Day Trip: Flemington

Charming Victorians, Unlucky Lindy, rustic farmsteads, and outlet shopping. How’s that for diversity?

Posted December 19, 2007

Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse was the stage for the 1935 Lindbergh baby murder trial.

Photo: Peter Murphy

A Dutch stone farmhouse built in 1790 and three barns still stnad on Dvoor Farm, first owned by William Penn.

Photo: Peter Murphy

Stangl pottery.

Photo: Peter Murphy

Walkabout: Along Main Street, Victorian homes illuminated with holiday lights add charm to winter. Embrace old-world living with modern amenities at Main Street Manor Bed & Breakfast (194 Main St, 908-782-4928), a 1901 manor house featuring period antiques and linens.

(Pre-O.J.) Trial of the Century: The nation zeroed in on Flemington in 1935 as the Lindbergh baby murder trial unfolded at the Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse (75 Main St, 908-782-2610). Call for courtroom and jail tours.

Scribes Slept Here: Head across the street to the Union Hotel (76 Main St, 908-788-7474), now a restaurant and banquet hall. Yellowed press passes hang in the foyer, a nod to journalists who covered the 46-day trial.

Redux: Twice Told Tales and Moonstone Mystery Bookstore (12-14 Bloomfield Ave, 908-788-9094) carry 35,000 new and used books. Perfect for your favorite bookworm.

Hey Neigh-bor: A Dutch stone farmhouse built in 1790 and three barns still stand on Dvoor Farm (Rt 12 Circle), first owned by William Penn. A horse-and-cattle-trading center since the 1800s, the farm exemplifies Flemington’s agricultural spirit.

Bargain Hunt: With more than 50 stores, including J. Crew and Michael Kors, Liberty Village Premium Outlets (1 Church St, 908-782-8550) makes for one-stop shopping.

Pretty Plates: Formerly the home of Stangl Pottery, renowned in the 1940s for hand-painted dinnerware, the Pfaltzgraff Outlet (50 Mine St, 908-782-2918) offers enough [settings] in its 17,000-square-foot facility to make your head spin.

Nosh: Boylan’s Root Beer nicely complements a dirty-water hot dog with cooked onions from Buddy’s Grab ‘n Go (22 Main St, 908-788-2777). Freshly baked cinnamon-sugar doughnuts at the Dutch Farmer’s Market (19 Commerce St, 908-806-8476) are worth a short drive across Route 202.

Good Eats: Follow the fork and knife embedded in the sidewalk in front of Matt’s Red Rooster (22 Bloomfield Ave, 908-788-7050). Located in a restored red-and-white Victorian with a wide front porch, the restaurant combines a casual feel with upscale comfort food. Stop for lunch at the Shaker Café (31 Main St, 908-782-6610), an eclectic eatery decked out with a chair in the shape of an open hand, hanging beads, and paper-lanterns lights.

For more stories about: Buddy's Grab 'n Go, Dvoor Farm, Moonstone Mystery Bookstore, Matt's Red Rooster, Union hotel, Liberty Village Premium Outlets, Flemington, Shaker Cafe, Main Street Manor Bed , Lindbergh, Courthouse, Pfaktzgraff Outlet, Dutch Farmers Market