New Hope, PA: Your Weekend Getaway Guide

For those in NJ, NY, or PA seeking a nearby escape, I highly recommend a day trip to Lambertville or New Hope, two towns nestled on opposite sides of the Delaware River. Extend your visit into a weekend to fully explore both towns, particularly their array of charming vintage stores. While don’t expect vibrant nightlife, these towns are perfect for a relaxed getaway with Netflix and wine in hand. Let’s start with Lambertville, where my boyfriend and I enjoyed an overnight stay.

Lambertville and New Hope, at first glance, appear one and the same. The only major difference I would say is that New Hope is slightly larger and thus has a great variety of new and antique shops. However, both towns are full of cozy coffee shops that, after you endure about five minutes of walking about in the cold November weather, appear extremely inviting. Although I believe there is one Starbucks in town, do yourself a favor and indulge in a likely less expensive and better made cup of coffee at one of these smaller establishments. Now, with the selection of coffee shops and dozens of antique and vintage stores and boutiques, you should have enough to keep yourself occupied for at least most of the morning. 

After indulging in multiple coffee stops, we made our way to the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge. The bridge sits directly atop the Delaware River and offers a terrific view of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I would definitely recommend visiting in the earlier fall months to really see the colored foliage in full bloom along the river. Of course, you can drive across the bridge from one town to another, but where’s the fun in that? There is a fairly wide pedestrian bridge where you can stop and admire the view (although during colder months, the admiration may be slightly curtailed).

Once you make your way across the bridge, you will find yourself in New Hope. We spent slightly more time here, as we wanted to do some holiday shopping and had learned about a novelty joke store in town called “Love Saves the Day.” Just a forewarning: try not to bring anyone under 18 into this store. The items in the store were unique and kitschy, ranging from vintage army jackets to classic records to boob-shaped beach balls. I ended up purchasing my sister a “freeloader fork,” which has the ability to stretch up to two feet to sneak food from other people’s plates – a frequent habit of hers. After successful visits to many other nearby shops, including a bookstore with two very sweet cats, we decided to stop for lunch at the Ferry Market.

Now, the market essentially contains every food station you could be in the mood for. I immediately made a beeline for the “Bonjour Creperie” cafe, whereas my boyfriend decided to make his way towards the poké bar. Although I liked my crepe (the Orlando, for anyone who was wondering), I have this quirk where I always tend to like my boyfriend’s food better than my own. Any other girlfriends with me on this? In preparation, he had already finished half of his poké bowl and started to move my crepe towards him before the words “I’m not sure how much I like this” were even off my lips. 

Anyway, after the inevitable food exchange had occurred, we snagged a cookie from The Big Cookie Company, I ordered one of the best chai lattes I’ve ever tried from SkyRoast Coffee, and we were on our way. Filled with both food and presents from our day thus far, we decided to drive to a small little hike leading to a famous outlook called Goat Hill. The trailhead is about a ten to fifteen minute drive from New Hope and usually isn’t quite crowded (i.e. I have always been able to find a spot without any trouble). Once you get around the large gate that marks the start of the uphill trail, you have a brisk ten-minute hike ahead of you until you reach the overlook point. Now, when we pulled up to the parking lot, an older woman had asked us if there was only one trail to the overlook. I confidently told her yes, as I had come here multiple times over the years, only to realize five minutes into our walk that there are, in fact, smaller diverging trails with different markers. Keep that in mind, folks. However, as long as you stay on the main path, you should just primarily continue going uphill until you reach a clearing at the top. (Which I hope that lady figured out. Anyway.) This clearing is fondly termed the Goat Hill Overlook. I will note here that if you come to the lookout spot assuming that there will be goats present, you will be sorely disappointed – as I was during my first visit here. However, you will instead be rewarded with a sweeping view of the Delaware Water Gap, the surrounding mountains, and all of the charming little towns that lie along the river, including both New Hope and Lambertville. 

We sat on the bench provided, taking in the sight, as long as our frosty noses would allow before we agreed to head back to the car and defrost. We decided to make one more stop before heading home to New Jersey into a little holiday-themed wonderland called Peddler’s Village, which you will hear about in another post entirely.