Located in eastern Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is a small two-county region that is packed with exciting things to see and do. Once a bustling industrial center and home to one of the world’s largest businesses, Bethlehem Steel, as well as a thriving silk industry and the headquarters of Mack Trucks, today the region’s history can be explored at the National Museum of Industrial History and Allentown’s Liberty Bell Museum. Outdoor enthusiasts can head into the fields and forests that surround the region’s three cities to enjoy miles of hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking, picnicking and kayaking on the Lehigh or Delaware Rivers.
Get tickets to a baseball game at Coca-Cola Park
Coca-Cola Park is a baseball park in Allentown and the home field for the Triple-A level minor league Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball team. The 8,278-seat stadium has several features, including VIP Dugout Suites, the Majestic Clubhouse, in which all the team apparel is housed, the Bud Light Trough socializing area, and two PenTeleData Party Porches. The team’s ‘pig’ theme is featured throughout the stadium, and the LVHN Children's Hospital KidsZone has a large playground area with several games, slides, a speed pitch, and more. The Capital Blue Tiki Terrace has a full-service bar, tables for four, and a large seating area.
1050 Ironpigs Way, Allentown, PA 18109
Attend a music festival at SteelStacks
SteelStacks is a ten-acre campus that hosts a variety of community events and celebrations, arts, culture, educational, and family functions. Once the home plant of the second-largest steel manufacturer in the nation, Bethlehem Steel, the campus is named after the two towering ‘stacks’ that were the furnaces of the plant and stands at over 230 feet tall. Today, the plant has been transformed into a vibrant art and music center with indoor and outdoor spaces that presents eight festivals and more than 1,000 concerts every year. The venue also hosts the Musikfest, the largest free music festival in the nation.
101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 18015, Phone: 610-297-7100
Visit PPL Center
PPL Center is a state-of-the-art, multipurpose arena that hosts a variety of events from Phantoms professional hockey games to music concerts. Managed by Global-Spectrum, PPL Center hosts over 140 events each year and can accommodate up to 8,500 people for seated events and 10,000 people standing. Events held at the arena include figure skating events, trade shows, high school and collegiate events, live concerts, conferences, graduations, and Disney on Ice. Amenities at the stadium in downtown Allentown include a full-service bar, food concessions, a gift shop, and complimentary wireless Internet.
701 Hamilton St, Allentown, PA 18101, Phone: 610-224-4625
Admire the artifacts at the National Museum of Industrial History
Located on the Steelstacks campus, once the former Bethlehem Steel site in picturesque South Bethlehem, the National Museum of Industrial History collects, preserves, and displays the industrial history of the nation. The museum houses a collection of over 200 artifacts from around the globe that document the rise of industry in America; it’s might and evolution over time. The museum’s main gallery is home to a 115-ton Corliss steam engine and a 20-foot tall steam hammer, along with 21 artifacts on loan from Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
602 E 2nd St, Bethlehem, PA 18015, Phone: 610-694-6644
Learn about transportation at the America on Wheels Museum
America on Wheels Museum is a 43,000-square feet transportation museum in Allentown that explores and documents the early days of transportation. The museum boasts three galleries spread over 23,000 square feet of exhibit space that feature hands-on exhibits of automobiles ranging from hotrods and sports cars to emergency vehicles and other unique modes of transport. Other displays feature trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles and document the early development of the automobile industry and highway system in Pennsylvania and the history of Mack Trucks. The museum is home to the HubCap Café, which is open seasonally and serves light bites, milkshakes, coffee, and a variety of sodas.
5 N Front St, Allentown, PA 18102, Phone: 610-432-4200
Take the kids to Klein Farms
Klein Farms is a family-owned and operated farm in Forks Township, Pennsylvania that produces farm-raised beef, eggs, gourmet cheese, raw milk., and yogurt. Founded in 1935, the farm is run by third-generation farmers, Layne and Beth Klein, who welcome visitors to the farm to learn more about farming practices and visit the animals on guided farm tours. The farm also has an on-site shop that sells farm-fresh produce and products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, raw milk, yogurt, a variety of aged cheeses, prime cuts of beef, pork and chicken, freshly baked cookies, cake, and sweet treats and a range of Water Gap Coffee Company. Happy Holstein Ice Cream at Klein Farms serves homemade ice cream in a selection of flavors.
