Wow. What a unique, random gem and historic property. What is Fonthill and why is there a castle in…read moreDoylestown, Pennsylvania? Fonthill Castle was the home of archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer. (Also in Doylestown are two more Mercer buildings you can tour - the Mercer Museum and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works building, the business Mercer ran and where most of the tiles in the castle were produced.) Henry Mercer seems like he was an interesting guy, and you can see that in his home - 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 200 windows, who knows how many staircases...! And designed and decorated in a way I've never seen anywhere else. The castle is an early example of poured-in-place concrete building and is a mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles. And there are, of course, Moravia tiles (and some historic and international tiles that he collected during his life) throughout the house - almost more than you could imagine. We visited last Saturday to experience their "Fonthill Castle Holiday Lights Meander Experience," which allows you to visit the castle through a self-guided experience (there were staff in various rooms who were happy to answer questions) and enjoy a series of Christmas trees on display throughout the home. I definitely enjoyed the experience but am definitely planning a return visit to see the castle in better light (not at night in the dark - which was perfect for the Christmas tree experience) - they offer 60-minute guided tours though the house for most of the year! The castle is pretty wild, and I look forward to visiting it again and experiencing it in a new way. If you are interested in architecture, art, crafts, the Arts and Crafts design movement, or just quirky, unusual places, definitely add Fonthill to your list and check it out!

Amazing property, it is a hidden gem. Went with my family for the tour and everyone enjoyed it!read more

What a fantastic piece of history, go, stop and read the plaques and take pictures. What an amazing…read morepiece of history

Well maintained space without signs of overt modernization make this place a worthwhile…read moreexploration. Industrial relics exhibit excellent decay and are easily accessible. Short walking trail takes you through the greenspace pebbled with old structures, into small wooded areas, over a bisecting stream, and along forgotten rail tracks. Quiet, and surrounded by development though you wouldn't know it.

While the mansion is still undergoing renovations so we were not able to include that and so my…read morereview may change in the future. Don't expect to take even a full afternoon visiting but it is a lovely preserved estate around the city. There's some goats, and the grounds are enjoyable to take an hour or so to walk with nice historical signs for context. There is some parking but it likely gets packed in high traffic times. I can't put it in my top gardens available for Philadelphia, it's good to have treasures like these to keep the sense of history and love of horticulture the area has long held.

This is a really cute hidden local treasure - very charming and pretty. We had some wedding photos…read moretaken here, so it will always have a special place in our hearts! Lots of cool spots outside for photos, and the inside is really cute as well. I'm not sure they usually open the house, but the grounds are very nice to walk around. We stopped by again recently and had some time to reminisce before heading out because it was too cold.

This review addresses a public street safety concern in Nazareth, PA…read more At the Main and Mauch Chunk Streets intersection, at the very center of town, there is a 15-foot rut of exposed trolley track protruding through the road surface. This track, left since 1932, poses hazards for motorcycles, bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs, and pedestrians. Many individuals, especially those with mobility challenges, struggle to navigate this area; they get stuck in the groove and find it hard to steer out. This intersection is busy due to corner establishments such as an ice cream shop and a daycare, which attract families and seniors. Additionally, the Nazareth Borough Municipal Building is only a block away, making it a common route for police and local officials. While nearly all of Pennsylvania's roads have issues, this specific area is particularly risky. This review aims to raise awareness rather than criticize the Nazareth Borough Municipality, urging caution when using this intersection.

