Historic Smithville, NJ – Shopper’s Vibrant Getaway

Tucked away in a small town in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Historic Smithville is shopper’s paradise that has attracted hundreds and thousands of visitors in the last 60 years.

Historic Smithville History

Historic Smithville, NJ - Shopper's Vibrant Getaway — Historic Smithville, NJ – Shopper’s Vibrant Getaway

What started as a small inn and stagecoach stop, is now an attraction of over 60 shops. Very little is known of it’s history but according to Wikipedia:

James Baremore built what is now the Smithville Inn in 1787, a single room along a well-traveled stagecoach route. However, historians debate whether it was originally planned as an inn. The area of Smithville was originally considered part of Leeds / Leeds Point at the time. By 1874 the inn had grown to six times its original size. Its success was well established, but it was eventually abandoned at the turn of the 1900s. In 1952, Ethel and Fred Noyes purchased the inn and restored the building, opening it as a restaurant with 42 seats. The inn was declared a historic landmark in 1964 by the United States Department of the Interior.
Wikipedia – Smithville, Atlantic City

Another source describes Historic Smithville as this:

Smithville Towne consists of a principal inn, rebuilt around the original structure; two other inns, the Lantern Light and Quail Hill, and thirty-two other buildings, all authentic, typical of the early days of South Jersey. It invites hours of leisurely roaming amid a setting unequalled anywhere in these United States. The buildings of restored Smithville Towne are not facsimiles, but actual structures, brought to the grounds from many points in Southern Jersey, and restored to their original appearances.
Smithvillenj.com

My Historic Smithville Experience

Covid-19 brought all to a lockdown and to so much fear that anxiety everywhere rose to an undeniable height. And having been in the house for so long gave so much itch to this travel-hungry body of mine.

So I dragged the hubz along with me to take me somewhere where we both can relax and get our minds off all the worries – somewhere nature-y but not shopping-free. And I stumbled upon this place while searching for some lovely well-preserved historic towns that are close to where I live.

As described on the few websites I checked out, it is a quaint spot with shops all over – situated with a lake in the middle. The Village Greene spot was added later on as an expansion to the main Historic Smithville Shoppes. The Irish elements of the buildings add a tone of sweetness and a touch of elegance to this historic place that makes it a perfect destination all seasons long.

Needless to say, I fell in love.

It’s a perfect blend of shopping destination and nature escape, whatever season it may be.

I fell TOTALLY in love, that I COMPLETELY forgot to take a couple pictures with my hubz; he was busy taking pictures of me upon my request!

Check it out!

If ever you happen to pass by the area or are looking for somewhere to visit out of town but not too far from the City, this might be a nice place to check out.

Some stores that are worth checking out are: