Beyond Campus

From gut-busting comedy to thought-provoking theatrical performances to soul-stirring concerts, the New Brunswick area arts and entertainment scene offers a panoply of stuff to do and see.

Learn What’s Happening around Campus

Theater, musical performances, dance, and more—hundreds of events are held at Rutgers–New Brunswick every week.

Getting Here

Rutgers’ central location on the East Coast and proximity to Newark, New York City, and Philadelphia make getting here a snap. You can reach us by plane, train, or automobile (and even by bike). Learn more.

The Late-Night Bite to Eat

Looking for an after-party snack? There are plenty of local eateries that cater to (pardon the pun) a student’s budget, making it a snap to get delivery or take out at 3 a.m. Don’t forget the grease trucks on the College Avenue Campus, where you’ll find a “fat” sandwich to satiate any appetite.

More Locations for Food, Fun, and Shopping

Other off-campus places to enjoy food, shopping, and entertainment include:

U.S. Route 1 corridor
Ryders Lane corridor (East Brunswick)
Raritan Avenue/Route 27 (Highland Park)
Centennial Avenue and Stelton Road (Piscataway)

Historical Places

East Jersey Olde Towne Village

Travel back in time as you explore nearby historic sites, including:

East Jersey Olde Towne Village: See replica and reconstructed 18th- and 19th-century schoolhouses, homes, barracks, and more. The historic area offers educational workshops, seminars and lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and storytelling.
Buccleuch Mansion: Prominent figures, including George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, visited the home, built in 1739. Public tours are held Sunday afternoons, June to October, and also by appointment. For information, contact the curator at 732-745-5094.
Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum: Built in 1741, the Georgian-style Cornelius Low House offers a glimpse into Piscataway’s agrarian past as a busy riverside port community. Cornelius Low Jr. was an influential merchant, surveyor, and attorney in this area of present-day Piscataway, known in the 1700s as “Raritan Landing.”

A Hub for Entertainment, Culture, and Recreation

Visit New Brunswick on any given day and you’ll find a bustling college town with a mix of students, community folk, and professionals, perched at coffee houses, mingling in eateries, browsing shops, and doing business. Piscataway Township, a community-oriented suburb, offers convenient shopping, scenic outdoor recreation, and restaurants and eateries.

Food and Fun

Downtown New Brunswick Central New Jersey’s got it all all. New Brunswick’s downtown dining and entertainment scene combines a cultural experience with great eats. Whether you’re craving a Middle Eastern falafel, Japanese sushi, Ethiopian doro tibs, a Mexican burrito, Italian lasagna with meatballs, Indian tofu tikka, or southern-style fried chicken, there’s a restaurant for you. Want to go clubbing or cool out at a lounge? The city, especially the Easton Avenue corridor, adjacent to the College Avenue Campus, offers budget-friendly, casual, and not-so-casual places to get together with friends. Piscataway offers many well-known chain restaurants, in addition to unique eateries. Don’t forget diners, where you can grab a bite 24/7.

Get the Necessities

Whether you’re looking for the latest fashions or looking to deck out your dorm room (on a student’s budget), central New Jersey offers a mix of shopping opportunities. Nearby to campus, you’ll find:

Big-Box Shopping: Piscataway’s Middlesex and Hadley Center malls offer big-name department stores, a movie theater, restaurants and eateries, and a grocery store.
Downtown: New Brunswick’s downtown is great for essentials. Just on the edge of the Douglass Campus, you’ll find Sears, where you’ll pay just 3 percent sales tax.
Across the Bridge: Highland Park’s downtown offers a unique mix of mom-and-pop shops, great for one-of-a-kind gifts and dining.
Malls: Area malls include Menlo Park (Route 1), Woodbridge (Route 1), and Brunswick Square (Route 18) malls. Don’t have a car? Don’t worry: You can hop on a NJ Transit bus. Map your route at NJTransit.com.
Food Stores: Grocery stores can be found in Highland Park (Stop & Shop), downtown New Brunswick (C-Town, George Street Co-op natural food market), Somerset (Stop & Shop), Piscataway (Pathmark), and North Brunswick (A&P).

Watch A Movie or See a Play...

Local playhouses and movie theaters make for a great study break (or extra credit, if you're lucky).

Playhouses and Movies

The State Theatre Regional Arts Center
Located in downtown New Brunswick, The State Theatre is a première venue for a diverse mix of concerts and theater offerings, such as Melissa Etheridge, Cheap Trick, the American Repertory Ballet’s The Nutcracker, and the off-Broadway sensation STOMP.
George Street Playhouse
Located in downtown New Brunswick, George Street Playhouse hosts critically acclaimed plays and musicals, such as Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys and William Finn’s landmark musical Falsettos, in addition to new original productions.
Crossroads Theater Company
A Tony-award winning playhouse, Crossroads Theater Company celebrates the African-American experience, with noteworthy productions such Jitney by August Wilson and Flyin’ West written by Pearl Cleage. Photo courtesy of Crossroads Theatre Building.
Mason Gross School of the Arts
With performances at Rutgers University’s Nicholas Music Center on the Douglass Campus, Mason Gross Presents is a year-round performing arts series featuring performances in theater, music, and dance, as well as visual arts exhibitions.
Circle Players
As a small Piscataway-based community playhouse, the Circle Players offers a broad array of performances in the round such as Othello, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Fantasticks.
AMC Lowes New Brunswick 18
Located at 17 Route 1, just North of Rutgers-New Brunswick, AMC Lowes New Brunswick 18 offers 18 screens of mind-stimulating comedy, drama, action, adventure, animation, and horror movies, including an IMAX screen and three 3-D screens.
Regal Hadley Theatre 16
Located at 1000 Corporate Court in South Plainfield, about 2.5 miles from the Busch and Livingston campuses, the theater offers 16 movie viewing screens.

Get Outside

Grab your sneakers, basketball, tennis racquet, or baseball mitt for a day of fun.

Nearby Parks

The parks closest to Rutgers–New Brunswick are:

Boyd Park: Near the Douglass Campus and accessible from Commercial Avenue and George Street in New Brunswick, the park offers great views of the city, a river-front walkway, and playgrounds.
Buccleuch Park (pronounced Buc-lew): Just north of the College Avenue Campus in New Brunswick, this park has walking trails, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, and children’s playgrounds.
Johnson Park: Get out on the 2.5-mile biking/walking trail. Located in Highland Park, this park offers lighted tennis courts, a basketball court, baseball and soccer fields, cricket pitches, picnic groves, and even a mini-zoo. East Jersey Olde Towne Village historical site is here too.

Other Area Recreational Spaces

Donaldson Park: Located in Highland Park, this park has riverfront views, walking/jogging paths, lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball and soccer fields, picnic groves, playgrounds, a boat ramp, and a pond.
Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park: Get ready to row, ride, or walk. Originally built as a waterway to transport goods along New Jersey’s industrial corridor, today the 70-mile long park area offers nature trails, historic mills, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting.

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