Frenchtown: Art, Architecture, and a Delaware River Cycling Route

Explore Frenchtown through a variety of interests: the D&R Canal Towpath Ride along the Delaware River, the historic business district on Bridge Street and Race Street, and ArtYard, a center for alternative contemporary art. The landscape and local events are also part of what the area has to offer. This gives you a choice of different focuses when planning your trip—a cycling route, historic architecture, art, or a festival.

Cycling route between the river and former transportation corridors

The D&R Canal Towpath Ride runs along the Delaware River from Ewing to Frenchtown. Its route follows the former towpath and railroad line. Between Prallsville Mills and Frenchtown, you can take a loop: travel one way on the towpath and the other on Route 29, which has a wide paved shoulder. The loop therefore combines two different types of route. The route from Ewing to Frenchtown and the loop from Prallsville Mills to Frenchtown have different geographic connections. When planning, you can first decide whether you want to focus on the Ewing–Frenchtown connection or the loop between Prallsville Mills and Frenchtown.

Delaware River and landscape

The lower Delaware River, from approximately the Washington Crossing Bridge north to Frenchtown, was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 2000. Frenchtown is the northern endpoint of this approximately defined section. The Delaware River Scenic Byway passes through Frenchtown and through a landscape of farmland, forests, and rocks. The river designation and the byway’s landscape features provide two different points of reference for understanding the region: the first relates to a section of the river, while the second relates to the landscape along the scenic route. If you want to shape your stay around nature and scenery, you can take these aspects into account alongside the specific cycling route.

Historic business district and ArtYard

In the Frenchtown Historic District, Bridge Street and Race Street form a business district. Predominantly two- and three-story commercial buildings from the 19th century shape the streetscape. The area’s commercial function and historic architecture come together here. This is a different focus for planning a stay than the cycling route: here, two named streets and the design of their business district are at the center, while the route connects places.

ArtYard complements this architectural focus with contemporary art. This interdisciplinary center for alternative contemporary art includes an exhibition space, a theater, and a residency program. The McDonnell Theater presents music, performances, poetry, and film screenings, as well as artist talks and symposia. The formats range from artistic presentations and film to talks and symposia. If you want to include art in your trip plans, you can consider ArtYard based on the format that interests you. Since the program may change, check current dates if you are planning a visit specifically around it.

Riverfest and trip planning

Riverfest is one of Frenchtown’s street fairs and festivals. Dates and programming may change; if the festival is the reason for your trip, check the event dates. The local attractions offer different focuses: the cycling route is about its course and loop, the Historic District about its business district and buildings, ArtYard about art formats, and Riverfest about event dates. You can shape your stay around what interests you most in Frenchtown.

Discover more destinations: Flemington, Readington Township, Lambertville, Lebanon

Go to the main travel overview: Hunterdon County.