The food was decent. We were all headed to the Keswick just across the street for a concert.. good…read moreservice location etc.. the Rooster was perfect!

First of course some history:…read more Hope Lodge was completed in 1748 by Samuel Morris who was a wealthy Quaker businessman. As a young man Sammy worked with his father at a mill complex in Ambler. Later he bought and sold commercial property in Philadelphia along with owning ships, a quarry, kilns, a tannery and Mather Mill which is only a block away from the mansion. As if that wasn't enough, Morris also had side hustles as being the justice of the peace for Whitemarsh, Philadelphia county commissioner and an assessor for Philadelphia county. While Morris supposedly had never been to England, he adopted the most current architectural style of the day in both England and America, Georgian, named for King George I who was reigning at the time. The style was popular in Great Britain for its balance and symmetry. Fun rumor #1 is that Edmund Woolley, architect of Independence Hall, offered some advice on the mansion's design in exchange for some quarried lime and farm goods. Now here's where the historic part comes in. In 1777 the Whitemarsh Encampment, a six-week period of the American Revolution when the Continental Army camped in the surrounding fields after the Battle of Germantown and before encamping at Valley Forge occurs. During that time the house was used as the HQ of George Washington's Surgeon General, John Cochran. Fun rumor #2 is that while Washington never slept at the mansion or on the property, supposedly GW rode his horse through the first floor hallway of Hope Lodge during a visit. There is no evidence to support this claim, even though the hallway is wide enough, but no doubt that Washington would have visited Dr. Cochran frequently during the encampment. Eventually everything gets sold to English banker Henry Hope. Hope, to give you a sense of his importance, has enough juice at the time that Adam Smith in the 4th Edition of his still read today economics masterwork The Wealth of Nations, dedicated the book to Hope. Also if the Hope family name sounds familiar it's because among other things the Hope Diamond was named after them due to their ownership of the diamond. Never intending to live in Whitemarsh, Hope purchased the property as a wedding gift for his ward, James Watmough. It was the Watmoughs who named the site Hope Lodge, in honor of their benefactor. Prior to that and during Samuel Morris's lifetime the property is known as Whitemarsh Farms and Whitemarsh Estate. The property is then sold to a family who for almost the next century uses it primarily for farming. Lack of funds prevented upgrades to more modern things gas lighting and indoor plumbing in the late 19th century which meant the mansion's 18th century integrity is retained. From the Internet: "In 1921 the property is sold to Keasbey and Mattison, a development company whose plan was to demolish the structure and extend a nearby limestone quarry. To save it from destruction, William and Alice Degn bought the property in 1922. Early historic preservationists, they carefully restored the house and added their collection of 18th and early 19th century furnishings. They did not install a central heating system in the main house because of its destructive piping; rather they added a wing onto the existing summer kitchen for a winter residence. Both of the Degns loved flowers, and they created a beautiful rose garden on the south side of the house. After Mr. Degn's death in 1940, and Mrs. Degn's death in 1953, ownership of the house was transferred to the Hope Lodge Foundation, and in 1957, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today, Hope Lodge is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the Friends of Hope Lodge, a non-profit support group formed to assist with operations at the site." So what you have today is a house that does not have the historical gravitas of a place where a Founding Father lived, worked or slept but due to the love it has received particularly from the Degn's the actual bones of the house are in amazing condition with the feature being the incomparable woodwork. If you go: Hope Lodge is not unlike a lot of other PHMC sites in that you really have to want to see it. Tours are only done one day a month, usually the 3rd Sunday, at 1pm and 2:30pm. Some months offer special events like a symphony concert, beer tasting, movie night under the stars and the biggie which is the annual re-enactment of the 1777 Whitemarsh Encampment which takes place in November. Tour admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, $4.00 for youth age 6-17, children under 5 are free and Friends of Historic Hope Lodge members are free. Cash or check only. Active military personnel and their families are also free. Parking is via two smallish lots one on the side of the property near the gardens and the other in the rear of the property. The property is on South Bethlehem Pike which is very easy to get to from both the PA Turnpike and Route 309.

