Settled in 1666, Newark is one of the oldest cities in the country and is oftentimes known as the Brick City. It is the largest city in the state housing the largest population in the state as well and it is home to the busiest seaport in the country as well, as the largest cherry blossom trees in the US.
This city is instantly recognizable, as it has been prominently referenced various times in popular culture and, especially, has been featured in countless blockbuster movies throughout the century. It houses historic buildings and landmarks and is filled with culture and style.
However, these aren’t the only things this city is popular for. Let’s dive into more of what makes this city amazing below in 20 fun things to do in Newark New Jersey.
1. Visit The Cathedral Basilica Of The Sacred Heart
Newark is home to some of the most unique, beautiful, and historical buildings and landmarks in the country, and one of them is the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, built in 1954 and taking 55 years to complete. This is the fifth-largest cathedral in North America and features incredible architecture both inside and out.
The sacred site has been very beautiful, gothic, and elegant in style since it started construction in the late 1800s. This gives the cathedral a very historic and grand vibe. Visitors enjoy the picturesque architecture of the cathedral and often express a very serene, peaceful, and calm state of mind while in the venue; perfect start to a vacation.
2. Take A Train At The Newark Penn Station
A counterpart to New York Penn Station, this station in the heart of Newark is a very important transportation hub in the state and connects a direct path to New York City, making it the busiest station in the city. This station has been made very popular around the world by movies, videos, and documentaries shot here.
Moreover, the train station also offers trains to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, and the station has eight tracks and six platforms that are divided according to cities and regions between an upper level and a lower level. This is a busy and important commuting hub in the state that features a beautiful and elegant station interior to marvel at.
3. Watch A Game Of Hockey At Prudential Center
One of the most recommended activities in Newark is watching a NJ Devils’ hockey game at the Prudential Center, their home arena. This complex is the second major league sports venue to be built in the New York metropolitan area and is among the top 5 concert spots worldwide in terms of earnings.
Apart from hockey, this complex also hosts basketball games, concerts, live events, and mixed martial arts events. The arena has hosted events like the MTV Video Music Awards, various UFC events, and international music shows for KPOP artists, which have had amazing attendance records, making it a very interesting place to visit.
4. Feel The Creativity Flow At Newark Museum Of Art
The Newark Museum of Art is an emporium featuring some of the best and oldest as well as the most modern pieces of art from all over the world. Established in the year 1909, this museum is the oldest and largest independent museum in the state of New Jersey, holding American, Asian, and African ancient art and artifacts.
This museum features one of the most intricate and detailed Tibetan art collections, housing over 5,500 artifacts highlighting the history and culture of the Tibet region of Asia. It also houses the Ballantine House, which is a fully preserved and restored Victorian-era house in which the museum showcases its exhibits.
5. Stroll Around At Branch Brook Park
In contrast to the indoor exhibits of the museum, Branch Brook Park, located near the east half of the city, offers amazing outdoor space and ample strolling areas for visitors to lose themselves in when in need of fresh air. The park is the largest public park in the city and spans 360 acres full of trails, trees, and grass.
This park is also home to the largest collection of cherry blossom trees, with over 5,000 individual trees of more than 18 different varieties. It also hosts the Cherry Blossom Festival each April, which is riddled with live music, family activities, and cultural events for people to experience the city’s culture, history, and present.
6. Watch Some Soccer At The Red Bull Arena
To all the soccer fans who visit the city, visiting the Red Bull Arena needs to be on top of the bucket list as it is the home of the New York Red Bulls. This arena is just a hair-length away from Newark and has a very easy commute to and from the city. The arena can house over 25,000 people and offers a very energetic atmosphere.
Additionally, the arena also hosts sports other than soccer, like lacrosse, football, and rugby, regularly and also hosts concerts, auto shows, and community events as well. The arena won the “Field of the Year” award by the Sports Turf Managers Association in 2018 for the soccer division and is one of the best arenas in the country.
