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    Old Barracks Museum

    4.8 (16 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Period reenactors in the courtyard
    Greg J.

    As near as we could tell this is one of the few remaining sites from the battle of Trenton. This is the barracks where the Hessian troops were quartered. Some of the building is original (I think on the south side). The north side was demolished to build a street extension but has been reconstructed. They had four small exhibit rooms, including a good one on the French and Indian war. They also had a few people in period costumes on the Saturday morning when we visited.

    E Peter D.

    What an excellent experience. A real living history museum. For people who love to learn about American history this place is a treat. There are re-enactors In period dress telling the story of the Revolutionary War and the period leading up to it. It's hard to believe that most of these old military barracks have been lost to history. This is not for very young children but it's a wonderful way to get elementary school age children and older, interested in American history.

    This claim is debatable as Pike has also been claimed to have been born in Lamington, NJ (not Lamberton, NJ) which is in Somerset County.
    Christopher C.

    The National Park Service could really learn a thing or two from the staff at the Old Barracks Museum. I've been to nearly 50 NPS sites and while at some the site itself or its artifacts are enough to make it great, at a lot of sites it's the rangers who either make you glad you came or who make you wish that you stayed at home to watch lint collect in your belly button. When you come to OBM the first thing that strikes you is that none of occasional NPS lethargy applies here. Everyone you meet is highly appreciative that you came and the tour that we got from Bob was nothing short of fantastic. Let me back up for a moment. The building was built in 1758 during the French & Indian War as the largest building in Trenton. Originally there were around twenty rooms for soldiers with each room housing twelve men which equaled around 300 at any given time. During the Revolutionary War British & Hessian soldiers used the Barracks along with some residents who wanted to be protected. After Washington's improbable Trenton raid at the end of 1776 the Americans eventually used the building as a field hospital until the end of the war in 1781. Eventually the Barracks were divided into individual homes until being bought by the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution who bought the south section of the building in 1902. The state of New Jersey bought the north section in 1914 and the middle section was rebuilt to look as it did in 1758 with new corridors, windows, balconies and landscaping. The Barracks became a State Registered Landmark in 1970, a National Register Landmark in 1971 and a National Historic Landmark in 1972. A second restoration of the Barracks began in 1985 and ended in 1998 giving you what you see today. Getting back to the tour. First you can watch the short movie about Washington's 1776 Christmas Crossing and the battles of Trenton and Princeton. It is NPS/History Channel (back when they actually showed history pieces especially the good ones with Edward Herrmann narrating) quality and it is necessary watching. After that you are taken to a few different rooms showing where the rank and file soldiers bunked, the officers side of things and the little hospital-ish area which dealt with how the Army overcame Smallpox. We had Bob and he was nothing short of a beast. Both his knowledge of the subject and his delivery of that knowledge rivaled anything I've ever seen at any NPS site, period. Even if the Barracks weren't such a neat place to visit he made it fantastically interesting from beginning to end which was around 45 minutes. Also worth noting is the museum on the second floor which is well worth the visit although photography of that area in a no-go. All in all, especially if you get Bob for your tour the Old Barracks Museum is a winner as it was not only great, but was far better than what I thought it would be. Even though I've read/heard the story of Washington's Crossing many times, it's my favorite and this place helps to retell it perfectly. If you go: The Barracks are open Monday-Saturday from 10am-5pm. Tours start at the top of the hour and the last one obviously starts at 4pm. Admission is $8 adult, $6 students/seniors and under 5-active military-members are admitted free. Check their website for various special events that take place through out the year. Parking is a bit of an SOB if you come during the week when the government is open so come knowing that you'll be parking at least a few blocks away in a deck or if you're lucky maybe you can shark a metered space slightly closer or you can just come on a Saturday and park for free right behind the barracks in what looks like a State Police Lot.

    Gerald S.

