Newark is a “City of Churches” with every immigrant group building their own house of worship. Many are still here, some with new congregations and some with the old, all with their spirituality intact. Indeed, Newark is home to the fifth largest church in the United States and no tour of Newark would be complete without a stop at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica.
Newark is home to major cultural institutions of New Jersey - The Newark Museum, the New Jersey Historical Society and the Newark Public library. The collections of these institutions are unsurpassed. The newest addition to Newark’s cultural scene is the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Built as New Jersey’s premiere performing center, NJPAC has attracted thousands to enjoy quality programs within a graceful and dramatic space.
Did you know that Newark has more sculptures by Gutzum Borglum than any other city? From the humility of the Seated Lincoln to the grandeur of The Wars of America, they stand as a tribute to earlier leaders who believed cities should be places of beauty,
Cass Gilbert, Sanford White and Michael Graves are just a few of America’s great architects who gave Newark such magnificent buildings as the Essex County Court House, Newark City Hall and Pennsylvania Station. There are over fifty buildings in Newark listed on the National and State Register of Historic Places as well as four historic districts.
The Ironbound, an enclave east of Penn Station, has defied the realities of urban America. The influx of Portuguese and Brazilian immigrants has brought new life to this old neighborhood. Bustling shops, tidy rows of workman housing and great restaurants give this neighborhood its unique flavor. Forest Hill, established at the turn of the century with its broad streets and homes, still offers a quality life style to Newark residents. The row houses of the historic James Street Commons and the townhouses of Newark’s newest neighborhood, Society Hill, will introduce visitors to the old and new of the city.
The choices are endless, lunch or afternoon tea at The Newark Museum, an ethnic meal in the Ironbound, soul food in a renovated church, a light lunch in an 1876 mansion or any one of the new downtown restaurants. The choices are many and the food is great.
Enjoy Branch Brook Park’s spring blossoming of 2,500 cherry trees. Visit the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey and see how their dedication has served the community. Stop by the Newark Boys Chorus School and catch a rehearsal of Newark’s finest ambassadors. Visit the little synagogue that remains as a tribute to a once thriving Jewish community. Walk through Mount Pleasant Cemetery; laid out in the Victorian manner, its tree lined paths harboring the resting places of Newark’s finest families.