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.” This 250^th anniversary year is a great time to get to know Central Jersey’s farmers, beverage producers, and farm-to-table restaurateurs whose forebears helped make our nation possible.

Harvest season is the perfect time to experience the place where Washington crossed the Delaware and won the crucial Battles of Princeton and Trenton, and where the Continental Army passed through on marches to Monmouth, Morristown, and Yorktown.

Pumpkin patch fun at Terhune Orchards.

The main attraction is the same today as it was then – fertile lands conveniently located between two great historic cities, New York and Philadelphia, a relatively short trip for so many people, with a recent renaissance of tavern culture and great places to stay overnight.

An autumn visit to Central Jersey offers fall festivals, apple- and pumpkin-picking, live music, wine tastings, and Oktoberfest-style local beer. Check out our interactive map to find lots of exciting things to do here. You’ll still find the spirit of 1776 celebrated throughout the region as a new musical, The Crossing, is previewed in advance of its premiere in December, and local historic sites continue to commemorate important anniversaries.

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:

• Abma’s Farm in Hillsborough starts Fall Fun at Abma’s Farm on September 12 and runs six days a week (closed Sundays) through October. You must buy tickets o
  

  Scare Farm at Norz-Hill Farm.

  nline in advance. Enjoy hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin picking, petting zoo, and more. Geared towards families, couples, friends, and casual groups.

• Norz-Hill Farm’s Family Fun Fall Festivals in Hillsborough begin September 12 on weekends, expanding to weekday afternoons in October. The also offer Scare Farm running Friday–Sunday nights starting September 25 through Halloween. 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. They are also offering Boots on the Ground country line dances on August 28 and September 18. Visit their website and social media for advance tickets and weather updates.
• Terhune Orchards and Winery, near Princeton, attracts thousands of visitors every year to a 250-acre family-owned and operated farm celebrating its 51st anniversary year. Autumn brings Terhune’s Fall Family Fun Weekends, Saturdays and Sundays 10-5 from September 12 to November, featuring live music, pick-your-own pumpkins, country food, pedal & play tractors, corn stalk & hay mazes, adventure barn, and farm animals. Estate wines served among 100-year-old apple trees. Admission discounts with advance purchase.
• Giamarese Farm in East Brunswick opens its Fall Harvest Weekends in mid-to-late September, offering hayrides, pony rides, apple-picking until mid-October, and pumpkin-picking through the end of October. They also have an on-farm store open daily Tuesday to Sunday through December.

• Etsch Farm in Monroe begins their fall festival featuring their 21st corn maze on weekends in September through October, featuring hayrides, barrel train, bakery trailer, and pumpkin patch.
  

  Sunflower fields at Snyders Farm.

• Snyders Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township offers a family-oriented Farm Festival weekends October 3 to 25, from 11am to 6pm. Bring cash only to buy tickets upon arrival. Activities include pumpkin picking, hayrides, corn maze, sunflower trail, giant slide, lots of activities, food trucks, local breweries, and great photo op areas. Last entry at 4:30.

In early October, the folks at Love Flemington are hosting the annual Hunterdon Harvest Fair on Flemington’s historic Main Street on October 4 from 11 to 7 in historic Flemington. Throughout the fall, historic Flemington offers self-guided historic walking tours, great shopping, and extraordinary restaurants. Visit Flemington in mid-September for the Central Jersey Jazz Festival!

See history come alive at East Jersey Old Town Village.

During this 250^th anniversary year, consider combining harvest season with revolutionary history at East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway. They will offer a free family-friendly Fall Harvest Festival on two long weekends, October 24-26 and October 31-November 2, 2026, from 10-5pm. Wander the grounds and interact with living history interpreters, enjoy live music, and children’s crafts. Take a wagon ride – accessible for all – to farm fields and pick your own pumpkins and snap your postcard-perfect family photo. Stop by the tent and take home a variety of pies, cider donuts, pickles, salsas, and preserves. A limited selection of gourmet lunch food from The Food Architects will be available in the General Store.

You’ll also find a great Fall Music Series on Saturday afternoons (1–3pm) in September and October on the Palmer Square Green in world-famous Princeton, home to Princeton University and a dozen farm-to-table restaurants, plus a vibrant shopping district. On Sunday October 18, they will offer a Fall Fest from 1 to 4pm.

Live music every weekend as well as special autumn festivals can be found at Central wineries and breweries, including:

• Oktoberfest at Sunken Silo Brewery in Lebanon in partnership with Metropolitan Seafood will be on September 26 this year.
• Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes will hold its Harvest Celebration on Saturday October 3 from noon to 5pm, featuring live music by Free Soil, the Antimo’s Italian Kitchen Food Truck, vineyard walks, and wine to toast to the end of our 2026 harvest.
• Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough celebrates its 13th anniversary with an Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3, from noon to 10pm, with The Adlers taking the stage at 5:00 for a high-energy set of German favorites and infusions.
  

