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Things
to do … |
How to get there from
the Inn |
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1.
Summit itself. Drive or walk around
one of the premier towns in New Jersey and experience for
yourself the … |
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Scenery. With its rolling hills,
generous green spaces, and many grand homes Summit is a treat for the
eyes. The Inn is ideally situated on the edge of Summit’s mansion district.
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WALKING & driving. |
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Vibrant downtown. Summit has “… a
vibrant commercial district of shops, services and restaurants that
is a widely-recognized model of what an effective downtown should
be.” (N.J Savvy Living, October, 2006). Summit never lost its old
fashioned, pedestrian friendly, central downtown. |
WALK. |
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2.
Dining. Some 30 diverse restaurants are a short walk from the Inn in downtown Summit. Quite a few of these
restaurants are true destination places, meaning they are top rated
and draw diners from outside of Summit seeking the best. In
addition, a number of other marquee restaurants are within a short
drive. Click
here for our guide. |
WALK or drive. |
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3.
Antiquing. Summit has an exceptional
concentration of antique stores. There’s nothing else like it within
20 miles in N.J. Explore … |
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Downtown stores. Some 5 different antique
shops are in downtown Summit. |
WALK. |
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Summit Antiques Center … A major center with 60+ dealers. In addition, several antique
stores are around the Center. |
Drive or take a bus (1.5 miles). |
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4.
Shopping. You have two different shopping experiences close at hand: |
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Downtown
Summit. Stroll tree-lined streets
while exploring some 150 charming, diverse, largely owner-operated
shops. Discover Summit’s destination
stores that attract people from far away. A number
of water features and bountiful flowers further make downtown Summit
an inviting, pedestrian friendly place. Take a break at one of the
coffee/tea shops or have a seat at one of the many benches to rest
your feet while having some ice cream. |
WALK (downtown starts one block from the Inn). |
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Short
Hills Mall. For a different experience go to this fashionable enclosed mall in
the neighboring town of Short Hills. You’ll find such stores as
Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s. |
Drive or take a bus (2 ½ miles). |
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5.
Wine tasting. Enjoy a free wine and cheese tasting
Saturday afternoon (12:00 – 3:00) at The
Wine List
in downtown Summit. |
WALK 3/10’s of a mile (in downtown). |
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6.
Visual
Arts Center for the state of NJ … From its rotating exhibitions to its workshops
this place is a wonder. Take a one day oil painting workshop.
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WALK or drive (6/10’s mile). |
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7.
Garden tours … You could spend days seeing these amazing gardens: |
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Arboretum & country
estate (Reeves-Reed
Arboretum). This
stunning one time estate is 12.5 acres of beauty and probably Summit’s top attraction. The
grounds have meandering paths lined with various plants (each one
carefully labeled), a formal rose garden, and babbling water features.
There’s also a great garden shop. The grounds are open 7 days a
week from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. |
WALK or drive (a scenic 6/10’s mile). |
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The Cora Hartshorn Arboretum
and Bird Sanctuary is a 16.5 acre beauty in the
neighboring town of Short Hills. It has 3 miles of trails, ancient
trees, and some exhibits in the Stone House. |
Drive 3 ¾ miles. |
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Greenwood Gardens is an Italianate Renaissance garden in the neighboring town of Shorts
Hills. Formerly a private residence, find grottos, cascading fountains,
and serenity. |
Drive 4 miles. |
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Duke Gardens. Truly extraordinary. Doris
Duke – once dubbed “the richest little girl in the world” – developed
an amazing indoor world of eleven interconnected great greenhouses
on her estate. Take a winding path through a tropical jungle in
the middle of winter. Walk into a 30’ tall conservatory room overflowing
with countless varieties of orchids. Call or e-mail well in advance
to reserve a spot on one of the free one hour tours. Other tours
of the estate are also available. |
Drive 25 miles to Somerville, NJ. |
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8.
Local theater. |
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Local theater. The Summit
Playhouse puts on first rate local theater productions
in an intimate atmosphere. Just seeing the unique 1891 oval structure
– Summit’s first library – is
a treat in itself. |
WALK or drive (¾’s of a mile). |
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Major theater. For major Broadway quality
productions you can drive to the Paper
Mill Playhouse in the neighboring town of Millburn. |
Drive (3 miles). |
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9.
Historical explorations |
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The DeBary Inn. The Inn itself has a colorful history all its own. See Our History.
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You’re here. |
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Self-guided walking history tour.
Summit is historic, starting off as part of a tract
of land “purchased” from the Indians in 1664. See item #10.b. below
for details. |
WALK. |
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Oldest house in Summit (Carter
House). Summit’s earliest remaining
building – a 1747 farm house – has an authentic Revolutionary War
era kitchen. The building is also home to Summit’s Historical Society
where you can explore Summit’s history. Visiting
hours are Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to noon and Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:00. |
Drive 2 miles. |
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Historic estate (Liberty
Hall). Unique and worth the trip. See the
history of the U.S. through the eyes of
the 6+ generations that lived on the Kean family estate. Everyone
from George Washington to George Bush Sr. has passed through here.
Go for the elegant high tea (on Sundays) and the tour of the house
and gardens. |
Drive 7 miles. |
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General Washington in Morristown. During the Revolutionary War General Washington spent two winters
encamped in nearby Morristown. Explore this history
by visiting the Morristown
National Historic Park. At the park you can see:1) Jockey Hollow
where Revolutionary War soldiers encamped. Huts have been faithfully
reconstructed to show how the solders lived. And 2) The Ford
Mansion which served as Washington’s headquarters during
the winter encampments |
Drive 8 miles. |
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10.
Self-guided walking tours. |
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House architecture tour.
