The Allentown Art Museum is a fantastic place to spend and hour or two. The permanent collection is…read morevaried with lots of types of art to look at and enjoy, and the rotating exhibits keep your visits fresh and interesting if you're a repeat customer. I say "customer" but it's actually free to visit which is amazing and a great way to encourage the community to immerse themselves in art. There's a fun children's room too on the second floor to keep kids active if wandering the exhibit rooms isn't for them. The staff is friendly and welcoming and the giftshop has all kinds of unique items that you'd expect to find in a museum giftshop. I try to stop in anytime I'm in Allentown...it's an artistic oasis in the city.

Free thanks to a large donation and we appreciate that it is. The staff is super welcoming and…read moretells you what you need to know about the different exhibits. They have an entire Tiffany glass exhibit and every 30 minutes they change the lights to mirror the effects of the sun setting and rising. There are a few different exhibits, but the Tiffany glass was the one that stood out the most. A great little stop to check out when in the Lehigh Valley.

The America On Wheels Museum is an over-the-road transportation museum that opened in Allentown,…read morePennsylvania in April 2008. It was founded by a group of local civic and automotive enthusiasts in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Beginning in 1989, Allentown city officials announced plans to revitalize an old industrial area, which included the abandoned Arbogast & Bastian meat packing plant, along the Lehigh River. This redevelopment, which was to be known as "Lehigh Landing," was to include a museum, a brewery, walking trails, a footbridge across the river, and a promenade for festivals. After a number of delays, the museum finally opened in 2008. The museum's collection features over 75 bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles and trucks in exhibits telling the story of people and products on the move from the days of the carriage to the vehicles of tomorrow. My family and I recently visited the America On Wheels Museum while we were visiting our cousins in Pennsylvania. Initially we thought that it was a car museum, but it actually focuses on all sorts of road vehicles from 19th century horseless carriages right up to present day electric cars and everything in between. There were some really beautiful antique automobiles and bicycles on display throughout the entire museum. We especially loved how kind-friendly the museum was. There were a number of interactive exhibits where our sons were able to sit in miniature racing cars, load packages into a UPS truck, and dress up like automotive mechanics and "fix" a car. We also really liked seeing the huge miniature city crafted entirely of LEGOs. Overall, we had a fun time at the America On Wheels Museum and would recommend it to any automotive or vehicular enthusiasts who are visiting the Lehigh Valley area.

This place feels less like a traditional museum and more like a really cool collection of cars from…read moredifferent eras. There are plenty of photo opportunities, and the plaques give you a lot of interesting information about each vehicle. The old-time cars are fun to see, especially when you start calculating what they would cost today and realize cars ain't cheap no matter what era you at. You can comfortably see everything in about an hour. The staff is friendly, and there is plenty of parking along the side of the building. A fun stop for car fans or anyone who enjoys a quick trip through automotive history.

There's a lot of things you need to be aware of before planning a visit to the Mack Trucks…read moreHistorical Museum. You need to pre-book your tickets and a limited number of them are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It is a free guided tour but they suggest a donation, which I will tell you is worth it. Some GPS's apparently give wrong directions to get here, and while I did not have problems, you need to come in from the Airport on Lehigh Street. The drive does take you through a busy industrial park with vehicles parked along the road. There is plenty of parking with the museum entrance being clearly marked on the building. Outside were two newer Mack models on display, which was cool to see. One day per year (in 2025 there was several more) however, the tour is different. On the Saturday before Father's Day, they offer an open-house in conjunction with the Antique Truck Club of America Annual National Meet that goes on in Macungie. That Saturday the tour is self-guided, but staff are around to answer questions. Layout of the museum is simple with four parts. You enter into the hallway gallery that has historical displays about Mack and their products, along with various historical items and models. The sound room gallery houses one of the most unique trucks in the collection, the screen used 2006 Mack that was Megatron in Transformers Dark of the Moon. Both the sound room and main gallery house numerous trucks, engines, transmissions, and model trucks. Several prototype trucks are also on display. In the main gallery is also the largest bulldog in the world that was previously mounted on the Mack Headquarters building. The final area is the dyno and its control room. Doing the self-guided tour took me about an hour. The museum is generally enjoyable but is geared towards Mack enthusiasts. There is a gift shop, but I cannot comment on its quality as it was not open during my visit until later in the day. Overall, if you are a Mack enthusiast, this is a must stop, but there is enough to keep general visitors interested.

The tour guides are people who've worked for the Mack company, and know its history and love the…read morehistorical vehicles they have on premises. It's so nice to hear someone who's absolutely passionate about a subject talk about it. The history bits were interesting, but not as fun as seeing the historical vehicles they had on premises. You go through, and get to see various Mack automobiles (fire trucks, dump trucks, buses etc) from 100+ years ago, that have been lovingly restored and looking beautiful. You can see the MASSIVE jumps to technology over a very short time, because the vehicles all have placards that tell you what year that it was made. There's also a ton of memorabilia all along the walls in display cases. This is a good solid 1.5 - 2 hour tour, so be prepared to walk around a fair bit, and look at a LOT of stuff. Like I said, the tour guides worked at Mack for years, and know their stuff. If you have questions, they probably know the answers, and love talking about the various ways that the vehicles are powered. They don't charge for admission, but have like a $5 suggested donation, which is for sure worth the money, in my opinion.

