While each of our partner sites offers a fascinating glimpse back in time, the following sites should be of particular interest to families with children. View the Weekend Schedule links for more information and open times.
1803 House
Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21
Old-fashioned toys and games, scavenger hunts, plus drinks and snacks under the Butternut tree
Boyertown Area Historical Society – Bahr’s Mill
Saturday, July 13
Guided tours of the 19th-century mill, blacksmithing, and living history demonstrations. Join the archaeological crew to help uncover the secrets of the mill! Lend a hand (gloves recommended) and see what hidden treasures we might find together.
George Taylor House
Thursday, July 4
July 4th Reading of the Declaration of Independence and living history timeline. Enjoy free access to the grounds and live music; meet living history reenactors from Colonial settlers to Civil War soldiers, and hear a rousing reading of the Declaration of Independence as 1776 comes to life. Tours of the 18th-century mansion are available for a $10 suggested donation (free for members of the military, veterans, and children ages 12 and under).
Governor Wolf Historical Society
Saturday, July 20
Make-it-’n’-Take-it crafts, Herb and Pleasure Garden, and heritage skill demonstrations
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
- Burnside Plantation, Saturday, July 6:
Bee Hotel craft, Colonial gardens and cooking demonstrations - Moravian Museum & Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, Sunday, July 7:
Moravian Museum: Imagine you are staying overnight at the Sun Inn in the 1760s. Write a letter home sharing your observations and close your letter with a real wax seal.
Kemerer Museum: Design your own restaurant menu. - Special Exhibition: Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations
Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association
Thursday, July 4
Refreshments in the garden and visit the D&L Trail and canal. Walk to the nearby George Taylor House for Independence Day living history celebrations.
Historic Trappe
Tour our 18th-century buildings, visit the historic kitchen garden and our Farm Stand (10 am-1pm). Or get your hands dirty at our archaeology field school! Kids of all ages can screen dirt to look for artifacts such as redware pottery and animal bone, or help wash and dry brush artifacts in the lab to get them ready for further study.
Special Exhibition: Native Son: The Life and Art of David Ellinger
Jacobsburg Historical Society
Saturday, July 13
Tour the grounds, Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum, J. Joseph Henry House, and Nicholas Hawk Gun Shop. Enjoy living history demonstrations in the original summer kitchen and smoke house.
Kutztown Area Historical Society
Sunday, July 7
Marvel at the room-size model train display (the trains will be running!) and see the antique toys in our 1892 school building museum.
Leesport Lock House
Saturday, July 6
Old-fashioned toys and games for all ages with tours of the Locktender’s House
Lower Saucon Tonwship Historical Society: Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse
Saturday, July 13
Visit Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse and experience what it was like to be educated in a one-room schoolhouse from the years 1880-1958.
Moravian Historical Society
Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21
Children’s activities and tour the 1740 Gray Cottage, the oldest surviving Moravian structure in North America.
Special Exhibition: Grounds for Meditation: Moravian Pleasure Gardens
National Museum of Industrial History
Sunday, July 21
Interactive exhibits and “Float Your Boat” S.T.E.A.M. Adventures activity from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Special Exhibition: New and Improved! The Age of Convenience in the Home
Pearl S. Buck Historic Estate
Saturday, July 13 & Sunday, July 14
Enjoy free self-guided garden tours of the beautiful 67-acre Pearl S. Buck Estate property, featuring more than a dozen landscaped gardens. Mention Passport to History at our gift shop for a special discount.
Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm
Saturday, July 20
Music in the Valley event featuring traditional music and an end-of-day jam session; plus farm life & heritage skill demonstrations
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
Friday, July 19, Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21
Enjoy opening weekend of the Next Stop, Pennsburg: A History of Model Trains exhibit, plus scavenger hunts, bank barn tours, and a Saturday “Make a Paper Quilt” family craft in the Education Room. On Sunday, mezzo-soprano Ann Fogler will perform Frauenliebe und leben by Robert Schumann.
Special Exhibitions:
Next Stop, Pennsburg: A History of Model Trains
Tribes
Elephants, the Michelin Man, and Sunbonnet Sue: 20th-Century Pictorial Embroidered Quilts
Slate Belt Heritage Center
Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21
Enjoy our special exhibition, 25 Years: The Slate Belt Heritage Center, Then and Now, a scherenschnitte demonstration and craft (Saturday), and paint your own wooden Christmas ornament (Sunday). The Smokin’ Pasty food truck will also be on hand on Saturday, serving contemporary versions of the traditional Cornish treat.
The TileWorks of Bucks County (Moravian Pottery and Tile Works)
Saturday, July 13
Visit Henry Mercer’s singular TileWorks building and watch artisans make heritage tiles.
Sigal Museum
Friday, July 5 & Saturday, July 6
Discovery Room and interactive exhibits including Forged by Fire: The Heroism, Honor & History of Firefighting. Try on firefighter gear, use a hand-cranked drill to make wooden water pipes like the 18th-century Moravians, and learn about Frank the Fire Dog. *This is the last weekend for the Forged by Fire exhibit.
Upper Milford Historical Society – Jasper Pits Tour
Saturday, July 20 (Rain Date: Sunday, July 21)
Tour the jasper pits at Jasper Park with members of Upper Milford Historical Society. Visit the first mining sites in Lehigh County, used 8,000-12,000 years ago by the Lenape to make tools such as arrowheads and knives.
Washington Crossing Historic Park
Saturday, July 6
Colonial Field Day: Family field day competition & 18th-century games
(Pre-registration required. Space is limited.)
Sunday, July 7
Rebel and Redcoats Classic Car Show
Whitehall Historical Preservation Society
Saturday, July 20
Meet the 153rd Civil War PA Volunteer Infantry Regiment re-enactor group on the Peter Grim House lawn. Visit the encampment, talk to the soldiers, and watch military drills.
Williams Township Historical Society – Historic Schoolhouses Driving Tour
Saturday, July 20
Come to the Fairview School any time between 10 and 4, pick up a packet with driving map, descriptions, and photos of the schoolhouses. Enjoy a ride in the country and learn some local history in the fresh air.
Image: Colonial Field Day, Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA
*Lehigh Valley Passport to History is supported in part with funding received through the County of Northampton Hotel Tax Program, the County of Bucks Tourism Program, and the County of Lehigh Tourism Development Program.