Like Philadelphia across the Delaware River, Mickleton, New Jersey, oozes history. The community is much smaller than the City of Brotherly Love, but its Quaker past is just as evident. While the town's historic structures are largely privately owned, you can check out the exteriors of Revolutionary War surgeon Dr. Bodo Otto's house and the circa 1809 Little Red Schoolhouse. Time your visit right to enjoy the schoolhouse's annual yard sale, egg hunt and pig roast. Otherwise, your best bet is to drive less than 8 miles from town to immerse yourself in an area brimming with antique shops, parks and historic sites.
Mullica Hill
- Mullica Hill -- a picturesque town lined with historic Colonial and Victorian buildings occupied by an eclectic assortment of antique shops, specialty stores and eateries -- is less than 5 miles from Mickleton. Many of the shops are closed for business on Mondays and Tuesdays, so you'll want to visit later in the week, but preferably not on summer weekends when traffic can be heavy. Be sure to stop at Yellow Garage Antiques, a 6,500-square-foot antique consortium housed in an old bus terminal. Then there's Murphy's Loft, a barn turned multi-dealer bookshop, collectibles and antique furniture center specializing in vintage postcards. The Old Mill Antique Mall, in a Revolutionary War-era barn, has everything from buttons and bottles to fine china and midcentury furniture, but when your stomach starts to rumble, head to Amelia's Tea and Holly. The Christmas shop and tearoom is lavished with Victorian decor, an ideal spot for sipping cherry rose tea and noshing on freshly baked scones.
Swedesboro
- Swedesboro, another scenic berg that's worth a visit, is less than 5 miles from Mickleton. The town's main street has a small stretch of restaurants and specialty stores, dominated by Botto's Italian Restaurant and Tavro Thirteen, an upscale eatery housed in a Colonial home built in 1771. King's Things, a Christian thrift shop, has some great finds. Be sure to stop into the award-winning Sweetsboro Pastry Shop, known for its cheesecakes and fruit pies. History buffs will appreciate the Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church, downtown Swedesboro's most prominent structure. The brick church stands on one of South Jersey's oldest deeded church properties; the building is open only by appointment, but a walk around the grounds reveals a cemetery where many Swede pioneers are laid to rest.
Woodbury
- Centuries-old brick buildings and formerly grand houses line Woodbury's main thoroughfare. Less than 5 miles from Mickleton, the Revolutionary War-era town lies along the banks of the Delaware River and is packed with historic sites. While some of the area is rundown, you can walk along Broad and Delaware Streets to view the Friends Meeting House, an 18th-century Quaker gathering place, and the G.G. Green Building, a former Victorian-era opera house. The Hunter-Lawrence Jessup House, once the boyhood home of "Don't give up the ship" Captain James Lawrence, is open for tours, as is the Friendship Fire Company Museum.
Parks
- Travel roughly 3 miles from Mickleton to relax in Greenwich Lake Park with picnic tables, grills, a boat launch and year-round, licensed fishing opportunities at its 40-acre spring-fed lake. Less than 8 miles from the town, Red Bank Battlefield has playgrounds, nature paths, picnic areas and a small Delaware River beach. It's also the site of the American victory in the 1777 Revolutionary War battle of Red Bank, when the Continental army kept British-service Hessians from attacking Philadelphia. The Ann Whitall House, a 1748 Quaker farmhouse that survived the battle and served as a battlefield hospital, is open for free tours.
