Visit Princeton for Einstein, Revolutionary War history, more

While Princeton University and the town of Princeton, New Jersey, are often considered synonymous, there’s much more to discover in this community about two hours’ drive from the Queens border: Princeton the genius magnet, shopping heaven for food lovers and preppies, center of American history, inspiration for writers and artists. Pick a weekend and start exploring.

THE UNIVERSITY

Princeton University is at the heart of the town’s character and way of life today, as it has been since it settled in here 250 years ago. The 500-acre campus is also literally in the heart of town; from Palmer Square just cross Nassau Street, head in through the North Gate, and you’ll quickly detect that aura of Ivy League tradition.

Nassau Hall was the original building when the college, begun in Elizabeth a decade earlier, moved to Princeton in 1756. It was the largest academic building in the colonies, and has survived two fires and shelling during the Revolutionary War. Another must-see on the campus is University Chapel; it has one of the top collections of stained glass in the Western Hemisphere. Stop in at the Frist Campus Center Welcome Desk to get yourself oriented. The building was designed by acclaimed architect Robert Venturi (a Princeton alumnus), one of many celebrity architect landmarks on campus. I.M. Pei’s Spelman Halls, Frank Gehry’s Lewis Library and Rafael Viñoly’s Icahn Laboratory and Princeton Stadium are others.

For a more organized visit, join one of the Orange Key Tours. Offered year-round and open to the general public, these 45-minute walking tours are led by student volunteers. You’ll find the current schedule at admission.princeton.edu/visitprinceton

HOTEL

The unassuming 16-room Peacock Inn, a little hotel on tree-lined Bayard Lane, is a case study in Princeton’s unexpected connections.

I first stayed at the inn in 2011, when I went to Princeton to follow the Albert Einstein trail. Einstein stayed at the inn when he first arrived after fleeing Germany, spending 10 days there while workers finished his house.

I had no idea what lay beneath the Einstein layer — right in the basement, aka Peacock Alley, a speak-easy accessed from a side door and down a flight of stairs. When the current owners took over and renovated the inn about a decade ago, workers in the basement discovered several murals under the wallpaper. Turns out they were done by John Held Jr., a famous cartoonist and magazine illustrator of the 1920s. He was known for depicting the style of the roaring period and well known people of the time, and one of the murals stars Princeton mathematician John von Neumann, whose reckless driving was familiar to the locals. The cartoon depicts von Neumann blithely driving while reading a book.

Rooms from $250 per night; 609-924-1707; peacockinn.com

ART

Grounds for Sculpture is a museum and sculpture park in Hamilton, about 15 minutes southwest of Princeton. Artist J. Seward Johnson, a scion of the family that founded the Johnson & Johnson company, established this whimsical and inspiring indoor/outdoor museum on the 42-acre site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds. He acquired modern sculptures from dozens of artists and planted every one of the shrubs and trees and other flora visitors see today, all specifically designed to highlight features of the artwork.

People stroll the lawns and pathways, snapping pictures, getting up close, feeling the textures and calling out to friends to “come see this.” I loved the freedom to interact with the art, especially 3-D versions of well-known paintings. You could walk around Rousseau’s “Peaceable Kingdom” and get new angles on the scene. And being able to curl up on the bed that has always looked so inviting in Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom” was a thrill. Set aside at least a couple hours to visit.

Closed Mondays, admission $15 (children under 5 are free); 609-586-0616, groundsforsculpture.org

EINSTEIN

Albert Einstein’s house at 112 Mercer St. is a private residence. You can look from the sidewalk. It’s certainly low key, a two-story white house. But when you stand in front of it, think about this: It was home to not one but three Nobel Prize winners, including physicist Frank Wilczek (2004) and economist Eric Maskin (2007), as well as Einstein (1921), who lived there from 1936 until his death in 1955.

All three worked at the Institute for Advanced Study (Einstein Drive, ias.edu), started in 1930 as a place for scholars and scientists to pursue special research and studies. The grounds are open to the public (there’s a lake).

The only permanent exhibition in the country dedicated to Einstein is in the back of Landau (102 Nassau St., landauprinceton.com/einstein-museum), a third-generation shop selling “the world’s most beautiful woolens.” The exhibit is mostly photos and copies of newspaper articles and memorabilia from people who knew him. It’s limited, but then, most traditional museums don’t sell Loden coats and Irish fisherman sweaters.

HISTORY

Princeton Battlefield State Park is on the 200-acre site of a 1777 battle that resulted in Washington’s victory over the British. You also can visit the Clarke House Museum, built in 1772 and used as a hospital by troops on both sides of the conflict; the Ionic Colonnade; and a memorial marking the graves of British and American soldiers. Admission is free; 609-921-0074, state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/princeton.html

The Historical Society of Princeton offers two-hour walking tours at 2 p.m. Sundays, weather permitting, taking in sites around downtown Princeton and the university campus. Tours start at Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau St. Tickets are $7, available online at princetonhistory.org; call 609-921-6748 for more information.

DINING

Because it is part of the Grounds for Sculpture, it’s not surprising that the entrance to Rat’s looks a little like a stage set, complete with strolling couples in Victorian clothing. Within, it evokes Monet’s Giverny. Fine dining with a menu of country French cuisine, Rat’s offers lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch menus, and an extremely popular happy hour; 609-584-7800, ratsrestaurant.com

Stop by Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn, and check out the Palmer Square landmark’s 13-foot-long mural by Norman Rockwell, which rolls out the words to the “Yankee Doodle” ditty and a variety of characters along the back wall of the bar. They serve gastropub fare, including a quinoa-based veggie burger (amazing) and inventive cocktails reflecting the season. Plus 22 beers on tap; 609-921-7500, nassauinn.com.