New Jersey
7 Of The Most Welcoming Towns In New Jersey
New Jersey’s most welcoming towns pair walkable main streets with year-round arts calendars and centuries of preserved history. Some carry deep Revolutionary War legacies. Others grew up around an art museum or a resident orchestra. Free jazz fills Nishuane Park. The Mayo Performing Arts Center hosts touring Broadway shows. Expect Victorian beach streets, summer Shakespeare, and old battlefields. All places where strangers get treated like neighbors.
Cape May
Cape May built its hospitality on its bed-and-breakfast district. Longtime innkeepers remember returning guests by name. The city holds one of the largest collections of 19th-century frame buildings in the country. That Victorian architecture earned it National Historic Landmark status in 1976. Cape May stands at the southern tip of the state’s coast, where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Beach access stretches past Cove Beach and Poverty Beach to the central stretch near Beach Avenue. The Washington Street Mall handles shopping and dining inland. The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse still operates at the southern point. Visitors can climb its 199 steps for a view of the bay and ocean below.
Princeton
Princeton turned its university art museum into a public town square. The free museum opened a new building in October 2025 and holds more than 117,000 works. Princeton University began as the College of New Jersey in 1746, among the oldest in the country. Its collegiate Gothic campus stays open for self-guided architectural tours.
Bookstores and cafés line Nassau Street and Witherspoon Street downtown. Princeton Battlefield State Park preserves the ground where George Washington beat British troops in January 1777. The Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park follows the old canal corridor nearby. Level paths there suit walking and biking.
Morristown
Morristown holds the country’s first national historical park. Established in 1933, it preserves the site where the Continental Army camped through the brutal winter of 1779-1780. The town carries one of the deepest Revolutionary War legacies anywhere. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named it a Dozen Distinctive Destination. The Ford Mansion served as George Washington’s headquarters and stays open for tours. Acorn Hall, Historic Speedwell, and the MacCulloch Hall Historical Museum round out the historic-house circuit.
The Mayo Performing Arts Center on South Street books classical music, touring concerts, and Broadway shows year-round. The Morristown Green gathers the downtown restaurant and shopping scene around one public square.
Madison
Madison hosts the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey at Drew University. It is the state’s only professional company devoted to Shakespeare and the classics. Performances fill the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre through a long summer season. The town stands about five miles east of Morristown.
Independent cafés, bakeries, and boutiques fill Main Street and Waverly Place. The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts occupies the 1900 James Library building. Its displays show the tools New Jersey artisans used in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Montclair
The free Montclair Jazz Festival fills Nishuane Park each year. Emerging and established players make it one of the larger jazz gatherings in the region. The town rests on the eastern slope of the Watchung Mountains. It keeps one of New Jersey’s busiest arts calendars. The Montclair Art Museum on South Mountain Avenue centers its collection on American and Native American art.
The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University books dance, music, and theater all year. Restaurants and shops line Bloomfield Avenue in the Montclair Center district. The restored 1922 Wellmont Theater hosts touring concerts and comedy.
Westfield
The New Jersey Festival Orchestra calls Westfield home and plays venues around town all year. Shops, boutiques, and restaurants fill the Union County downtown along East Broad Street and Elm Street. The 1922 Rialto on East Broad Street was long the town’s movie house. It is being reborn as the Center for Creativity, a community arts venue for film, performance, and exhibitions.
Mindowaskin Park holds a pond, walking paths, and picnic spaces near downtown. The Spring Fling and FestiFall events bring music, food, and family activities to the blocks each year.
East Brunswick
Giamarese Farm and Orchards keeps a pick-your-own operation in East Brunswick. It offers seasonal fruit and vegetable picking, a corn maze, and autumn hayrides. The Middlesex County town leans toward families. Butterfly Park sets aside green space for butterfly conservation. Crystal Springs Family Waterpark gives a summer cooling-off spot.
Playhouse 22 stages community theater, plays, and concerts year-round. The East Brunswick Public Library hosts programs and exhibits as a cultural hub. Bicentennial Park and the Tamarack Golf Course cover the sports side. Route 18 puts New Brunswick and the central Jersey corridor within easy reach.
Hospitality You Can Walk To
Hospitality here shows up in small, repeatable ways. The Morristown Green fills with the same faces every weekend. Princeton opens its new art museum to everyone for free. The New Jersey Festival Orchestra tunes up in Westfield. Giamarese Farm hands East Brunswick families a basket every fall. None of it is staged for outsiders. These towns built their welcome for the people who live there. The rest of New Jersey keeps showing up anyway.
New Jersey
Did anyone win Powerball? Winning numbers for June 6, 2026
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Powerball winning numbers are in for the Saturday, June 6 drawing with a jackpot that reached an estimated $212 million ($94.5 million cash option).
The winning numbers in Saturday’s drawing are 16, 32, 55, 59, and 64, with Powerball number 3. The Power Play number is 3.
Did anyone win the Powerball jackpot?
No one won the Powerball jackpot.
When is the next drawing of the Powerball?
The next Powerball drawing is Monday. Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
How late can you buy a Powerball ticket?
In New Jersey, in-store and online ticket sales are available until 9:59 p.m. on the night of the draw.
What does it cost to play Powerball?
Powerball costs $2 to play. For an additional $1 per play, the Power Play feature can multiply nonjackpot prizes by two, three, four, five or 10 times.
Are you a Powerball winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All New Jersey Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.99. For prizes over $599.99, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at New Jersey Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to New Jersey Lottery, Attn: Validations, PO Box 041, Trenton, NJ 08625-0041.
Winners can drop off their claim form and winning ticket in person at the New Jersey Lottery office where a secure drop box is available. Claim forms are also available at the office. Hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Lawrence Park Complex, 1333 Brunswick Avenue Circle, Trenton, NJ 08648.
