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Photo: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This local plantation affords an excellent look at rural life in the Lehigh Valley beginning in the mid-18th century. The restored Moravian homestead highlights farm life and the region's industrial development through the mid-19th century. It not only makes the past come alive but provides a showcase for agriculture and craftsmanship of the era.
The Burnside Plantation is a 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) plantation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is also known as the James Burnside Plantation and Lerch Farm. The plantation is located 0.2 miles (0.32 km) southeast of the intersection with Eaton Ave, on Schoenersville Road.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Rose Garden Park is on 8th Ave and offers playgrounds, a bandshell where the Music in the Park concerts are held, and the DAR House, a replica of the first log cabin built in Bethlehem.
Public golf course within the city. For those looking for just a round on the links on the cheap, the city course will do the trick. Also see Saucon Valley Country Club below.
The 1758 Sun Inn is a restored 18th-century inn that once hosted guests such as George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette. It has been fully restored and now offers guided tours, which provide a rich history of 1700s Bethlehem. It can also be rented and catered for private gatherings. The courtyard also hosts a summer concert series.
This area contains a few of Bethlehem's early buildings, like the 1761 Tannery, 1762 Waterworks (a National Historic Landmark), the 1869 Luckenbach Mill, and the Miller's House Garden (an 1870 Victorian garden). The area is right along the Monocacy Creek, so it's a great place to take a walk or even fish, right downtown (if you have a license).
If you're on Main St., you'll probably walk by here. A nice little place to stop by with a few rotating exhibits, but not a destination itself. Beer enthusiasts take note though - Goundie was the town brewer back in the day.
One of Bethlehem's city parks, Illick's Mill Park offers ice skating (seasonal), pool (seasonal), the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Club (see above), a driving range, baseball fields, and a nature trail that runs along the Monocacy Creek.