Discover Highland Park

You can explore Highland Park during a hotel stay through several different themes: riverside scenery and trails, natural areas, recreational activities, and a program of market and art events. This lets you plan your stay according to whether you mainly want to spend time outdoors or combine your visit with a market or event. Key landmarks include Donaldson Park and The Meadows, as well as events in the downtown area.

Riverside scenery, trails and natural areas

Donaldson Park is an 81-acre park on the Raritan River in Highland Park. Its amenities include a boat ramp and paved paths. The size gives an idea of the park’s scale; the paths and boat ramp offer different ways to experience the riverside setting.

The Meadows also has two specifically described loop trails. The upper loop is 0.6 miles long and runs above the floodplain. The lower loop is 0.1 miles long and provides direct access to the Raritan River. The trails therefore differ in both length and location relative to the floodplain and river. The Meadows is also home to a variety of wildlife, including deer, foxes, groundhogs and numerous bird species.

Another nature-focused destination is the Highland Park Native Plant Sanctuary. This three-acre open space is dedicated to propagating and protecting native plants. While trails and the river are the main focus at Donaldson Park and The Meadows, the emphasis here is on native plants and their protection.

Recreation and environmental education

Highland Park’s Recreation Complex offers recreational programs throughout the year and an accessible play area for children. This combination of ongoing programs and a play area makes the complex a distinct destination within Highland Park’s offerings. The Eugene Young Environmental Education Center provides environmental education programs for schools and adults. These use hands-on and traditional teaching methods.

Outdoor market, art and downtown

The Highland Park Farmers Market is held outdoors every week. Farmers and producers gather there on Fridays from February through December. The offerings include Jersey Fresh and seasonal produce, specialty mushrooms and fresh farm dairy products, as well as sustainably caught fish. Homemade breads, pastries, pickled vegetables and hot sauce round out the selection. The market brings together different kinds of produce and food on a regular weekly schedule.

Arts in the Park is an annual street festival, juried art show and craft market in downtown Highland Park. The program includes artistic performances, live music and other entertainment, food from local restaurants, and activities for children. In fall, the Highland Park Window Art Show offers a different focus: works by local artists are featured in the windows of downtown shops. The program also includes a guided tour led by an artist.

Downtown is also the place to go for shopping and dining. Livingston Manor is another historic point of interest: this early 20th-century residential development is located in the northwestern part of the Borough of Highland Park. This perspective adds a look at the area’s development to the present-day focus on downtown, without equating Livingston Manor with the market or art events.

Choose dates to suit your stay

The events follow different schedules: the Farmers Market takes place weekly on Fridays from February through December, Arts in the Park is held annually, and the Window Art Show takes place every fall.

Explore more destinations: South Brunswick Township, Piscataway Township, North Brunswick, Woodbridge Township, Carteret, Plainsboro Township, New Brunswick, South Plainfield.

For the overview of the wider area: Middlesex.