The Old Library by Lake Afton dates from 1878. It currently houses the Yardley Historical…read moreAssociation, which maintains the building. Architecturally, the building's style is "carpenter Gothic" with a steep gable roof, decorative slate work, and pointed arched windows. It could be mistaken for a country chapel sitting alongside Lake Afton. The Old Library is a perfect spot for community events, and it may be rented for meetings and special occasions. It's interior layout consists of one large room with a restroom.

My brother-in-law brought us to see the Garden of Reflection Memorial. It is simply beautiful! I…read morelove the dual fountains representing the Twin Towers. My wife worked there before we moved to San Diego, so we have a special connection to the buildings and the horror of 9-11. Seeing the steel from the building was very moving. The peaceful setting here is very nice for walking, contemplating, sitting ... remembering. Lest we forget.

Very nice memorial. Tranquil area to relax and reflect on what really matters…read more Really like the fountains depicting the twin towers

The food was amazing. I had the pasta special, which was a creamy pesto pasta with chicken, and it…read moredefinitely did not disappoint.

The Old Barracks was built in 1758 to house British soldiers during the French and Indian…read moreWar--picture redcoats grumbling about colonial weather and terrible coffee. Later it became one of Washington's military hospitals during the Revolution, and parts of it are still original. They're doing some renovations now, but any history buff will find this place fascinating. Inside you've got galleries, a gift shop, meeting spaces, and staff who are genuinely passionate about keeping history alive. Go, learn something, enjoy the energy of the fun tour guides. It's under construction right now, but I've been coming here for years when I visit family in Jersey, and it's always worth the stop. Trenton may be scrappy, but the Old Barracks is one of its gems.

The only way this place could be better is if it was open more. It's a direct link to…read morepre-america, and was the place the battle of trenton was likely planned. You can stop in for a tour on the first Saturday of every month, and most months, the third Saturday as well. The House is original, dating to roughly 1765, and housed George Washington for the week, from December 8th to the 14th, 1776, as Washington wavered between heading to Philadelphia or turning north on the offensive. When leaving he turned north, crossed the river at Washington Crossing and turned the tide of the American Revolution. The best idea of Pre-America likely happened here for Washington. Could you have a great idea too?

Princeton is a beautiful college town and I could spend days exploring every nook and cranny. Among…read moreone of the hidden gems in Princeton, is venturing the very same steps that Albert Einstein walked. What an incredible experience for me. Despite countless visits back East, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now that I've gotten older. If I return here after all the COVID restrictions, I hope to spend more time here.

Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County is a cool destination for history buffs and…read moreoutdoor enthusiasts alike. I've often walked the tow path from Yardley to the park and back, which is a great little hike and quite beautiful. The park commemorates George Washington's legendary 1776 crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War, where he and his troops marched on Trenton and captured the town from British allied Hessian soldiers. It features well preserved historical landmarks and a bunch of exhibits. Visitors can explore the visitor center's museum, which showcases artifacts, interactive displays and there's also a short film detailing the historic event. The park also offers guided tours of the McConkey Ferry Inn and other 18th century buildings, providing a glimpse into colonial life. I also have to mention the annual re-enactment of Washington's crossing, which is a must-see in my opinion. Overall, this is a very nice community asset and cheers to local residents who keep it vibrant and engaging after all these years.

(Note: This review is for the Thompson-Neely Section of Washington Crossing Historical Park, since…read moreI didn't have time to visit the main section! Washington Crossing Historic Park is more than 500 acres, and it has several sections.) The Thompson-Neely Section includes the Thompson-Neely Bridge, the Thompson-Neely House, the Thompson-Neely Grist Mill, and a memorial cemetery (graves of Washington Crossing soldiers). The Thompson-Neely House and grounds served as an encampment site for part of the Continental Army in December 1776. So there's a lot of history here, and you can walk along the Delaware Canal Towpath to each of the sites in this section. It's perhaps not as organized as the main section of the park; there's no visitor center in this section, but it's not too complicated - there's parking near the General Sullivan Pavilion and the house and grist mill, and then you can wander to each of the sites. (I don't recall a map of the section anywhere, but each site is on Google Maps, and that's what I used to make my way between them.) I was at the park in the late afternoon, and I don't think the house or grist mill was open, but I enjoyed walking along the towpath to the memorial cemetery, the bridge, and to see the exterior of the house and grist mill. New Hope has a lot to offer, but Washington Crossing Historical Park is great to include on your itinerary for exploring the area if you want to take in a little local/regional/American history!

An old library book, Gardens of Philadelphia, made me aware of Highlands Mansion, and…read morecoincidentally friends wanted to have a play date at Kids Castle, so on our way home we checked out Highlands. The mansion is apparently under restoration so I did not tour it, but I did see the gardens. While these gardens are nothing compared to the scale of the Brandywine DuPont estates, they are impressive for a former private residence. The most remarkable thing about them, to me, is their use of dramatic tall freestanding walls. Designers seem to agree that the best tool for success in landscaping is creating outdoor "rooms" or dedicated areas with hedged/fenced/walled/etc. boundaries to delineate and discern one outdoor space from another. I've toured many gardens domestic and abroad and I've never seen such a liberal use of wall structures that were apparently built solely for ornamental landscaping purposes (as opposed to ruins or retaining walls). Yes, you see decorative walls employed at Longwood and Chanticleer, but none so gigantic as these. Highlands was working with flat plain meadow and the goal seemed to be to create multiple garden-framed large lawn spaces, free of tree debris or too much shade to affect the grass. The walls are designed to tower as high as ornamental trees, but without the maintenance, root issues, leaf drop, etc. and they green-ify these walls with ivy trained all over them. Voila, vertical garden, architectural interest, height, and allowance for terrain diversification. I grew up adjacent to the trove of magnificent DuPont estates in the Brandywine Valley. I'm now fortunate to live 2 1/2 mi from Chanticleer and 7 1/2mi from Tyler Arboretum (Jenkins is closer but it doesn't appeal to me). I would recommend the destinations closer to me for full day visits, while Highlands gardens would only take a half hour for the formal area, and more if you choose to hike a trail or tour the manse. Still, it may be a half-day visit at most. While not a day trip destination on its own, it is a worthy stop if in the area, and I do recommend it to anyone interested in garden design who's already toured the others I mentioned. This is also an event venue, and the formal space is certainly made for such use, so it's lovely people can enjoy the space as it was intended when conceived.

