Discover Englewood: Nature, Culture and History

Englewood offers several reasons to visit: Flat Rock Brook combines nature conservation and environmental education, Mackay Park brings together recreational activities, and bergenPAC and historic sites tell stories of culture and the past. These differences can help you tailor your trip to your family’s interests and look for a suitable vacation rental in Englewood.

Nature and Environmental Education at Flat Rock Brook

Flat Rock Brook is a 150-acre nature preserve and environmental education center in Englewood. The site also includes a Nature Playground. The natural setting, education center and play area offer a distinct focus for planning your trip. If you want to spend time outdoors while also including a place connected to environmental education, you can make Flat Rock Brook the centerpiece of this part of your stay.

There is a specific bus connection to get there: New Jersey Transit routes 171, 175, 178 and 186 serve Flat Rock Brook via a stop at Route 4 and Jones Road in Englewood. This is a useful point of reference if you’d like to plan your outings using public transportation.

Recreation at Mackay Park

Mackay Park covers 28.6 acres in central Englewood, just south of downtown. The park is home to the Mackay, also known as the John T. Wright Ice Skating Arena, and a public swimming pool. Alongside the nature preserve, Englewood therefore offers places for recreational activities such as swimming and ice skating. Which of these options you include in your stay can shape the character of your outings.

Theater and Local History

bergenPAC is a community theater that uses the arts to help improve quality of life. Its history goes back to a theater that opened on November 22, 1926, as the Englewood Plaza movie theater. The theater that became bergenPAC reopened in the fall of 2004 in the former John Harms Center and has 1,367 seats. bergenPAC thus combines a specific venue for the performing arts with a long theater history.

Englewood is also connected to the history of the American Revolutionary War. During the war, General Washington led his army to the Liberty Pole Tavern. In 1776, the tavern was the center of economic, political and social life. The meetings at Liberty Pole were separate from this: leaders of the Continental Army met there. At a conference on July 16, 1779, General Anthony Wayne planned the capture of Stony Point. Englewood House is located along the historic route of George Washington’s retreat.

Church and Historic Houses

Saint Paul's Church offers a choral service with communion at 10:30 a.m. in its historic sanctuary. Free concerts are also held there throughout the year in the historic sanctuary. In addition to its religious significance, these events give the church a place in the city’s cultural life.

Another place with a history of its own is the Taylor-Bliss House. The 147-year-old house was moved in 2023 from its original location at the northeast corner of Engle Street and East Hudson Avenue to the city-owned Eleanor Harvey Park. This move is part of its more recent history, bringing the house to a new location within Englewood.

When choosing a vacation rental, you can start by deciding which themes you want to shape your stay: Flat Rock Brook and environmental education, Mackay Park’s swimming pool and ice-skating arena, theater or historic sites. Englewood offers a range of themes rather than focusing on just one type of outing. Look for a location near the places you actually plan to visit, and consider how you want to balance nature, recreation, culture and history.

Discover More Places

If you’d like to expand your search to other places at the same level, take a look at Upper Saddle River, Fair Lawn, Rutherford, Carlstadt, Ridgefield, Teaneck, Hasbrouck Heights and South Hackensack Township.

For the broader travel overview: Bergen.