410 Klein Rd, Easton, PA 18040, Phone: 610-253-8942
Visit the Mack Trucks Historical Museum
The Mack Trucks Historical Museum celebrates the history of the famous trucks with an impressive collection of antique vehicles, vintage models, and Mack Trucks memorabilia.
Based at the Mack customer center, the museum was founded in 1984 to highlight the history of the company by collecting and preserving a wealth of Mack-related paraphernalia, ranging from engineering drawings, truck build records, photographs, service and parts information, memorabilia and a collection of vintage Mack truck models. Visitors can explore the museum on self-guided tours with audio headsets for information or docent-led tours on Mondays and Fridays.
2402 Lehigh Pkwy S, Allentown, PA 18103, Phone: 610-351-8999
Try your luck at Wind Creek Bethlehem
Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly The Sands Casino) in Bethlehem is spread over 150,000 square feet and features more than 3,000 slot machines; traditional gaming tables with180 live games like Blackjack, Three-card poker with a six-card bonus, Roulette, Baccarat, and Craps, 36 live poker tables, progressives, and video poker machines. Sands Casino has several dining options for all tastes from casual family-friendly eateries to fine-dining restaurants and fast-food outlets, as well as laid-back coffee shops and buzzing bars that serve a wide variety of beverages all day.
77 Wind Creek Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18015, Phone: 484-777-7777
Ignite your curiosity at Da Vinci Science Center
Da Vinci Science Center is a science museum in Allentown that brings science to life through an array of interactive and hands-on exhibits.
Established in 1992, the museum features exciting displays such as an animation station, a windy hurricane simulator, a KEVA plank design studio, a water table, a dark tunnel maze, a colored shadows wall, a marine tank, and a WFMZ 69 News weather forecasting simulator. The Da Vinci Science Center also hosts a variety of specialized and traveling exhibits every month, as well as educational programs, classes, and workshops for children of all ages.
3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass, Allentown, PA 18103, Phone: 484-664-1002
Enjoy a live performance at the State Theatre Center for the Arts
Officially known as the State Theatre Center for the Arts, the State Theatre is a 1,500-seat historic theater in the city of Easton in Northampton County that has been presenting the community with live performances and theater shows since 1910. Based in a landmark building that was transformed from a bank building to a vaudeville theater called the Neumeyers Vaudeville House before being renamed the State Theatre, the theater features a beautiful cut stone Beaux-Arts style façade, an overhanging marquee, a spacious auditorium with a balcony, and ornate décor. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
453 Northampton St, Easton, PA 18042, Phone: 610-258-7766
Learn about farm life at the Burnside Plantation
The Burnside Plantation, also as the James Burnside Plantation and Lerch Farm, is a historic 6.5-acre property on Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem that is home to a pristine plantation, beautifully manicured gardens, and grounds, and a Colonial mansion. The Burnside farmhouse offers visitors an insight into farming life in the Moravian community in the 18th and 19th centuries and features a summer kitchen in which colonial cooking demonstrations can be enjoyed, followed by lunch in one of the well-preserved barns. Visitors can tour the farmhouse and the barns, and a variety of events, historic tours, volunteer projects, and festivals are held at the plantation throughout the year.
1461 Schoenersville Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18018, Phone: 610-882-0450
Admire the art collection at the Allentown Art Museum
The Allentown Art Museum is a vibrant cultural center with a world-class collection of about 17,000 works of art. Founded in 1934 by renowned Pennsylvania impressionist painter, Walter Emerson Baum, the art museum houses a permanent collection of works that include Baroque and European Renaissance paintings, American paintings and sculpture dating back 300 years, Southeast Asian sculpture, an array of decorative arts, and a library designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Allentown Art Museum also offers a variety of educational programs and workshops for adults and children, has a distinctive museum store selling a range of art-related books and merchandise, and a farm-to-table café.