I give this 5 stars but with the warning that this is for people who are fans of history and old…read morehouses. A pre-revolutionary manor house outside of Philadelphia and about 2 miles from the Fort Washington exit of Pennsylvania turnpike it was a private residence until the early part of the 20th century. Now the house is open at intermittent hours but if you have an interest it is well worth the visit. It was a 4 up 4 down house the outside is a typical Georgian mansion of the 18th century. In side the great door one side of the house has been kept, redone, in the style of the colonial era. what was a parlor like and so forth, the other side is in the neo-colonial style that was fashionable in 1920's. You can compare with what people thought the idealized image was like with the historic truth. The cellars of the house are in the colonial style with different rooms for root and veggies, dairy and smoked meats and a food prep area. The kitchen is, like all good colonial houses, another building behind the mansion and has the big fireplace you'd expect a mansion to have for it's food. The site is pretty and when open they give tours but keep an eye out for their special events such as the colonial re-enactment the fist weekend in November or their colonial Xmas.

I just can't, stress CAN'T just drive by a thrift store…read more... So en route to a camping weekend I had my route all planned out to include a few thrift stores on the way. Worhwhile Wear was one of those stops. Located in a small shopping complex next to a Giant supermarket I was impressed by the layout, displays, and quality. While it's a little on the small side, the quality was decent, and their sorting process thorough. I didn't see anything damaged, out of date, or stained. The store is set up nicely and the displays were thoughtfully curated and pleasing to look at. The toy department was a little skimpy, as were shoes and jewelry but what they had was nice. Prices seemed to be all over the place. I ended up buying a pair of higher end sandals for $10.99, which I struggled with. But they did appear to be worn very little. However, the next day when I wore them they literally feel apart within a period of 2 hours use, with the straps breaking away from the sole and the sole falling off. I'm assuming they were old and the glue just gave out. Oh well, live and learn! If I find myself in this area again I would stop again. WORTH NOTING: receipt is emailed to you unless you request otherwise, also no public bathroom use allowed, even for customers.

I can't say enough about this store and it is a worthy cause! I prefer it to the big places like…read moreGoodwill. The prices are very good, you can find real bargains here. Some of the items are priced a bit higher because they are collectibles - but it is a good mix of bargains and fair prices. Store features a lot of clothing, good fashion jewelry and nice displays. Also, a good amount of housewares and Knick knacks to browse. I always feel welcome and the staff are some of the nicest people. Upbeat and friendly. They wrap up your purchases with care - which means a lot when you find something fragile that you really like. And they have plenty of carts! No need to juggle your treasures. The store has color tag discounts every time I go in and they run special sales through the month, as well as a rewards program. Easy to drop off a donation, too. Plus, it is in a shopping center so I can pop in after groceries or before Dominick's pizza pick up ;) Definitely in my top three for area thrifting any day of the week.

Been to the old, old locale for the soup kitchen...got good assistance for a while as well. Now, I…read moredonate when I can...this is my first visit to this location, it's really nice...though the spot next to the church had ALOT of charm!

From what I have seen so far from this agency- they are doing great things for the blind and…read morevisually impaired.

My mom and sisters *literally* come to this thrift shop approximately 3 times a week and have…read morebrought me here a about a gazillion times, give or take a few. My mom regularly calls me and her first sentence is, "I'm at the Association for the Blind, do you need...(random completely useless thing that I definitely don't need, but she'll buy it anyway)?". If you're wondering where all the Newtown moms recycle their barely-worn Banana Republic and Ann Taylor gems, it's here. Need a Halloween costume? Got em. Prom Dress? Yep. Shoes? Yes please. Housewares? Every shape, size, and color. The racks are color coded and restocked on Saturdays. Fridays from 6-8 clothing is half off. There's one (rather) large dressing room in the back. Prices are VERY CHEAP. Like, stupidly cheap. All proceeds go to Bucks County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. If you want to recycle your things, you can do so Monday to Saturday 10-3.The ladies that work here are very sweet. My mom is tight with them, cus, ya know, she's there all the time. You can find ANYTHING at this thrift shop. I'm pretty sure half the time I ask my mom and sisters where they got something, I know their answer is going to be "Assosh." That's right, we've abbreviated it.

My sister and I stumbled upon this store when we were traveling and googled "thrift stores near…read moreus." We felt like we hit the thrifting lottery! Super friendly manager, great prices, beautiful pieces, and a great cause. I thrift several times a week, and this was a top 10 experience. I wish I could this place 10 stars.

Doing some retail tourism in the area, we stopped at this thrift store. It is small but laid out…read morewell. The cashier was personable and helpful. Prices were a bit on the high side compared to others in our experience.

