The Lehigh Valley, in eastern Pennsylvania is about an hour west of Philadelphia and two hours southwest of New York City.
Moravian Book Shop, courtesy DiscoverLehighValley.com
The area is home to many colleges and universities including Lehigh University, DeSales University, Lafayette College, Moravian College, Muhlenberg College, the Lehigh Valley campus of Pennsylvania State, and others in nearby towns.
The Valley’s three major towns are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. They were once at the center of US steel production and industrial manufacturing. Today, the region is a mix of city, suburbs and rural open spaces supporting a range of industries, including higher education. Across the board, however, the Valley retains a strong sense of community spirit.
Throughout the year, the Valley hosts an almost constant array of festivals and fairs including the Great Allentown Fair, the Das Awkscht Fescht – one of the country’s oldest and largest classic car shows and the Chile Pepper Festival - billed as America’s largest! Whenever your college tour plans bring you to the Lehigh Valley you can find out what festivals and events are happening by checking out the DiscoveryLehighValley.com planning calendar.
Great Allentown Fair, courtesy DiscoverLehighValley.com
This is an area where it is easy to find a fun family activity to turn college touring into a mini-vacation. In the summer there is baseball with the minor league Iron Pigs, white water rafting or float trips on the Lehigh River, or a little bit of exploration at the Crystal Caves.
In the winter, the 86 acre Bear Creek Mountain Resort ski area has skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing. Want more speed? The Lehigh Valley Grand Prix has gas-powered go karts that can run at 45mph and look more like grand prix cars racing around a 1/4 mile indoor track. If your teen has recently gotten a driver’s license, or is working on one, this could be fun. Drivers must be at least 10 years old.
Bear Creek Mountain Resort Ski Area, courtesy DiscoverLehighValley.com
We haven’t made it to the Lehigh Valley yet, although it is likely our college touring days will take us here at some point. In the meantime, if you can comment on any of these activities, or have a suggestion of your own, please share your thoughts in the comments page.
This is one in a series of articles about fun family activities to add onto college visits in order to turn them into mini family vacations. Check the full list here.
I’ve never been to Lehigh Valley, but you made it sound very enticing. Hopefully your college tour will take you through it!