    This old pre-Revolutionary War building has been well restored into an excellent interactive museum of the colonial period of New Jersey history. Given how poorly the other landmarks have fared in this capital city, the condition of this one is all the more remarkable and very worthy of a visit or two by history buffs. It was built in 1758 to house British soldiers during the French & Indian War. Colonists objected to being required to quarter Redcoats in their homes, as even at that time tension was high between people who identified as Jerseyites more than English subjects and resented the control the King had over their lives. The colonial government built five of these barracks around the colony, although this one in Trenton is the only survivor. There were Hessians and a few British officers housed here in December, 1776, when General Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Day eve and surprised the enemy with an early morning cannon barrage and brief fighting, leading to a rapid collapse of any defense and the surrender of Colonel Rall and his 1,200 men. There was more fighting to be done the following week at the Second Battle of Trenton (Assunpink Creek Bridge) on January 2, 1777, and the Battle of Princeton on the 3rd, but this quick victory set the tone for the success to come, and convinced the Continental Army, Continental Congress and the American colonists that this insurrection could be won and that George Washington was the man to do it. The barracks became an army hospital thereafter, and it was here that army physicians conducted the first inoculations of small pox to protect the troops from the deadly pox. This was the first attempt at inoculations anywhere in the modern world. In more recent times, the buildings were reduced to what remains today to make way for Front Street to reach the New Jersey Statehouse. What we see now was privately owned for a time and used for housing, until purchased by a few revolutionary war memorial groups who wanted to preserve and protect it for posterity. These days it is a surprisingly excellent museum of the revolutionary period, restored authentically to look like active soldiers living quarters, with workers/guides dressed in appropriate period costume. It is very easy to imagine what it was like to be alive in those days, and to participate in such important historic events Take a tour and see how amazing it all is (and was)!

    Jeff Z.

    We visited here last month and we had a really great time! The performers stay completely in character and were very informative. We met with a revolutionary Doctor who spoke of how he would car for the soldiers and intentionally expose them to virus to make them immune. We met with a colonial solder in Washington's army. One of the soldiers outside the barracks made us form and march. He also gave a demonstration with the musket that had a charge to make it go boom! The kids really enjoyed the musket!

    Dewan A.

    Great place. 1) The Barracks has George Washington's wallet. Which is excellent. 2) The tour is one of the best. Really enjoyed it. Especially when our tour guide was explaining smallpox. 3) Overall, if you are around the area, give this museum a shot.

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    The food was amazing. I had the pasta special, which was a creamy pesto pasta with chicken, and it definitely did not disappoint.

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    Review Highlights - Old Barracks Museum

    The building was built in 1758 during the French & Indian War as the largest building in Trenton.

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    New Jersey State House Tours

    New Jersey State House Tours

    4.4(7 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Downside: tours only on weekdays and currently by appointment, which has limited me being able to…read morevisit before. Also the parking info on the website was confusing, but we parked new the Barracks Museum but not in any nearby reserved spot. It was also a little confusing where the entrance was, but if you pick the wrong door, someone will point you in the right direction to the entrance of the annex. We were the only people on the tour, which is free, so we got to have a lot of great insight. We also got to shoot a ton of questions at the tour guide and he knowingly answered all of them and one he didn't know he radioed in to his team to find out. We started off looking at a stained glass ceiling with NJ sites depicted, looked in the Senate Room, the Representatives Room, the individual parties room, judiciary rooms, and meeting rooms while looking at different art in the hallway and inside rooms symbolizing NJ iconography/historic figures. It was delightful for both the artist and the historian in me. If this place gave tours on weekends, I think it would be more popular. Maybe there's a staffing shortage, and that would be a shame. Weekdays are hard for people to visit, but it is definitely worth it to visit if this sounds like something that would interest you. Note: between the 2 I've seen, PA still has better architecture (and Saturday tours) but that was still nice and more people should see it.

    "Trent Town" New Jersey! Yeah!! "Trent town" was recognized as the state capital in 1790…read more Quakers first founded the settlement in the region that later became Trenton in 1679. The Quaker settlement adopted the title "Trent-towne" by 1719 in honor of William Trent who was among its leading landholders. "The Battle of Trenton" took place in the city of "Trent town" where George Washington achieved his first military victory in the course of the American Revolutionary War. In December of 1784, the Confederation congress briefly convened in Trenton. Most famously, Trenton's Capitol briefly acted as the capital of the US. Yep. It was the capital of the United States of America from November 1 to December 24, 1784 Just for that one reason alone it's worth a visit. A lot of great American history took place in this old capitol building. And it is old, it's the 6th oldest in the US. I used to live in New Jersey. I loved living in Jersey. I traveled all over Jersey, Jersey is amazing! Amazing Italian food and awesome diners. Kinda industrial but urban also. A lively lovely little mini metropolis. The US Census Bureau groups Trenton's large, central Jersey, metropolitan area with that of New York while it also borders the large Philly Metropolitan area. Today, Trenton is a super manufacturing hub/industrial area, with a bunch of bridges that cross the Delaware river. It has its own unique beauty. I loved it there. A lot of American History/Historical significance in this Capitol as "Trent town" is among the seven state capitals situated in the Piedmont Plateau. Making the Capitol building in Trenton New Jersey, def one of the 7 you want to see. Recommend.

