Where to stay

Hotels in Downtown Newark are in the heart of the action, where NHL hockey, performing arts, museums, the symphony, and special events provide endless entertainment options. The Newark Museum features an impressive Tibetan art collection. Inspiring religious structures here include the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, one of the largest churches in the United States. Accommodations in Harrison, just east of the Passaic River, are also near these downtown sites and very close to a venue for major league soccer. Stay near the Ironbound district to experience a small neighborhood filled with Portuguese culture and cuisine. To the west, Gateways to Newark {Portraits} features some of the nation's longest outdoor murals.

Newark's choices for outdoor activities extend from the center of the city to numerous outlying suburbs. Stay in Downtown Newark in the spring to see cherry blossoms bloom on thousands of trees in Branch Brook Park near the large Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Book a hotel in Irvington to explore the Judith L. Shipley Urban Environmental Center for relaxing in a lovely green space and joining environmental education classes. West Orange is a great place to stay for golf. Enjoy views of New York City from Eagle Rock Reservation and visit Turtle Back Zoo at South Mountain Reservation. Hotels in the Elizabeth neighborhood are near golf and horseback riding, while Linden is great for booking helicopter sightseeing rides over New York City.

Settled in the 1600s, Newark has a lot of interesting history. Stay in the Downtown Newark neighborhood to learn about the past via exhibits in the Museum of the Old First Ward and New Jersey Historical Society. The Jewish Museum and Portuguese development in the Ironbound district highlight some of the city's diverse ethnic development. Hotels in Montclair are near the Montclair History Center, where homes from the 1700s and 1800s preserve the past. Book a hotel in Union to tour the living museum of the Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University, built in 1772. Stay northeast of Newark near Paramus to tour 18th-century homes of the River Edge neighborhood. West Orange is the place to stay to explore the Thomas Edison Home.