Somerville combines a distinctive historical connection with a lively downtown that serves as both a business district and a gathering place. This gives you a choice of specific historic buildings and a downtown program featuring culture, events, and public spaces. Getting to downtown is also straightforward: the train station is just one block away, and several bus routes serve the area.
Historic Places in Somerville
Wallace House takes you back to 1778–79: during the Middlebrook Cantonment, it served as General George Washington’s winter headquarters. From there, the commander-in-chief received foreign dignitaries and planned military strategies. The house thus connects a clearly defined period with Washington’s military work. Visitors with a particular interest in this historical aspect will find a specific point of connection here.
Old Dutch Parsonage offers a different focus. It was home to ministers of the Dutch Reformed churches of the Raritan River Valley and hosted the founder and first president of Rutgers. The two houses therefore represent different themes: Wallace House for military planning and diplomacy, and the Parsonage for church history and its connection to Rutgers.
Today’s Historic Somerset County Courthouse is also a landmark in Somerville, the county seat. It has held this status since its completion in 1909. The Somerville Exempt Fire Museum is housed in a restored firehouse dating from 1888, adding a museum in an older building to the historic sites. Tours of the Daniel Robert House are available by appointment; confirm your preferred time before your visit.
Downtown Somerville: Culture and Public Space
Downtown Somerville is a lively business district and gathering place for residents, shoppers, and visitors from Somerville, Somerset County, and Central New Jersey. Its program includes shopping and dining events, cultural celebrations, concerts, festivals, walking tours, historic bicycle races, and public art activities. The races include the Tour of Somerville, the country’s oldest bicycle race.
The Division Street pedestrian plaza is used as a venue for concerts and events, as well as performances, art walks, demonstrations, and other activities. This lets you choose between focusing on individual historic buildings and spending time around the public cultural program. If you would like to plan your trip around an event, check its dates for your travel period.
Getting Here and Getting Around
The Raritan Valley Line stops at Somerville train station, just one block from Downtown Somerville. Several NJ Transit bus routes also serve the area around downtown. The station is a specific point of reference for reaching downtown by train; the bus routes offer another option to consider when planning your trip to the area. Check the schedules before traveling to choose a connection for your travel date.
Local attractions offer several possible focuses for your stay: Washington’s historical role, the history of churches and Rutgers, notable historic buildings, or the cultural program downtown. You can take these interests into account when choosing accommodation and planning your time in Somerville, without committing to a fixed itinerary.
Discover More Destinations
Basking Ridge, Green Brook Township, North Plainfield, Raritan, Montgomery Township, Bridgewater, Warren, Hillsborough
For the broader travel guide: Somerset.
