Down the Shore

It truly was the luck of the Irish that the sun and warmth finally appeared on Sunday, just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day parades in Rumson and Asbury Park.

We spent the afternoon at the former for our daughter’s first parade experience. Highlights included a performance by D’Arcy School of Irish Dance, a parade full of floats and bagpipes, an impressive showing from local charities, and even an Irish soda bread contest. We topped off the festivities with a pint of Guinness at Victory Park Tavern — sipped standing outside the pub, Dublin-style.

Field Trip: Frenchtown, NJ

1 hr 30 min from most of Monmouth County

Why go: Antique shops, riverside walks, great coffee, and a vineyard stop on the way home.

Even though March usually brings Ireland and beer to mind, this week’s field trip takes us to Frenchtown—for wine. This quaint Delaware River town in Hunterdon County makes the perfect day trip when early spring weather starts to cooperate and you’re ready to spend some time outside.

Frenchtown gets its name from one of its early settlers, Paul Henri Mallet-Prevost, a Swiss man who fled France (and the guillotine) in the late 18th century. He settled here with his wife, sons, and several other French-speaking families, eventually giving rise to the town’s name when the Frenchtown Post Office was established in 1839.

Today it’s an artsy little enclave filled with antique shops, boutiques, cozy eateries, and scenic riverside paths.

Start with coffee

Early Bird Espresso & Mercantile — excellent flat whites and a great way to kick off your walk through town.

DTS Tip: Grab your coffee to-go and wander down Bridge Street. It’s the main stretch where most of the shops are clustered.

Wander and browse

Take your time popping into shops like Modern Love (home goods), Frenchtown Pottery, Merge Gallery (antiques), Black Swan Provisions (cheese shop), and the charming Frenchtown Bookshop.

Grab lunch

Frenchtown Café — try the Sweet Potato Chickpea & Cranberry veggie burger.
Chez Daniel also looked adorable if you’re in the mood for something a little more French bistro.

Take a riverside walk

The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail runs alongside the river on a gravel path that's perfect for a stroller or dog.

DTS Tip: The trail can get muddy after rainy weather, so plan your trip and footware accordingly.

For a shorter walk, try the footpath across the Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge. There’s not much to explore once you reach the Pennsylvania side, but the river views from the bridge are worth it.

End the day with wine

When you're ready to head home, stop at Beneduce Vineyards, just 12 minutes away in Pittstown.

Founder Mike Beneduce set out to put New Jersey wine on the map…and it’s working. The vineyard has been featured in national publications including Travel + Leisure and USA Today.

Interestingly, many of their wines are made from Austrian grape varieties, as New Jersey’s climate most closely resembles parts of Austria. We loved the Blaufränkisch (pronounced blawh-frank-ish) red and even joined their free Moonlighter’s Wine Club.

DTS Tip: Dogs aren’t allowed inside the tasting room, but the vineyard has beautiful outdoor grounds and picnic tables that will be perfect once spring weather fully arrives.

Shore Points

Here are a few headlines that caught our eye this week:

These 10+ Classic Jersey Shore Restaurants Never Go Out of Style — The Asbury Park Press features quintessential Shore dining spots including Del Ponte’s, Frank’s Deli, Mueller’s Bakery, and more.

Netflix Posts First Jobs at Fort Monmouth Studio — The new Netflix studio has been big news in New Jersey, and the very first jobs are open for applications. Action!

Weekly Forecast

How does the old saying about Spring go…in like a lamb, out like a lion? Not sure that’s right, but it sums up the forecast this week:

Monday 3/9 - 61°/40° Sunny

Tuesday 3/10 - 64°/46° Partly Sunny

Wednesday 3/11 - 60°/48° Cloudy

Thursday 3/12 - 52°/32° Rain

Friday 3/13 - 44°/32° Cloudy

Saturday 3/14 - 50°/37° Cloudy

Sunday 3/15 - 47°/37° Light Rain

And for the surfers out there, here are the weekly surf conditions in Belmar courtesy of Surf Captain:

Farmer’s Market Roundup

While we’re counting down the days until our local farmers market opens (Saturday, May 9th in Fair Haven), here is our weekly roundup of farmers markets to check out. Hoping all this rain brings us more of a selection!

• Holmdel: 3/11 Bell Works FRESH Wednesday Farmers and Makers Market

And if we are missing any other markets, let us know!

Happenings Down the Shore

Below is a curated list of events you can check out this week. One that caught our eye is at DTS fave, Beach Bee Meadery, where on Wednesday you’ll be able to learn about the process of meadmaking directly from the Meadmaker (how’s that for a job title!)

We’re also excited that Saturday, March 14th is Opening Day at Allaire Village!

If there’s an upcoming event you’d like us to cover, feel free to pass it along!

Monday 3/9

Holmdel - Intro to Pickleball Clinic at Bell Works (9:30 am - register here)

Oceanport - Weekly Trivia at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:30 pm)

Tuesday 3/10

Spring Lake - TOO BLESSED TO STRESS Event with author Alli Hoff Kosik at Thunder Road Books (6 pm - get tix)

Wednesday 3/11

Holmdel - Floral Arranging Workshop with Enchanted Blossoms at Bar Bella in Bell Works (6:30 pm - get tix)

Long Branch - Meet The Meadmaker Discussion on the Process of Meadmaking and Flavor Development at Beach Bee Meadery (6:30 pm)

Oceanport - Pasta Class at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6 pm - make pasta)

Thursday 3/12

Holmdel - Bright Minds, Bold Women Trivia Night at Bar Bella in Bell Works (6:30 pm)

Long Branch - Trivia Night at Beach Bee Meadery (6:30 pm)

Red Bank - Gab Cinque Trio at Jamian’s (8 pm)

Red Bank - Erez Lirov at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm)

Red Bank - Bridge St Posse at Triumph Brewing (8 pm)

Friday 3/13

Asbury Park - Shorty Long & the Jersey Horns at the Wonder Bar (7 pm - get tix)

Belmar - No Way Out at Marina Grille (8 pm)

Holmdel - Doug Hunter at Fox Hollow Vineyard (6 pm)

Oceanport - Aiden Villa at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:00 pm)

Red Bank - The Benjamins at Jamian’s (9 pm)

Red Bank - Jeff Levine at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm)

Red Bank - Amanda Greatorex at Triumph Brewery (8 pm)

Sandy Hook - Seal and Winter Waterfowl Walk with American Littoral Society (10 am)

Saturday 3/14

Asbury Park - Hollis Brown at The Wonder Bar (7 pm - get tix)

Belmar - Nine Deez Nite at Marina Grille (8 pm)

Holmdel - Ronnie Brandt at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Lincroft - Free Weekend Workshop Series at the Monmouth Museum (11 am)

Oceanport - Locale Pizza Pop-up at Skinny Flowers Brewing (2:00 pm)

Red Bank - Random Test Reggae Band at Jamian’s (9 pm)

Red Bank - Frank Rainey at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm)

Red Bank - Red 123 at Triumph Brewery (9 pm)

Sandy Hook - Sandy Hook Park Cleanup (9:30 am)

Wall Township - Opening Day at Allaire Village (7 am)

Sunday 3/15

Belmar - Louis Montesano at Beach Haus (2 pm)

Belmar - Glimmer Grass Band at Marina Grille (2 pm)

Holmdel - Shayne DeSena at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Red Bank - Abe Ovadia Trio at Triumph Brewing (1 pm)

Spring Lake - An Evening with NYT and USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kate Quinn at Spring Lake Theater (5 pm - get tix)

Did we miss an event? Let us know.

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