Famous NJ restaurant being sold after 75 years

A restaurant that's been in the same family for decades, and saw the likes of The Beach Boys, Peter Paul and Mary and Arlo Guthrie entertaining crowds in northwest New Jersey, has made it official. It's for sale.

Maybe its secret all along has been the most breathtaking view of the Kittatinny Mountain Ridge. Maybe it’s the good food in such a secluded place. Perhaps it’s those antler chandeliers.

Whatever magic is part of its formula the Walpack Inn has been a thing in Sussex County for 75 years. The Heigis family started the restaurant long back in 1949. The war was behind us. Harry Truman was president. James Heigis was just a kid in elementary school back then when his parents opened the place.

He was 12 when the family moved from Rutherford. His grandparents did farming, but his mom was known for being a great cook and his father tended bar. It seemed like destiny to open the place.

Of course, he eventually took it over at 23 years old after attending school for restaurant management. Along with his wife Lee, they run it to this day. They live in a modest home that sits on the same 37-acre property. The Walpack Inn is something people travel to get to. After all the town of Walpack has a population of only nine. Even way back in 1970 it boasted only 384, according to nj.com.

Photo via Google Maps

If you’re going to lure people out to such a secluded location, you have to be on your game. They have been on their game for the better part of a century.

Now, at 86 years old, Heigis is looking to sell.

The property's future is not certain. NJ.com reported last week that it was finally for sale, but a price has not been listed. And there's no guarantee that a buyer will keep the business going at National Park Service Road 615

Until it happens, you have time to experience this hidden New Jersey gem. They’re a three-day-a-week operation.

Walpack Inn is open for dinner Fridays 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 4 to 8 p.m. Then for brunch and dinner Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.