  Oktoberfest at Flounder Brewing.

• Working Dog Winery will be hosting their annual, highly popular Fall Fest on October 10 & 11, 2026, from noon to 6pm. This is a free-entry, dog-friendly event featuring live outdoor music, local food trucks, and a relaxed lawn setup.
• Federal Twist Vineyards is offering a Gumbo Fest on October 11 from noon to 6pm. Enjoy an afternoon of wine, gumbo, and music featuring the Gumbo Gumbas who will be jammin’, the krewe will be dancin,’ and the wine will be a flowin’!

We’re awaiting Oktoberfest announcements from a number of other great Central Jersey breweries, including Needle Creek Brewing in Pennington, Old Hights Brewing in Hightstown, and River Horse Brewing in Ewing. We’ll update this article when they are announced.

The petting zoo at Abma’s Farm.

Lots of Central Jersey Farms offer regular open hours at their on-farm stores, including:

• Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse in Milford produces 100% grass-fed, raw cows’ milk cheeses, pastured meats, and rustic breads baked in a wood-fired oven.
• 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.
• Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton offers Goat Hikes and Farm Tours. Get ready for the surprise and delight of over 100 goats at the only goat dairy farm in New Jersey. 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, and more.
• Hidden Spring Lavender and Alpaca Farm is offering “walk with an alpaca” tickets on Saturdays, while their store is open both Saturdays and Sundays. Their on-farm store is chock full of bouquets, buds, oil, lotions, creams, and more.

Earlier this year, Central enjoyed massive crowds from overseas and across the country for the FIFA World Cup games played in nearby Philadelphia and the New Jersey Meadowlands. With the games now part of history, it’s a great time to take advantage of all the sprucing up undertaken by local cities, towns, and businesses.

Make Central Jersey your harvest season destination for 2026.

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.

Note: Photo at the top shows reenactors of Generals Washington and Rochambeau, and Col. Stephen Moylan address an Independence Day crowd in Montgomery Township, NJ. Contact Discover Central NJ for more information about these reenactors.

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.”

Harvest season is the perfect time to experience Central Jersey’s farms, wineries, breweries, and historic sites in the place where Washington crossed the Delaware and won the crucial Battles of Princeton and Trenton.

As the nation approaches its 250^th anniversary in 2026, the farms of Central New Jersey hold a special place in American history, a place that saw a “forage war” between competing American, British, and even French armies seeking sustenance. Quite a few farms have been operating since before the nation was founded—some operated by descendants of the very same families!

The Mount family has welcomed visitors to Terhune Orchards for 50 years.

The main attraction is the same today as it was then – fertile lands conveniently located between two great historic cities, New York and Philadelphia, a relatively short trip for so many people, with great place to stay overnight.

An autumn visit to Central Jersey offers fall festivals, apple- and pumpkin-picking, live music, wine tastings, and Oktoberfest-style local beer. 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:

• Terhune Orchards and Winery, near Princeton, attracts thousands of visitors every year to a 250-acre family-owned and operated farm celebrating its 50th anniversary year. Starting September 6, autumn brings Terhune’s Fall Family Fun Weekends, Saturdays and Sundays 10-5 through November 2, featuring live music, pick-your-own pumpkins, country food, pedal & play tractors, corn stalk & hay mazes, adventure barn, and farm animals. Estate wines served among 100-year-old apple trees. Admission discounts with advance purchase. Or buy a season pass!
• Norz-Hill Farm’s Family Fun Fall Festivals in Hillsborough start September 13 on weekends (10 to 6), expanding to weekday afternoons on October 1 through late October. 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 26 to October 26. Buy tickets in advance here.
• Abma’s Farm in Hillsborough starts fall festival activities September 13 through November 1, weekdays 3-4:30 and Saturdays 9-4. Admission tickets are needed for hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin picking, petting zoo. Geared towards families, couples, friends, and casual groups. Kids under 24 months are admitted free.
• Giamarese Farm in East Brunswick opens its Fall Harvest Weekends on September 20 and will be offering hayrides, pony rides, apple-picking until mid-October, and pumpkin-picking through the end of October. They also have an on-farm store open daily Tuesday to Sunday through December.
  

  Miss Central Jersey visits piglets at Abma’s Farm.

• Etsch Farm in Monroe begins their fall festival featuring their 19th corn maze season on weekends September 20 through October, featuring hayrides, barrel train, bakery trailer, and pumpkin patch.

• Snyders Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township offers a family-oriented Farm Festival weekends starting October 4 through October 26, 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. Entry tickets are paid for in cash, upon entry. Last entry at 4:30.

