This week in Bergen is a sneaky good one. Like, “I was about to give up and just do Target and laundry” good.

I pulled together a short list of things that actually feel worth leaving the house for, starting with Let It Glow at the Bergen County Zoo (yes, it is still running and it is the easiest date night or family night win), plus The Band Perry at bergenPAC if you want a real night out without dealing with Manhattan. And if you are the kind of person who loves a good winter flex, the NJ Meadowlands Eagle Festival is happening this week too which is peak bald eagle season and way more fun than it sounds.

Scroll down because there is more: a cozy Sunday stop at the Ramsey Winter Farmers Market, a “treasure hunt” style outing at the Bergen County Card and Collectibles Show, and two Tenafly Nature Center picks, including Forest Defenders if you want to feel like a hero before lunch and Hibernation Happenings if you have little kids who are currently asking “but why” about everything.

And if you are in the mood to do something that feels genuinely good, I also added Give Back Bergen volunteer options you can jump into this week.

Go pick your plan. Your couch will still be there later.

Why go: A really easy “date night or family night” walk with big lantern scenes, fire pits, and a train ride included.
Dates & times:

The Band Perry (bergenPAC, Englewood)
Why go: Big night out concert without heading into the city. Great “parents night out” or older teens too.
Date & time: Sun, Jan 11, 7:00 PM (doors 6:00 PM)
Cost: $49 / $59 / $69 / $89 (varies by seat)
Good to know: Tickets are through Ticketmaster from the event page.
Learn more: https://www.bergenpac.org/events/detail/the-band-perry

NJ Meadowlands Eagle Festival (Richard W. DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst)
Why go: A winter wildlife event that’s surprisingly fun for families: raptor education, spotting scopes, and nature walks.
Date & time: Sun, Jan 11 (typically late morning through early afternoon)
Cost: Free
Good to know: Dress warm; this is prime bald eagle season in the Meadowlands.
Learn more: https://www.njsea.com/nature-walks/

Ramsey Winter Farmers Market (Main Street Train Station, Ramsey)
Why go: Low cost Sunday outing for couples or families: baked goods, coffee, local vendors, and a quick stroll vibe.
Date & time: Sun, Jan 11, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM (winter hours)
Cost: Free entry (you pay for what you buy)
Good to know: Weather can impact vendors, but they’re generally open rain, snow, or shine unless severe.
Learn more: https://www.ramseyfarmersmarket.org/

Forest Defenders Volunteer Stewardship (Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly)
Why go: A feel good outdoor morning that doubles as a nature walk with purpose. Good for adults, couples, and families with older kids.
Date & time: Sun, Jan 11, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Cost: Free
Good to know: This is hands on stewardship work outdoors.
Learn more: https://volunteer.bergenvolunteers.org/need/detail/?need_id=1071756

Hibernation Happenings (Tenafly Nature Center Visitor Center, Tenafly)
Why go: Perfect for little kids who love animals and “why do they do that” nature questions.
Date & time: Sun, Jan 11, 11:00 AM
Cost: $5 per member | $15 per non member
Good to know: Designed for families; check the registration page for age guidance.
Learn more: https://tenaflynaturecenter.org/

Description and who can help: Help pack and distribute nightly meals to shelter residents and neighbors facing food insecurity. Best for adults, small groups, and community teams.
Location: Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center, 120 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ (program run by Family Promise of Bergen County; main office in Ridgewood).
Learn more: https://www.bergenfamilypromise.org/food-distribution-volunteer-opportunities/

Description and who can help: Outdoor stewardship projects like invasive plant removal and trail area support. Good for adults, teens, and families (kids must be with a guardian). Great for service hours.
Location: Tenafly Nature Center, 313 Hudson Avenue, Tenafly, NJ 07670
Learn more: https://tenaflynaturecenter.org/volunteer-opportunities/

Description and who can help: Help improve shelter dogs’ daily experience through walking, socializing, and support tasks. Adults only (18 plus) with an application and required screening steps.
Location: Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, 100 United Lane, Teterboro, NJ 07608
Learn more: https://bergencountynj.gov/bergen-county-department-of-health-services/about-animal-shelter-adoption-center/volunteer-opportunities/

Description and who can help: Use the I Rescue app to pick up surplus food from a donor and deliver it to a partner pantry or agency. Great for anyone who can drive and wants flexible, on demand volunteering.
Location: Routes across Bergen County and nearby counties (Table to Table office: 160 Pehle Avenue, Suite 303, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663).
Learn more: https://tabletotable.org/i-rescue/

