Morristown - Historic District

 

 

 

What to Love

• Historic landmarks 
• High walkability
• Excellent schools and community events
• Exclusive boutiques and world-class dining
• Trendy downtown district

Local Lifestyle

When locals call Morristown walkable, they’re not exaggerating. Residents of this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood can often be found walking to one of the area’s trendy bistros before hitting up the theater or strolling to the Morristown Train Station to catch a ride into New York City.

Upscale boutiques and Morristown’s excellent schools are also within close walking distance, offering residents the ease and freedom of a small town just outside of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

 

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

The rich interior and supper club atmosphere at Roots Steakhouse set the scene for an elegant dinner. With four locations around the area, this upscale spot is a top choice for a premium steak and classic New American fare. The refined menu features standouts like wagyu dumplings with truffle ponzu, a chilled seafood platter, and the Oscar-style filet mignon. The Grand Cafe dazzles the palate with traditional French cuisine. The soft lighting and white linens perfectly accompany old-world dishes like escargot, oysters Rockefeller, and roasted chicken, while global flavors inspire standouts like the pan-seared bronzini with Thai basil beurre blanc.

Renowned chef David Burke brings his trademark artistry to 1776, an innovative fusion of fine dining and entertainment. Practice your swing with friends before indulging in the miso-glazed sea bass or filet mignon. The refined setting at Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen highlights the historic beauty of this 1917 landmark. Local ingredients infuse the artisan New American menu, and the Golden Age style evokes a lost glamour. The bistro’s Rathskeller, or ‘council’s cellar,’ has transformed into a chic wine bar and is available for private events. Locals also love sampling the cocktails at Jockey Hollow’s Vail Bar, a Roaring Twenties-style establishment that offers a range of fantastic seasonal drinks as well as classic favorites. The Oyster Bar is your destination for stellar raw bar offerings like oysters of the day and local little neck clams.

Sartorial selections are on point at Willow Street Boutique, an upscale bastion of women’s apparel, gifts, and jewelry. From denim and irreverent tees to silk dresses and sleek blazers, this Morristown favorite offers plenty of opportunities for fun fashion finds.
High quality and superior craftsmanship are hallmarks of Braunschweiger Jewelers, Morristown’s premium destination for fine jewelry and repair services. With a sterling reputation as one of New Jersey’s most trusted jewelers, this glittering spot has been ornamenting Morristown brides since the 1960s and maintains old-fashioned manners while ushering in modern design and cutting-edge technology.

Lilly Pulitzer’s cheery colors and vibrant beachwear shine at Paradise, while F Gerald New has been outfitting residents with stunning jewelry since 1941 – always carefully gift-wrapped in their iconic green box packaging. You can also patronize national chains like J. McLaughlin and Talbots for fashionable finds.

Resident gardeners stock up at Garden Cottage or Country Mile Gardens to spruce up their landscapes, and the knowledgeable staff is always ready to help with a smile and a bit of sage gardening advice. Ring in the fall season with apple picking at Wightman Farms. This family-owned farm has been providing seasonal fruit and farm-fresh fare since 1922 and delights visitors with hay rides, apple cider, and pumpkin picking.

 

Things to Do

Morristown’s rich history is woven throughout the town, and the Morristown Green (locally referred to simply as The Green) enjoys the distinction of being simultaneously historic and thoroughly modern. The site of George Washington’s winter encampments during the Revolutionary War, this pretty spot is now home to lively festivals and community events. This is the picturesque backdrop for the Fall Festival on the Green, where residents welcome the season’s vibrant autumnal colors and crisp sweater weather with live music, carnival games, local fare, and craft brews. Kids can enjoy carnival games and mini car racing, while those with a more musical bent can take in live music.

The Green celebrates the written word and brings writers and readers together at the Morristown Festival of Books. This two-day fall festival invites world-class authors from all genres to speak about their craft. The festival takes full advantage of the historic district’s charm and vibrance, with events dotting the entire area. To get into the festive spirit, locals can ring in the holiday season with Christmas on the Green. Santa comes to town and transforms Morristown into a winter wonderland of snowy scenes and magical sights. Children sip hot chocolate while they wait to meet Santa, and gasps of delight become the soundtrack of the event as ice sculptors chisel glittering art and the vintage rocking horse offers a special kind of magic.

This sense of yesteryear nostalgia is always alive at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, a 1920s working farm showcasing turn-of-the-century agriculture tools, farm animals, and a stunning 19th-century Gothic mansion. Expert docents dressed in period costumes lead tours and spin yarns about the old days.

Morristown pampers the community with a host of walking tours, including a Halloween kick-off event in the town’s first graveyard. This torchlight tour of Whippany Burying Yard culminates in a party complete with costumes and refreshments. Morristown’s Gilded Age beauty and Victorian architecture are on display in their own fall walking tours, while the Seeing Eye, a Morristown-based philanthropic organization focused on development and training of guide dogs, holds a tour that illuminates how Seeing Eye dog guides are trained.

Apart from official tours, several historic buildings are open to the public throughout the year. The Wick House, a Cape Cod-style home built around 1750, is preserved in its original state and open for visitors. Famously, the farm upon which it stands provided 600 acres worth of trees for General George Washington’s Continental Army to build homes in the winter of 1779. The Wick House regularly holds a winter camp reenactment, allowing visitors to feel fully immersed in history.

Washington’s eventual headquarters (now known as Washington’s Headquarters Museum) is the main attraction at Morristown National Historic Park. A half-mile west, you can visit the Schuyler-Hamilton House Museum, which at various times housed George Washington’s doctor, John Cochran, the statesman Alexander Hamilton, and Elizabeth Schuyler, Hamilton’s bride-to-be. North of town, Historic Speedwell gained notoriety as the site where Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse first demonstrated the telegraph. You can learn about cartoonist Thomas Nast at MacCulloch Hall Historical Museum or at Nast’s old house across the street.

In Morristown, your social calendar can fill up as quickly as you like. Morristown’s weekly farmers market, held Sundays from June to November, is a community staple. Annual favorites like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Restaurant Week (March and April, respectively) bring a festive flair to the streets. Downtown buzzes with artistic energy during the Meet Me in Morristown event, an engaging celebration of artists, musicians, street performers, and local businesses.

 

Schools

Residents of Morristown enjoy access to several excellent public schools through the Morris Township School District, as well as an impressive number of prestigious private academies, including:

• The Peck School, K-8, esteemed private day school
• Assumption School, K-8, private Catholic school   
• Thomas Jefferson Elementary, 3-5, a top-ranked public school with small classes
• Alexander Hamilton Elementary, 3-5, acclaimed public elementary school  
• Morristown Beard School, 6-12, a distinguished private academy
• Morristown High School, 9-12, highly rated public school
• Delbarton School, 7-12, an illustrious Catholic preparatory school for boys