Are you stressed over upcoming finals? Or maybe AP tests? Keep reading to find out where to spend your time preparing; after all, a good study spot makes the time fly. From local businesses to libraries and even a well known coffee chain restaurant, there is a place for everyone. Grab your books, check one out, and happy studying!
Boonton Coffee Shop
A local hot spot, Boonton Coffee has grown exponentially in popularity over the years since switching to a larger location down the street from their original spot on Boonton’s bustling Main Street. The best part? This charming coffee shop not only offers free Wifi but also is located just minutes from our very own Mountain Lakes High School. If you are someone who likes your studying with a side of sweet treats, fun drinks, and music, Boonton Coffee is the place for you. The seating options vary between couches to lounge on with friends, high stools with round tables, desks that are perfect for working at, and more. As far as the menu goes, there is plenty to choose from: toasts, yogurt bowls, coffee, tea, matcha, chai, baked goods—you name it and it’s there.
Another notable feature is their hours. Whenever I need a late-night weekend homework session, Boonton Coffee is the go-to; on Thursdays to Saturdays, they stay open until 10 pm. On top of the usual working crowd, Boonton Coffee also draws in customers for their weekend live performances and trivia nights as well as anyone looking to spend some time with their friends. The atmosphere they have been able to create is impressive; to create a city-like feel in a small town like Boonton is no small feat. As long as you don’t mind a busier space for your study sessions, check out Boonton Coffee next time you’re hoping to get some work down.
Denville Library
Just a short drive from Mountain Lakes, the Denville Library is a great study location! With an open floor plan layout, there are many places to sit. Seating includes reading chairs, collaborative tables, and private desks, as well as tables placed in front of walls of books and windows. This library was recently renovated in which they added even more seating! A benefit of Denville library is that it is just a short walk from the downtown, which makes it perfect for study breaks and grabbing a bite to eat with friends. As a small, but cozy library, this place is perfect if you really need to sit down and focus to get work done. Being a library, it is fairly quiet, with certain spaces in the library being quieter than others. With this library being very centered around its community, it frequently has events for kids which can get loud at points. Overall, this library is a great spot and can be a great place for you to go and get some studying done for the upcoming test season.
Java Smugglers (Boonton)
Have you noticed this adorable yet relatively new coffee shop at the top of Main Street? If you are someone who is all for supporting small businesses and loves the taste of authentic coffee, you are in for a treat. Java Smugglers in Boonton has attracted customers with its unique interior design and menu. Once you pick what to order (my personal favorite is the chai lattes) and sit down to work, the time will fly. If you like the vibe of coffee shops—like Boonton Coffee as mentioned earlier—but want a space that is smaller and quieter to avoid distractions, Java Smugglers will be perfect for you.
Parsippany Library
The first time I walked in, I was incredibly impressed with the space and its overall vibe. It’s definitely not something you can find everywhere; the large windows offer a beautiful view of Main Street, allowing you to participate in some people-watching while working. As for the seating options, they vary from seated tables to couches, allowing for a solid workspace. Be careful—if busy, it could be difficult to find a spot, since they’re more limited than somewhere like a library. Nonetheless, I am a big fan of supporting small coffee shops whenever possible, and Java Smugglers has to be one of my favorites and most conveniently located given its proximity to the high school.
As we are located in Mountain Lakes, many people may not consider or even love the idea of driving to Parsippany for a library–but I will be the first to tell you it is totally worth it! To start off, the Parsippany Library is HUGE! With two floors, the Parsippany Library is completely centered around its community and offers spaces for all ages. On the first floor or entrance level, there are two separate spaces for teens, places to read, and collaborative rooms, as well as secluded areas to individually study. Upon entering and making a turn to your left, you will enter the first teen area. Secluded by bookshelves, this alcove has a few tables and many novels—making it the perfect place to sit and quietly get some work done.
Towards the back of the first floor are “cubby” desks or carrels. Carrels are desks with walls on 3 sides, giving complete privacy and really allowing you to focus in on your studying or homework assignments. The right side of the library’s first floor has a large open floor plan. This area has tables sprinkled around it where kids can often be found tutored or adults can be found working. In this area, the library also offers public monitors for everyone to use. This area also has chairs and couches for anyone who’d like to read.
Towards the edge of this area is a completely separate room labeled the “Teen Room.” Of course in this space teens can study, but it also has activities and games. This room alone can be a place to take a study break and a place to connect with other kids your age with video games, TV, reading, and of course talking. Yet my favorite feature of the Parsippany Library is its study rooms. Available to book online or in person, the study rooms guarantee a quiet and productive study space—or unproductive and loud! My friends and I love to book these rooms to collaborate on our homework, and have even hosted our fellow classmates to have major exam study sessions in groups! By this point you may be wondering what there is NOT to love about this library. As my friends and I typically hold extensive studying sessions that may span a few hours, we typically like to eat somewhere in between all of this. Unlike other study areas that are near food, the Parsippany library sadly isn’t.
On the lower level there is an area to eat with nice café tables. My friends and I either bring food to these tables or we Doordash, but food is definitely something to consider when you know you are going to be spending a few hours camped at the library. On the lower level, you can also find the kid’s area. While most of our readers may not be at that age anymore, the kid’s room is still a great area. It has cute decorations and holds hundreds of books from our childhoods. My friends and I have wandered through this room a few times and it is a fun room to look around in. The Parsippany Library is definitely a study area you should check out!
Starbucks (Parsippany)
Across town from the Parsippany Library, you can find yourself enjoying the wonderful refreshments and pastries that Parsippany Starbucks has to offer! Not only does this Starbucks offer tasty drinks and sweet treats, but it also offers a place to study. Unlike the crammed, noisy, and hectic nature of Denville Starbucks, Troy Hills offers an enclosed glass casing, separate from the rest of the cafe. This is the perfect spot to catch up on some reading, reply to some emails, and if you’re like me, study last minute for a test. However, while quieter than most other Starbucks cafés, there is still music and chatter. To solve this, we recommend bringing headphones or earbuds to help cancel out the surrounding sounds.
In conclusion, as AP and finals season approaches MLHS, we hope that this list helps students figure out which study spot will suit their study habits best! Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a new favorite homework hangout in one of these locations. We wish everyone the best of luck on final assessments, state testing, and AP exams!
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