Allentown is a small city in eastern Pennsylvania. The city was famously the hiding place of the Liberty Bell during the Revolutionary War and as such has a museum with a full-size replica of the bell and murals about the its history. The city has plenty of down-home charm, with farmer’s markets, a rustic, country-style dinner theatre, and plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors in the Lehigh Valley.
Admire at European paintings the Allentown Art Museum
Head to the Allentown Art Museum of Lehigh Valley which was established in 1934 by well-loved impressionist painter Walter Emerson Baum, who was born in nearby Bucks county. Today the collection mostly consists of European paintings, a collection of textiles, works on paper, and a few other significant pieces.
Address: 31 N. 5th Street, Allentown, PA 18101, Phone: 610-432-4333
See the bicycle collection at America On Wheels
Visit America On Wheels, a transportation museum that celebrates America’s love of all things on wheels. The museum features several galleries related to virtually every form of transportation you can imagine.There is a kid-friendly area called the Restoration Learning Center, which is designed for children up to the age of 16 to learn about the steps involved in restoring a vehicle.
Address: 5 N. Front Street, Allentown, PA 18102, Phone: 610-432-4200
Take small kids to Da Vinci Science Center
Take the kids to Da Vinci Science Center, a museum of science and an educational institution with a large number of hands-on and interactive exhibits related to science, technology, math, and engineering. The exhibits are designed to be fun and engaging for children younger than 12 years old.
Address: 3145 Hamilton Blvd. Bypass, Allentown, PA 18103, Phone: 484-664-1002
Have fun on a thrill rides at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Have fun at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a combination amusement park and water park that sit in between the cities of Emmaus and Allentown. The park has a number of exciting attractions for visitors of all ages, including eight roller coasters, a variety of other thrill rides for adults, and family-friendly rides for visitors of all ages.
Address: 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, PA 18104, Phone: 610-395-3724
Stroll through the Allentown Farmers Market
The Allentown Farmers Market has long been a tradition in the Lehigh Valley area. The market has more than 60 local vendors each week who offer a wide range of goods for sale. If you get hungry while strolling through the market, don’t worry, you won’t have to wait until you can get home and cook up your goodies. There are plenty of restaurant options, ranging from a homestyle Amish eatery to a Vietnamese bistro and everything in between.
Address: 1825 W. Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104, Phone: 610-432-8425
Visit six galleries at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum
The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum is one of the largest historical society-run museums in the country. The museum has six galleries spread across approximately 13,000 square feet of exhibits in their 30,000-square-foot museum.
Address: 432 Walnut Street, Allentown, PA 18102, Phone: 610-435-1074
Take a tour of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Minor League Baseball
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs Minor League Baseball team that plays baseball in the International League. Tour reservations are required in advance, and personalized tours are available for groups of 10 or more.
Address: 1050 Ironpigs Way, Allentown, PA 18109, Phone: 610-841-7447
Watch a Lehigh Valley Phantoms Minor League Hockey game
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms Minor League Hockey is affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and plays in the American Hockey League.
Address: 701 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, Phone: 610-224-4625
Jog in Little Lehigh Park
Little Lehigh Park is a local historic park with recreational facilities and beautiful scenery sitting just behind the Queen City Municipal Airport and conveniently accessible from I-78. Recreational facilities include multi-use trails, a bridle path, fishing, and a disc golf course. The park is also the home of the Little Lehigh Fish Hatchery, which visitors can visit to learn about how fish grow and develop as well as to participate in feeding fish. A fly fishing store nearby offers fishing gear and training in how to fish. The Museum of Indian Culture is also located at the park and is open on weekends.
Address: Lehigh Parkway E., Allentown, PA 18103, Phone: 610-437-7757
See the exhibits at the Museum of Indian Culture
The Museum of Indian Culture is a non-profit museum that exists to preserve and display the history of the region’s native peoples, specifically the Lenape and other Northeastern Woodland peoples. The exhibits include a wide variety of artifacts, cultural items, objects that would have been used in trade, tools for farming, and interactive exhibits where guests can try their hand at starting a fire, throwing spears, and more. The museum’s Inter-Tribal Room has a variety of interesting Indian artwork from throughout North and South America.