7. Have Some Fun At The Military Park
When you hear the word “Military Park” it surely brings about images of the army and military drills. But, the Military Park in the center of the city is much more than just that. One of the oldest public parks in the country, this park was used in the Civil War to manage and train the country’s military, and currently acts like the cultural town square of the city.
The park host community events every day for visitors to engage in and promotes harmony and solidarity in community through its events. This park also houses a sculpture of JFK, a war memorial of George Washington leading a military charge, and a fully-operational carousel for kids and adults to enjoy while at the park.
8. Pray At St. Lucy’s Church
A smaller Newark NJ attraction, St. Lucy’s Church is a historic landmark and religious site that was built in the 1920s and can be called the home of the Italian-American Christians of the area. The church was famous in the past for the October Feast of St. Gerald, which served as a fertility ritual for the local women who had difficulty bearing children.
Furthermore, the church is a treat for the eye as it features amazing murals on its ceilings, interesting architecture, a very serene and mysterious ambience, and a perfect place for religious and traditional events. The church also holds a monthly mass to honor St. Gerard, during which many couples attend with a desire to successfully bear children.
9. Visit The New Jersey Performing Arts Center
The NJPAC or New Jersey Performing Arts Center is the name of the complex that houses the Prudential Hall and is one of the largest performing arts centers in all of the United States. The center is also the home of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra who perform there regularly throughout the year.
Built-in 1986, the performing art center houses 4 halls with different numbers of attendance capacity ranging from as much as 2800 to as low as 88. These 4 halls inside the complex are used to showcase different art exhibitions like opera, concerts, cabaret, and theatre. The complex also hosts festivals and other events in its vicinity.
10. Learn At The Newark Public Library
The Newark Public Library is not a single building but a network of libraries situated in various locations around the city, offering different selections for its visitors across all of its locations. These libraries hold historical documents, books, photographs, visual arts, manuscripts, and event galleries, respectively, in all of their locations.
Moreover, these library complexes also house facilities for the restoration, preservation, and documentation of the history, culture, and achievements of African Americans, as well as a huge collection of Spanish-language books. Along with these, this library complex also features a lot more things for visitors to go and check out in order for them to learn new things about history in a detailed manner.
11. Build At LEGOLAND Discovery Center
One of the most collaborative and exciting things to do in Newark NJ is visit the LEGOLAND Discovery Center with children. This place is a collection of all things Legos and is the perfect spot for an outing with the family and friends. The center features play areas, DIY Lego spaces, and restaurants for visitors to enjoy.
On top of that, the discovery center also features a 4-D movie theatre where they show very interactive and real-looking videos for kids and adults to engage in. Plus, LEGOLAND also showcases New York City landmarks created with LEGO bricks, multiple play zones, themed rides, restaurants and eating spaces, and shops to buy souvenirs from.
12. Take A Walking Art Tour
This historic city is also home to the longest mural in the U.S., which spans 1.4 miles and is the collaborative work of 18 local and international artists from around the world. This work of art called Gateways to Newark: Portraits is a collection of artworks on 100-year-old walls facing roads that visitors can drive by or walk through.
Furthermore, the artwork makes the monochromatic city roads look very technicolor and vivid, making the commute in the city interesting and visually pleasing. Also, since the mural was made by 18 different artists, each different section of the mural is styled differently and tells stories in their own unique way; definitely a must-visit.
13. Attend An Event At The Championship Plaza
Located next to the Prudential Center, the Championship Plaza is an outdoor space available for public as well as private events such as exhibitions, parties, festivals, concerts, or even barbeques. This open area is big enough to house 1,500 people on chairs or 2,500 people on foot and gives a very charming look at downtown.
Moreover, the space is open to the public when not in use for private parties and events, making it a very feasible spot for a nice and intimate picnic with family and friends. The space also features a metal statue of a hockey player, which gives this place a very modern, contemporary, and festive aesthetic for visitors to enjoy.