Description and who can help: Volunteer on park stewardship projects that support the wetlands and trails. Individuals and groups can participate, and group days can be scheduled.
Location: Teaneck Creek Conservancy (Overpeck area), Teaneck, NJ
Learn more: https://www.teaneckcreek.org/volunteer

Description and who can help: Find a food pantry near you that needs volunteer help. This is the fastest way to locate a nearby opportunity you can join this week.
Location: Countywide pantry network (Office of Food Security: 1 Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601).
Learn more: https://bergenfightshunger.org/volunteer

Description and who can help: Search a large list of opportunities across Bergen County by cause, date, and location. Great if you want to browse options like food support, seniors, youth programs, environment, and more.
Location: Opportunities across Bergen County (Bergen Volunteers: 50 Eisenhower Drive, Paramus, NJ 07652).
Learn more: https://volunteer.bergenvolunteers.org/need/

Description and who can help: Help with food distribution shifts such as sorting, bagging, loading, and cleanup. Strong fit for adults and groups, with site specific shift times.
Location: Multiple Bergen County locations (commonly Englewood and Hackensack, plus other sites depending on the program).
Learn more: https://cfanj.org/volunteer/

New Milford is one of Bergen County’s classic “right in the middle of everything” boroughs: close to major roads, close to NYC access points, and still residential at its core. It sits near neighbors like Oradell, River Edge, Teaneck, Bergenfield, and Dumont, which makes day to day errands and weekend plans feel easy and local.

What a lot of people do not realize is how deep New Milford’s history runs. The town is closely tied to Historic New Bridge Landing, a major Revolutionary War era site connected to New Milford, River Edge, and Teaneck.

And if you like local history that still feels tangible, New Milford is also home to the French Huguenot Demarest Cemetery, established in 1677 and widely described as the oldest cemetery in Bergen County, tied to early French Huguenot settlement along the Hackensack River.

On a normal week, New Milford feels practical in the best way. The River Road corridor gives you a steady mix of everyday conveniences and local favorites, while the neighborhoods off the main roads keep that “quiet streets and familiar faces” feel. It is the kind of town where you can grab dinner without making a night of it, but you can also lean into a real date night when you want to.

For outdoor time, you are never far from water or greenery in this part of Bergen. New Milford sits along the Hackensack River, and you are also a short drive from bigger county park destinations. If you like long walks and bird watching, nearby reservoir trails in the area are a popular option in season.

Families often put New Milford on their list because it offers a straightforward, community based school setup, including New Milford High School as the local public high school option. Just as importantly, the town’s size helps it feel connected: school events, youth sports, and borough activities tend to pull people into the same shared routines, which is usually what builds that “we know our neighbors” vibe over time.

Commuters like New Milford for flexibility. Bergen County overall is built for multiple commute styles, with extensive bus service and rail options feeding into larger hubs like Secaucus.

From New Milford specifically, NJ Transit bus routes serving stops along Washington Avenue and nearby roads can connect riders toward the Port Authority area, giving you a workable option even without a local train station in town.

If you want a Bergen County town that feels established, historically grounded, and genuinely livable, New Milford is one of those places that tends to make sense the more you spend time in it.

The Bendix Diner has always been more than “just a diner” in Bergen County. Sitting right on Route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights, it is one of those landmarks you can picture instantly even if you have not eaten there in years. After it shut down last year following a string of fire and health code issues, a lot of people assumed the story was over. Instead, this week brought real momentum: new ownership has committed to restoring it, not replacing it, with a goal of bringing back the look and feel that made the Bendix iconic in the first place.

What makes the update feel tangible is that the work is not just talk. Crews have already lifted the diner and split it into sections so the foundation underneath can be rebuilt properly, which is usually the first big “this is actually happening” moment on a restoration like this. The group behind the project is tied to the Jackson Hole diner brand, and their stated plan is to renovate and restore the Bendix so it looks as close as possible to how it originally appeared when it opened. If everything stays on track with construction and approvals, the public timeline being discussed points toward a reopening sometime around mid 2026.

On the transportation side, the notable “Route 9” story for Bergen this week is the continuing build up of work around the Route 9W approach to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee. The big picture is that this corridor is getting major attention because bridges and ramps in that area are aging and carry an enormous volume of daily traffic. The most immediate change is a new stage of bridge rehabilitation work that is scheduled to start Monday, January 12, 2026, with lane and sidewalk impacts and detours around local Fort Lee streets. If you commute through Fort Lee or use the GWB access roads regularly, this is the kind of project that can ripple into everything from school drop offs to bus stops to evening restaurant traffic.