    Photos
    New Jersey State House Tours - State bird Gold Finch porcelain figurine in State House NJ.

    State bird Gold Finch porcelain figurine in State House NJ.

    New Jersey State House Tours - Love the tile on the walls in this hallway at State Houe NJ

    Love the tile on the walls in this hallway at State Houe NJ

    New Jersey State House Tours

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    New Jersey State House

    New Jersey State House

    3.8(5 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I decided to drag my girlfriend and ten-year-old son to Trenton for the day to investigate New…read moreJersey history and culture. After visiting the State Museum right next door, we wandered over to the capitol building. I had called the day before to make a reservation for a tour at 2pm. They had just changed over to a brand new system of entry and everyone in the building seemed to be confused about where to send us. Entered through the annex, asked if we were in the right spot, were told yes and sent through security. We spent the next twenty minutes being shuttled around the building from one perplexed security guard to another, each one insisting we had come in the wrong door. Finally made it to the tour welcome center where we waited with a few others. Our tour guide was Pam and was excellent. Very apologetic for the odyssey we'd been through, and very friendly and knowledgeable. We got to see both the general assembly and the senate rooms, as well as the governor's inner office (though not his actual personal office). Photos were not allowed in this area and we were accompanied by a NJ State Trooper from the governor's protection detail. The whole thing was free, and we really enjoyed learning about the history of our state's capital. Would definitely recommend to others who enjoy history and politics.

    I don't know why there are two listings for the state house/Capitol but here is my review…read more "Trent Town" New Jersey! Yeah!! "Trent town"was recognized as the state capital in 1790. Quakers first founded the settlement in the region that later became Trenton in 1679. The Quaker settlement adopted the title "Trent-towne" by 1719 in honor of William Trent who was among its leading landholders. "The Battle of Trenton" took place in the city of "Trent town" where George Washington achieved his first military victory in the course of the American Revolutionary War. In December of 1784, the Confederation congress briefly convened in Trenton. Most famously, Trenton's Capitol briefly acted as the capital of the US. Yep. It was the capital of the United States of America from November 1 to December 24, 1784 Just for that one reason alone it's worth a visit. A lot of great American history took place in this old capitol building. And it is old, it's the 6th oldest in the US. I used to live in New Jersey. I loved living in Jersey. I traveled all over Jersey, Jersey is amazing! Amazing Italian food and awesome diners. Kinda industrial but urban also. A lively lovely little mini metropolis. The US Census Bureau groups Trenton's large, central Jersey, metropolitan area with that of New York while it also borders the large Philly Metropolitan area. Today, Trenton is a super manufacturing hub/industrial area, with a bunch of bridges that cross the Delaware river. It has its own unique beauty. I loved it there. A lot of American History/Historical significance in this Capitol as "Trent town" is among the seven state capitals situated in the Piedmont Plateau. Making the Capitol building in Trenton New Jersey, def one of the 7 you want to see. Recommend.

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    New Jersey State House
    New Jersey State House
    New Jersey State House

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    Trenton Battle Monument - The monument

    Trenton Battle Monument

    2.7(3 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    I guess it's worth a stop. I think it is a spot the Americans attacked from. Not much to see here…read more Just the monument and a huge flag. The neighborhood didn't seem as bad as downtown where the battles happened