For folks interested in combining harvest season with revolutionary history, East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway is offering a free family-friendly Fall Harvest Festival on two long weekends, October 23-25, and October 31-November 2, from 10-5pm. Enjoy conversations with historic reenactors while visiting authentic 18^th Century homes, schoolhouses, taverns, and barns.  Take an accessible wagon ride to our farm fields, pick your pumpkins, and snap your postcard-perfect family photo. Then, stop by the tent and take home a variety of pies, cider donuts, pickles, salsa, and preserves.

On Saturday, October 4, the folks at Love Flemington are hosting the third annual Hunterdon Harvest Fair from 11 to 7 on Stangl Road, the site of the Stangl Farmers Market on Saturdays. Throughout the fall, historic Flemington offers self-guided historic walking tours, great shopping, and extraordinary restaurants. Visit Flemington on September 13 for the Central Jersey Jazz Festival!

Fall Festival at East Jersey Old Town Village.

You’ll also find a great Fall Music Series every Saturday in September and October on the Palmer Square Green in world-famous Princeton, home to Princeton University and a dozen farm-to-table restaurants, plus a vibrant shopping district.

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

• Oktoberfest on September 20 at River Horse Brewing in Ewing, from 2 to 9pm, featuring family friendly games, German food, live music, speciality casks, and a dunkel fester release.
• Oktoberfest on September 27 at Sunken Silo in Lebanon in partnership with Metropolitan Seafood.
• Oktoberfest is on October 4 at Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough from noon to 10pm. Guests can spread out on our South Paddock field with their own blankets and camp chairs or hang inside a historic barn while enjoying local beer including Last Train to Munich Octoberfest Marzen! Flounder’s Brass band will play traditional German favorites in the afternoon followed by at 6 by the Garret Tatano Band from Pittsburgh with their incredible German oompah party!
• Harvest Celebration on October 11 at Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes from noon to 5pm, featuring Antimo’s Food Truck, live music, and vineyard walks.

Next year, in 2026, Central New Jersey is expected to host more than a million visitors, many from overseas, who will be coming for the World Cup games played in New Jersey and nearby Philadelphia, as well as being a hub for heritage tourism related to the nation’s 250th anniversary. This fall is the perfect time to beat the crowds and enjoy harvest season in the Garden State.

• Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse in Milford produces 100% grass-fed, raw cows’ milk cheeses, pastured meats, and rustic breads baked in a wood-fired oven.
• 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.
  

  Hike with goats at Gorgeous Goat!

• Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton offers Goat Hikes and Farm Tours every weekend through Thanksgiving. Get ready for the surprise and delight of over 100 goats at the only goat dairy farm in New Jersey. 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, and more.
• Hidden Spring Lavender and Alpaca Farm is offering “walk with an alpaca” tickets on Saturdays, while their store is open both Saturdays and Sundays. Their on-farm store is chock full of bouquets, buds, oil, lotions, creams, and more.

Next year, in 2026, Central New Jersey is expected to host more than a million visitors, many from overseas, who will be coming for the World Cup games played in New Jerseyand nearby Philadelphia, as well as being a hub for heritage tourism related to the nation’s 250th anniversary. This fall is the perfect time to beat the crowds and enjoy harvest season in the Garden State.

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.

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.

Terhune Orchards welcomes thousands of families for fall festivals.

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.
• 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 25/26 through October, featuring hayrides, barrel train, bakery trailer, and pumpkin patch.
• 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 Sunken Silo in Lebanon in partnership with Metropolitan Seafood )2:30 to 7:30pm).
• Oktoberfest on September 21 at River Horse Brewing in Ewing, live band, Oktoberfest Harvest Lager and Hipp-O-Lantern Pumpkin Ale, from 6-10pm
• Oktoberfest and 11th anniversary on October 5 at Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough starting at noon, with the Dave Betz Polka Band (21+ only) from 6 to 9pm.
• 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.
• Harvest Wine Pairing Dinners ;by Chef Jose on Saturday October 12 and 26 at Old York Cellars, Ringoes; reservations required, limited seating in the cozy Vista Room
• Harvest Festival on October 13 at Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes with Antimo’s Italian Kitchen Food Truck, vineyard walks, and wine to toast a great vintage, noon to 5pm.

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

Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton.

• 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.

Live music in Princeton’s Palmer Square is an autumn tradition.

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.

Flounder Brewing (left) and Bellemara Distillery (center) are next door neighbors on a Central Jersey farm.

Five years ago, comedian Jon Stewart ruled “Central Jersey does exist” on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, stepping in to resolve a controversy that had been simmering in New Jersey for years.