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.

The Washington Crossing Bridge is a charming and historical structure which spans the Delaware…read moreRiver between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While certainly outdated by modern standards, it is a pretty cool reminder of days gone by in Bucks County. As a driver who crossed the bridge many times, I have to say it is truly a harrowing experience to cross, especially with a full size SUV. The lanes are literally so close that I had to retract my side mirrors as I was worried about clipping cars coming the other way. The bridge is located near the site where George Washington famously crossed the river during the Revolutionary War and Washington Crossing Historic Park which commemorates the event. The park is pretty nice to walk around and you can get some great photos of the bridge, river and scenery from there.

I'm not sure how a bridge actually earns the coveted fifth star. Off the top of my head I would say…read morethat the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Chesapeake bay bridge are certainly worthy of that ranking. But I am a fan of this humble bridge. It is possibly the bridge I frequent the most, or at least see the most. It bridges the gap between 2 very good parks. The NJ Washington's crossing and the Pa Washington's crossing. Both of which have their own unique qualities. As Gerald correctly pointed out, the width is scarily narrow. Some of my passengers have cringed at my choice of using it, and are thrilled when I opt for its southern or northern neighbor. It is ample enough for my small car, but when Bubba's pickup truck or Mr nature lover's Hummer approach from the other side you just have to hope for the best. There is a pedestrian walkway too, and I enjoy using that when time allows.

This is a great historical site, even though it is a recreation. It's still a lot of fun to see…read morePA's founder William Penn's dwellings as they might have been. The visitor center sells the tickets, has a gift shop, and quite a thorough exhibit on William Penn and his decision to found a colony and the influences behind how he ran it, including his conversion to Quakerism. The house itself has tours regularly, and our tour group was pretty big. They have evidence of the foundation and recreated his summer house based on multiple sources, and the house has a different vibe than something from the colonial area around a hundred years later. You can see a simpler and English-inspired architecture with dark wooden interiors and focus on basic metal and wooden furnishings. The tour passes through the more public rooms, the bedrooms, and the kitchen where the tour finishes. The tour guide did seem to have a particular interest in herbs that were used medicinally at the time. The overall information was interesting to learn about Penn, his family, and life at the time. On site, they also had a few reenactor tradespeople, including a joiner, two weavers, and two blacksmiths. They were all very enthusiastic about answering questions on their crafts. There is also a garden to walk through and some livestock. Between the indoor and outdoor exhibits, it was a really thorough site with different things for everyone to enjoy.

I went to Pennsybury manor on a field trip as a chaperone…read more The manor is the place where William Penn stayed for a short time. You can see vegetable gardens, a barn, a wooden boat, a kitchen, and a guy squashing apples to make cider. (Kids love that). There is also a little workshop where a guy does woodworking. Another guy was carving a log into a canoe. There is a gift shoppe which sells pencils and stuffed animals, if you can't find one at the local discount mart in your neighborhood and have a paucity of these in your bedroom. There is also a tour of the mansion. It has no lights. It is not original but recreated to perhaps be like the original. There is also a outhouse adjacent to this structure, but people are prohibited from making deposits in it.

If you haven't taken the covered bridges tour, do so. It's such a beautiful drive, even when the…read moretrees haven't fully come in yet--the scenery still feels peaceful and worth it. We made a weekend out of it and stayed overnight in Bethlehem, which made the whole experience even better. Highly recommend.

What's that old song lyric? "The best things in life are free". It may not have been quite free,…read morebut for the price of a tank of gas we were able to spend a lovely fall day with our closest friends taking the covered bridge tour in beautiful and historic Bucks County PA.. And that seemed among the "best things" to us. So we wanted to post a heads up to others via Yelp about this tour for others who might enjoy it. There are but twelve covered bridges remaining of the original three dozen originally built in Buck's' County Pennsylvania. Thanks to the hard work of some dedicated folks, the twelve that remain are maintained for all of us to enjoy. This driving (or biking) tour will take you to all of them - or some if you prefer not to do the entire tour. For our two bits, this is a great way to spend a day, including a stop at Bowman's Hill Tower to take in the views and the history of that site (it's on the tour path so you're missing out if you don't stop here) and Bowman' Wildlife Preserve. In particular on a beautiful fall day as we did last week. (Both the Tower and Preserve are in New Hope.) The Wildlife Preserve has a picnic area outside the gates so taking along a picnic lunch is a great idea. And inside the gates, there are bathrooms at the visitor center...hooray. See the website posted at the of the page for more info on each of the bridges and the driving map. Another good bridge tor website is located here. http://letsget.com/html/Directory/community/comm_states/comm_counties_pa/comm_ya_bucks/covered_bri.html#TOUR