14. Taste Delights At Ironbound
If you want to find multiple things to do in Newark at the same spot, then the neighborhood of Ironbound is the perfect getaway place for you. This area is the cultural center of the city and is the most interesting and aromatic place in all of the city, as it is famous for its restaurants and bakeries that fill the street sides of this area.
Due to the majority of the residents of this neighborhood being Portuguese or Latin American, the area is very popular for cuisines from that part of the world. There are several places like Brazilian Pizza, Arcos Doce, Krug’s Tavern, La Tienda Tapas, Sabor Latino, Andros Diner, Pulaski BBQ, and many more that offer authentic Latin American cuisine for visitor’s palates.
15. Design Something At Newark Print Shop
Something very different that is one of the central Newark NJ attractions in the city is the Newark Print Shop located on University Avenue. This tiny shop is famous among locals for being one of the best screen-printing shops where visitors can make unique and custom artwork on anything from clothes and bags to posters and water bottles.
Additionally, the shop also provides limited classes and workshops related to screen-printing and artwork-making every week in order to educate and spread their idea of art around the city. They also showcase the artworks and pieces made by customers that they deem unique and dazzling in an exhibition space in the shop.
16. Enjoy Some Local Beverages
Another specialty of the city is its beverages. This city is home to some amazing locally owned distilleries and breweries that produce and serve their own beers and spirits. They have some very unique flavors of beverages that mix well with the cuisine, which will surely keep the visitors’ palates satisfied.
Some notable places for visitors to find beverages of their liking are All Points West Distillery, Newark Brewery, Newark Local Beer, Bello’s Pub and Grill, Burke’s Tavern, Redd’s Biergarten, and many more that visitors can find in almost all the corners of the town. All of these spots offer very friendly staff and an even friendlier glass of beer.
17. Go Back To Medieval Times
A very unique and absurd thing to do while in the city is visit a place called Medieval Times, which is a themed restaurant and boasts a very family-friendly, safe, and immersive atmosphere. This restaurant features an 11-century themed aesthetic with modern cuisine mixed with performances and activities to keep visitors on the edge of their seats.
This restaurant offers visitors music of the same theme, jousting, and even sword fights for visitors to immerse themselves in in order to be teleported back to the 11th century. They house artifacts and artwork allegedly from the same time period and a fully authentic knighting ceremony to go with the food that you eat with your bare hands.
18. Get Spooky At The Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Moving away from all the cuisines and the drinking, one of the spookier things to do at Newark is stroll around Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The cemetery has been in operation since 1844 and resembles something out of a horror movie from the 1990s. This place will surely give the thrills and shocks that curious visitors seek.
Adding to that, the cemetery officially opened in 1844 but still has some graves from as far back as the 17th century. This place houses some notable people in sepulchers with architecture and designs from three different centuries, giving this cemetery a very gloomy and unnerving aesthetic; perfect for people seeking a paranormal experience.
19. Get Mesmerized By The Views At Riverfront Park
The Essex County Riverfront Park is the only green space in the city that is parallel to the Passaic River. This public park features a baseball field, a tennis court, a basketball court, two playgrounds, and a soccer field. The park is a very scenic and beautiful space, as it trails along the river bank and spans across 16 acres of open fields.
The park was made between the years 1999 and 2017, when all the spaces were built in phases with donations and grants from multiple sources, making this park truly for the people and by the people. Moreover, the park also hosts multiple events and activities, festivals, and art shows every day, managed by the locals of the city.
20. Discover History At New Jersey Historical Society
Last but not least, visitors will have an exciting time learning about the history of the city at the New Jersey Historical Society, which is a museum founded in 1845. This museum houses some very important historical artifacts and documents related to New Jersey and is the largest collection of such items in the country.
The exhibits in this museum showcase photographs and memorabilia from World War I, the Newark Riots of 1967, and the Bamberg family. They also include an exhibit that shows the history of the New Jersey Rivers. All in all, this place is a gold mine for visitors who come to the city and want to learn more about its history; a very important thing to do in Newark.
