So much to do, So little time: Ideas for a Princeton Area Getaway!

Very often guests ask us to put together the perfect weekend in the area. It is a HARD task because there are so many fantastic things to do (take a look at our “area” tab for some ideas)! But, if you are looking for a more curated approach, read on!

Friday

3pm: Leave work a little early to arrive at the Inn at Glencairn while still daylight. Once settled in, wander the nearly three acres of park like grounds, peek into the 19th century barn to admire the hand-hewn beams, then grab a complimentary glass of wine and a cookie to enjoy on the back patio, or in the peaceful ambience of the Great Room.

6pm: Prepare for a memorable experience at Naoki Sushi in Lawrenceville. Immerse yourself in the world of omakase, where you entrust your dining experience to the skilled hands of Executive Chef Naoki Tashiro. Nestled within an 8-seat counter, you'll witness his sushi preparation, mastering the delicate balance of flavors, textures, and presentation that Japanese cuisine demands. Our exquisite 7-course omakase dinner features delights like delicate Egg Custard with Snow Crab and succulent Wagyu Beef Steak Seared on Hot Lava Stone. At Naoki Sushi Dining, sushi is not merely a dish, it’s an art form.

8pm: Grab a show at McCarter Theatre. McCarter is recognized as one of the country’s leading theaters, both a professional producing theater and a major presenter of the performing arts. Treat yourself to a play or a concert and you will understand why this theater is constantly receiving rave reviews.

Saturday

9am: Wake up to the smell of freshly ground coffee wafting up to your room and then wander downstairs for Breakfast at the Inn. Today it’s Eggs Glencairn, a new take on Eggs Benedict, with a poached egg served over a toasted croissant, broiled tomato slice, fresh sautéed asparagus and local greens topped with a lite Hollandaise sauce. Don’t forget to finish off your breakfast with a little chocolate decadence: Lydia’s homemade java truffle. And if you have any dietary restrictions or preferences please communicate them to Lydia so she can make you something fabulous no matter what your taste!

11am: Drive to the adorable nearby town of Lawrenceville for a stroll. Grab a treat at The Gingered Peach to enjoy later in the day, and visit the eclectic array of locally owned shops: Valentina, Lawrenceville Vintage Treasures, Final Boss Comics. 

1pm: Head into Princeton to take the Princeton Tour Company’s “Name Dropping” Tour. Dubbed the best tour in town, the name-dropping tour visits the homes and hangouts of Albert Einstein, F Scott Fitzgerald, TS Eliot, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Robert Wood Johnson and even ‘80’s icon, Brooke Shields, just to name a few.

3pm: Grab a bite at Jammin’ Crepes. Oh so good, Jammin’ Crepes is the perfect spot for a quick nosh to tide you over for a bit while you are out touring. Imagine a fresh, made-from-scratch crepe filled with the best local ingredients at their peak of freshness.

Then shop ‘til you drop at Palmer Square: Originally built in the 1930s, the Square was created as the town’s complement to Princeton University. In order to build the Square, Baker Street was removed and its houses, which were the center of the original African American neighborhood were moved to Birch Avenue. Today Palmer Square is a unique mix of local and well-known apparel and home goods boutiques and world class restaurants all centered around the Nassau Inn. Although we truly enjoy perusing all of the shops along Palmer Square, we never miss a stop at the Bent Spoon, Labyrinth Books, Miya Table and Home, or jaZams. Meander a little further afield to check out the Princeton Record Exchange.

Saturday Evening Option I:

5pm: By now you need to sit down, so catch a flick at the Princeton Garden Theatre. Built originally to accommodate Princeton University’s Triangle Club in 1920, The Garden took on a new life as a movie theater when Triangle moved to McCarter Theatre later that decade. The Garden changed hands several times in the next few decades until its latest renovation in 2014 and now shows independent, foreign, and classic films for local movie lovers. In 2017, NJ.com named the Garden, The Best Movie Theater in New Jersey.

8pm: After your flick, enjoy a dinner in Princeton. Some of our favorite spots include Agricola, Blue Point Grill, and Kristines.

Saturday Evening Option II:

5pm: Head back to the Inn for a well deserved rest and then go on a driving tour of the local countryside stopping at Goat Hill Overlook and Washington Crossing State Park. If you are a real history buff, you might want to dedicate an entire day to exploring the park, including the 1740 Johnson Ferry House and Visitor Center Museum that houses over 500 artifacts from the American Revolution! Non history buffs, head to Hopewell Valley Vineyards for wine tasting and live music.

