Welcome Back to Medford!

Welcome back to Destination Medford, your spot online to find out everything in our hometown that will Make Medford Your Destination! We're excited to finally relaunch our web site alongside our flagship social media feeds and event platforms as a hub to share everything that makes Medford the best place to live, work, and enjoy.

In 2018, Abbie started Destination Medford to fill a gap in local tourism that existed between the large regional campaigns like Visit New Jersey and the dedicated hard work of small associations like the Main Street Merchants of Historic Medford Village. Medford is a town filled with charming corners like our Main Street district, Medford Lakes, the farms near Crossroads, or the forests beyond Stokes Road. For both locals and visitors, we wanted to encourage you to explore every part of our community and find the small businesses that make this an incredibly special place.

First, introducing our new web site platform, is easy - as this is the building block for a number of new tools coming soon from the DM team. Ghost, our content management platform, is an open-source system that helps us put together features and articles in an easy-to-read, easy-to-share format that will work whether you're reading this in a browser on your desktop or in our upcoming app on an iPhone or Android device. There are a number of features to help us share events or help you navigate the neighborhoods of Medford coming in the future - and this new site is the foundation that we'll be building all of that upon.

Why Medford?

The important question, why Medford? Abbie and I are both transplants to Medford, myself from the edge of Old City in Philadelphia and Abbie from the other end of Route 70 along the Jersey Shore. However, with decades as locals - the transplant label has faded somewhat, and we've watched as both boom and bust have washed over Medford. Together, we're part of a group of family and friends that invested in the downtown village when we opened Lower Forge Brewery nine years ago - in a neighborhood that would be unrecognizable today.

Nine years ago, as the financial crisis of 2008 receded - Medford's Main Street had many vacant shops and had devolved from the "antiquing" paradise once written about in the 1990s. However, an intrepid group of entrepreneurs (alongside ourselves) saw the potential of our downtown village - and between new breweries, restaurants, fashion boutiques, gift shops, specialties, and so much more... Medford's historic downtown is thriving today. Amazing events such as the annual Dickens Festival, Medford Halloween Parade, and the Art, Wine, & Music Festival only bring more visitors to our community as each year passes.

So, why Medford? It is because the revitalization of our Main Street is just the start of something bigger. From the lakes along log cabins to the trees lining twisting two lane roads, we want to introduce you to the eateries, wineries, and shops that are sprinkled throughout Medford's neighborhoods - and find the neighbors in our community that make Medford a special place to call home.

Supporting Local and Shopping Small

All of this happens on the back of local small business owners that need your support, now more than ever. The boutiques, antique stores, and art galleries that you might find in Medford are not the faceless, big-box retailers that seem to have swallowed our larger neighboring towns to the west - but local residents, that more often than not re-invest dollars spent in their stores back into the community.

Alongside these shops, Medford has one of the richest "small town" food scenes imaginable outside of an urban city center. From the large plates and family-style welcome you'd experience at a family-owned restaurant like Illiano Cucina to the simple tastes of the rotating menu alongside their local wines at Stokelan Winery, I could run out of words describing the highlights of the eateries in town and instead look forward to sharing them with you in upcoming features from myself and the rest of the team.

Explore and Discover Medford

Beyond the small shops and dining destinations within Medford, many outside of the area don't realize the natural wonder that surrounds the houses nestled among the farms and pines of Medford's different areas. Situated at the edge of the Pinelands National Reserve, commonly referred to as "the Pine Barrens", and adjacent to one of the largest untouched forests within Wharton State Forest - Medford offers a cornucopia of hiking, biking, and canoe trails throughout both the township and borough of Medford Lakes.

In the end, nothing I write will do justice to the experience of exploring Medford yourself. No words will compare to the moment you first sit down in one of our eateries or step foot in one of our shops to see exactly what it means to support a local small business owner. Concierge service at a large chain or rewards points at a big-box retailer won't compare to the level of care and attention that you'll find in a local, independently owned shop.

Make Medford Your Destination!

Our hometown of Medford, New Jersey is filled with unique shops, fantastic eateries, and amazing gems - and all of us at Destination Medford are devoted to promoting our community and sharing everything that will help you Make Medford Your Destination. It's more than just a catchy slogan, but a credo to help encourage you to get out here and discover the hidden gems within Medford & Medford Lakes.