Zooming out, there is also a larger capital project centered on the Route 9W bridge over I 95 and the tangle of major routes beneath it. That replacement effort is designed to modernize a key piece of infrastructure right at the gateway to Bergen County, where even small lane shifts can create big backups. So while the Bendix update is the feel good local headline, the Route 9W work is the practical one: it is the kind of construction season story that will shape how people move around the eastern edge of the county for months.

Even though the number of sales barely moved, pricing moved a lot.

Prices climbed because inventory stayed stuck.
When actives are basically the same year to year (501 vs 501) and months of inventory sits around 1.2, buyers are competing for a limited pool of homes. That is how you get an 11% jump in the median without a big jump in sales volume.

The market stayed competitive, but it got pickier.
Days on market moved from 30 to 34. That usually shows up when buyers are still willing to pay up for the right home, but are quicker to pass on homes that are overpriced, awkward layouts, busy roads, dated interiors, or listings that do not present well online.

More sellers tested the market and pulled back.
Withdrawn listings rose from 771 to 1,069 and expired listings rose from 881 to 1,030. To me, that reads like more homeowners tried a number, did not get the response they wanted, and chose to wait rather than chase the market down.

As of January 8, 2026, Freddie Mac shows the average 30 year fixed mortgage rate at 6.16%, down from 6.93% a year earlier.
And FRED shows the federal funds target range upper limit at 3.75% as of January 9, 2026.

Here’s what that combination usually means locally:

If rates stay around current levels, I’d expect continued upward pressure on prices, but not necessarily another double digit jump across the board. The winners will be the same as they were in 2025: great location, strong condition, realistic pricing, and clean presentation.

👉 See the latest homes for sale and local market insights at NorthJerseyPartners.com.

Real estate information deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Most people drive past the Hackensack River and never realize there is a literal man made island sitting in the middle of it: Van Buskirk Island in Oradell. It was originally formed to support industry in the area, and then in the 1880s the Hackensack Water Company turned it into one of the earliest water filtration plants in the nation. Today it has flipped from industrial utility to quiet nature spot, known for birdwatching and river access through the paddle center.

And here is another one that feels very “Bergen County”: Overpeck has had a major wetland restoration effort that included removing invasive plants, reintroducing tens of thousands of native plants, and installing a regenerative stormwater conveyance system described as the first of its kind in New Jersey. Translation: a park you might visit for a walk is also doing some serious environmental engineering behind the scenes.

Bonus education flex: Bergen County also runs tuition free county magnet high schools like Bergen County Academies, which is one reason families from all over the county pay attention to school options here.

Source: Bergen County Parks Guide

☕ Stay Warm All Winter
If you love a cozy night on the couch but your house never quite feels warm enough, a heated throw blanket is the easiest upgrade. Keep one in the living room, one in the bedroom, or stash one for those cold morning emails at the kitchen table. Look for multiple heat levels, a timer, and a machine washable cover so it stays simple.

👉 Check it out here: https://amzn.to/49DlNXk

🧤 Cold Hands Fix: No More Pocket Ice Blocks
Gloves help, but they do not always cut it when you are walking the dog, watching practice, or standing outside for pickup. A rechargeable hand warmer is one of those little things that feels weirdly luxurious. Toss it in your coat pocket, warm up fast, and keep moving. Bonus points if you choose one that also works as a backup phone charger for those long winter days.

👉 Shop hand warmers here: https://amzn.to/3LmzlOK

🏔️ A Fun Overnight That Feels Like a Real Getaway
If you want a one night reset that actually feels different from regular life, Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon area is an easy win. The resort has two hotel options and is built for winter cozy, with pool complexes and spa time, plus plenty of things to do on site like wine cellar tours, tasting classes, and live entertainment options like their cabaret nights. It is also close enough for a spontaneous trip, with the resort describing it as about an hour from the George Washington Bridge.

A simple plan: arrive, grab dinner on property, do a spa or pool session, then wake up to a slow breakfast and a morning activity before heading home. If you are going as a couple, it is romantic without feeling stuffy. If you are going as a family, Minerals Hotel leans into a more active, all season resort vibe with pools and included activities.

👉 Book your overnight at Crystal Springs here: Plan Your Trip

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