31 N 5th St, Allentown, PA 18101, Phone: 610-432-4333
Tour the historic Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem documents the earliest history of the Bethlehem community in a variety of exhibitions spread around a complex of buildings that include some of the oldest buildings and most important in the Lehigh Valley. The main section of the museum is housed in the Gemeinhaus, which was built in 1741 and is the oldest building in Bethlehem and a National Historic Landmark. The five-story log structure served as a residence, school church, and workplace over its history and features interesting details like the herringbone-patterned doors. Visitors can explore the museum complex on docent-led tours to learn more about the early history of Bethlehem.
66 W Church St, Bethlehem, PA 18018, Phone: 610-867-0173
Explore canal life and technology at the National Canal Museum
Located in Easton’s Hugh Moore Park, where America’s golden age of canals is on full display, the National Canal Museum takes visitors on a journey back in time to the age of canals in America. Officially known as Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums, the National Canal Museum spans 520 acres between the Lehigh Canal and River and is one of the largest canal heritage museums in the country. Visitors can experience this fascinating period of American history with seasonal rides on a 110-passenger, horse-drawn canal boat, and learn more it through a variety of interactive exhibits showcasing 19th-century canal life and technological evolutions.
2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd, Easton, PA 18042, Phone: 610-923-3548
Have dinner at Bolete Restaurant
Bolete Restaurant is a rustic-chic dining destination in Bethlehem that serves a seasonal farm-to-table menu of American cuisine and fine wines, craft beers, and signature cocktails. Housed in a former Stagecoach Inn, the restaurant focuses on made-from-scratch food using on the highest quality and freshest ingredients sourced from local and regional artisans and farmers. The menu boasts dishes of fresh seafood, prime meats, handmade pasta, and organic salads and is accompanied by housemade stocks and sauces. The bar serves an extensive list of fine wines from around the world, craft and draft beers, and handcrafted cocktails made with high-end spirits. Bolete Restaurant is open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday brunch and lunch.
1740 Seidersville Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18015, Phone: 610-868-6505
Take the kids to The Shoppes of Premise Maid
Premise Maid Candies is a family-owned confectionery company in Lehigh Valley that has been producing handmade chocolates, candies, cakes, pastries, cookies, and ice cream for more than 30 years. Established in 1979 by William Damiano, The Shoppes of Premise Maid was named for the fact that all the chocolates and candies were to be made on the premises. The company has grown from a single shop into a small village featuring a five-room carriage house housing a bakery and chocolate shop and a three-story stone barn that is home to the ice creamery, which serves 40 flavors of premium ice cream.
10860 Hamilton Blvd, Breinigsville, PA 18031, Phone: 610-395-3221
Taste authentic Irish cuisine at McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar
McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar is an authentic pub that serves hearty British fare, along with an extensive Irish and Scottish whiskey menu in a laid-back and relaxed setting. The family-friendly tavern serves a menu of traditional cuisine from the British Isles and Ireland, made from scratch, using fresh locally sourced ingredients such as bangers and mash, fish and chips, cottage pie, chicken tikka masala, chicken Leitrim boxty, and grilled Scottish salmon. The bar boasts an extensive list of Irish and Scottish whiskeys, craft ales, beers, brews, and lagers on tap and by the bottle, casual wines and signature cocktails, as well as coffee and tea. McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar hosts live music throughout the week and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
534 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018, Phone: 610-861-7631
Try Spanish food at Tapas on Main
Situated in a lovely spot on Main Street in Historic Downtown Bethlehem, Tapas on Main brings the tastes, flavors, and sounds of Spain and the Mediterranean to the heart of the Lehigh Valley. The charming eatery has comfortable indoor and outdoor seating with occasional live music and serves a menu of traditional tapas and small sharing plates such as fresh seafood and fish, prime Spanish meats, organic salads, and vegetarian dishes, and decadent desserts. The full-service bar offers a wide range of libations, including craft and draft beers, casual Spanish wines, homemade sangria, and handcrafted cocktails. Tapas on Main is open for lunch and dinner daily.