Address: 2825 Fish Hatchery Road, Allentown, PA 18103, Phone: 610-797-2121
Buy tickets to a comedy show at the Pines Dinner Theatre
The Pines Dinner Theatre is a country-style playhouse that serves dinner while you watch their productions, which range from live musicals to comedy shows, all performed on their rustic stage. The meals served consist of hearty, home-style fare served by staff who pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming. Guests report that the food and beverages are both quite tasty. The theatre is located on the property of the Allentown Fairgrounds and often hosts special shows and dinners for holidays. Their space can be used for special events as well. Check out their website for the current schedule and ticketing information.
Address: 448 N. 17th Street, Allentown, PA 18104, Phone: 610-433-2333
See artifacts from the American Revolutionary War period at Trout Hall
Trout Hall is a historic house museum occupying the oldest house in Allentown. The home was constructed sometime in the late 1760s and is made out of stone. It was built to be a summer home for James Allen, the son of William Allen, who founded the town. Today, it is home to a library as well as a museum operated by the local historical society and holds artifacts from the American Revolutionary War period. Visitors interested in that time period as well as those curious about historical architecture will find a visit here to be quite worthwhile.
Address: 414 Walnut Street, Allentown, PA 18102, Phone: 610-435-1074
Hike along the trail at Wildlands Conservancy
Wildlands Conservancy is a non-profit organization that purchases and operates natural areas for the purpose of preserving nature. The organization operates several nature preserves in the area out of their headquarters in Emmaus. The reserves also provide popular recreation areas for the community.
They host a number of programs, including bike and boat adventures, summer camps for children, scout programs, and more. There is a water trail on the Lehigh River that is suitable for kayaks, canoes, and other small boats. The trail is 72 miles long and has a number of access points to put in and take out.
Address: 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, PA 18049, Phone: 610-965-4397
Admire 140 species of trees at the William F. Curtis Arboretum
The William F. Curtis Arboretum was established back in 1937, when Cedar Crest College moved to its present on a bare and uninteresting expense of land. Dr. Curtis set about beautifying the campus by planting masses of trees, flowers and shrubs from all over the world. Today this wonderful mature arboretum covers around 84 acres and is home to more than 140 species of trees. Visitors are invited to join free guided tours of the gardens, where visitors can get hands-on knowledge about tree identification, botany and ecology.
Address: 1250 Church Road, Allentown, PA 19095, 215-884-7675
Take a tour of Kilimanjaro Distillery
Kilimanjaro Distillery produces quality small-batch spirits inspired by ingredients from around the world. The distillery produces a rotating variety of spirits, and many of their products are available for purchase in their shop.
Address: 995 Postal Road, Allentown, PA 18108, Phone: 484-661-2488
Stop by the tasting room at Gallows Hill Spirits
Named for Gallows Hill Spirits in Salem, where numerous poor souls who had been accused of witchcraft were hung in the 17th century, Gallows Hill Spirits in Allentown celebrates their memory with a fine range of carefully distilled spirits of their own. Visitors are invited to stop by their Tasting Room and Bar on 12th Street and get to know their spirits and how to use them in cocktails.
Address: 2208 S. 12th Street, Allentown, PA 18103, 610-628-9445
Learn about local history at the Lehigh County Heritage Center
Occupying 30,000 square foot of state-of-the-art museum space, the Lehigh County Heritage Center is a must on your Allentown itinerary. The museum’s extensive collections are spread over 6 galleries and there is also an archive and research facility. In addition to the main museum there are several historic homes you can visit including the 1770 Trout Hall, the 1756 Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum and the 1893 Claussville School.
Address: 432 W. Walnut Street, Allentown, PA 18102, 610-435-1074
Buy specialty chocolates at Josh Early Candies
Josh Early Candies has been pleasing chocolate and candy lovers for more than 100 years. When you visit their flagship store you will be able to choose from a wide range of specialty chocolates, roasted and chocolate covered nuts, an assortment of nonpareils, brittles, toffees, caramels and fudges.
Address: 4640 W. Tilghman Street, Allentown, PA 18104, 610-395-4321
Go karting at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix
If you are looking for a thrilling day out, the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix is waiting to introduce you to some great indoor entertainment. Lehigh Valley Grand Prix takes go karting to a new and exciting level, with karts reaching up to 45mph as they eat up the ¼ mile indoor track.
Address: 649 S. 10th Street, Allentown, PA 18103, 866-577-5278
