Great shopping beckons in every region of the Garden State, from fancy, luxury malls and boutiques to discount malls, flea markets, auctions, antique rows and quaint streets with one-of-a-kind hand-crafted items and vibrant downtown districts.

For status, don’t miss The Mall at Short Hills, Westfield Shoppingtown at Garden State Plaza in Paramus or visit the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, the first enclosed shopping center in the East. It’s a major shopping destination with 165 moderate to upscale stores.

Explore the state’s largest discount mall, Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth with 200 stores all under one roof, a deluxe food court, several themed-sit down restaurants and a children’s play area. In Flemington there’s a whole range of factory outlets, including Liberty Village Premium Outlets for clothing, shoes, house wares, kids stuff and specialty items. A little farther north is Secaucus there’s Harmon Cove Shopping Outlets.

In Jackson, right near Six Flags Great Adventure, there’s Jackson Premium Outlets. Drop off the kids at the amusement park and get into serious shopping at one of the village’s 70 stores.

The Walk in Atlantic City features outlet stores, shops and restaurants. Nearby is Historic Smithville with 60 specialty shops in historic buildings.

For quaint, themed shopping villages with distinctive merchandise, visit Dutch Neck Village in Bridgeton, Mullica Hill in Harrison Township, Wheaton Village in Millville, The Shops at Millrace Village in Mount Holly, Cold Spring Village and The Mall at Washington Street, both in Cape May or Rancocas Woods Village and Shops in Mount Laurel.

Shopping for antiques is a learning experience – they reflect history in actual material goods. And there’s no shortage of fine antique shops across in places like the Antique District of historic Lambertville. Other historic towns noted for rows of antique shops include Chester, Morristown, Montclair, Lafayette, Red Bank, Haddonfield and Bridgeton.

And for treasures amidst the junk, visit a flea market or auction. Among the biggest and best known are the Golden Nugget in Lambertville, the Columbus Farmer’s Market in Columbus, Cowtown Flea Market in Pilesgrove, or the Rt. 70 Flea Market in Lakewood.

Finally, don’t miss farms and farmers markets throughout the state for distinctive fresh foods, old-world, hand crafted cheeses at Bobolink Farms in Vernon, goat cheese and fudge at Needmore Farm in Wantage and the Trenton Farmers Market that’s open year round.

Don't forget New Jersey wines from any of the state’s 20 vineyards where you get to taste before you buy.