Hi,

We are planning to catch a train from NYC to NJ to visit friends in Columbus. We are unsure whether we are staying with them or in a hotel as of yet but would love some recomendations. Also, we are unsure whether or not to hire car as we dont really know the distances, whether there is much public transport or what else there is to do in NJ. We have seen that six flags is only 30 minutes down the road and a few other attractions but other then that we arent sure. Our friends who live in Columbus work for the US airforce and have daughters in 3 different Colleges so will be great to visit them!

Any tips on the mentioned would be wonderful!

Cheers,

Angie & Lee

I think that your friends can best answer your question on public transportation. Columbus is not available by train, but there might be a bus line. You are going to an area that is usually not visited by tourists.

Columbus is southern NJ - about 30miles from Philadelphia.

There is a lot to do in Philadelphia and surroundings, depending on your interests. Less to do in NJ as it's more of a place to live and work, but not necessarily visit.

From Columbus you'd be about 1hr drive to the NJ shore. If you're traveling in the next 1-2 weeks you may luck out and get some beautiful weather for a day at the beach.

Six Flags is a big amusement park. If you like roller coasters then it's a good place. If not, then no reason to go there.

My recommendation is that you plan to have a car as even if there is public transportation it probably won't take you places you want to go without a lot of pain.

For tourist ideas do some searching here on fodors or elsewhere about Philly, or post a new question on this forum and others can chime in with ideas.

If you are interested in (US) history then Philly is definitely worth at least a 1 day visit. Plenty more to do there if you have additional time.

I had never heard of Columbus, NJ before your post and have lived in/near NYC my whole life. I say that so you realize it's not a well known place. I think perhaps Philadelphians might know it better. Whether to hire a car really depends on whether you think you will spend all your time with your friends (and stay with them) or not. If they're working while you're here, that's doubtful. I don't know if there's much in the way of public transport (but they likely do) so unless you do stay at their house and depend on them for all your activities, having a car is probably a better idea. You really do need to ask them.

If you need a hotel near them, the way to find one apart from asking them is to map the location on maps.google.com and then use the search nearby function for hotels.

I just did what I suggested you do on google maps. The Residence Inn Philadelphia in Longhorne, Pa. looks like the best nearby hotel option to be close to them. But if you're not staying with them, you might be better staying in the heart of Philadelphia which does have decent transport and you can easily take a train from NYC to Phil.

This part of NJ is fairly rural, not too much going on. The most interesting options would be Philly and the Jersey shore, which is about an hour away on 195. If the weather is nice, shore towns like Spring Lake, Manasquan and Point Pleasant can make for a nice day trip. You are also fairly close to New Egypt, which has one of the world's largest flea markets every weekend. If you like to do outdoorsy things, Jersey's pine barrens offer thousands of acres of wilderness for hiking, canoeing, etc. Here's a link: http://www.pineypower.com/
I would think you definitely want a car.

Other ideas: Princeton, NJ; Lambertville, NJ/New Hope, PA; Washington's Crossing (PA)

mcclaurie, if you mean Langhorne, PA, then I hate to disagree with you, but it isn't very near Columbus and since it is next to Seasme Place, I would assume the prices are higher than those in New Jersey

www.visitsouthjersey.com

Susie, I mapped Columbus NJ and used the search nearby for hotels and that one had better reviews than other nearby options; but I wouldn't doubt your info is better than mine since I know nothing of the area.