This review is for the docent-led tour not the museum- which we thought was included in the $15 per…read moreperson fee. Our guide was a very sincere former employee of Bethlehem Steel who started our tour asking if we all were up for an hour and a half walk. We said yes. He started his presentation outside the door of the museum. An hour later we had walked maybe a block up a nondescript driveway as we listened to his stories of mismanagement, nepotism and greed within the company. He also showed pictures and told stories of some of the people who worked there over the years as well as some of the products produced. Some of the stories were interesting but an hours worth standing in the road? I finally asked if we were going to be able to go into some of the deserted fantastic looking buildings - he said no. We left the group and headed off by ourselves and found, across from the Arts Center, a stairway that headed up to the rusted gigantic steel stacks and accompanying infrastructure. Although it was fenced off, it was amazing walking along looking up, down, and around the place, almost close enough to touch. This is what we thought we were going to be learning about on the tour. Did we need to know what each gigantic piece did - not really - Did we waste $30 for the tour - sadly yes. Did we go back to see the museum - no. Will we, most likely not. Should you go? Take a look at the pictures and decide - you don't see this kind of scenery very often.

If you want to learn about industrial history, particularly that of the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem…read moreSteel, this is the place. I love industry, building, construction, machinery, engineering, etc., so I loved this museum. It's a Smithsonian affiliate, which is great, and they are expanding to a second level. It's across from the old Bethlehem Steel mill, so if you are looking for milltown vibes, this is it. We started with a ~30 minute overview/history of industry in the U.S., which was helpful for context. The docent provides this overview for the lobby exhibits/pre-exhibits. Our docent was fantastic. After that, you are free to move into the main room, which is full of machinery. There was a section on silk-making, which was interesting, as well as about early hot air balloons. You can also go across the street to an elevator, to get great views of the mill and area, but we didn't have time for that. I really appreciated that the learning starts outside, with information plaques and exhibits before you enter. Also, there is a parking lot next to the museum, and the museum is (currently) one level, with a few ramps, so is very accessible, though more seating in the lobby might be helpful. I'm looking forward to returning when the addition is complete.

I have family in Easton and visit frequently. Over the years, I learned that many people don't know…read morethis place even exists. If you are in the area and have never been there, it would be worth your while to take an hour or so for a tour of the Sigal Museum. The Sigal Museum opened a few years ago on Northampton Street, replacing the old Northampton County Historical Society Museum. They still own their old building which is in great need of repair. So, enter the Sigals. This was their old department store which closed several years ago. They donated it to the Historical Society and converted it into a museum. I've actually been there a number of times and never wrote a review. So, I'll cover a few things here. First, they have a regular exhibit on the second floor which includes many items from the area going back to Native Americans. The people who remain from the local tribe donated a number of very interesting items which are on display along with historical items from Revolutionary War times to the present. Since the Just Born Company (Peeps, etc.) is nearby, the basement used to have a permanent exhibit of their history. I recall fondly walking through it but it is no longer there. Speaking with the Director of the Museum I learned they are putting an interactive exhibit there. It will include sights, sounds, smells, etc., of leaving a boat on the canal. With the Crayola Museum just a few doors down, I hope this will increase their traffic. There really is a lot to see. And, this sounds like something a family would enjoy. They always have some temporary exhibit with fascinating items. I've seen exhibits on race, early American Portraits (they have a wonderful collection of them), clothing including a wedding dress exhibit, and this time they had an exhibit of Easton at the turn of the 20th century. The Docent really knew his stuff explaining a lot more than what was on the signs. They also have a wonderful gift shop - good prices and they always have some very unique items. I'm not a big shopper when it comes to curios, but I can't think of a time at the museum I haven't found something to get. Sorry, no pictures. I wasn't really comfortable taking photos in a museum although I could have asked.

