8 Best Towns in New Jersey for a Winter Getaway

The Garden State continues to flourish when the flowers wilt, and the soil freezes. Winter in New Jersey is not an impediment but an opportunity to see snow-covered mountains, icy shorelines, and frosty festivals and to feel the warmth that such beauty and community produce. Best of all, you will find peace in the locations that are usually overflowing with sandal-wearing tourists. Wear a jersey for these comfortably chilly Garden State getaways.

Clinton

The tiny town of Clinton, population 2,700, grows to city proportions every year for a magical winter festival. Now so popular that it is held on two different weekends, Clinton's Winter Village draws nearly 10,000 people, who visit the sprawling market with over 45 craft vendors and the Festival of Trees, a Christmas tree-decorating competition with cash prizes. These festivities take place in the Red Mill Museum Village, a ten-acre interactive site commemorating Clinton's history as a mill town. Touring the open-air museum in the winter, with the big Red Mill set against pure white snow, feels like you are in a Thomas Kinkade painting. When you must return to reality, Clinton's Hampton Inn will charge you up for a different excursion, perhaps to the multiple wilderness parks in the area. Hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting await Clinton winter travelers who like to march rather than mill.

Cape May

This Jersey Shore getaway is excellent in summer but fantastic in winter. Cape May, with a resident population of under 3,000, becomes a winter wonderland when snow covers the sand and carolers replace carousers. Naturally, the cape's five-week-long shivery spectacular is called Winter Wonderland and features a holiday train, carousel, and enchanted vendor village. All those attractions live at Congress Hall, a magnificent Victorian hotel dubbed America's first seaside resort. You can stay there or at one of the other Victorian haunts in the Cape May Historic District, just a snowball's throw from the whitened Atlantic beach. See the side of Cape May that is cold in temperature but warm in personality.

Lambertville

Lambertville is considered one of the best winter destinations not just in the state but also in the entire country. The "city" has only 4,000 residents yet offers something for all kinds of winter tourists, from Delaware River walks and Frozen-style ice harvesting for the outdoor adventurers to taverns and inns for the warmth-seeking merrymakers to snow-covered 19th-century landmarks for the hinterland historians. Like most frigid NJ hotspots, Lambertville hosts a winter festival that can unite the three types of disparate dalliers with food, drinks, and entertainment. The Lambertville-New Hope Winter Festival shared with neighboring New Hope, Pennsylvania, takes place in January or February and injects tens of thousands of dollars into their respective communities.

Vernon

One thing missing from the other Jersey winter jaunts is skiing and snowboarding. Vernon, located just an hour from New York City, more than makes up for it. The 22,000-person township is home to Mountain Creek, the largest ski resort in the state, whose accommodations include The Appalachian, a luxury hotel named for the resort's mountain range, and Condos At The Creek, a veritable villa of vacation condos. Vernon's other ski resort is the National Winter Activity Center run by Winter4Kids, which teaches slopeside sports to children who do not otherwise have access. Further making Vernon a mountainous mecca are Minerals Hotel at Crystal Springs Resort, which contains the award-winning Elements Spa, and Hamburg Mountain Wildlife Management Area, a 3,600-acre bushwhacker's paradise.

Asbury Park

Another Garden State community that, ironically, comes alive when the plants die, Asbury Park boasts more winter activities than most New Jerseyans probably expect. The seaside "city" of 15,000 is bumping year-round with bars, restaurants like Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten with roof-adorned igloos, live music at The Stone Pony, historic inns like the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel, and the famous Silverball Retro Arcade, supplemented by winter-specific bazaars and holiday parties. Although it has been dormant for a number of years, Asbury Park hosts the Cold War Surf Contest, which is a groin-shrinking surf competition held in chilly December. Winter does not stop beachgoers in Asbury Park. Will it stop you?

Mount Holly

Even Mount Holly's name is a holiday staple. Although the township was called "Northampton" upon its formation in 1688, it was changed in 1931 to commemorate nearby hills covered in holly berries. Today, around 10,000 people live in Mount Holly, and many more visit during winter to see if the name matches the mood. Visitors will be happy to find Winter Fest, a Victorian-themed event in Historic Smithville Park and Smith's Woods, normally held in December. If they stay until late January, they will also find Fire & Ice Festival with a fiery chili cook-off and expert ice carving. Although there are few hotels in Mount Holly proper, the surrounding area, which includes Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has all the accommodations you need. There is no doubt of having a Mount Holly jolly Christmas.

Allentown

Allentown does not have a winter festival, but it does host a famous fall festival featuring food trucks, craft vendors, live music, a beer garden, and a Civil War reenactment—the village of 1,700 swells to 10,000 for that two-day event. In spite of its fun-filled fall and fest-less winter, Allentown ranks as one of the best cold weather destinations in New Jersey. Historic buildings, urban parks, and sweeping countryside look so much prettier in the snow, while Christmas brings activities like open houses, a trim-a-tree workshop, and holly jolly happy shopping hour. Allentown is mostly bereft of accommodations, but the more comprehensive Monmouth County is a massive metropolis with myriad motels. Even New York City is less than two hours away.

Andover

A couple of townships over from the verdant Vernon, Andover is another NJ community that becomes a white wonderland in winter. Its 6,000 residents are preserved by wilderness like Whittingham Wildlife Management Area and Kittatinny Valley State Park, which offer fun but formidable adventures. Don't worry: owing to Andover's close proximity to multiple metros, modern winter activities are a short drive away. These include skiing, ice skating, and festivals like Augusta's Christmas Light Show and Village. A local staple is Sustainable Andover, an annual mid-winter farmers market held in The Barn at Hillside Park. Unless you research the barn beforehand, you will not see remnants of a pro-German hub from WWII.

New Jersey's Winter Charm

New Jersey is a new state in wintertime, revealing beauty, community, and tranquility suppressed in the summer by bustling beach bums. Clinton, Cape May, Lambertville, Vernon, Asbury Park, Mount Holly, Allentown, and Andover will let you reclaim NJ's charm from December to February and beyond. Those communities are small in population but big in winter cheer.