First some history from the Internet about the site…read more "Coplay Cement Company Kilns, also known as the Saylor Park Industrial Museum, is an open-air historic site located at Coplay, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The nine kilns were built in 1892-1893, and used for the production of Portland cement. They are constructed of locally produced red brick, and are known as Schoefer vertical kilns. They were shut down in 1904. The Coplay Cement Company donated the kilns and surrounding land to Lehigh County in 1975, for a cement industry museum. It is operated as a partnership between the County of Lehigh, which owns and maintains the site, and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides educational services. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Saylor Cement Museum honors David Saylor (1827-1884), the father of the American Portland cement industry, and the people who built this industry into one of the most important in the Lehigh Valley and the nation. Lehigh County was a natural spot for cement production. Cement is made from rocks containing lime, silica, and alumina; Lehigh County limestone "cement rock" contains all three ingredients. In 1866 David O. Saylor helped found Coplay Cement Company. In 1871, he received the first American patent for Portland cement, which is much stronger than the natural cement that had previously been produced in this country. Saylor's Portland cement built bridges, docks, jetties, roads, aqueducts, subways, and skyscrapers. By 1900 the Lehigh Valley made 72% of Portland cement produced in this country. The first kiln at the Coplay Cement Company was a dome kiln. Dome kilns were inefficient; they had to shut down often. In 1893 Coplay Cement built Mill B, containing the Schoefer kilns standing today. Originally enclosed in a large building, Schoefer kilns could run continuously. Soon, however, the even more efficient rotary kilns came into use. Mill B's outdated Schoefer kilns shut down in 1904, and Coplay Cement later used Mill B's buildings for storage." The four main things at Saylor Park would the remnants of the kilns, the playground, the community pool and it's a spot where you can pick up the Ironton Rail Trail. The key to this site at this point in time is trying to save the kilns. Lehigh County is trying to obtain the money needed to save the old furnaces which appear to be the last Aalborg style kilns left in the world. The current work being done at the site is due to a $200,000 federal grant with Lehigh County kicking in an equal amount to finish the work on Kiln #1. While nice, a full restoration of all the kilns is estimated at somewhere around $5 million dollars which is money that right now does not exist. Hopefully over time some type of public-private partnership can be formed to get the rest of the work done but in the meantime the site can be enjoyed at a distance and the Rail Trail that cuts thru the park is a fantastic repurposing of an old rail line that would never have been used again. If you go: The outdoor historic site, playground and Rail Trail are open daily year-round from sunrise to sunset and the Coplay Community Pool is open seasonally. Plenty of free parking is on site.

This place is fantastic. Has a park and a bike trail that goes on for ever and a day. The old kilns…read moreor so fantastic. I felt like I was standing back in time. I recommend this place for anyone who want to get out and live. The history and modern meets here

Was able to visit this beautiful preserve using our local library museum branch passes. The passes…read moregave us the ability to visit the preserve for free but typically the price per person is $12. There is limited parking at the visitor center, and we went on a weekday afternoon. We ended up parking on the side of the road near the visitors center. There are bathrooms, store, and native nursery plants for sale at the visitor center. Everyone was so nice and helpful with our first visit here. They provide a map of a variety of trails which are rated easy, moderate, and hard. I opted for the moderate trail which had some inclined and stairs. The Virginia blue bells were in full bloom. The trails were mostly shaded making it a comfortable hike. We also brought a picnic basket for lunch. There was a table at the visitor center and more tables at the entrance of the preserve if you wanted to have more seating.

I visited Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve this past Saturday when I was exploring New Hope for…read morethe day. It's a nature preserve and botanical garden with a lot of grounds to explore. It was busy on a warm Saturday afternoon, but there was plenty of parking on the road leading up to the Visitor Center. Then, after you've purchased your admission, you can wander their 12 or so trails that wind through five miles of the grounds. The highlights of my visit were the trails that ran along the creek, the stone bridge, and the new pond. In summer, it was a bit too hot for the wildflowers (I bet spring is incredible here), but it was green and wooded and beautiful. I spent a couple of hours exploring the grounds, and it was a great way/place to stretch my legs and take a break from town! If you like a trail, Bowman's Hill is a great place for that just minutes from the center of New Hope.

Great views of the area from atop the mountain. Didn't go inside the pagoda because it was closed…read morewhen we arrived on our unplanned visit. The only thing I disliked (hated) about the visit was the amount of litter and trash in the woods and area surrounding the pagoda. Come on, folks! :( If in Reading or nearby, check it out!

On this cloudy day, the winding drive up to the pagoda was still enjoyable and worth the trip…read more It was disappointing that pagoda itself is closed to the public. You cannot walk on it or around it. Additionally the surrounding trails are closed and locked. While the area could use some restoration but it's still so worth visiting! Seems like a missed tourist opportunity for Reading. Regardless the view from it, even on a crummy weather day, is still spectacular. Take the drive up, you'll be glad you did!

I love coming here for the live event and the service is amazing. Especially doing the musicfestread more

What a unique opportunity to visit a factory from times past being used in the present! I had some…read moretime to spare passing thru Bethlehem, and google recommended for me to stop-by at this one-of-kind spot. It was a bit of a maze to find the parking lot (thankfully, FREE), but after that I had a quiet afternoon enjoying the SteelStacks. One of the suggestions I got was to enjoy the walkway --- which is an elevated path along the side of the ol' steel factory. It's odd to walk by a factory that in its glory days had 100's of workers, to now being visited by tourist in a solace stroll. In any case, it's always great to see the birthing place of the steel that has given us so many iconic US landmarks, i.e., like the Chrysler Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. See - bet you didn't know that! If you're ever around this area, take in this one-of-a-kind location, it needs to experienced to be believed.

