Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Trenton (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Grounds For Sculpture, Trenton Thunder Ballpark, and Sun National Bank Center. Also, be sure to include Trenton Battle Monument in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Trenton (New Jersey).
Table of Contents
Grounds For Sculpture
Museum in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton, New Jersey, United States, on the former site of the Trenton Speedway. Founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II, the venue is dedicated to promoting an understanding of and appreciation for contemporary sculpture by organizing exhibitions, publishing catalogues, and offering a variety of educational programs and special community events.
In July 2000, GFS became a nonprofit organization open to the public. Operation revenues come from visitors, art patrons, donations, and grants. GFS maintains an ever changing collection of sculptures, with works by Seward Johnson and other artists.[1]
Address: 80 Sculptors Way, 08619-3428 Hamilton Township (Mercerville)
Trenton Thunder Ballpark
Ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey. Trenton Thunder Ballpark, formerly known as Mercer County Waterfront Park and Arm & Hammer Park, is a ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the home park for the Trenton Thunder, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They were previously a Double-A level Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League. For 2021, it served as temporary home of Triple-A East's Buffalo Bisons, as their regular stadium, Sahlen Field, was being used by the Toronto Blue Jays due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The official seating capacity is 6,440.[2]
Address: 1 Thunder Rd, 08611-3425 Trenton
Sun National Bank Center
Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. The CURE Insurance Arena is a multipurpose arena in Trenton, New Jersey. It hosts events including shows, sporting events and concerts.
The arena seats 7,605 for hockey and other ice events, 8,600 for basketball and up to 10,500 for concerts, family shows, and other events which makes it the largest arena in Central New Jersey. The arena is located next to, and served by, the Hamilton Avenue station on NJ Transit's River Line and New Jersey Route 129.
It is managed by Philadelphia-based Spectra, a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor.[3]
Address: 81 Hamilton Ave, 08611-1805 Trenton
Trenton Battle Monument
Monument in Trenton, New Jersey. The Trenton Battle Monument is a massive column-type structure in the Battle Monument section of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It commemorates the December 26, 1776, Battle of Trenton, a pivotal victory for the Continental forces during the American Revolutionary War.[4]
New Jersey State House
Historic state edifice with guided tours. The New Jersey State House is located in Trenton and is the capitol building for the U.S. state of New Jersey. Built in 1792, it is the third-oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the United States; only the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis and the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond are older. The building houses both chambers of the Legislature, as well as offices for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and several state government departments. The building is the closest capitol building to a state border of any state capitol: the south front of the building overlooks the Delaware River with a view to neighboring Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and a bridge to Pennsylvania is within walking distance a few blocks away. The building also sits nearly exactly on a straight line between Center City, Philadelphia and Downtown Manhattan.[5]
Address: 125 W State St, 08608-1101 Trenton
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey. The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, also known simply as St. Mary’s Cathedral, is the Catholic cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey, United States. Along with the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold, it is the seat of the Diocese of Trenton.[6]
Address: 151 N Warren St, 08608 Trenton
Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge
Bridge in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge is one of three road bridges connecting Trenton, New Jersey with Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Opened on December 1, 1952, it carries U.S. Route 1 and is owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. This bridge's toll plaza was originally configured to collect tolls from both the northbound and southbound travel lanes. Today, tolls are collected only from vehicles travelling southbound.
Beginning in 2006, the Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge underwent renovation work to expand and rehabilitate the bridge and auxiliary structures. Improvements included the addition of a third northbound lane on the main bridge, installing a new soundwall along Northbound US 1 in Pennsylvania as well as lengthening deceleration lanes. This $67 million project was designed by the Louis Berger Group and awarded to Conti Enterprises Incorporated, and concluded in 2009.[7]
William Trent House
Building. The William Trent House is a historic building located at 15 Market Street in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. It was built in 1719 for William Trent and is the oldest building in Trenton. He founded the eponymous town, which became the capital of New Jersey. It has served as the residence for three Governors. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and listed as a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970, for its significance as an example of Early Georgian Colonial architecture.[8]
Address: 15 Market St, 08611-2147 Trenton
Trenton War Memorial
Theater. Trenton and Mercer County War Memorial-Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Building, known as the Trenton War Memorial, is located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The building was built in 1930 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1986. It was designed by Louis S. Kaplan, who as a young architect won a competition to design Trenton's memorial to its Dead from World War One. Kaplan then supervised the building of the War Memorial, and after its dedication became the leading architect in Trenton until the early 1960s. Built as a concert hall, it fell into disrepair before being restored by the State of New Jersey in the 1990s. It was rededicated in 1999. The 1,807-seat theater at the War Memorial was renamed the Patriots Theater in 2001.[9]
Address: 1 Memorial Dr, Trenton
St. Michael's Church
Episcopal church in Trenton, New Jersey. Established in 1703, St. Michael's Church in downtown Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, is a founding parish of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. Its present building located at 140 North Warren Street was built in 1747–1748, and was renovated in 1810 and 1847–1848. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29, 1982 as St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Its congregation, now a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, has involved itself in the history and culture of the city of Trenton from its founding in 1703 to the present.[10]
Address: 140 N Warren St, 08608-1308 Trenton
Trenton City Hall
City or town hall in Trenton, New Jersey. Trenton City Hall is located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The white marble building was built in 1907 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1978. The building contains murals by American painter Everett Shinn.[11]
Address: 319 East State Street, Trenton
Lower Trenton Bridge
Truss bridge in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Lower Free Bridge, Warren Street Bridge or Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania through truss bridge over the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. It is known as the Trenton Makes Bridge because of large lettering of its motto on the south side reading "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES", installed in 1935. In addition to being an important bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, it is a major landmark in the city of Trenton. It is signed as US 1 Business, though does not officially carry that route.