    As there were two battles in Trenton, NJ, pitting George Washington & the Continentals against the…read moreBritish and their mercenaries, why erect a granite monument that only commemorates one of them? Did this structure dedicated in 1893, at the highest ground known as Five Points, where the Americans marched after crossing the Delaware River Christmas night, setting up artillery that commanded the dirt streets pinning down the Hessians in their barracks at the bottom of Warren Street, presage the downgrading of the importance of these engagements in favor of the elitism that Princeton was to become? Why does Princeton get all the glory? After all, without the brilliance of Washington at Assunpink Creek Bridge, the outcome of the Battle of Princeton would likely have been very different. To say that the college town was the first direct conflict with the Redcoats and General George is just revisionist history. Our boys beat the pants off Cornwallis on January 2, 1777 in Trenton, and slipped away by night to march through Maidenhead to the fields south of Prince Town where George beat them again in bloody dawn fighting, while Cornwallis sipped his morning tea 11 miles away. That Trenton has fallen on hard times, and can't afford to repair the elevator in the 148 foot column that has forced its closure for many years, is well known. That giving the city its due for historic significance and making the area attractive (and safe) for history buffs, might bring the city back to life seems to have escaped the consideration of the powers that be. New Jersey needs better vision. Restoring the battlefield at Assunpink Creek Bridge (and the bridge itself) and the monument at Five Points would be good for everyone. A win/win/win for the city, state and we later day patriots. Think of the possibilities. Princeton Battlefield State Park and Monument are great, but the full story is far more compelling.

    Photos
    Trenton Battle Monument - The monument at night time

    The monument at night time

    Trenton Battle Monument - Washington After Battle of Trenton

    Washington After Battle of Trenton

    Trenton Battle Monument

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    Trenton Makes Bridge - Trenton makes the World Takes the "R" and "A". Hilarious!

    Trenton Makes Bridge

    4.0(3 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    The Lower Trenton Bridge is a pretty boring bridge that spans the Delaware River and connects New…read moreJersey and Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1806, it has been rebuilt a few times since then and is currently a five-span truss bridge that was completed in 1928. No longer a toll bridge (What? No way!), it is the southernmost free crossing of the Delaware River. In 1935, the words "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES" were added to the bridge in large letters. In 2005, it was upgraded with high-efficiency neon lighting. The saying was coined in 1910 as a slogan for the city. Though these days, Trenton is definitely no longer the industrial and manufacturing powerhouse it was then. [Review 11529 overall, 1309 of 2019.]

    New Jersey... my old stomping grounds! I grew up around Trenton and feel nostalgic when I visit…read morethe area! The Trenton Makes Bridge is over 100 years old! It reminds me of an old erector set of yesteryear. I love the mint green color, the famous logo on the side and the detailed construction. Most bridges give me the heebie-jeebies, but not this one. It's rather small and unassuming compared to their big, scary counterparts. This is a two-laned bridge separated by a median wall which makes travel easier and safer. It goes by fast, but I love looking at the trusses as we drive under it! Save a toll and take a minute to soak in this historic landmark! They don't make them like this anymore. I gave an extra star for the longevity of this is Jersey structure!

    Photos
    Trenton Makes Bridge - Delaware River Dreams

    Delaware River Dreams

    Trenton Makes Bridge - Trenton Makes Bridge, Trenton NJ

    Trenton Makes Bridge, Trenton NJ

    Trenton Makes Bridge

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    New Jersey State of - Jersey

    New Jersey State of

    4.1(8 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Welcome to New Jersey if we wanted you to like us by now we would've told you to. Lol. Most people…read morewho live here don't really have attitude problems that's just a perception problem on your end. But seriously no hard feelings though it's just how we were brought up, if you got something on your mind here you say it. "Tell it like it is" should be the official State motto already. And no matter what part of this uniquely diverse State you live in, the fact is most people who call New Jersey their home have an unmistakable uncompromising pride in where it is they come from.    From the Shores to the Mountains and the Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds. To the Cities, Streets, and Valleys and Farmlands some call home. To it's Overcrowded Highways to it's Pinelands and Great Swamps. We love our State of Jersey for ALL that She has got.

    For years, I've heard so many things about New Jersey. The good, the bad, the ugly. One of my best…read morefriends was born there and spent some years there, though lived mostly in Philly and met me when living in Arizona for a few years. When she mentioned getting married in her fiancé's aunt and uncles Jersey farmhouse, I was excited to finally visit outside of a train stop on the way to NYC from Philly. Though the roads in the countryside were scary with deer jumping out and some angry driver instances, I have to say I fell in love with the farmhouse and the views along with it in Flemington. Truly breathtaking and a beautiful backdrop for my friend's gothic-style wedding. I could do without the humidity in June though! Still a solid 5-star as the scenery was gorgeous!

    Photos
    New Jersey State of - The Mall at Short Hills - 7/16/2025

    The Mall at Short Hills - 7/16/2025

    New Jersey State of
    New Jersey State of - Decor for the goth wedding

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    Decor for the goth wedding

    Old Barracks Museum - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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