Discover Raritan

Raritan brings together distinctive reminders of its history with opportunities to stroll and spend time in the park. Along Somerset Street, you can see original Colonial homes, shops, and churches. There are also historic buildings with very different stories, the Raritan River Greenway as a linear park, and local parks with specific opportunities for exercise. This gives you a mix of local history and outdoor activities to help plan your trip, which you can organize around what you’d like to discover together.

Historic Sites in Raritan

Middaugh Tavern is one of the oldest buildings in Raritan. It served as a stagecoach stop between New York and Philadelphia. This former purpose connects the building to the history of travel: the tavern was not simply a residence or local building, but part of a route linking two cities. Visitors interested in historic transportation routes and how places developed will find a tangible point of interest here, without needing to consult a long list of dates.

The Knox-Porter Resolution, also called the Treaty of Raritan, is also part of the town’s history: it was signed in Raritan and officially ended World War I. The name Treaty of Raritan makes the connection to the town immediately clear. For a trip with a historical focus, the resolution complements the architectural history with a political event associated with Raritan.

The Coejeman House was considered the grandest residence in Raritan. Its distinctive features included fireplaces made of fine Egyptian marble. These details set the house’s story apart from that of Middaugh Tavern: here, the focus is on the elaborate design of a residence, while the tavern’s former role as a stagecoach stop takes center stage. Raritan therefore offers different historical perspectives, rather than just one type of attraction.

Another building connects history with a use today: the General John Frelinghuysen House, built around 1801, serves as an active community library. Both its historic identity and its current function are part of its story. For families seeking a connection to contemporary community life as well as older buildings during their stay, this combination is particularly interesting.

Strolling and Park Activities

On a stroll along Somerset Street, you can see original Colonial homes, shops, and churches. This combination gives the route its own character: historic homes stand alongside shops and churches, which are also part of the streetscape. You can shape your stroll around whatever you’d like to take a closer look at along the way, rather than focusing on just one type of building.

The Raritan River Greenway runs through Raritan as a linear park along the Raritan River. It offers a different perspective on the town than the homes and buildings along Somerset Street: here, the river shapes the course of the park. If you’d rather focus your trip on a walk through a park landscape than on historic homes in the townscape, this distinction can help you choose your activities.

The local parks also offer different ways to get active. Frelinghuysen Park has basketball courts, while Basilone Park has a walking path. This lets you choose between playing basketball and taking a walk when planning your day together.

History and Outdoor Activities as Travel Interests

Raritan is a suitable destination if you’re planning a trip that combines historical discoveries with outdoor activities. You can explore Middaugh Tavern and the Coejeman House as different examples of local history, visit Somerset Street with its Colonial homes, shops, and churches, or focus on the Greenway and the parks. These are different options, not a prescribed route to follow all together.

Basilone is also part of the town’s commemorative tradition: Raritan erected a statue in his memory in 1948. A parade in his honor began in 1981. The statue and the parade are two different forms of tribute; the dates refer to when each was erected or began. Alongside the older buildings, this connection broadens the historical themes you can consider when choosing what interests you on your trip.

When looking for a vacation rental, the first thing to consider is whether you’d like Raritan itself to be the focus of your stay. This information about Raritan offers an overview of the destination, not details about the amenities or location of individual accommodations. More places to explore as you plan your trip: Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Franklin Township, Liberty Corner, Green Brook Township, Montgomery Township, Basking Ridge and Branchburg Township.

For the broader travel overview: Somerset.