Home > Attractions > Visiting Elizabeth

From the shores of the Port to the beautiful greenery of Elmora, there’s plenty of exciting things to do in Elizabeth – one of America’s most ethnically diverse and exciting cities.

SHOPPING

Elizabeth is the State of New Jersey’s largest Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), a very important fact to shoppers. Participating stores are eligible to charge a sales tax rate that is half the normal sales tax throughout the rest of New Jersey. Another important sales tax fact is that in New Jersey there is no sales tax on clothes. Armed with these facts, you now will understand why Elizabeth has such a wealth of retail opportunity for shoppers.

You can start your day with a stop in the eastern end of the City at IKEA, the Swedish chain’s best-selling furniture store in Northern America. In between shopping for furniture, you can also enjoy a taste of Swedish foods (and great cinnamon buns!) in their cafeteria.

From IKEA, you can stop and admire the sweeping views of one of America’s most well known roadways, the New Jersey Turnpike, and spectacular Newark-Elizabeth Airport, which is the fastest growing in the region. A total of 32 million passengers came through the airport last year.

Drive across Center Drive from IKEA to the exciting Jersey Gardens Mall, also the state’s largest mall, and enjoy wide selection of shopping opportunities. You will revel in the bargains you will find in stores such as Saks, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and the Gap. More than 20 million people visited the mall last year, and this figure continues to rise.

Once you’ve tired of the dizzying shopping opportunities, you can stop for a movie and some popcorn and ice in the new AMC Movie Theatre, which has 20 screens, also the state’s largest. The theatre is designed in the same vein as an old-fashioned movie palace.

From the eastern side of the Mall, you will enjoy wonderful views of the Bayonne Bridge and the Newark/Elizabeth Seaport, which is one of the nation’s largest import/export facilities.

If you look south from the Mall parking lot, you can also see the massive red-brick Singer Sewing Building, which for years employed tens of thousands of people, and fueled Elizabeth’s inner-city economy. Further inland is historic St. Patrick’s Church – with its majestic soaring twin spires. The park adjacent to St. Patrick’s has wonderful statues, including one of Cuban Patriot Jose Marti, and one of a former Monsignor of the Church.

MIDTOWN & MORE

Now it’s time to explore more of Elizabeth’s history and sample the diversity that makes this City so great. Wander up to Historic Midtown Elizabeth, where you can enjoy more than a dozen historical sites and markers, which recount the days leading up to the founding of the United States of America.

You can also stop and shop or have a quick bite in the Midtown Shopping district or explore the history in this area with a walking tour.

Start your walking tour at the historic Elizabeth Public Library, and check out an ongoing exhibit there. This elegant building, which recently received significant upgrades over the past decade, was a gift from Andrew Carnegie in the early part of the past century. Make your way past the grand Union County Courthouse, and take some time to admire the historic monuments and fine architecture.

Follow the road along Broad Street to the First Presbyterian Church, which was also an important battleground during the Revolutionary War, and check out its fascinating cemetery – if you dare. Going north on Broad Street, you will find St. John’s Episcopal Church, a brooding masterpiece. The church has a beautiful interior with elegant stained glass, fabulous woodwork, and another fascinating cemetery to boot.

Located further north on Broad Street is the Historic Art Deco, Hersh Tower, built during the height of the depression as the tallest building in Union County. Across the street is the old “United County” bank building built in the early 1900s and an example of that time period’s style of bank. The building currently houses a new bank and offices.

Just up the West Grand street is the City’s main NJ Transit Train Station, with its newly renovated Plaza, where concerts are held in the Spring, Summer and Fall. The City’s 9/11 Monument is located here.

Back on East Jersey Street there’s the historic Ritz Theatre, an Art Deco masterpiece. With 2.772 seats, the theatre is one of the largest – and oldest – operating theatres in the state dating back to 1926.

The Ritz has been magnificently restored and currently features world-class performances. Famous acts such as the Marx Brother, George Burns, Jack Benny, Ray Charles, Harry Chapin, Maya Angelou, Chaka Kahn, Rodney Dangerfield, Miles Davis and so many others performed there throughout its storied history.

Further down East Jersey Street is historic Boxwood Hall, the home of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress, and Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer of the Constitution. Across the street is a rare treasure, the last remaining original Royal Governor’s mansion in the United States, the Belcher Ogden Mansion, the residence of Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher.

The Bonnell House is also nearby, and it is Elizabeth’s oldest building. You may make an appointment to tour Boxwood Hall and Belcher Ogden by calling
908-558-2550.

Elizabeth is a city of many statues, and monuments as well, something that will become apparent as you make your way through it – some of the finest examples are in Midtown and the Elizabeth Avenue corridor.

Just off East Jersey Street is Winfield Scott Park, named after an important military figure. In this park, you will find a huge Veterans’ monument, as well as monuments to the crew of the Challenger and Martin Luther King, JR. among others.

Proceed south to Elizabeth Avenue, and you begin to get a sense of the kaleidoscope of ethnicities that is Elizabeth today.

Elizabeth Avenue is known as “The Market” because anything you could ever want is located on these blocks. Also an important portal during the Revolutionary War, history buffs can find a marker and statue of a Minuteman at historic Union Square, where a key battle was fought.

