Jersey Retro Road Trip: Hot dogs, HoJo's relic, classic DQs, nonstandard McDonald's, pagoda supermarket, general store and more

Just a few hours of driving through the Garden State turns up these sites -- follow along with me!

On Saturday, I hit the road for a quick trip to New Jersey to check out a (non retro) restaurant my friend wanted to sample in Parsipanny. Once we were done with lunch, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and began exploring for roadside nostalgia. Here are the places we visited (or passed) on our quick but fun Garden State adventure, presented in order of our stops. I’ve also woven in additional locations nearby that you might want to add to your itinerary!

Let’s go!

Parsippany Shopping Plaza

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This glorious neon signage was recently restored and is a vivid example of the roadside wonders that once dotted Route 46 at every turn.

Former Howard Johnson’s restaurant (now Sakura Hibachi)

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I had to pull over for this, as I get weak in the knees for relics of Howard Johnson’s. The paint on the roof is peeling, revealing the restaurant’s hidden orange-roofed beauty. Nearby is all that’s left of the Pine Brook Motor Lodge. I shot this in 2020 but can confirm it’s still standing. [MAP]

Tomac Inn, Morris Plains, New Jersey

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If you are a roadside motel completist, the Tomac Inn is worth adding to your list for a quick snap. I grabbed this from the car.

Dairy Queen, Randolph, New Jersey

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This Dairy Queen is a treat all right, and it may be the only one in New Jersey that features this particular sign design. Long may it resist corporate pressure to “upgrade.”

SIDEBAR: I missed it on this trip, but at last check there is a cool, circular, very un-boxy McDonald’s nearby, in Troy Hills. Below is my photo from last year. [MAP]

Other interesting spots in the area I did not hit on this trip:

John’s Delicatessen in Morristown. [MAP]

Hanover Lanes, East Hanover. [MAP]

Davy’s Hot Dogs and Grill, learn more in my Instagram post. [MAP]

After Char-Broil, Flanders, New Jersey

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A super charming spot I first visited in 2019 after a trip to nearby Wild West City to visit the late great actor Larry Storch. (I’ll work up a write-up on that experience one of these days!)

Schooley’s Mountain General Store