5 Bethlehem
From its initial founding
by a small religious
community to a heavy
industry center to its
current incarnation as
a gambling destination,
the city of Bethlehem on
the Lehigh River retains
a charming historic
quality. On Christmas
Eve 1741, the leader of
a group of Moravian
settlers from Saxony in
Germany christened the
town ‘Bethlehem’ and
ever since its Christmas
celebrations have drawn
visitors from afar.
Fourteen acres of the
original communityin which men, women
and children lived in
separate housing have
been granted a national
historic landmark status
and you can tour several
buildings including the
Moravian Museum of
Bethlehem (%610-882-
0450; http://www.historicbethlehem.
org; adult/child $12/6; h11am-
4pm Fri-Sun), housed in
the oldest still-standing
structure in town.
The 10-acre campus of
SteelStacks (%610-332-
1300; http://www.steelstacks.org; 101
Founders Way), an arts and
culture organization,
is located directly
underneath the towering,
prehistoric-looking blastfurnaces of the former
Bethlehem Steel factory,
left neglected and
decaying for years. This
formerly forlorn site has
been revitalized and now
includes ArtsQuest Center
(%610-332-1300; http://www.
artsquest.org; Banana Factory,
25 W 3rd St), a state-of-the-
art performance space
with a cinema, restaurant
and more, the Levitt
Pavilion, which hosts
free outdoor concerts,
and walking tours
(adult/child $15.50/9.50)
explaining the history
and architecture of this
industrial giant.
Even if you don’t
intend on throwing downStart: 5 Bethlehem
When the East Coast gratefully turns the page on August’s heat and humidity, it’s
time to head for the mountains. Cooler temperatures make hiking more pleasant
and as the leaves turn, nature paints the mid-Atlantic’s deciduous forests every
shade of red and yellow. With so many mountains to choose from, why pick
Hawk Mountain? Because raptors start their annual migration south, and during
September, October and November some 18,000 hawks, eagles, osprey, kestrels
and vultures pass this particular windy updraft along the Kittatinny Ridge. From
Hawk Mountain’s North Lookout, you can see more than 17 species fly by, some at
eye-level. On a good day, observers count a thousand birds, though broad-winged
hawks, the rare raptor that flies in a group, have been known to arrive 7000 at a
time. At other times of the year, the soft carpeted hills of the Appalachians are just
as beautiful, and those for whom Hawk Mountain’s relatively short trails are not
enough can pick up the Appalachian Trail from here. The Hawk Mountain Visitor
Center (%601-756-6961; http://www.hawkmountain.org; 1700 Hawk Mtn Rd, Kempton, PA; trail
admission adult/child $6/3; h9am-5pm) has loaner optics and trail guides.
To get to Hawk Mountain, leave Bethlehem on PA-378 north to connect to US 22
west – after 10.5 miles this merges with I-78 west for another 16 miles. Take exit 35
at Lenhartsville and head north on Rte 143 for another 4 miles. Turn left onto Hawk
Mountain Rd (there’s a blue Hawk Mountain sign here); it’s another 7 miles to the
parking lot at the top of the mountain.HAWK MOUNTAIN
DETOUR:
NEW.JERSEY.&.PENNSYLVANIA.TRIPS.9
(^) BUCKS COUNTY & AROUND