Sweet Stuff: Start your day at the Smithville Bakery (615 E Moss Mill Rd, Shop 20, 609-652-6471), an old-fashioned parlor that opens at 7 am. You can eat in or take out your pastries, rolls, or cookies to eat by Lake Meone. Roosters wander the Smithville grounds and accept food from visitors. But your treat will be too good to share.
Euro Fests: On October 4 and 5, Smithville celebrates Oktoberfest, which features a juried craft show, German food, and beer. The Irish Festival on October 11 offers bagpipers, specialty beers, and Gaelic foods, and any time of year, you can stop by Out of Ireland (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 22, 609-748-6707) and Ireland and Old Lace (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 89, 609-404-4777). At the British Connection (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 55, 609-404-4444) there are teas and jams, and at Journey Through Italy (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 94, 609-652-8882) you’ll find Italian imports, including Murano glass and jewelry.
Kitchen Aids: Gourmet coffees, teas, spices, and oils are the draw at Cook’s Corner (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 12, 800-729-9030). You can watch coffee beans being roasted on site and get your caffeine fix, too. Look up to see the expansive cookie jar collection—literally in the rafters (No, they’re not for sale).
Seek Transit: Rent a paddleboat (Paddleboats on Lake Meone, 615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 70, 609-748-6160), or hop the classic rail train that circles Smithville (Shop 84).
Best Jests: Test your gunslinger skills with the New Frontier shoot-em-up game, or have your fortune told by Merlin at the Antiques Arcade (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 65, 609-748-6160), home to vintage carnival games and amusements. Then stop by the Smithville Zoo (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 5B, 609-748-1116), which is part toy store and part kitsch shop, with an impressive display of plush, stuffed animals.
Bottoms Up: Tastings are free at Tomasello Winery, which has two stores in Smithville (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shops 11 and 75–76, 609-652-2320 and 609-748-8717). Shop 75 carries wine accoutrements, while Shop 11 showcases the wines. Try the Tomasello cranberry wine with Thanksgiving dinner. Fred & Ethel’s Lantern Light Tavern (615 E Mossmill Rd, Shop 27, 609-652-0544) is named after the antiquers who in 1951 revitalized the town by restoring the Colonial Inn and by purchasing and relocating 18th- and 19th-century buildings to Smithville.