WHYGO: If organic architecture, 1800s carousel organ music, and Revolutionary War history make your hearts go pitter-pat, plan a couple of days to explore all the things to do in Valley Forge PA and nearby. Couples with a penchant for exploring oddball stuff will find much to love and explore together in this region just 23 miles outside of Philadelphia.
Valley Forge was the third of eight Winter Encampments during the American Revolution. Discover why it was important enough to commemorate as a National Park.
Hear and see hundred-year-old Wurlitzer Organs and Nickelodeons on an incredible tram tour through Mechanical Music History.
Or peruse the extremely unique home and furnishings of a prominent turn-of-last-century architect/furniture designer that few have heard of, (but should be as famous as Frank Lloyd Wright).
Even if the mere mention of George Washington or American History makes your eyes glaze over, there are curiosities aplenty in the Valley Forge Region of PA, and we let you in on the best. Read on.
To extend your “outer Philly” weekend getaway, add this fantastic escape to Chester County PA, a visit to Bryn Athyn PA – home to one of the grandest Cathedrals ever built by a private citizen in the US, and/or a bike ride along the Perkiomen Trail and a visit to Skippack Village.
Both are within a 25-minute drive from Valley Forge.
And, should you want to expand your horizons, but stay within Pennsylvania, choose one of these dozens of Best Romantic Getaways in PA.
Things To Do In Valley Forge PA
TOUR: Valley Forge National Park
Valley Forge National Historic Park was just one of eight Revolutionary War Winter Encampments: this was the third, from December to June 1777-1778. There were no battles fought on these 3,500 acres, and it wasn’t even the worst winter of the war-torn years. So why make such a big deal about it?
What was the importance of the battle of Valley Forge?
“So,” on-site interpreters ask, “why does the National Park Service honor Valley Forge specifically, and why do schoolbooks dump all of the War’s suffering in one place?”
Park Rangers and signage do an excellent job with the answers:
- Perseverance through a winter that incurred the highest death toll (a record 2,600 died from illness.)
- The fact that France, wanting to stick it to its nemesis England, began sending arms and men (in no small part due to the influence and finesse of Ben Franklin who was living in France at the time.)
- And the arrival of a Prussian mercenary named Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben, who had served under Frederick the Great. Von Steuben turned the disorganized, ill-supplied collection of 13 militias into the United States Continental Army.
Pick up a park map and take a self-guided tour on a well-marked ten-mile driving loop of the encampment tour route. There are nine stops, including the National Memorial Arch commemorating the arrival of General George Washington and the Continental Army into Valley Forge.
Be sure to stop at Washington’s Headquarters, “The Pentagon of its day.” As you drive along, you’ll see clusters of recreated log cabin huts representing the 2,000 that soldiers built for the harsh winter.
Entry to the National Park is free, as is the self-guided tour. For a more comprehensive tour, purchase an audio tour CD at the Visitor’s Center, or take a 90-minute narrated Trolley Tour for a small fee. Check the website for hours open.
TOUR: American Treasure Tour
Take a 90-minute guided American Treasure Tram Tour through the staggering collection of one media-shy man obsessed with Mechanical Music – specifically Band Organs and Nickelodeons from 1900-1926, and animatronics, or “automatons” used for department store window displays.
It’s the most extensive collection of Mechanical Music in the world. And, it’s one of the coolest things to do on a date near Valley Forge!
The tram carries you through displays that are housed in the 100,000 sq. feet former home of the B. F. Goodrich Tire Factory. As you glide along, your guide turns on Band Organs and toys via iPad app, triggering childhood memories of carousels and ice-skating rinks. Step off the tram into a vast Nickelodeon Hall.
If you thought that Nickelodeons were merely player pianos, you’ll be surprised. The diversity of instruments that came to life for that nickel included drums, harps, violins, and even banjos. Don’t miss the “Photoplayer” made for silent movie theaters. It featured foot pedals that played chirping, bopping, and other sound effects for the screen.
The collection also includes a seemingly limitless number of cars, stuffed animals, and Americana. But, of course, come for the music.
This is an attraction that should be trumpeted throughout the world. And I know just the Wurlitzer to do it. Check website for tram tour dates, times, availability, and ticket prices.
VISIT: Wharton Esherick Museum and Studio
A little bit Gaudi, a little bit Frank Lloyd Wright, Wharton Esherick–artist, sculptor and furniture designer–should be a household name. Anyone who is interested in architecture, furniture design or just plain quirky buildings should come to this little studio/home in the woods.
Constructed over a span of 40 years, the Wharton Esherick Museum and Studio is a triptych of styles. Beginning with a 1926 stone studio uphill from his farmhouse, followed by a wood portion in 1940, Esherick completed the compound with a silo encased in mixed pigment stucco in 1966.
Believing that building designers should throw out their T-Squares, Esherick, the “Dean of American Craftsman,” said,
Why be straight and square when nothing in nature is?
A memorable house tour takes you through the building as Esherick left it in the late 1960s.
You access three levels via steps bolted into tree trunks. Heading up to Esherick’s bedroom, you’ll grasp a sensually smooth Mastodon tusk handrail. This revolutionary design, including the whole tight spiral staircase, was showcased at the 1940 World’s Fair as the centerpiece of a Pennsylvania Hill House.
The artist’s clothes are still neatly folded in the chest of drawers beneath his raised bed.
“It’s a space that changes lives,” said former curator, Paul Eisenhauer. “People who came as kids bring their kids. There’s just nothing like it. Tours by advance reservations only. Book online. Check website for dates open, tour times, and tour cost.
Valley Forge Area Restaurants
EAT: Restaurant Alba, Malvern
Chef Sean Weinberg, a James Beard darling, dedicated to high quality, locally produced foods, opened Restaurant Alba, a big city-caliber eatery, in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Malvern years ago. And the great reviews are never-ending.
EAT: Locals Recommend
Most highly rated restaurants in the Valley Forge area: Trouble’s End Brewing, Poseidon Asian Cuisine, Seasons 52, and Aroma Mediterranean
Valley Forge Hotels In Montgomery County
STAY: Sheraton Valley Forge
For those who like a more traditional hotel stay, the Sheraton Valley Forge recently sunk millions of bucks into an ultra-modern redo. Rooms are chic, and service is friendly.
STAY: Desmond Hotel, Malvern
See this Chester PA Getaway Post for more local attractions and places to stay, including the Desmond Hotel.
More Weekend Getaways For History Tour Lovers
- Best 50 Historical Sites For The American History Buffs
- Parks and Recreation in the US; A State By State List (includes listings of historic sites)
- Looking for more travel ideas near Philadelphia? Check our Weekend Getaways In Pennsylvania.
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