This bridge is the southernmost free road crossing of the Delaware; no toll is collected. All road crossings downstream are tolled in the westbound direction (leaving New Jersey).[12]
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral located in Trenton, New Jersey, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of New Jersey.[13]
Address: 810 W State St, 08618-5326 Trenton
Old Barracks Museum
Museum in Trenton, New Jersey. The Old Barracks Museum, also known just as the Old Barracks, is a historic building located at 101 Barracks Street in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Built in 1758 to house soldiers of the British Army, it is the only remaining colonial barracks in the state and is one of the only tangible surviving elements of the 1776 Battle of Trenton. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971 and listed as a National Historic Landmark on November 28, 1972, for its significance in military history. It is now a state-run historic site and museum.[14]
Address: 101 Barrack St, 08608-2007 Trenton
Trenton Friends Meeting House
Quaker meeting house in Trenton. Trenton Friends Meeting House is a historic Quaker meeting house at 142 E. Hanover Street in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.
The Trenton Quaker Meeting House dates back to 1739. It was occupied by the British Dragoons in 1776, and by the Continental Army later in the Revolutionary War. It has been in continuous use by Quakers in and around Trenton ever since it was built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[15]
Address: 142 East Hanover Street, Trenton
Sacred Heart Church
Church in Trenton, New Jersey. Sacred Heart Church is a historic church at 343 South Broad Street in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.
It was built in 1889 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 2002. The church was dedicated on June 30, 1889.[16]
Address: 343 S Broad St, 08608-2501 Trenton
Cadwalader Park
Park in Trenton, New Jersey. Cadwalader Park is a city park located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The nearly 100 acres green space is Trenton's oldest park. It is named for Thomas Cadwalader, who lived for a while near Trenton where he became the chief burgess in 1746. Trenton's "central park" was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Work on the park was begun in 1887, following the purchase of Ellarslie Mansion from George Farlee. a committee of the Common Council for the city of Trenton sought a location for what would become the City Park, and contacted Olmsted. Though perhaps best known for his design of Central Park in New York, Olmsted applied the same approach in the design of Cadwalader Park. The Mansion, which houses the Trenton City Museum, is at the center of the park.
At one time the park had a train stop along the long gone Belvidere-Delaware Railroad.
The park has a deer paddock, a stream, a small lake and hundreds of trees, including some that are rare at this latitude. An arm of the Delaware & Raritan Canal flows through the park. Neighborhoods bordering the park include Cadwalader Heights, Hiltonia, Hillcrest and Parkside.
The park contains a memorial to the fallen of the Civil War and the column of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, erected in 1903. At one time this included a number of artillery pieces, now reduced to the plinthed barrel of the 'Swamp Angel', an 8 inch breech-loading Parrott rifle used to bombard Charleston in 1863. The gun burst on the 36th shell to be fired, which can still be seen today.[17]
State House Historic District
The State House Historic District encompasses many historic buildings along West State and Willow Streets in Trenton, New Jersey, including the New Jersey State House, Old Barracks Museum, and the Old Masonic Temple.[18]
New Jersey State Museum
Museum in Trenton, New Jersey. The New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey, overlooking the Delaware River, and serves a broad region between New York and Philadelphia. The museum's collections include natural history specimens, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, and cultural history and fine art objects, and exhibitions, educational programs and research provide context for the collections. The museum, a division of the New Jersey Department of State, includes a 140-seat planetarium and a 384-seat auditorium.[19]
Mercer County Courthouse
The courthouses of Mercer County are located in Trenton, the county seat, and capital of New Jersey, United States. They are home 7th vicinage of the New Jersey Superior Court as well as numerous county offices.
Trenton is also the site Clarkson S. Fisher Federal Building and United States Courthouse which serves the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, home to the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Mercer County was formed in 1838 and soon after saw the erection of a Greek Revival courthouse at the corner of Broad and Market Streets, which served until 1903.
The historic Mercer County Courthouse is located at 209 South Broad Street.(40°12′57″N 74°45′45″W) The classical Beaux Arts building was designed by William Slack.The cornerstone was laid May 14, 1902. The Mercer County Courthouse Annex at 205-207 South Broad Street was designed by Louis S. Kaplan and built in 1939. In 2010 the state historic preservation office issued a COE (certificate of eligibility) for the courthouse and its annex for inclusion on the in 1990 New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places (#4996). They abut the Mill Hill Historic District at South Broad Street. The buildings house the county's prosecutor's office, county clerk and board of elections.
The Mercer County Criminal Courthouse at 400 South Warren Street (40°12′55″N 74°45′48″W) opened on January 14, 2013,is behind and adjacent to the older building. The four-story 142,000-square-foot building meets LEED standards. It has nine courtrooms and associated judges' chambers and administrative offices. The lower level houses sheriff offices and other facilities.
The Mercer County Civil Courthouse at 175 South Broad Street (40°13′01″N 74°45′50″W) was built circa 2007. It designed by Trenton architectural firm Clarke Caton Hintz to invoke a 19th Century civic building. The four-story 158,000-square-foot building contains 14 courtroom and houses the Civil, Special Civil, Equity and Family courts.[20]
Address: 400 S Warren St, 08608 Trenton