New Jersey played a key role in shaping the birth of the United States, and some of that history is preserved all throughout the state. One preservation of New Jersey’s history is through many inns and taverns.
The Garden State’s rich history of inns was recognized in a list from Historic Hotels of America, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which named their Top 25 Most Historic Bars, Taverns, and Speakeasies.
The Yankee Doodle Tap Room located at the Nassau Inn in Princeton made the top 25 list of the most historic bars throughout the country.
A historic photo of the Yankee Doodle Tap Room.
Nassau Inn is in the heart of downtown Princeton on Palmer Square. The hotel offers various inn and dining deals where travelers can relax and enjoy their stay.
Nearly 300 years ago, the hotel offered the same amenities. The Nassau Inn, established in 1756, played a great role in shaping America’s future. During the Revolutionary War, the inn hosted local Committee of Safety meetings.
Guests can mingle and enjoy food and drinks in the same room where George Washington and the Founding Fathers strategized the building of America.
Historic figures have their presence felt in every corner of the Yankee Doodle Tap Room including the initials of Albert Einstein carved into one of the tables, and a painting from Norman Rockwell in 1937.
Taverns in NJ These historic inns and taverns in North Jersey are worth a visit
Nassau Inn was inducted into the Historic Hotels of America in 2024. The hotel has been renovated but still has the historic ambiance from centuries ago. Guests can book their stay right on the hotel’s website.
The Princeton hotel is not the only inn and tavern that has been preserved since the first days of New Jersey’s history. The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern reopened in December 2009 but has been preserved by the National Register of Historic Places as the building was first constructed in the 1790s.
Inside the Yankee Doodle Tap Room.
Other historic hotels and taverns in New Jersey include the Black Horse Tavern & Pub Mendham, the Clinton House in Clinton, the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville and others.
Taverns and Inns were a staple in New Jersey communities, but some didn’t last the test of time due to many unfortunate circumstances. Arnold’s Tavern on the Morristown Green, Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge and Archibald Campbell’s Tavern in Hackensack are some historic 18th century bars that are not here today.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Princeton NJ tavern named among most historic in country