This year, just in time for Central Jersey’s 2023 harvest season, New Jersey made it truly official, by putting Central New Jersey on the state’s official tourism map, in a ceremony at the Wallace House in Somerville, one of General George Washington’s headquarters during the American Revolution.

While the debate about Central Jersey’s existence always has been tongue-in-cheek, the decision to make it official was based on the goal of bring more attention to the agricultural, historic, outdoor, and cultural assets of a region that has been a “best-kept-secret” of the Garden State, a well-deserved nickname that dates to the American Revolution.

Bird’s eye view of the corn maze at Synders Farm.

Central Jersey’s farmers welcome millions of visitors from near and far to partake in the bounty—and fun—of harvest season, yet the region hasn’t gained the reputation of the Hudson Valley or the Finger Lakes in New York state. Just an hour from New York City and Philadelphia by train, car, or bus, Central Jersey is one of the most accessible agricultural areas in America.

At DiscoverCentralNJ.com you’ll find farms and orchards to please everyone, including families, friends, young couples, and seniors. In September, rainy weekends put a damper on Central Jersey harvest festivals, but expectations are running high for October.

Harvest season is about more than farms. While in Central Jersey you should 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.

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:

A baby alpaca at Hidden Spring Lavender Farm.

• Norz-Hill Farm last year celebrated its centennial year, having been owned by the same family since 1922 in Hillsborough. Their Family Fun Fall Festivals start September 9 on weekends (10 to 6), expanding to include weekdays on September 25 (noon to 5) through October 31. 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 starting September 29 through Halloween. Buy tickets in advance here.
• Terhune Orchards and Winery, near Princeton, is the region’s agritourism leader, inviting thousands of visitors every year to a 250-acre family-owned and operated farm. Starting September 16, autumn brings Terhune’s Fall Family Fun Weekends, Saturdays and Sundays 10-5 through October, featuring live music, pick-your-own pumpkins, pumpkin painting, country food, pedal & play tractors, corn stalk & hay mazes, adventure barn & children’s activities, and a barnyard of farm animal. Admission discounts are offered with advance purchase.
• Snyders Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township offers a family-oriented Farm Festival weekends starting September 30 through October 29, 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.
  

  “Scare Farm” at Norz-Hill is part of the harvest season fun.

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. The farm has 60 mature cows, plus a new generation of Bobolink Grazers, the result of crossing modern dairy breeds with the ancient Kerry cattle of Ireland. Their farm store is open daily except Tuesdays. Tours on Sundays, weather permitting.
  

  Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton.

• 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 also raises heritage breed pigs, lambs, chickens, and beef cattle, raised without hormones, antibiotics or steroids. The Farm Store is open daily from April through December. They are offering cheese-making classes this fall.
• Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton offers tours, hikes, and picnics with a growing herd of goats who will capture your heart! Purchase weekend tickets online. October tickets will be available starting in late September. They also are offering a special soap making class on September 24. They also offer a range of goat cheeses, soaps, and other products after your visit, or at one of several farmers’ markets.
• 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. All products are prepared in a USDA kitchen at the Farm. Thanksgiving and holiday menus complement the farm-raised turkeys sold in November & December. Store open daily.
• Hidden Spring Lavender and Alpaca Farm is offering “walk with an alpaca” tickets every weekend this autumn. Although the lavender blooming season has passed, their on-farm store is chock full of bouquets, buds, oil, lotions, creams, moisturizers, hand soap, aromatherapy and bath and body items, lavender wreaths, dried Lavender, and more.
  

  Live music in Princeton’s Palmer Square.

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.

World-famous Princeton is one of the great Central Jersey towns, home to Princeton University, a vibrant shopping district, and the epicenter of the region’s dynamic farm-to-table restaurant scene. Many of those restaurants are participating in a Vegan Chef Challenge throughout September. Princeton’s centrally located Palmer Square offers live music every Saturday in Palmer Square from noon to 2pm starting September 16, and on Sundays 1-4 pm starting October 1. Across town, you’ll also find music and art events at the Princeton Shopping Center. And the Princeton Arts Council also offers events such as an art market and Halloween parade.

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, Flemington has been the bustling agricultural and railroad hub of Central New Jersey for hundreds of years. It is now home to 450 businesses, including artisan coffee shops, farm-to-table restaurants, antique shops and boutiques, and craft beverages. 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. Shoppers will especially enjoy sidewalk sales on September 23 and October 7-8.

Central Jersey Exists wine.

Spend a few days in Central Jersey, and you’ll agree this special region really does deserve to be on New Jersey’s tourism map! If you’re as excited as we are about Central Jersey being on the official tourism map, consider visiting our friends at Old York Cellars to purchase their special edition Central Jersey Exists wines, with some of the proceeds benefiting non-profits working to keep Central Jersey’s canals and scenic byways beautiful.

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.