To find a lottery retalier, you can search the NJ lotto website.
What is the Powerball payout?
The complete guide to winnings is:
- Match 5 White Balls + Powerball: Jackpot
- Match 5 White Balls: $1 million
- Match 4 White Balls + Powerball: $50,000
- Match 4 White Balls: $100
- Match 3 White Balls + Powerball: $100
- Match 3 White Balls: $7
- Match 2 White Balls + Powerball: $7
- Match 1 White Ball + Powerball: $4
- Match Powerball: $4
- Match 5 White Balls with Power Play: $2 million
- Match 4 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $200,000
- Match 4 White Balls with Power Play: $400
- Match 3 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $400
- Match 3 White Balls with Power Play: $28
- Match 2 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $28
- Match 1 White Ball + Powerball with Power Play: $16
- Match Powerball with Power Play: $16
What are the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?
The overall odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million.
How do I find the Powerball winning numbers?
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also lived streamed on Powerball.com. The winning numbers are posted to the Powerball and New Jersey Lottery websites.
New Jersey
Severe thunderstorms possible in North Jersey Saturday
This is NJ’s chance at seeing a hurricane in the 2026 season
As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season approaches, weather experts from various outlets have begun to release their seasonal outlooks.
Severe thunderstorms are possible across North Jersey on June 6, with damaging winds, hail and heavy rain all in the forecast as a cold front moves through the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said another hot afternoon is expected before storms develop late Saturday and continue into Saturday night. Temperatures are expected to climb well into the 80s across much of the area, with lower 90s possible in the urban Northeast New Jersey corridor.
The main threat window is expected to run from about 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to a Saturday morning briefing from the NWS office in New York.
The strongest storms could bring wind gusts above 58 mph, enough to damage trees and power lines and cause scattered outages. Large hail around an inch is also possible, along with heavy downpours that could lead to localized flooding in urban areas, poor drainage spots and along quick-responding streams and creeks.
The Storm Prediction Center placed most of the region under a slight risk for severe weather, a level two out of five. The highest chance for severe storms is expected to be north and west of the I-95 corridor, though forecasters said storms could affect a broader area depending on how the system develops.
The NWS said there is still some uncertainty in the forecast, including how much storm activity develops during the afternoon and whether the timing limits the severity of storms later in the day.
The storms are expected to move through as a cold front sweeps across the area. Conditions are expected to turn mainly dry Sunday and into the middle of next week, with temperatures gradually warming again.
For those heading to the Shore, forecasters also warned of a high risk of rip currents at Atlantic-facing beaches Saturday. Rip currents can sweep even strong swimmers away from shore, and the NWS said anyone visiting the beaches should stay out of the surf. Water temperatures below 60 degrees could also quickly cause hypothermia.
Officials advise residents to monitor the forecast, make sure they can receive weather alerts and move indoors if thunder is heard. During severe thunderstorms, people should stay away from windows and avoid driving through flooded roads.
New Jersey
Robots? Podcasts? See inside North Jersey Girl Scouts’ new Dream Lab
Girls Scouts open DreamLab in Paramus
The Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey opened its new Dreamlab in Paramus on June 5, where girls will learn robotics, crafting and indoor camping.
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey will podcast, learn robotics and experience indoor camping thanks to a new DreamLab that opened in Paramus on June 5.
The 12,000-square-foot DreamLab, the second of its kind in the state and 12th in the country, will offer a variety of labs, workspaces, meeting rooms and other multipurpose spaces to serve North Jersey’s 19,000 Girl Scouts. The organization, open to ages 5 to 18, serves Bergen, Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties and the northern half of Warren County.
The center held a ribbon-cutting on Friday morning with Girl Scout leadership and local dignitaries, including County Executive Jim Tedesco, Commissioner Tracy Zur and Assemblymembers Lisa Swain and Chris Tully.
The Girl Scouts owned the 300 Forest Ave. location for 50 years, primarily using it as office space, but decided to reimagine the space in a $3 million renovation to create new programming space for its members.
Seeing the DreamLab get off the ground was important to Tedesco, whose mother helped found the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey branch. During the opening ceremony, he recounted his days spent at Girl Scout camp in the summers.
“It actually shaped who I am today,” said Tedesco. “It was what helped make me realize that I wanted to give back to my community as I grew up.”
Tedesco said the space will act as a community hub not just for Girl Scouts, but for nonprofits, local schools and organizations.
A few older scouts lead a design team to help the organization plan activities that would best prepare their fellow members for the world, like investing in robotics and other STEM related activities.
“We worked together not only to design a space where girls of all ages can come to enrich themselves, but also select programs that we believe can be highly beneficial and educational,” said 18-year-old Yasmine Lalani, one of the Girl Scout design team ambassadors.
One scout alumni, 19-year-old Isabella Santa Cruz of Glen Rock, even worked with the center to help build a sensory room as a safe space for neurodivergent members.
“Inclusion isn’t just a feature, but a foundation of meaningful impact,” Santa Cruz said. “The sensory room provides a peaceful sanctuary to escape the noise, listen to their inner voices and develop the self-awareness they need to lead.”
During the DreamLab’s first day, visitors could try out the space’s many features, including a podcast room, 3D printers, a kid-safe power tool called a Chomp Saw and test out Sphero BOLT, a robotic ball that is controlled and programmed with an app.
“I’m really excited for the girls to come in here,” said Nicole Ricci, 23, a Girl Scout alumni helping people try the Sphero BOLT. “It will be a great space for them to be creative and learn.”
Sandra Kenoff, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, is hopeful the DreamLab will inspire the next generation of leaders.
“From the beginning, we were committed to ensuring this space reflects the voices of the girls and the communities we serve,” said Kenoff.
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