Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
New Brunswick is a city of about 55,000 people on the Raritan River in central New Jersey. Settled in the 1680s, it is home to Rutgers University, founded in 1766 as Queen's College, one of the nine colonial colleges in America. It is also known as the "Hub City" and the "Healthcare City" for its major hospitals and as the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson.
New Brunswick has an outstanding theater district on Livingston Avenue, with the State Theatre, George Street Playhouse and Crossroads Theatre. The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers has a large collection including Russian and Soviet nonconformist art, and the historic Buccleuch Mansion overlooks the river in Buccleuch Park.
Downtown is packed with restaurants from around the world, and the late-night "grease trucks" near campus are a Rutgers tradition. Boyd Park and the Delaware and Raritan Canal path follow the river, and NJ Transit trains connect the city to New York and Philadelphia.
The oldest building of Rutgers University, built of brownstone from 1809 with a graceful cupola, standing at the center of the historic Voorhees Mall campus. It houses university offices, but the grounds and gates are open to stroll. Walk the College Avenue campus nearby to see other historic halls.
A Gothic Revival brownstone chapel on the Rutgers College Avenue campus, built in 1873, with stained glass windows, dark wood interior and portraits of university figures. It hosts concerts, weddings and university ceremonies. Visitors may look inside when it is open, and choral concerts are held through the year.
The Rutgers University art museum, with large collections of American art, French 19th-century prints and one of the world's biggest collections of Soviet nonconformist art. Admission is free. Allow a couple of hours, and combine it with a walk across the campus or a meal on nearby Easton Avenue.
A 1739 Georgian country house in Buccleuch Park overlooking the Raritan River, used by both British and American troops during the Revolution. The house museum has period rooms and furniture, and is open on summer Sunday afternoons. The surrounding park has lawns and old trees for a picnic.
An Episcopal church founded in the 1740s with a stone tower from the colonial era and a historic churchyard holding graves of early residents and Revolutionary War figures. It stands downtown on Neilson Street. The grounds are quiet and worth a short visit while exploring the city center on foot.
A restored 1921 movie palace on Livingston Avenue with an ornate gilded interior and about 1,800 seats, now hosting Broadway tours, concerts, comedy, dance and family shows. It is one of the main performing arts venues in central New Jersey. Book early for popular shows and use the nearby parking decks.
A professional regional theater producing new plays, musicals and classic works, now performing in the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center on Livingston Avenue. Several of its productions have moved on to Broadway. Tickets are often cheaper than in New York, and the theater district has many restaurants nearby.
A professional theater company founded in 1978 and dedicated to African American and African diaspora stories, which won the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1999. It performs at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Check the season schedule for plays, readings and special events.
A 180-acre botanical garden on the Rutgers Cook campus with themed gardens, a famous holly collection, a bamboo forest, rain gardens and woodland trails. A popular farmers market runs on Fridays from spring to fall. The gardens are free to visit and open daily, with parking right beside the entrance.
A riverfront park along the Raritan River beside downtown, with a paved path, lawns and a boat launch, connected by footbridge to the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath. It hosts summer concerts and festivals. It is an easy walk from the train station and a nice place to watch rowers on the river.
A historic 19th-century canal whose towpath, now part of a long state park, runs along the Raritan River at New Brunswick. The flat gravel towpath is great for walking, running, cycling and fishing, and kayaks can paddle the canal. From here you can head west toward Landing Lane Bridge and Piscataway.
A compact city center between the train station, Rutgers and the Raritan River, with a theater district, busy restaurants of many cuisines, bars and coffee shops on George Street and Church Street. It is lively when students are in town. Take the train from New York or Philadelphia and explore on foot.
No reviews yet. Been to New Brunswick? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to New Brunswick? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Forevaclevah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Ekem, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Lacwal12, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Curlyrnd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Famartin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: tommilburn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Tomwsulcer, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ekem, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rickyrab at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Federal style, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ajay_suresh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dsarkar4, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ajay_suresh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Metallurgist, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Baronplantagenet at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ajay_suresh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Tomwsulcer, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Tomwsulcer, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Ekem at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Freeholdman12, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Siddharth Patil, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