FOOD AND MORE SHOPPING

Elizabeth Avenue is also well known for its many different varieties of food. Everything from American to Italian to Portuguese to a wide variety of Latin American culinary delights. A visit to Bella Palermo Pastry Shop will thrill your taste buds. The Avenue features a wide variety of food; you can find Custard Cups, Uruguayan Pastries, Arepas, Cuban and Colombian coffee, espresso coffee, canola, pupusas, pizza, Italian Hotdogs, tostones, steaks, shellfish, Cuban Sandwiches, and so much more. Centanni’s Meat Market and Algarve Fish market and a host of produce stores hold court around the historic Union Square area. Located just around the corner on Centre Street is the newly expanded Baby & Teen Gallery. This area also features a Farmer’s market throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall, and free concerts during the Summer months.

El Salvadoreno and others serve fine Latin fare. Going straight to the Port, you can dine one of the City’s elegant Spanish restaurants, including Manolo’s. Also off of East Jersey Street is Madrid, another wonderful Spanish restaurant In Midtown, Dolce is a great lounge. For the best Cuban Cuisine, Seafood and Steaks, visit Alvarez Café, a landmark which has been on the Avenue for more than 35 years.

In the western part of the City, there are many shopping and food choices. On Elmora Avenue, you can stop and enjoy Kosher Chinese food, visit Elmora Bagels, a bagel shop that serves some of the best bagels in all of New Jersey. Across the street is another Elizabeth landmark, Goodman’s Deli, which is famous for its oversized deli sandwiches, including its outstanding pastrami, and corned beef. The nearby Jerusalem Restaurant serves a varied menu of Kosher foods. The Elmora district offers a variety of shopping opportunities, and is also home to two of the city’s largest supermarkets, PathMark and ShopRite, and a Home Depot store.

On Westfield Avenue is Los Faroles, serving Colombian, Italian and American cuisine. Europa Restaurant & Café is located across the street. Nearby, on Magie Avenue, the Garden Restaurant straddles the Union border, but many Elizabethans are proud to claim it as their own because of the great quality of food. In the northern section of the City, are several fine Portuguese restaurants, including Valenca. In the Bayway district, you will find other fine restaurants, and one of the area’s busiest stores, Bayway Liquors, where you will always find a bargain.

The Morris Avenue district has a wide array of Colombian-American restaurants, and a great sheet music store, Sickles which has been here for decades.

Peterstown district is an ethnic enclave, which features some Italian and Spanish delis and cafes, DiCosmo’s – a legendary Italian ice shop, and of course, one of the City’s most well known Italian restaurants – Spirito’s. St. Anthony’s Church is still the hub of this very vibrant community, and many of its older residents enjoy the beautiful Peterstown Community Center just off the banks of the Elizabeth River.

HOTELS

With its proximity to Newark Liberty Airport, Elizabeth is home to New Jersey’s finest hotels and now with the addition of many new hotels, the City ranks second to only Atlantic City in total hotel rooms in New Jersey.

Among its many choices, the City is home to a Hilton Hotel, Sheraton Four Points Hotel, and the Hampton Inn. In addition, several newer hotels include the Wyndham Newark Airport, a Courtyard by Marriott, and a Residence Inn by Marriott. The Country Inn and Suites by Carlson, was the latest to open. All these hotels are within a few minutes of Newark-Elizabeth Liberty International Airport and convenient to IKEA and Jersey Gardens shopping district, with shuttle service to these locations.

“SHOP, PLAY & STAY, at 13A”

In 2004, the City of Elizabeth and the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce (GECC) embarked on a new marketing campaign and website (www.exit13a.com) to promote “Shop, Play & Stay at 13A”. The website contains access to exclusive offers at the many shopping, entertainment and hotel locations open at Elizabeth’s Exit 13A off the New Jersey Turnpike.

The initiative is the result of an innovative public-private partnership forged by Elizabeth’s Mayor Chris Bollwage to help introduce a regional audience in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania to the growing number of opportunities now at Elizabeth’s Exit 13A.

The GECC took the lead organizing business partners to participate in the Exit13A.com cooperative marketing effort.

To maximize the partnership effort, Mayor Bollwage assisted the GECC in helping to leverage State of New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) and Division of Tourism funds to facilitate the marketing campaign, which included radio, magazine, outdoor billboard and brochure advertising to highlight the website.

Visitors who register at exit13a.com gain immediate access to exclusive offers from every participating Exit13a partner. The program will be adding new partners and new offers, so check the website to see what is currently being offered.

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

The City’s ethnic diversity is reflected in its special ethnic days, festivals and parades. The Elizabeth Latin Carnival is held in early September, and draws crowds in excess of 250,000 people, as does spring. Various flag raisings are celebrated by the Mayor’s Office and the Elizabeth Public Library, for Colombians, Peruvians, Italians, Polish, Irish and more. Portugal Day, Pride Day in the Port and Julyfest are special festival days, and African-American History month are also widely celebrated at many of the City’s institutions.

Every year, the City introduces the Tour De Elizabeth, an annual bike tour of the entire City that occurs the Sunday before Memorial Day.