What an amazing treasure in the middle of bucks county! AarK is a wild life rehabilitation and…read moreeducation center. This review is of their annual open house where they've opened their doors to the public. This event takes place over one weekend per year! For this event you will be directed to a church parking lot about a mile down the road. Cost is a $15 donation paid at the parking lot via cash or Venmo. Shuttle buses run back and forth to the center. When I arrived there was live musicThis is a very family friendly event! Lots of activities and educational experiences for children and adults. The animal handlers were all over the property providing up close encounters with various animals and providing so much information on each resident and ambassador animals. Outdoor enclosures built by community members house foxes, owls, birds, raccoons, and squirrels. Each enclosure is labeled with species information and details on why the animal is living at the center. There are exhibits indoors for reptiles and small animals going through medical care. Some of the animals onsite will be rehabilitated and released while others will be life long residents for their own safety. The staff and volunteers were all fantastic and had so much knowledge to share. One of my favorite things to watch was the care takers showing children how they feed and medicate insured animals. Each child could use a "stuffy" to practice syringe feeding and other routine care. Children were given a paper to collect stamps at each experience. Once all stamps were collected they could select a prize. Penn Wildlife was also onsite along with other local organizations giving out some great swag along with educational and informative materials. There was a snack bar available. Bathrooms were ports potty's.

Awesome place! We found a baby bird on our porch on a Sunday afternoon and no mom around and it…read morelooked injured. Did some research on google and took it to the AARK and they took the baby bird in right away. My husband and I just filled out a piece of paper and then the employees at the AARK took care of Lucky. We named the bird Lucky because it was behind our broom and we would never have saw it, if it wasnt for my husband finding it. When we arrived we were immediately approached and asked if we had an animal. I am so happy that this place was able to take the baby bird. Staff was great and all were super friendly.

My daughters and I recently volunteered with their school at Mitzvah Circle Foundation on MLK Day…read more I was so touched by this organization which helped 45,000 people, including over 2,000 children with developmental issues last year alone. I really enjoyed not only meeting, but hearing what founder Fran had to say about her original plans for her non profit organization (which grew tremendously over the last few years), as well as their mission, and how the process exactly works. She told touching stories of those she has helped and it really inspired me to do more! I really liked knowing that our time was really needed and our donations were headed to the appropriate places. I love the fact that The Mitzvah Circle creates individualized care packages. They aim to satisfy the personal needs of each and every family/person on a one on one basis. Whether it's school supplies, outerwear, educational toys, pajamas, or sturdy shoes, they will do their best to send seasonal, correctly sized items with each package their volunteers create and deliver. They have many ways you can help... -Donating very gently used items on weekdays. Their motto for donating clothes is "if you wouldn't put it on your child or wear it, don't send it". They noted the item we bag up and send may be the nicest article of clothing they have. Good to keep in mind. It definitely makes this Mama feel a lot better about some of those pricier items we part with. They accept all sizes, all season, all genders. Shoes are definitely an item they don't have enough of! Send 'em!They ask that you call or email before dropping off so they can be sure someone can help you unload your goods. They did say email is the fastest method of communication. -Donating a monetary gift through their site. That money will be used to purchase diapers and baby soap. (They are the ONLY organization which provides diapers to families in neeed! They also send out 500 bottle of baby soap every 2 weeks!) -Volunteer. There are many days to lend a hand. I posted a photo of upcoming available dates of service. Often groups, schools and business come together and select a day to help out too! Contact them if you think you may have a larger group interested in helping out! Volunteering was rewarding and easy. They are a very organized and well oiled machine. My children ages 5&7 had no issues helping out. They really enjoyed bagging the 5 toiletry items as well seeing how fast they could help us separate the garments by size into appropriate bins. Everything was explained well and we accomplished a great deal in our 3 hour slot. I've already been bagging up some goods to take up there. If you are looking to give a bit more in whatever way you can this year, I couldn't recommend this organization any more! I was happy to be a part of it and look forward to working with them a lot more!

Absolutely lovely and kind people who run this charity organization. I had the opportunity to meet…read moreFran Held who is the founder and executive director. She gave me a tour of their warehouse where they sort and ship donations to those who need then the most but cannot afford. These include school supplies for deserving kids, shoes, toiletries, food, books, etc. I was so impressed by this kind-hearted lady and appreciate the amount of effort and dedication it takes to run such an organization. So glad to be able to chip in with what I can to help those in need through this organization.