New Hope, PA - a Great Escape not far from the Jersey Shore

New Hope- a Great Escape not far from the Jersey Shore

Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA

We had a great trip to New Hope, Pa to see the beautiful fall leaves. New Hope is nestled along the Delaware River in Bucks County. It is filled with antique shops, great restaurants, the Buck’s County Playhouse, the Parry Mansion, the New Hope Winery, Peddler’s Village and the New Hope Ivyland Rail Road.

We took a 45 minute train ride on the Railroad and learned a lot of local history. The 1917 film The Perils of Pauline was filmed along the railroad. The leaves were beautiful.

We passed a house that was a part of the underground railroad.

We had lunch at the Triumph Brewing Company. Bacon cheddar cheese burger $12.5, cheese steak sliders with sautéed onions and provolone $9.

They used to have a mule pulled barge along the canal but some destruction after flooding and then a drought the canal has dried up. When we visited in 1986 I remember seeing the mules pull the barges. I hope they are able to continue this tourist attraction.

We also stopped for coffee in Lambertville, NJ which is another great place for antiques.

The Buck’s County Playhouse will be having “Footloose” “Hello Dolly” and “A Christmas Carol” in the near future.

The Parry Mansion tour was so informative and I saw many things I’ve never seen before. The home is made of field stone.

5 generations of Parry’s lived in the house and in 1955 it was sold to the historical society. Each room shows a different period of our history. Most of the items are original to the house. Open May – Oct. Private tours are available. www.newhopehistoricalsociety.org

A wooden tricycle...

An Ice House...

An early camera...

The medical bag of Dr. Parry...

A bed made out of rope and straw...

A corner chair perfect for a soldier’s sword...

A wealthy Phila businessman, Benjamin Parry moved to the area in 1781 and operated the mills there, along with the first commercial bank, he built the 1^st bridge to NJ, the Delaware Canal in 1830 and invented the patent for preserving grain. When one of his mills burned down in 1790 he rebuilt it and called it New Hope Mills. That is how the town got the name New Hope. Parry had a flour mill, a flax mill and a saw mill.More things from the home...

There are 13 covered bridges in this part of PA. It is not far to Washington’s Crossing Park. I was there as a Girl Scout and mostly remember we had 3 days of rain, while outdoor camping. We saw the portrait of Washington Crossing the Delaware which is great!

We stayed at the charming Peddler’s Village at the Golden Plough Inn. They have wonderful shops, great restaurants,

and we stayed in a 2 story suite with a fireplace and Jacuzzi. You could hear the shoppers going by since it is right in the village, but we got used to it.

They had a Halloween Costume Party with a guitar player. It was a little chilly but we had fun. I enjoyed some hot mulled cider and some delicious corn chowder.

In the fall the village has a Scarecrow contest, on Nov.6 & 7 is the Apple Festival. Coming soon a Christmas Gingerbread contest, Grand Illumination and in May there is the Strawberry Festival.

For Diner we went to Cock ‘n Bull Tavern. We had real Comfort food – Turkey and stuffing- Filet Mignon and mashed potatoes.

We had Sunday Brunch at the Cock ‘n Bull. It was fabulous. $22, $11 Children.

Here’s what they served: Fresh fruit, French toast, Belgium Waffles, Eggs Benedict, Omlets, bacon, sausage, potatoes. Caeser salad, cole slaw, chicken salad, u peel shrimp, mussels, Danish, cinnamon buns, muffins, bagels, croissants. Carved ham and roast beef, turkey and gravy, baked chicken, fish, rice pilaf, corn pudding, quiche, mixed veggies. Dessert - Cheese cake, truffles, brownies, cheese blintzes. $22 – the hotel gives a $7 voucher!

I did some great shopping for Christmas too! They have a French gift shop along with an English, Irish, German and Italian specialty shop, a Book store, bakery, jewelry store, leather shop, clothing stores, a soap shop, a toy shop and many more. There is also Giggleberry Fair for the kids with an indoor carousel and games for kids.

In the summer there is tubing, rafting, hiking and hot air ballooning. New Hope is 2hours from the Jersey Shore, one hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from NYC. It would make a great day trip…or why not spend the night and do some Christmas Shopping while you’re there?