Field notes
Dispatches
from the valley.
Neighborly guides to the towns we work in, the places worth your afternoon, and the small businesses that make this corner of New Jersey what it is.
regional
A Walk Across the Bridge: Lambertville and New Hope in One Afternoon
Two river towns, one free pedestrian bridge, and a self-guided afternoon of galleries, riverfront views, and easy wandering.
Read →Hopewell
Downtown Hopewell: A Few Blocks That Punch Above Their Weight
A neighborly guide to Broad Street in Hopewell Borough, where a handful of blocks hold serious restaurants, antiques, and a restored railroad station.
Read →regional
Eating Local Around Here Is Easier Than You Think
A friendly guide to the farm stands, pick-your-own fields, and farmers markets that make the Hopewell Valley one of the best places in New Jersey to eat close to home.
Read →regional
How to Do Autumn Right in the Hopewell Valley and Along the River
A seasonal guide to the best of fall around Pennington, Hopewell, and the New Hope-Lambertville river towns, from carved pumpkins to a vintage train through the foliage.
Read →Pennington
Pennington Before It Was Pennington: A Short History of a One-Square-Mile Town
How a colonial crossroads called Pennytown became the walkable, well-preserved borough that locals call home today.
Read →Hopewell
Step Back a Century at Howell Living History Farm
A guide to the working 1900-era farm in Hopewell Township where you can harvest ice, tap maple trees, and watch horses plow, one season at a time.
Read →regional
The D&R Canal Towpath: The Best Free Mile You'll Walk All Year
A local's introduction to the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath, a flat, shaded, history-soaked trail that runs right through our corner of New Jersey.
Read →regional
The River Towns Run on BYOB, and That's a Feature
Why bring-your-own-bottle culture shapes the dining scene in Lambertville and New Hope, and how to make the most of a meal by the Delaware.
Read →Lambertville
The Shad Festival, or How Lambertville Throws a Party for a Fish
A neighborly guide to Lambertville's spring Shad Festival, the riverside tradition that celebrates clean water, a returning fish, and a whole town's worth of art.
Read →Hopewell
The Sourlands: Ancient Boulders in Our Own Backyard
A hiker's introduction to the Sourland Mountain Preserve, where trails wind through fields of 200-million-year-old boulders just outside Hopewell.
Read →Lambertville
Why Lambertville Earns the Title "Antiques Capital of New Jersey"
A guide to hunting antiques in Lambertville, from the four floors of the People's Store to the long-running Golden Nugget flea market.
Read →