Things To Do In Bergen-Lafayette
Bergen-Lafayette is a hidden gem in Jersey City. It lay west-southwest of Downtown and Liberty State Park and was the earliest as well as the first permanent settlement in the state of New Jersey. It was named after Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer who fought on the American side during the Revolutionary War. As its name implies, it’s a collection of blocks with a zig-zagging border. It includes Bergen, Beacon, Bergen Hill, Communipaw, The Junction, and Jackson Hill. The “Bergen” portion roughly corresponds to the former town of Bergen City, which existed from 1855 to 1870.
Bergen-Lafayette has many upcoming restaurants, shops, bars, and more to explore. Therefore, we have created this guide to help you explore this neighborhood.
Parks
Liberty State Park
This gorgeous historic park is one of the largest Jersey City parks and playgrounds. It boasts a beautiful, unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. What’s more, it’s connected to Ellis Island by ferry, so you can enjoy the short trip while you’re there. There are ample grassy areas ideal for picnics and barbecues, not to mention a two-mile riverside promenade with plenty of benches. If you don’t have time to plan a perfect family trip, this park is an ideal place to spend an exciting day for the whole family.
Whether you prefer jogging, hiking, or skating, this park has everything. And, of course, it features gigantic playgrounds for children of all ages. Multiple climbing structures, bouncy bridges, low-sloping slides, and a giant sailing ship with a prow and lookout post will keep the younger children happy and occupied. In addition, there are tunnels, rock climbing walls, and winding slides for older children. It offers multiple activities for every season. Moreover, there’s a Science Center for children to explore and learn.
Berry Lane Park
Located in the Bergen-Lafayette part of the city, this park isn’t only one of the newest Jersey City parks and playgrounds and the largest municipal park. This one has much to offer if you love being active and doing sports. There are two basketball and two tennis courts, a soccer field, and a baseball diamond. Bike paths are great for cycling enthusiasts. Vast green areas and six hundred new trees are ideal if you’re looking for some peace and rest from busy city life. It has a great splash pad, one of the most fun places in outdoor parks in Jersey City.
Arlington Park
This beautiful park in Bergen-Lafayette is a peaceful oasis in the urban environment. You can enjoy walking, hiking, and jogging here. Beautiful scenery will soothe you and enable you to get a breath of fresh air when you need it. So whether you enjoy a solitary and relaxing walk or a fun picnic with the whole family, this park is a great place to visit. Also, it’s a dog-friendly park, so taking your pet for a walk and a frisbee game is a good idea.
Restaurants
Harrys Daughter
339 Communipaw Ave #4072, Jersey City, NJ 07304
Harry Daughter is a gastropub in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood of Jersey City. Threading a fine line between relaxed and refined, the Food elevates the flavors of Caribbean home cooking in unique and thoughtful ways, and for the drink menu, tropical flavors with the latest trends in cocktails. The decor is stunning, with hanging chairs, lush tropical wallpaper, and many plants. Additionally, they have a vast sizable bar with many drinks options, but their tropical cocktails are a must-try, especially their best-selling rum punch. This is the perfect spot for dinner in Jersey City. Additionally, in the summer, they have outdoor seating and live music.
Mordis Sandwich Shop
320 Communipaw Ave., Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Mordi’s Schnitzel Truck opened in April 2014 out of the love of Israeli street food and Jersey City. The food truck and the shop have a simple but important goal: to provide excellent customer service and quality homemade food from the freshest ingredients possible. If you want to enjoy delicious sandwiches, wraps, burgers, schnitzel, and salads, stop by Mordis. They also have a kid’s menu.
Pinwheel Garden and Dumpling
318 Communipaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Pinwheel Garden is a FAMILY-owned Restaurant dedicated to serving REMIXED Asian-American food from scratch, bringing together authentic flavors and ingredients from different cultures worldwide, including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, France, and America, to name but a few. In addition, they have many delicious lunch options like their unique dumplings, spicy Thai basil fried rice, kimchi ramen, drunken mushroom noodle, and more!
The Grind Shop
360 Communipaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
If you’re a coffee-lover, The Grind Shop is the spot to check out. This chic coffee shop serves up La Colombe Coffee and offers a range of delicious selections of pastries. Additionally, the Grind is open seven days a week and is a spot to check out for a quick pick-me-up when you are in the area.
Light Rail Café
237 Randolph Avenue, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Light Rail Cafe is an American restaurant offering lunch and dinner. Their menu includes delicious wings, burgers, wraps, pasta, and more. It is open seven days a week from the Garfield light rail stop.
Cafe Lafayette
74 Maple St, Jersey City, NJ 07304
Cafe Lafayette offers breakfast sandwiches, omelets, breakfast toasts, pastries, salads, and lunch sandwiches. It will also feature made-to-order smoothies + cold press juices to provide fresh and healthy options.
Other Activities
Luna de Papel
321 Communipaw Avenue, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Luna De Papel is the perfect spot for some kid-friendly fun! They offer art classes, after-school programs, mommy-and-me classes, and more. In addition, Luna de Papel is a crafting workshop that provides crafting and DIY classes and workshops for adults and children of all ages. It is a place where all can test the bounds of their imagination in an environment they enjoy.
Liberty Science Center
222 Jersey City Blvd, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Liberty Science Center is the number one stop to cheer up and do something fun on rainy days. It is filled with more activities than you can do in a day.
The Planetarium here is the biggest one in the Western Hemisphere. They also show films and shows for all ages. Some of the best attractions in the Planetarium are trips into space with a Sesame Street character, looking into the black hole in the middle of the Milky way, learning about asteroids, and numerous showtimes and films like Planets Tonight. And the Planetarium is just a part of this enormous center. Little ones also love a mini aquarium and zoo with mole rats, lizards, and tamarinds. Furthermore, everyone can play with blocks of all shapes and sizes and dig for Dinos outside.
Arlington Park Farmers Market
Ocean Avenue & Arlington Avenue
Arlington Farmers Market is a great market that runs from June to November. The market is much smaller than others in Jersey City, but they always have great local produce, fresh fruit, prepared foods, spices, crafts, jewelry, music, and more! It is every Saturday from 10 am-2 pm.
Lafayette Pool & Aquatic Center
303 Van Horne St, Jersey City, NJ, 07304
Lafayette Pool‘s location is very convenient to downtown Jersey City and Liberty State Park. The pool offers a kiddie pool with water features, a slide, a larger pool, and a snack stand. The center is open until September 9th, Monday – Friday, from 7 am – 7 pm. (7 am -9 am for adult/lap swim only, 9 am – 10 am for free swim lessons for kids, and 10 am – 7 pm for everyone). Weekend hours are 10 am – 6 pm. This pool is open only to Jersey City residents. It is right on Van Horne Street between Johnston Avenue and Maple Street.
Taproot Organics
511 Communipaw Avenue, Jersey City, NJ, 07302
Looking for some self-care and chemical-free skincare products? Taproot Organics is the go-to shop! The store features handmade shampoos, soaps, candles, body butter, face scrubs, and other beauty products. All Taproot Organic products are made using organic ingredients and all-natural products. They also carry a line of high-quality CBD products. Taproot is open seven days a week.
Updated March 28th 2024