8pm: Stop for dinner at one of the more "off the beaten path" favorites Brick Farm Tavern and Blue Bottle Cafe in Hopewell and Boro in Pennington. 

Sunday

9am: After sleeping like a baby, wake up to some more fabulous scents from the kitchen. Today, indulge in some Glencairn French Toast. French Toast made with “Craque”lin (a Belgian brioche) topped with real maple syrup and fresh berries and served with our yogurt granola parfait. This will fill you up for your day’s adventure.

11am: Bid the Inn and Lydia farewell, then visit a couple of our local farms to take home some Jersey Fresh goods and produce. Pop into Cherry Grove for some organic cheese and Terhune Orchards for just about everything else!

Noon: Visit one of the must see gems of Central New Jersey - Grounds for Sculpture. The vision of J. Seward Johnson, Grounds for Sculpture was conceived as a place where audiences could experience sculpture in a familiar, accessible, and informal setting. The sculpture park is built on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds and now exhibits over 270 works on 42 acres. Spend an hour or spend a day here wandering the grounds and marveling at the truly awe-inspiring art and sculpture.

3pm: Enjoy a bite at Rat’s Restaurant or one of the other cafes on the grounds. Rat’s Restaurant was conceptually designed by Seward Johnson with a Claude Monet styled atmosphere. The restaurant scenery features impressionist-inspired sculptures as well as a lily pond and bridge and is aptly named after the character “Ratty” from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Rat’s and the other cafes are within the grounds, so you can continue to explore as long as you like!

This is by no means an exhaustive list of things to do, so PLEASE check out our “area” tab for even more ides. But whatever you do, come for a visit. And then come back! You could spend many, many days and weeks exploring all the area has to offer!

Summer History Tour

After 20+ years of owning a property that dates back to the early 1700s, I tend to overlook and take for granted the rich history that surrounds us here in Mercer County. The fact that the Revolutionary War was fought literally in our front and back yard is mind blowing and often forgotten. Not only that, but according to a pretty well-documented account, the structure that is now the Inn was commandeered by the Hessians as a hospital during the Revolutionary War. And, legend has it, there was a young Lord Ralston who was bayoneted on the property by an angry mob when accused of "wenching" a local girl. That legend is less well-documented, and we had a guest historian poke many holes in the account, but we still like to share the story because it makes for good small talk and it’s pretty spicy!

Every once in a while, I consult google to see if any historians (who are far more knowledgeable about these things than I) have documented new evidence that George Washington actually took a break, had a snack, consulted a colonel or perhaps relieved himself in our front yard so many years ago. Thus far we have no solid evidence that George had indeed been on the property, but recently I was surprised to see that a few local historians have been busy during the pandemic unearthing and researching many local sites. Some of these sources have been around for a number of years, and a couple are brand new!

Check out these websites for a bevy of maps, tours, and information that should not be missed when visiting the area:

• Ten Crucial Days

• Princeton Battlefield Society

• Revolutionary War New Jersey

History buff or not, taking in some of these local sites is well worth a visit. And, better yet, spend a night or two at the Inn while you do it. What better way to connect with the past than staying the night at an Inn that dates back to 1736. And you can tell your friends that George "might" have slept here as well!

Not Your Grandmother's Bed and Breakfast

I had the recent experience of visiting a college campus with my teen daughter. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near the campus. Sound familiar? The campus visit was a success, the B&B not so much.

After we checked in and looked around, my daughter said, “Is this what you’re implying when you say your B&B is “not your grandmother’s bed and breakfast?” Maybe the stuffed peacock in the corner, or the extensive collection of glass figurines gave her that idea.

Listen, there’s a B&B out there for everybody, and some people LOVE the stuffed peacocks and glass figurines, but when we opened our doors, we wanted to be different. The best compliment we can receive, is, “We hate B&Bs but we LOVE your place!”

The Hunt Room

Our decor is eclectic. The antiques we do have are mostly sideboards, end tables, and accent pieces. Our artwork is a mix of modern and traditional. Any surface you sit on is new. Don’t worry about encountering a wobbly 100-year old chair or a creaky bed and springy mattress. OK, full disclosure, our floors are random width pine, and crooked, and you can see through the cracks. But, we call that character!

