Montclair - township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States

Montclair is a moderately built-up, leafy town of 39,000 people (2019) in Essex County, northern New Jersey. The neighborhood of Upper Montclair is full of mansions that can be seen while driving by.

Understand

Montclair is about 15 miles (25 km) from New York City, and has a mix of low-rise apartment buildings and private houses. Within the city is the locally prominent Montclair State University, but Montclair is too large and diverse to be thought of as just a college town.

Get in

By train

New Jersey Transit serves Montclair with the Montclair-Boonton rail line that connects Montclair State University directly to Penn Station in New York City, with several stops in Montclair.

By bus

Like many other communities in North Jersey, Montclair is well served by buses that travel to and from Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal.

By car

Points north and south can be reached via the Garden State Parkway, which is a bit east of the city. Montclair is easily accessed from points west and from Manhattan and other points east via Route 3, which is a bit north of city limits and feeds directly into the Lincoln Tunnel.

Get around

By car

Most residents of Montclair own a car. Parking can be tricky in some areas of downtown, however.

On foot

Central Montclair is a pleasant place to walk.

See

• Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Ave, +1 973-746-5555. W-Su noon – 5PM. Nonmember adult $12, senior (65+) $10, students (with I.D.) $10, child under 12 free
• Yogi Berra Museum, 8 Yogi Berra Dr (On the campus of Montclair State University), +1 973-655-2378. W-Su noon-5PM. Dedicated to the life and career of the renowned baseball player, this museum has an incredible collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the famed catcher and the New York Yankees of the time.

There are also some art galleries downtown, and you can see a beautiful distant view of the Manhattan skyline from a high point within Montclair city limits.

Do

Buy

• Watchung Booksellers, 54 Fairfield Street, Watchung Plaza (NJ Transit to Watchung Avenue; DeCamp #66 Bus to Watchung Plaza. Opposite Chase Bank @ Watchung Plaza), 40.82950°, -74.20637°, +1 973-744-7177, info@watchungbooksellers.com. M-F 10AM-7PM, Sa Su 10AM-5PM. Vibrant and robust independent book store. An excellent general bookstore, with very strong ties to and with Montclair's rich literary community. Also a strong teen and children's selection; dedicated children's room. Event calendar.

Eat

There are various cafes downtown.

• Trumpets Jazz Club and Restaurant, 6 Depot Sq, 40.817070°, -74.210543°, +1 973-744-2600. 2020-07-01

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Go next

If you didn't go to Montclair from New York City, that is the obvious place to go next.