My Yelp buddy Aaron T. has this place explained nicely so I'm only going to add in a few thoughts:…read more * Hours are 10-4 daily except for Monday from June 1st until Labor Day. The rest of the year it's 10-4 daily except for Monday & Tuesday. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. Based on the price is it worth coming? That's a tough one as my review is a bit jaded since our tickets were freebies from an elected official in the PA Senate. * The basement still has the Just Born display and quite honestly it's not all that interesting. It's just a few display boards about the history of the company although the video regarding how a Peep is made is interesting since Just Born does not offer factory tours. The gift shop now offers a small selection of JB products so you can get your Mike & Ike fix satisfied before you go. * The first floor has displays regarding the steel making process in the area, the canal system, a complete history of Northampton County, artifacts (uniforms-drums-weapons) relating to County residents participation in WWII-WWI and the Civil War, Lenape ways, archeology, colonial life, conflict, and creative arts. To me the featured item is the original Treaty of Easton from 1758. This document came from negotiations between thirteen Native American Nations and the British where the Nations agreed not to fight for the French against the British. IN return they had large tracts of land in PA returned to them although they had to give up all land holdings in NJ for the princely sum of $1,000. * The second floor hasn't changed so I'll defer to Aaron's explanation as it's better than anything I could come up with. The museum itself is not all that large and while certain parts are interesting (many amazing pictures of the area from 100+ years ago) many parts are very dry and/or it would have helped to have had someone there to explain a few pieces (only one volunteer in the exhibit area and the only other couple in the place talked his ear off for probably over half an hour non-stop). IMHO, this is not really a place for younger children as the material while interesting is dry and without anyone there to explain parts of it if you're not a history person they're not going to get much from what they're looking at. I suppose Sigal falls into that once and done category of I'm glad we went and certain parts were no doubt interesting but I really don't feel a need to go back. Three stars in reality but I'm feeling generous and will go four since it didn't cost me anything.

The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum is a museum decided to the Lehigh Valley's history, and is…read morelocated in the heart of Allentown. Parking is along the street, or in small lots on the backside of the building, and is free. Lobby during my visit felt a little messy, with it feeling like more of a research area instead of a museum. Admission was $8 and located behind the main desk is a small gift shop, mostly selling books. The museum tour is self-guided. Exhibits are primarily located on the second floor in two large rooms and a center court area. The larger of the rooms has exhibits focused on the history of the Lehigh Valley, the World Wars, Industrialization, and Harry Trexler among other topics. The exhibits are modern in presentation and well kept. It's worth noting that this is not a child focused museum and has no hands-on exhibits. This museum is more focused on people interested in history. One vintage item I enjoyed finding was an electric map that showed the location of thing in the valley with lights. The second room houses essentially a hall of presidents with information about them. Rotating exhibits seem to be placed in the center court area. The entire tour could take somewhere between a half hour to an hour depending on your interest. This day however, Trout Hall located on the property was open for a guided tour. Trout Hall is a carefully restored summer house from the 1700's, with the tour including visits to two floors. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Adding Trout Hall into the tour makes stopping here about an hour and a half visit. If you are interested in Lehigh Valley history, this is absolutely worth a stop.

I still cannot believe that this was an active jail until 1995 and they shut down the dungeon…read more(solitary confinement) in the 1970s. The conditions were truly not extremely modern to any standard of today and I guess this is what was expected when the jail was built over several decades earlier. The opening video which seems like a high school AV club production did explain about the Molly Maguires and the hangings at this jail. We then toured the cells, dungeon, and had free reign to check out the Warden's quarters and kitchen. Didn't take long and you could be in and out in less than an hour or so. Very interesting history. There is one bathroom for public use. The kitchen is supposedly the next major restoration project going to be started. A lot of the displays and signage needs some TLC, too. If you're in law enforcement or into this kind of history, I'd recommend it. They also have a gift shop. $13 each for us today, 8/7/2026.

If you have extra time, I recommend stopping by for a tour. The video at the beginning will make…read moreyou aware of the life back in the early 1900's. Be prepared to listen, this was my favorite part. It was rough, in which will also be described if you do the No 9 Coal Mine tour, which I highly recommend. It also clues you into that many people in the town were poor, despite the revenue and millionaires that lived there. Walking through the jail was standard fair, though it was in worse shape than most middle age castles in Europe. Also, I didn't appreciate the fiction about someone going through a four inch window slot or the protected hand print comes back on its own when the wall is replaced.

This reminds me of a NyC attraction called the Highline, except with different views. I can't…read morebelieve that this used to be a working steel factory in the past. There were small signs on the walk which were all numbered which speaks about the various parts of the trestle and history behind it all. It wasn't a great sight to see, but it sure was interesting. It was very clean the pathway so I was very impressed with all of that. Apparently, there are volunteers helping out to make sure the areas clean.

I didn't know what to expect when we drove here but after doing some research I learned that if you…read morego to hoovermason.com you can access a free audio tour. (The person at the visitor center didn't mention this at all perhaps because they want you to pay for the guided tour) There are markers that you click on each stop along the trestle that explain the steel business, the making of steel, audio clips from the steel workers and the buildings that you see around you. It was a bit sad to see nature starting to take over the steel plant, trees and vines growing where such a thriving business once took place. Steel for such remarkable structures as the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge was made here! But it's wonderful that this trestle was built (and it's handicapped accessible too!) so that you can really get up close to the incredible stacks and this behemoth man made wonder. Take about 2 hours of your day to explore this and learn a bit about the industry that made Bethlehem great in the early 20th century.