Many people visit to see Paterson Great Falls, but what few realize is that this massive waterfall (the second largest east of the Mississippi after Niagara Falls) was once the center of America’s first planned industrial city, conceived by none other than Alexander Hamilton in 1792. To explore the history of this area, the Mill Mile app provides a self-guided walking tour.

Then, head over to explore the East Side Park Historic District, where “period revival mansions” and a mix of Dutch Colonial, Tudor Revival, and Arts & Crafts-style homes co-mingle, as the City of Paterson Historic Preservation Commission outlines.

Princeton

If you’ve ever been through Princeton, you know that its namesake Ivy League university is a treasure trove of Collegiate Gothic architecture, much of which can be explored by the public.

But this town also has a well-preserved stock of notable 18th and 19th century homes, including Morven (the home of Richard Stockton III, a signer of the Declaration of Independence) that is today a Garden State history museum, Drumthwacket, the official Governor’s residence, and the Einstein House, where Albert Einstein lived from 1936 until his death in 1955.

As for residential neighborhoods, the Mercer Hill Historic District has a wealth of Federal and Greek Revival clapboard houses, the Jugtown Historic District is a mix of Federal, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival-style homes, and the small Bank Street Historic District is a charming stretch of Queen Anne-style, wood-framed buildings, according to the Princeton Community Master Plan.