Summit, especially the old
north side of Summit where the DeBary Inn
is located, has many architecturally interesting and grand homes.
Pick up a tour map from us and go for a self-guided walking tour. |
WALK. |
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History tour. Start your tour from
the Inn. Go see where General Washington used Summit as a lookout with a
fire beacon to signal if the British were on a foray into New Jersey from occupied New York City. See how the area transformed
from farms in the early 1800’s to a resort in the late 1800’s and
then on into its present day suburban environment. |
WALK. |
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11.
Walking/jogging. From the Inn you can go on several miles of wide, low traffic roads without having
to cross any major roads. Most of the routes take you through the
stately homes of north Summit. You can even get some
dramatic views of the NYC skyline in spots. Take one of our jogging
maps with you. |
Start at the Inn. |
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12.
Biking. Leisurely bike through several miles of low
traffic roads. Take one of our maps to guide you along bike friendly
territory. The map also points out interesting sights along the
way.
ALSO, you can bike from NYC to the Inn. Yes, it’s doable.
The “easy” way is to bring your bike on a NJTransit train (allowed
during non-rush hour times). Read about one guy’s experience by
clicking
here.
… OR you can bike the whole way from NYC to the Inn. The NYC based Five
Borough Bicycle Club has details. Google them and look for the Summit
ride. |
Start at the Inn. |
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13.
Massage. Get a full body deep tissue massage (or
more) at the Terra
Sky Center for Wellness. They occupy the upper floor
of a recently renovated silk mill. From the moment you walk in you’ll
start relaxing with the sounds of trickling water, their tasteful
décor, and always friendly staff. Or, Terra Sky can come
to the DeBary Inn and you can have a massage in the privacy of your
room. Terra Sky is a strong recommendation from personal experience.
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Drive 1.6 miles. |
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14.
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. A 7,600 acre national wildlife refuge with a varied habitat (mostly
a swamp). Wooden board walks take you through parts of the swamp,
including a blind for seeing wildlife. |
Drive 4 miles. |
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15.
Watchung
Reservation. This 2,000 acre reservation runs along Summit’s south side and beyond.
In the reservation you can …
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Go horseback riding. From the county run Watchung Stables you can
go on 26 miles of bridle paths through the Watchung Reservation. Hourly and half hour rentals are available as well
as private lessons.
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Explore a nature center.
At the Trailside Nature & Science Center you can find the queen bee in glassed-in
hive. See NJ’s venomous snakes, safely behind glass.
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Go hiking. Trails go throughout
the reservation. One trail even goes for 11 miles. Note: Enjoy the
trails for their cool tree canopy, the fun of hiking, and walk-to-it
paths for seeing all of the Reservation’s sights. Although the topography
is interesting, you won’t find scenic overlooks.
Click
here for a trail map.
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Explore a deserted village. Within the Watchung Reservation is
a village that was abandoned 100 years ago. |
Drive 3 ½ miles. |
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16.
Pick-your-own produce. Hillview
Farms at 223 Meyersville Rd in Gillette is a smaller
scale farm run by the 5th generation of the same family.
Call 908-647-0957 to find out what’s in season. You can pick apples, peaches, blueberries,
pumpkins, and more. A large covered country produce stand also sells
already picked fresh produce along with such home made fare as apple
pies. You can find quite a number of other produce picking places
if you go a little farther out west. …
The farm also makes a great destination point for a bike trip.
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Drive 6.3 miles. |
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17.
Birds of prey rehabilitation center. The Raptor
Trust is a rehabilitation facility for birds
of prey (raptors). At this well kept informal facility you can see
bald eagles, many types of owls, and learn how birds have adapted
to their environment. Donations accepted. … And you can continue
your bike trip from the pick-your-own produce farm (item 16 above)
to go here. You’ll be biking through open land in the Great Swamp (see item 14 above).
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Drive 10 miles to Millington. |
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18.
Edison National Historic Site. The world’s first research laboratory was developed here by Thomas Edison.
This is where the light bulb was perfected, the first sound was
ever recorded, and the first movie was made. Visit the original
labs, complete with inventory left from the early 1900’s. Visit
Edison’s home also. |
Drive 10 miles to West Orange. |
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19.
Learn faux finish techniques. The Dundean Studios
draws people from around the world. They teach beginners on up to
professional artisans in how-to techniques for faux finishes and
design. They even have a one-day business course for artisans. |
Drive 2 ½ miles to neighboring Chatham. |
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20.
New York City. Just 35 minutes away by express train is one of the world’s great cities. |
Train or bus. |
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21.
Statue
of Liberty & Ellis Island. THE symbol of American freedom, the Statue of
Liberty was a gift from France commemorating America’s centennial in 1876.
At Ellis Island you can explore your family’s roots in the
place that was the gateway to America for millions of immigrants
in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
The easiest way to get
there from the Inn is to drive to Liberty State Park in NJ and take the
ferry. The drive takes 23 minutes (non rush hour) and is only a
few turns (we have maps). The ferry from Liberty State Park stops at both places.Note:
If you’re driving, be sure to also stop at the Liberty Science Center (see next) and make
it a full day. … Or, if you’re going
to be in NYC you can take a ferry from Battery Park in Manhattan.
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Drive 23 minutes (19 miles). |
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22.
Liberty Science Center. Unique, interactive exhibits.
The world’s largest IMAX dome theater – part of the complex
– leaves you with an unforgettable experience.
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Drive 21 minutes (17 miles). |
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23.
Houses of worship. Some 8 churches and synagogues are within walking
distance of the DeBary Inn. |
WALK or drive. |
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24.
Do nothing at all. Curl up with a good book by the fire or enjoy
the breeze on one of our rocking chairs on the porch. |
Stay put. |