You will never see doilies, stuffed animals, dingy wall to wall carpeting, or drab wallpaper at the Inn at Glencairn. You will see comfortable rooms that complement the era of the building and enhance the ambience. And, rest assured, our electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems are all up to date and working properly! Sure, they didn’t have central air conditioning in the 18th century or flat screen TVs, but wouldn’t it have been nice if they did?!

So, when you book at the Inn at Glencairn. Keep in mind, this is “not your grandmother’s bed and breakfast” and enjoy your stay!

History of the Inn: Harry the Trapper

Ever wonder where we got the inspiration for naming our rooms? We dug into the archives of the nearly 300 years of Glencairn history and paid tribute to a few of its interesting inhabitants. The Baldwin Suite is named for perhaps the most fascinating character of Glencairn, Harry Baldwin, or more affectionately known as Harry the Trapper.

Harry lived in the Stone Wing of the house around the turn of the nineteenth century and was employed as a farmer on the property. The farm at that time ran up past Carter Road and onto the property now owned by Bristol Myers. Harry tended to the cows, chopped wood, and became known around the area as a first class trapper. He earned a fair amount of income from trapping animals and selling their fur. Children would bring their trapped muskrats, raccoons, and skunks to Harry, and Harry would skin them for 25 cents and sell them to a local buyer. Given his rough and tumble ways, Harry always smelled a little of skunk and had a habit of spitting tobacco wherever he pleased! Yet, despite his crude ways, Harry was also honest to a fault and known as a kind person.

The Great Room Fireplace

Years later, after we converted the farmhouse into the Inn at Glencairn, we were fortunate to strike up a friendship with a descendant of Harry, our dear friend Audrey. She loved Halloween, and made an annual pilgrimage to the Inn to stay in the Baldwin Suite hoping for a “visit” from her dear, departed relative. Harry never showed up, but we always enjoyed our visits with Audrey!

So, next time you walk into the stone side of the Inn and up to the Baldwin Suite, close your eyes and imagine a time when Harry was living there enjoying a good book by the fire or sharing some stories with the children who brought him their hides!

Central New Jersey DOES Exist!

Recently, we found ourselves sitting in a meeting of local businesses with the goal of highlighting agritourism in Central New Jersey.  We walked away even more in love with this special region we call home.  Years back, when we were city dwellers, we would make day trips to Central New Jersey along with other more popular areas upstate.  Time and again, we returned to this area and eventually put down roots here.  During the past 20 years, we have seen remarkable changes: The restaurant scene has exploded, thanks to the farm-to-table movement, the art scene has grown, and yet, the countryside remains largely untouched and the charming towns retain their small town appeal. (Spoiler: This is not the New Jersey of malls and exits.)

When we first opened the Inn at Glencairn, our guests were coming to the Princeton area for a reason.  They were visiting schools, traveling for business, or simply coming to see relatives.  Our favorite review came from someone who said, “if you can make my mother happy, you are a miracle!”  We clearly filled a need for people looking to avoid the cookie cutter hotels dotting the major highways, but most our guests were just passing through.

Now, we are starting to see more and more guests who are visiting the area as a destination.  Finally, people are beginning to see what we fell in love with 20 years ago.  Central New Jersey does exist and it has a lot to offer.  Guests can easily spend several days visiting the local farms, romantic vineyards, craft breweries and distilleries, and fascinating historic sites. The Garden State is alive and well in Central New Jersey!

Did you know:

• Central New Jersey is where the War of American Independence was saved, thanks to George Washington’s daring decision in 1776 to cross the Delaware River to win battles at Trenton and Princeton.

• Central New Jersey provided the nation’s first Capitol building, as the Continental Congress met at Nassau Hall, now the most famous ivy-draped building on the campus of Princeton University.

• Central New Jersey was the first “breadbasket” of America’s greatest city, New York, producing corn and wheat, tomatoes, and other crops critical to feeding the “Big Apple.”

• Central New Jersey is home to the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, one of the most stunning historic and recreation assets you’ll find anywhere—though we’ve sort of kept it a secret. The canal was once vital to bringing the bounty of the Garden State to New York. Today, it is a highly accessible recreation area for New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia.

These are just a few reasons to come for a visit.  The bit above is “borrowed” from the Discover Central New Jersey website.  Take a moment to visit their website and start to plan your next retreat from the city.  Be sure to make the Inn at Glencairn your home base as you explore the area.  You cannot get more authentic than staying in an 18th century farmhouse that was overtaken by Hessians during the Revolutionary War.  And, while we cannot say for certain that George Washington ever stepped foot on the property, we are pretty sure he marched past on his way to Princeton!