It’s the holiday season, you have down time, and you want to get out of the house for the day, maybe catch some olde time festive spirit. We have some suggestions that will (likely) make your season merry and bright.
You can take a night coach tour of the Christmas lights of Bethlehem, Pa., or hire a horse and carriage and ride past the Victorian houses of Jim Thorpe, both towns set snug in the rolling Lehigh Valley landscape like Currier and Ives lithographs.
You can travel through the South Jersey pinelands to Galloway, and the Towne of Historic Smithville, with its quaint shops and restaurants and its nightly light show of floating Christmas trees on Lake Meone.
There’s Longwood Gardens, the Chester County arboretum, spectacular in any season but especially at Christmas, when lights and musical ensembles and other attractions illuminate your visit.
Nostalgic for that grand old shopping mall experience at Christmas? There’s the King of Prussia Mall, third largest in the U.S., which draws crowds to its high-end anchors, like Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.
We could probably offer another 10 suggestions, but any one of these will deliver. We have driving times listed in the selections below, and use Doylestown, in Central Bucks County, as a starting point. So hop in your sleigh and have a very merry time.
Bethlehem, Pa.
Downtown Bethlehem, Pa. at Christmas time. Since 1937, its nickname has been “Christmas City USA.”
Let’s begin with one of the most remarkable small cities in the Lehigh Valley that bears the name of the place where Jesus was born, “House of Bread.” That’s the translation of Bethlehem. In Pa., it was given its name in 1741. Each Christmas it lives up to it, too. Since 1937 it has also been known as “Christmas City, USA.”
You can take a nighttime motorcoach tour of the city’s holiday lights, or a stroll the city on a brisk Sunday afternoon. Bethlehem has great restaurants and, after a meal, you can take in “Saint Nick of Bethlehem,” an indie film. It’s based on a true story of Allen Smith who, after losing his son, finds healing in giving to others by playing Santa Claus. This heartwarmer was released last month in the city where it happened.
Pro tip: Bethlehem is a popular tourist destination at Christmas and through New Year’s Day. Plan your trip, and wherever you decide to go, see if you must make reservations.
Go: It’s about an hour from Doylestown via Routes 611 and 412.
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Jim Thorpe, Pa.
The town Christmas tree in Jim Thorpe, Pa. It’s like walking through a Christmas snow globe.
Founded in the early 19th century as a coal transport hub in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, this Carbon County gem is mostly known as the town that changed its name to honor Jim Thorpe, the Native American Olympian. Ironically, Thorpe never set foot in the town in his life. He was from Oklahoma. (But that’s another story).
Throughout December you can experience Olde Time Christmas, take a carriage ride with jingle bell horses, or a daytime excursion on the Santa Clause Special, the train that runs along the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. You can Christmas shop, too, walking over the town’s cobblestones, passing Victorian-era houses decked out for the holidays. Walking through Jim Thorpe is like walking through a Christmas snow globe as it is known as Switzerland of Pennsylvania.
Pro tip: Crowds, so plan accordingly.
Go: It’s about an hour and 40 minutes from Doylestown. Route 209, Jim Thorpe Railroad Station, Jim Thorpe, Pa., 18229; 570-844-2001; poconomountains.com.
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Smithville, New Jersey
This shopping village in the Pinelands of South Jersey is overlooked by its neighbors to the north as a Christmas season destination, but it has a few of things to recommend a visit. First, the ride to get there is scenic. Second, once arrived, it’s like New Hope, but with the Lake Meone instead of the Delaware River. Third, unlike New Hope, it’s slower paced and parking is easy.
The Towne of Historic Smithville is in Galloway Township, Atlantic County. It’s a tourist stop, and its Village Green and the Towne of Historic Smithville, with 50 stores and eateries, are set around Lake Meone. It gives an old timey holiday feel. Don’t miss Fred & Ethel’s Lantern Light Tavern, named for Fred and Ethel Noyes, who founded the shopping village.
The centerpiece of the season is the village’s nightly “Lights on the Lake” Christmas tree show. More than 100 Christmas trees float on Lake Meone. As soon as daylight fades, the trees light up, choreographed to music, flashing on the water. Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can make s’mores around fire pits on the Village Greene, weather permitting. (There’s a small fee for your s’mores ingredients packet). There’s also a six-minute Christmas Train ride that takes you through the village. It’s more like an amusement park train ride, so it’s not difficult for kids, and at $3 a pop it won’t break the bank.
Through Dec. 23, The Village Green Shoppes hours are Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Restaurants have extended hours during the season.
Pro tip: There are two Smithvilles in South Jersey, and are commonly confused with each other, usually due to GPS, according to a village visitor information spokeswoman. There’s “Historic Smithville Park” in Eastampton, Burlington County. You don’t want that one, even though its lovely in its own right.
The other Smithville, with shops and Christmas action, is in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, about a half-hour outside Atlantic City. That’s the one. However, on depending on which GPS app you use, it will come up as “Absecon” or “Galloway.”
Go: Paste this address to your phone: 615 E. Moss Mill Rd., Smithville, New Jersey 08205. the Towne of Historic Smithville is about two hours from Doylestown via Route 42.
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Longwood Gardens, Chester County
“A Longwood Gardens Christmas” on display at the venerable horticultural phenom in Chester County.
This is one of those bucket list trips if you live in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Chester County is 1,100 acres of world-class gardens, meadows and flora and fauna conservatories and all of it is a wonder for the heart, mind and soul. The former Quaker homestead in the Brandywine Valley is consistently listed among the best horticultural gardens in the U.S. Besides springtime, when the fragrant flowers bloom and the clear fountains rush, Christmas is the showstopper for visitors.
This year, A Longwood Christmas features thousands of lights, spectacular horticultural displays and musical performances. That said, it ain’t cheap. Or easy. Still, it’s so popular, you must purchase timed tickets.
Pro tip: Dusk is the best time to see the lights. Tickets sell out fast, so hurry. Traffic can be heavy, so plan to get there before your ticket time. Also, bundle up if you’re going to tour the outdoor gardens. Christmas lights snap on at 10 a.m., fire pits start at noon.
Go: Open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through Jan. 12, 2025. Ticket prices vary wildly, depending on who you are. But top price is $42 and range down to free for children aged 0-4. Address: 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348. It’s about 90 minutes from Doylestown via 202 South, or about two hours via I-476.
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King of Prussia Mall, Montgomery County
Indoor shopping malls have fallen on hard times, but the King of Prussia Mall isn’t one of them. If you pine for that 1970s, 80s or 90s Mall at Christmas vibe, KOP is for you.
With 450 stores it sprawls, a combo of two malls. The first opened in 1963 and the second, called “The Court”, opened in 1981. In 2016 an expansion joined them and it’s the third largest mall in the U.S.
Like malls of yore, the place is lit up and decorated for the holiday season, and shoppers bustle to the piped-in Christmas music. Unlike dying malls, you won’t feel lonely here. KOP was chosen best mall in the country for “festive shopping” at Christmas. It’s also upscale, with Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. So if you’re on a Walmart/Target budget, maybe window shop and soak in the nostalgia and Christmas spirit that once pervaded Bucks County’s malls.
Pro tip: As we said, this place is yuuuge, and the parking experience is more like an airport than a mall. Remembering what garage terminal you parked in is vital. So drop a pin on your phone GPS or maybe drop a trail of breadcrumbs so you can find your way back.
Go: KOP is about an hour from Doylestown via the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Exit 326.
JD Mullane can be reached at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Day trips from Bucks County during the Christmas holiday season