Elizabeth Tourism
From the shores of the Port to the beautiful greenery of Elmora, there is plenty of exciting things to do in Elizabeth – one of America’s most ethnically diverse and exciting cities.
MIDTOWN AND MORE
Now it is time to explore more of Elizabeth’s history and sample the diversity that makes this City so great. Wander up to Historic Midtown Elizabeth, where you can enjoy more than a dozen historical sites and markers, which recount the days leading up to the founding of the United States of America. You can also stop and shop, have a quick bite to eat in the Midtown Shopping district, or explore the history in this area with a walking tour.
Start your walking tour at the historic Elizabeth Public Library and check out an ongoing exhibit there. This elegant building, which recently received significant upgrades over the past decade, was a gift from Andrew Carnegie in the early part of the past century. Make your way past the grand Union County Courthouse and take some time to admire the historic monuments and fine architecture.
Follow the road along Broad Street to the First Presbyterian Church, which was also an important battleground during the Revolutionary War, and check out its fascinating cemetery – if you dare. Going north on Broad Street, you will find St. John’s Episcopal Church, a brooding masterpiece. The church has a beautiful interior with elegant stained glass, fabulous woodwork, and another fascinating cemetery to boot.
Located further north on Broad Street is the Historic Art Deco Hersh Tower, built during the height of the depression as the tallest building in Union County. Across the street is the old “United County” bank building built in the early 1900s an example of that time period’s style of bank.
Just up the West Grand street is the City’s main NJ Transit Train Station, with its newly renovated Plaza, where concerts are held in the spring, summer and fall. The City’s 9/11 Monument is located here.
Back on East Jersey Street, there is the historic Ritz Theatre, an Art Deco masterpiece. With 2,772 seats, the theatre is one of the largest – and oldest – operating theatres in the state dating back to 1926. The Ritz has been magnificently restored and currently features world-class performances. Famous acts such as the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Jack Benny, Ray Charles, Harry Chapin, Maya Angelou, Chaka Kahn, Rodney Dangerfield, Miles Davis and so many others performed there throughout its storied history.
Further down East Jersey Street is historic Boxwood Hall, the home of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress, and Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer of the Constitution. Across the street is a rare treasure, the last remaining original Royal Governor’s mansion in the United States, the Belcher Ogden Mansion, the residence of Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher.
The Bonnell House is also nearby, and it is Elizabeth’s oldest building. You may make an appointment to tour Boxwood Hall and Belcher Ogden by calling 973-648-4540.
Elizabeth is a city of many statues and monuments as well, something that will become apparent as you make your way through it – some of the finest examples are in Midtown and the Elizabeth Avenue corridor.
Just off East Jersey Street is Winfield Scott Park, named after an important military figure. In this park, you will find a huge Veterans’ monument, as well as monuments to the crew of the Challenger and Martin Luther King Jr., and the impressive New Vietnam Memorial.
Proceed south to Elizabeth Avenue, and you begin to get a sense of the kaleidoscope of ethnicities that is Elizabeth today.
Elizabeth Avenue is known as “The Market” because anything you could ever want is located on these blocks. Also an important portal during the Revolutionary War, history buffs can find a marker and statue of a Minuteman at historic Union Square, where a key battle was fought.
SHOPPING
Elizabeth is the State of New Jersey’s largest Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), a very important fact to shoppers. Participating stores are eligible to charge a sales tax rate that is half the normal sales tax throughout the rest of New Jersey. Another important sales tax fact is that in New Jersey there is no sales tax on clothes. Armed with these facts, you now will understand why Elizabeth has such a wealth of retail opportunity for shoppers.
You can start your day with a stop in the eastern end of the City at IKEA, the Swedish chain’s best-selling furniture store in Northern America. In between shopping for furniture, you can also enjoy a taste of Swedish foods (and great cinnamon buns) in their cafeteria.
From IKEA, you can stop and admire the sweeping views of one of America’s most well known roadways, the New Jersey Turnpike and the spectacular Newark-Elizabeth Airport, which is the fastest growing in the region. Approximately 32 million passengers come through the airport every year.
Drive across Center Drive from IKEA to the exciting Jersey Gardens Mall, also the state’s largest mall, and enjoy wide selection of shopping opportunities. You will revel in the bargains you will find in stores such as Saks, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and the Gap. More than 20 million people visited the mall last year, and this figure continues to rise.
Once you have tired of the dizzying shopping opportunities, you can stop for a movie and some popcorn and ice cream in the new AMC Loews Movie Theatre, which has 20 screens, also the state’s largest. The theatre is designed in the same vein as an old-fashioned movie palace.
From the eastern side of the Mall, you will enjoy wonderful views of the Bayonne Bridge and the Newark/Elizabeth Seaport, which is one of the nation’s largest import/export facilities. If you look south from the Mall parking lot, you can also see the massive red brick Singer Sewing Building, which for years employed tens of thousands of people, fueling Elizabeth’s inner-city economy. Further inland is historic St. Patrick’s Church – with its majestic soaring twin spires. The park adjacent to St. Patrick’s has many wonderful statues, including one of Cuban Patriot Jose Marti, and one of a former Monsignor of the Church.
DINING
Elizabeth Avenue is also well known for its many different varieties of food. Everything from American to Italian to Portuguese to a wide variety of Latin American culinary delights is accessible from the Avenue. You can find Custard Cups, Uruguayan Pastries, Arepas, Cuban and Colombian coffee, espresso coffee, canoli, pupusas, pizza, Italian hotdogs, tostones, steaks, shellfish, Cuban sandwiches, Kosher Chinese food and so much more. A host of produce stores and meat markets hold court around the historic Union Square area. This area also features a Farmer’s market, an annual tradition since 1890, throughout the spring, summer and fall, and free concerts during the summer months.
LODGING
With its proximity to Newark Liberty Airport, Elizabeth is home to New Jersey’s finest hotels. With the addition of many new hotels, the City ranks second to only Atlantic City in total hotel rooms in New Jersey.
Among its many choices, the City is home to a Hilton Hotel and the Hampton Inn. The Double Tree Airport, a Courtyard by Marriott, a Residence Inn by Marriott, and the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson are also available accommodations in the area. All these hotels are within a few minutes of Newark-Elizabeth Liberty International Airport and are convenient to IKEA and Jersey Gardens shopping district, with shuttle service to these locations.
“SHOP, PLAY & STAY, at 13A”
In 2004, the City of Elizabeth and the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce embarked on a new marketing campaign and website (www.exit13a.com) to promote “Shop, Play & Stay at 13A.” The website contains links to the many shopping, entertainment and hotel locations open at Elizabeth’s Exit 13A off the New Jersey Turnpike. Today, the campaign is still going strong.
The initiative is the result of an innovative public-private partnership forged by Elizabeth’s Mayor Chris Bollwage to help introduce a regional audience in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania to the growing number of opportunities now at Elizabeth’s Exit 13A.
FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The City’s ethnic diversity is reflected in its special ethnic days, festivals and parades. The Elizabeth Latin Carnival is held in early September, drawing crowds in excess of 250,000 people, as does the Elizabeth Latin Waterfront Festival, which is held in the spring. Various flag raisings are celebrated by the Mayor’s Office and the Elizabeth Public Library for Colombians, Peruvians, Italians, Polish, Irish and more. Portugal Day, Pride Day in the Port, Julyfest, and Unity Day are special festival days. African-American History Month is also widely celebrated at many of the City’s institutions.
This past year, the City introduced the Tour De Elizabeth, an annual bike tour of the entire City, occurring in May.
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