Your 2024 Harvest Season Guide for Central Jersey Is Here!

During the American Revolution an officer passing through New Jersey described it as “the garden of America.”  Another called it “a land of milk and honey.”

Only seven decades ago New Jersey officially adopted the Garden State nickname, and just last year the state declared Central Jersey to be a new tourism region known for its farms, vineyards, craft beverages, and farm-to-table dining.

This harvest season promises to be a great one, with fall festivals, apple- and pumpkin-picking, live music, wine tastings, and Oktoberfest-style local beer. Just an hour from New York City and Philadelphia, discover the beauty and bounty of Central Jersey.

While in Central Jersey be sure to partake of our local wineries and craft beverage makers, farm-to-table restaurants, historic sites, and very special places to stay overnight. Check out our interactive map to find lots of exciting things to do here.

At DiscoverCentralNJ.com you’ll find farms and orchards to please everyone, including families, friends, young couples, and seniors. Harvest festivals generally require the purchase of tickets, either in advance or on-site. Our favorite festivals can be found at these farms, listed in order of opening weekend:

• Norz-Hill Farm’s Family Fun Fall Festivals in Hillsborough start September 14 on weekends (10 to 6), expanding to include weekdays in October (noon to 5). Enjoy hay wagon rides, a corn maze, u-pick pumpkin patch, Kids’ Corner, and a food stand. They also offer Scare Farm, a popular Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night experience September 27 to October 27. Buy tickets in advance here.
• Terhune Orchards and Winery, near Princeton, attracts thousands of visitors every year to a 250-acre family-owned and operated farm. Starting September 14, autumn brings Terhune’s Fall Family Fun Weekends, Saturdays and Sundays 10-5 through November 3, featuring live music, pick-your-own pumpkins, pumpkin painting, country food, pedal & play tractors, corn stalk & hay mazes, adventure barn & children’s activities, and farm animals. Admission discounts are offered with advance purchase.
  

  In the petting zoo at Abma’s Farm.

• Abma’s Farm in Hillsborough starts fall festival activities September 21 through November 2, weekdays 3-4:30 and Saturdays 9-4. Admission ticket needed for hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin picking, petting zoo.  Geared towards families, couples, friends, and casual groups. Kids under 24 months free.
• Etsch Farm in Monroe begins their fall festival featuring their 19th corn maze season on weekends September 21 through October, featuring hayrides, barrel train, bakery trailer, and pumpkin patch.
• Hidden Spring Lavender & Alpaca Farm has its annual festival on Saturday September 28 from 11 am to 4pm to celebrate National Alpaca Farm Day showcasing the beauty and wonder of these unique animals. Enjoy family-friendly activities, live music, food, demonstrations and more. Advance tickets required.
• Snyders Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township offers a family-oriented Farm Festival weekends starting October 5 through October 27, from 11am to 6pm. Activities include pumpkin picking, hay rides , corn maze , sunflower trail , giant slide, lots of activities, food trucks , local breweries, and great photo op areas.
• East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway is offering a free family-friendly Fall Harvest Festival on two weekends, October 25-27 and November 1-3, from 10-6 on Fridays and noon to 6 Saturdays/Sundays.
  

  Old York Cellars offers comedy and wine-paired dinners on rotating fall Saturdays.

You can also find autumn festivals at the areas many wineries and breweries, including:

• Oktoberfest on September 14 at Ashton Brewing in Middlesex, with German food and music with Danny Alderman Trio, from 2-10pm.
• Oktoberfest on September 20-22 at the Druery Brewery in Lawrence, during regular hours: Brats and pretzels; wear lederhosen and reap benefits!
• Oktoberfest on September 21 at Lone Eagle in Flemington, from noon to 10pm, with live music, food, new beer releases.
• Oktoberfest on September 21 at Sunken Silo in Lebanon in partnership with Metropolitan Seafood.
• Oktoberfest on September 21 at River Horse Brewing in Ewing, live band, Oktoberfest Harvest Lager and Hipp-O-Lantern Pumpkin Ale, from 6-10pm
• Harvest Festival on October 6 at Federal Twist Vineyards in Stockton with the Reel-to-Reel Band, children’s crafts, ice cream truck, grilled food, and more. Noon to 6pm.
• Oktoberfest at Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough with the Dave Betz Polka Band (21+ only) from 6 to 9pm.

Even without festivals, many other Central Jersey farms offer a bounty of fresh food and experiences you will enjoy this time of year.

• Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse in Milford produces 100% grass-fed, raw cows’ milk cheeses, pastured meats, and rustic breads baked in a wood-fired oven. Their farm store is open daily except Tuesdays. Tours on Sundays, weather permitting.
• Cherry Grove Farm is a sustainable dairy farm and creamery on 480 acres in Lawrenceville, making award-winning farmstead cheeses from grass-fed raw cows’ milk. The Farm Store is open daily from April through December.
• Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton offers Goat Happy Hour on Fridays 4-6 pm (weather permitting) through September, along with Goat Hikes and Farm Tours every weekend through Thanksgiving. Purchase tickets online.
• Griggstown Farm Market near Princeton sells its famous “Griggstown chicken” and other farm products using all-natural methods. The market sells seasonal fruit pies, pot pies, poultry sausages, quail eggs, and fresh seasonal soups. Store open daily.
• Hidden Spring Lavender and Alpaca Farm is offering “walk with an alpaca” tickets on Saturdays. Although the lavender blooming season has passed, their on-farm store is chock full of bouquets, buds, oil, lotions, creams, and more.

While you are in the area, be sure to enjoy New Jersey’s canal region, which features the 70-mile long D&R Canal State Park, traversing the entire region and is a great place to walk, bike, and paddle. Known mainly to locals, the D&R Canal State Park is the second-most visited state park in New Jersey, passing near or through quaint villages such as Millstone Borough, Rocky Hill, Lambertville, Stockton, and Frenchtown. To celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary this year, the D&R Canal Watch has organized a bike-walk-run event on October 26. Learn more and register at Tour de Towpath.

World-famous Princeton is home to Princeton University and a dozen farm-to-table restaurants, plus a vibrant shopping district. Its centrally located Palmer Square offers live music every Saturday from noon to 2pm through November, and on Sundays in October from 1 to 4pm. Across town, you’ll also find music and art events at the Princeton Shopping Center. The downtown is even more exciting than before with the newly reopened Triumph Brewing in the old post office, and the brand new, 180-room Graduate Hotel.

Historic Flemington is Hunterdon County, NJ’s beautiful county seat, with something for everyone. Stroll its tree-lined streets, where 65% of the borough is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Surrounded by 1,600 farms, the offer a weekly farmer’s market on Saturdays at the old Stangl factory is popular among locals and visitors, and you can enjoy weekend excursions on the historic Black River & Western Railroad. Flemington is home to 450 businesses, including artisan coffee shops, farm-to-table restaurants, antique shops and boutiques, and craft beverages.

Just a short drive or train ride from New York and Philadelphia, Central Jersey has much to offer visitors, especially under the sunny skies and cool breezes of harvest season.  We hope to see you soon!

For more information about everything to see and do in Central Jersey, visit discovercentralnj.com.  This article is supported in part by a grant from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.