#TBT Post: Day Trips with my Dog – A Fall Day in Frenchtown, NJ

October 22, 2020 newjerseyisntboring

This was originally posted November 2019. Although facemasks and social distancing are required, Frenchtown is definitely one of my favorite day trips in NJ. Sadly one of my favorite stops, the Book Garden, is temporarily closed until least 2021. Additonally, Olive with a Twist is now closed for good.

I always enjoy taking a picturesque trip to Hunterdon County. There’s so much small-town charm there that it’s easy to do several day trips there. This time Peppy, my husband, and I took a trip to the cute town of Frenchtown, NJ.

Located along the banks of the Delaware River, Frenchtown is the perfect place for hiking, biking, kayaking etc. Right over the bridge there is a charming town of mom and pop shops, local cafes, a chocolatier, and antique shops.

We parked by the Uhlerstown Frenchtown bridge, a narrow bridge over the Delaware River which is nearby the D&R Canal State Park.

Next, we explored the town! We tried to go into every shop but ran out of time…so here are some of the highlights:

Dalla Terra was the first shop we stopped in. Dalla Terra, meaning from the earth in Italian, was inspired by two passions: nature and design. The store features hand picked eclectic and unique pieces that they sell at a reasonable price.

The Junto Emporium is a cool Masculine Boutique featuring new, previously owned, and vintage clothing, accessories and so much more!

Merge Gallery is a boutique art gallery offering an ever-changing selection of art, antiques, custom furniture, salvaged furniture, vintage furniture, art, and fine art sculpture. The gallery is also home-base to local artist and collector Christopher Hiltey.

Modern Love houses a collection of modern goods and wares carefully curated by owner Meg Metz, whose own house resembles the shop. Here you can find things for women, men, children and home goods.

Sunbeam General Store sells local food, drinks, and crafts. Expect to find homemade jams, salad dressings, kombucha, tea, jewelry in addition to your typical general store finds.

We didn’t have time for a sit-down meal but I stopped at Early Bird Espresso, a (dog-friendly) cafe and mercantile, where I grabbed a pumpkin spice latte. Early bird serves drip coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and pastries. Plus they have free WiFi so it’s the perfect place to work.

We also stopped in Libbybeans for some gourmet hot chocolate and chocolate-covered blueberries.

And although we didn’t stop in, we had to grab a photo of Peppy in front of Frenchtown Dog Wash. Frenchtown Dog Wash is a family-owned business with self-service stalls that provide everything you would need to wash your dog as well as drop off services that include professional bathing and grooming.

Other cool shops we noticed in town included the Gather Flower Shop, The Spinnery, River Gypsy, Frenchtown Pottery, and Country Chic.

There’s also a large variety of restaurants including the Lovin Oven, Bamboo House, Frenchtown Fresh, the Frenchtown Inn, Bridge Cafe, The National Hotel, Vagabond BBQ, the Frenchtown Cafe, and What’s Brewin at Maria’s.

Peppy enjoyed Frenchtown too! It was so nice how dog-friendly the town is. We definitely met some new doggy friends. And we enjoyed taking a picture with this horse statue.