It is truly a gem to stumble upon a tomb of an unknown solider. My husband found this location on…read moreroadsideamerica.com, nestled in a residential area in the town of Bethlehem, Pa, found between 1st Ave & Market St. It is believed that the soldiers buried here fought during the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution took place between 1775-1783. It occurred between the 13 North American colonies and colonial government (who supported the British Crown) and the fight for independence from Britain. A lot of history worthy things occurred from this timeline which included the congress vote to adopt the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Battle of Saratoga (in NY) and the Treaty of Paris. Obviously there was a whole lot more going on during this time period and highly recommend that you do your research and do this war justice in learning the history. After the Declaration of Independence was established, General George Washington (yes that Washington) and his army were driven out of New York by the British, and across New Jersey, into Pennsylvania. Because of that, numerous of hospitals were established in New Jersey and Philadelphia. General Washington moved north to the Lehigh Valley, and so other hospitals had to be established, including a hospital in Bethlehem, which became the main hospital in this area (which now is part of the Moravian College). Bethlehem was the perfect place to set up camp and a hospital as it was far enough from the front lines that was beyond the reach of the British. Unfortunately as wounded soldiers were kept in such close quarters, illness spread. Unfortunately there were many soldiers that did not make it back to Philadelphia and were eventually buried here in Bethlehem. In 1932, a single set of remains was placed here at this site. And then in 1996, three more unknown soldiers were added, as you can imagine that over time, homeowners may discover unknown soldiers when they accidentally dig up remains. On the tomb, a plaque reads "Within this crypt rest the bones of an unknown soldier in the War for Independence. He was one of more than five hundred men who died in the Continental Hospital here at Bethlehem and were buried on this hillside." May the remains of four Revolutionary War soldiers lie in peace.

This reminded me of the stories my grandpa used to tell of when he fought in the civil war. When I…read moreentered the tomb I couldn't help, but start to cry. I felt the dark spirit of the unknown soldier enter my body and take over my soul and mind. I can still feel him with me today, he guides me. Highly Recommended, great for the kids

Very nice place to take a walk, bike ride, or run on a dirt path along the Delaware River. The…read morepath is kept clean & free of debris. Very easy to park as there are multiple parking lots along the trail. The trail offers glimpses of the river & has a lot of beautiful wildflowers & different kinds of tree's along the trail. Very few port-a-johns & the one's we encountered were not clean. Other than that, it's an enjoyable trail.

If it seems like you've read this one before it's because maybe you have. On Yelp my best guess is…read morethat there's three or maybe even four different listings for Delaware Canal State Park. Why so many you might ask? Well it's because of the park's sheer size. DCSP is a sixty mile long towpath that runs from Easton down to Bristol. That's obviously a hell of a distance and there are tons of access points along the way which is why there are so many listings. If you're using the towpath in New Hope that's one listing and if you're using it in Easton that's a different listing due to the large amount of mileage in between. What makes this park so special? DCSP is the only remaining towpath that is original in it's appearance, size and distance to when it was constructed in the 18th century. The towpath runs parallel (but not always visible) to the Delaware River. It's also one of the few parks if not the only park in the commonwealth's system that runs by or thru several other state parks. The ending terminus in Bristol is somewhat close to Neshaminy, it runs right thru Washington Crossing while being fairly close to Ralph Stover and Lake Nockamixon. This also says nothing about the two or three county parks which DCSP runs by. As if this weren't enough, right across the Delaware is the even longer D&R Canal Trail which parallels the river on the NJ side. There are a few bridges were you can cross from one side to the other but they're spread out. The main activities are hiking and biking but there are obviously endless amounts of possibilities for fishing, boating and canoeing. No hunting except for limited archery deer hunting. Too many houses either way to close to the towpath or literally on the towpath for anyone to be getting their Ted Nugent on. We usually hit the trail primarily at the Durham Aqueduct parking area as that's super easy where 611 meets up with 212 or every so often we go down to the Washington Crossing area to dork it up 18th century style by visiting some of the surroundings in that area. Kudos big time to PA's Department of Conservation as they do a great job keeping a whole lot of trail looking really good. No matter where you choose to join up with the towpath there's no bad place and you'll understand why especially on weekends this thing gets so damn crowded. #No-Brainer Visit