Downtown Princeton offers great shopping and restaurants. Photo: John Emerson
For first-time visitors to Princeton, the centerpiece—its beautiful Ivy League college campus with rolling lawns and ivy-covered buildings—is exactly what you’d imagine this town to look like. Its quaint downtown, with a mixture of high-end stores (Polo Ralph Lauren, Barbour and Hermès) and middle-of-the-road shops (J.Crew and Faherty) and terrific restaurants, gives visitors plenty to do. There’s also history here, as well as natural beauty, architecture and fabulous art.
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WHAT TO DO
Students kick back during a beautiful day on Princeton’s campus. Photo: John Emerson
Start with the university’s beautiful, 277-year-old campus. Take a tour or just wander around and admire the architecture, such as Blair Hall, with its Tudor-style arches, Nassau Hall, and the Chancellor Green Library’s spectacular stained-glass windows that adorn the domed roof.
After you’ve had your fill of academia, head over to Palmer Square, the heart of the downtown, where you can check out the shops and restaurants. Princeton University Art Museum is closed for renovations until fall 2025, but there are galleries open with some of the collection’s artwork.
If you’re a nature lover, head over to the woods at the Institute for Advanced Study and wander around the trails that Albert Einstein once took as he contemplated the goal of a unified field theory. Einstein, who lived in Princeton for 20 years, had a home at 112 Mercer Street and used to play his fiddle on his front porch—the house still stands and is privately owned.
Also worth checking out nearby are Terhune Farms, a family-owned winery and orchard, for winery events and its farm store and bakery; and Grounds for Sculpture, the sculpture park in Hamilton.
WHERE TO EAT
Yankee Doodle Tap Room serves comfort food, like this smoked brisket bowl. Photo: Courtesy of Yankee Doodle Tap Room/This Insane Idea Photography
You can find everything in Princeton, from burger joints frequented by students to some of the best fine dining in the state. For casual fare, head to the historic Yankee Doodle Tap Room, where you can see an authentic Norman Rockwell painting over the bar while you order a pint. On one of the walls are photos of famous former Princeton students, including Michelle Obama, John F. Kennedy and Brooke Shields.
The Meeting House is a great place to take the family. Also worth checking out are Agricola, which serves modern American food, and Witherspoon Grill. If you want to splurge, head to the sublime Elements for its five-course tasting menu, with dishes such as Sardinian fregola pasta, served with lamb, local mushrooms and burrata; its sister restaurant, Mistral, is downstairs and offers the same vision, but it’s slightly less expensive.
No trip to Princeton is complete without stopping at its iconic ice cream shop, the Bent Spoon in Palmer Square, where people line up early for fantastic flavors like baked apple and ricotta.
WHERE TO STAY
The new Graduate Hotel is located in a former campus dorm. Photo: Courtesy of Graduate/Steve Freihon
The new Graduate Hotel is fabulous and fun. Located just off Palmer Square, it was transformed from a former student dormitory into a hotel with 180 guest rooms, as well as two restaurants and a bar, just last year. The design contains lovely touches that pay homage to the heritage of Princeton, with subtle design details like custom lamps inspired by Revolutionary War-era cannons found buried behind Nassau Hall. A drawing in the rooms’ bathrooms is a recreation of a sketch by Einstein of the view outside his Princeton office window. There are no signs or labels indicating these touches—you have to ask or just know about them.
Another delightful spot is the boutique Peacock Inn, which has been in continuous operation since 1911 and is bursting with history. Einstein stayed here for 10 days while construction on his house was being finished. The basement, known as Peacock Alley, was thought to have been used as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. In the early days of the inn, it housed members of the Continental Congress.
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