500 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018, Phone: 610-868-8903
Shop for fresh produce at the Allentown Farmers Market
The Allentown Farmers Market has been bringing the finest local produce to the Allentown community for nearly 70 years. The market is on a true mission to ensure that everyone who lives in and around the Lehigh Valley has easy access to fresh, healthy seasonal food. The market is located at the historic Allentown Fairgrounds and is open every week from Thursday to Saturday. Just a few of the excellent products you can expect to buy at the market include farm-fresh fruit and vegetables, organic poultry from Mr. Bill’s, freshly-baked goods from a variety of bakers, Dan’s famous Bar-B-Que chickens and many other delicious hot meals to take home.
1825 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104, 610 432 8425
Bring the entire family to Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom
Probably the most exciting place to visit in the Lehigh Valley, Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom is a seasonal amusement and water park for the whole family to enjoy. The park is open to the public from early May to September each year and offers an amazing selection of more than 60 rides for visitors of all ages. Dorney Park has something for everyone – the dare-devils in the family are well-catered for with heart-stopping roller coasters while the younger family members can enjoy many age-appropriate fun rides. When the heat ramps up, everyone heads to the Wild Water Kingdom to cool down on the many fun aqua rides on offer.
South Whitehall Township, PA 18104, 610 395 3724
Go scuba diving in Lake Hydra
Lake Hydra is the new name for what used to be called Dutch Springs Aqua Park. For more than 41 years, Dutch Springs Aqua Park was a very popular water park where water lovers could have fun on a variety of inflatable platforms, slides, climbing frames and more. Located in an abandoned quarry, the aqua park also offered great scuba diving. Today Lake Hydra offers scuba divers the opportunity to come and explore the crystal clear underwater world alongside professional dive masters.
Lake Hydra, 4733 Hanoverville Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18020
Connect with nature at the Jacobsburg State Park
The Jacobsburg State Park and Environmental Education Center provide a wide variety of recreational and educational facilities for Lehigh Valley residents and their guests. A logical place to start your tour would be the Visitors Center, where various exhibits are on show. Once you have some background information you can spend your time in a variety of ways. There are several hiking trails to explore as well as dedicated mountain biking and equestrian trails. You could also spend a few hours fishing, do some wildlife watching or enjoy a relaxing picnic. In winter you can enjoy cross country skiing and snow shoeing.
400 Belfast Rd, Nazareth, PA 18064, 610 746 2801
Discover natural wonders at the Lost River Caverns
Located east of Hellertown, the Lost River Caverns is a series of 5 large, natural lime-stone caverns which were carved out of the rock by many decades of water movements, which gradually dissolved the soft lime stone leaving amazing rock formations. The caverns were discovered by accident in 1883 and were purchased and enhanced with lighting and handrails to make them suitable for the public to admire. You can explore the underground labyrinth on a guided tour, which takes around 40 minutes and is suitable for visitors of all ages. After your tour you can visit the Cavern Shop to see a range of precious stones, crystals and other jewelry-making necessities.
726 Durham Street, Hellertown, PA 18055, 610 838 8767
Taste unique brews at the Weyerbacher Brewing Company
The Weyerbacher Brewing Company was first established in 1995, and quickly started making waves in Lehigh Valley. The brewery developed a reputation for producing fine quality, full-bodied beers in the European style. Two of their most-loved signature brews are the Belgian-style Merry Monks and QUAD. However, the brewery is always experimenting with barrel aging programs and innovative brewing methods to produce unique brews that will keep patrons coming back time after time. They have a spacious indoor/outdoor tap room where you can enjoy your favorite beers alongside a tasty meal from one of the visiting food trucks. All their on-tap beers are available for take-out in crowler cans or growlers.
905 Line Street, Easton, PA 18042, 610 559 5561
