Five Reasons to Plan a Family Trip to Bucks County is sponsored by Visit Bucks County
Living in the urban concrete jungle of NYC it was amazing to me that in less than an hour – we were surrounded by the pastoral beauty of BUCKS COUNTY and had me ITCHING to share Five Reasons to Plan a Family Trip to Bucks County! It is so much fun when you find a nearby destination like Bucks County, Pennsylvania that you never knew about and after a short trip it quickly cements its place as a family favorite vacation experience! It started with our short car ride from Staten Island and to our home base at Residence Inn by Marriott LANGHORNE which was centrally located near some great family sights, quaint shopping, historical locations, museums and even a modern day castle – and yes it was enough to convince me that this is a trip that every NYC family needs to experience!
Here are my five reasons you should plan a family trip to Bucks county but there are much more than five great places that you will get to know when you spend a few days there.
#1 You can bring your POOCH and stay at a home away from home when you Check into the Residence Inn by Marriott BY MARRIOTT LANGHORNE. This All-suite property features full kitchens, fireplaces, flat screen televisions, luxury bedding package and wireless high-speed Internet.
My kids loved their complimentary full breakfast- they filled up on homemade waffles, hot cereal, fresh fruit and unlimited trips to their buffet!
And after a day of touring the sites around Bucks county they spent hours splashing and swimming in the indoor heated pool, and trying their hand at a game of Billiards room, while I was able to get my workout in at their 24-hour fitness center which boasted flat screen TVS fresh towels and water!
And the best part- our dogs were welcome to stay with us and made themselves super comfy in the rooms!
# 2 The James A. Michener Art Museum is an experience that your tweens and teens will enjoy! Housed on the site of a former prison, the Michener Art Museum presents many special exhibitions and showcases important regional artists. Permanent collection highlights include the Nakashima Reading Room, the Daniel Garber mural A Wooded Watershed, an outdoor sculpture garden, and a world-class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz performances, Ladies Nights Out, family-themed activities, and other events. The Museum also offers art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs designed to enhance artistic awareness.
Right away my kids noticed the giant stone walls surrounding this art museum– and it turns out that’s because it is the old Bucks County prison!
Current exhibitions you will see on display are “Virtually Rudy: New Dimensions in Sculpture” and “Magical & Real: Henriette Wyeth and Peter Hurd, a Retrospective.”
It was so awe inspiring to see this beautifully done museum with all its ecclectic works of art and the exhibits were really special.
The kids loved it too! You may want to explore the nearby town of Doylestown which had some beautiful shops and places to eat as well.
#3 Tour the Mercer Museum
Kids and adults alike will love Exploring the Mercer Museum, where a Bucks County archaeologist, Henry Chapman Mercer, stored over 40,000 artifacts he collected from the Industrial Revolution.
The Mercer Museum is a history museum of everyday life in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Henry Mercer (1856-1930) gathered the collection and constructed the Museum.
The collection of some 40,000 objects documents the lives and tasks of early Americans through the tools that met their needs and wants prior to the Industrial Revolution, or about 1850.
Visitors can choose their own paths through the Museum. Most of the 55 exhibit rooms and alcoves display the tools or products of an early American craft, trade or occupation.
Other rooms show categories of objects such as lighting devices or architectural hardware. Currently on exhibit downstairs is “African American Quilts: From Traditional to Contemporary” to check out. It was put together with the personal collection from this unique man, who was a collector tile industry fabricator, and builder who you learn so much more about in a tour of Fonthill Castle.
#4 The Fonthill Castle tour
This is the concrete castle that was home to Henry Chapman Mercer during his time. He lived in the late 1800s and early 20th century.
Don’t get lost in its windy stairways! Examine the beautiful tilework of the home that he built himself.
As we said he had a tile factory and the whole 44 room concrete structure with over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces, 10 bathrooms and one powder room has artwork and tilework throughout. The knowledgable guide made this the highlight of our trip.
#5 Tour Washington Crossing
The next day we celebrated George Washington’s birthday with a tour of Washington Crossing Historic Park It was George Washington’s 286th birthday!
We Walked and wandered the historic village where lots of activities were be going on, such as a blacksmith demonstration, open hearth cooking demonstration and got a taste of life as it used to be.
Explore shopping at Peddler’s Village
This 40-acre “village” of shops and restaurants each cuter than the next. Some popular shops include Skip’s Candy Corner, Chaddsford Winery and more. A great place for lunch or dinner and a stroll with the pups! I saw this one sign in one of the shops there and it summed up how the feeling of this family vacation!
Overall we were so pleasantly surprised by the many things to do, things we learned about and great shopping and museums that we found in Bucks County and would suggest it to any family!
My husband would love it there. He is such a history buff and he will love to see the Mercer Museum, castle, the library, and all other 18th-century stuff. I will suggest a trip there once the weather gets better.
There’s so much to explore there. I’d be in heaven in that museum. I’m already studying those photos trying to plot out my own visit there lol.
Your trip looked like so much fun. I bet my family would have an absolute blast there. Will for sure put this on my bucket list!
You guys have a fun family. Wow you all got a chance to visit a castle that is awesome!
This looks and sounds like a really fun trip. I’m so close to Bucks County and I have no idea why I never think to go there. This summer I need to make it a point to go for a weekend!