Day Trips Close to Philadelphia

If you are looking for an adventure without having to travel too far, here are some day trip options that are close to Philadelphia!

1. Valley Forge National Historical Park: This historic site is located just 18 miles from Philadelphia and was the site of the Continental Army's encampment during the winter of 1777-78. Visitors can explore the park's trails, historic buildings, and learn about the Revolutionary War.

2. Lancaster County: Known for its Amish community and scenic countryside, Lancaster County is located about 70 miles west of Philadelphia. Visitors can take a buggy ride, visit Amish farms, and enjoy local cuisine.

3. Longwood Gardens: This beautiful botanical garden is located about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia and features over 1,000 acres of gardens, meadows, and woodlands. Visitors can enjoy seasonal displays, fountains, and indoor conservatories.

4. Hershey Park: Located about 95 miles west of Philadelphia, Hershey Park is a popular amusement park with over 70 rides and attractions. Visitors can also tour the Hershey's Chocolate World attraction.

5. Atlantic City: This seaside resort town is located about 65 miles southeast of Philadelphia and offers beaches, casinos, and a boardwalk with restaurants and shops.

6. Gettysburg National Military Park: Located about 130 miles west of Philadelphia, Gettysburg National Military Park is the site of the Civil War's largest battle. Visitors can explore the park's battlefield, museums, and historic buildings.

Whether you are looking to brush up on your history, relax on the beach, or have fun at an amusement park, there are many exciting day trips very close to home!

Local Spring Festivals

With Spring time right around the corner, there are many local festivals happening in our area! Whether you are looking for a family centered event or a wine/beer festival, Montgomery county has it all! Check out our list below of fun local events happening this April and May!

Glenside Arts Festival

April 22nd, 2023 11am-5pm

Glenside’s annual arts festival will be held on Easton Rd & Glenside Ave. Come out and enjoy over 70 artists & crafters, food & drinks, local shopping, fun for the family, and more! Visit downtownglenside.com for more information.

Earth Day Festival

King of Prussia April 22nd, 2023 11am-2pm

Upper Merion Parks and Recreation will be holding its annual Earth Day event for the public this year, 2023. The event will be held at the Township Park and Lower Level Parking Lot behind the Township Building (175 W. Valley Forge Rd, King of Prussia PA). This event will feature a beer garden, live music, crafters, food vendors, games and much more.

This event is centered around learning about and encouraging the following themes; sustainability, healthy lifestyles, eco-friendly, eco-conscious products/services, the health of Mother Earth and all those who inhabit it, and so on. We are not only encouraging the sale of products, but also raffles, demos, giveaways, interactive activities, etc.

Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival

May 7th, 2023 11am-5pm

The festival will include 150 home and garden vendors along historic Germantown Avenue from Rex Avenue to Willow Grove Avenue.

Ardmore Beer Festival

May 13th, 2023 1pm-4pm

Takes place at Ardmore Music Hall. Featuring samplings of over 50 curated craft brews from more than 20 of our favorite breweries, many local, plus delicious bites on-site from Ripplewood & local food vendors, and of course, Live Music by Dad & Company!

Spring Wine Fest

Collegeville, PA May 20th, 2023 1pm-6pm

This event will be held at the Montgomery County 4-H center. Shop from the areas local vendors including Wineries, Distilleries, Food trucks, and shopping vendors handcrafted as well as some direct sales. Featuring Pennsylvania’s finest wineries and distilleries.

A National Landmark right in our own backyard!

If you are local to the area, you may have heard the name Pearl S. Buck. But just who is she and why is it important to learn more about this humanitarian who lived right in our own backyard? Ms. Buck was a Nobel and Pulitzer prize winner who had such a huge impact on our world. She was an advocate for racial harmony and a vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

Pearl S. Buck was born in Virginia but moved to China with her parents when she was just 5 months old. At a young age, Pearl became an avid reader and at age six, her first published work appeared in the English-language Shanghai Mercury, a newspaper with a weekly children’s edition.

Pearl returned to the United States in 1910 and received her Bachelor’s Degree before moving back to China and marrying her first husband John Lossing Buck. In 1925, they moved back to the US and Pearl earned her Master’s degree in English Literature. They had a biological child named Carol as well as an adopted daughter named Janice. Shortly thereafter, Pearl started writing novels. Her second novel, The Good Earth, won the Pulitzer prize in 1932. In 1935, Pearl divorced John Buck and married a man named Richard Walsh. The two, along with their family bought Green Hills Farm in Bucks County where they raised a large international family consisting of seven adopted children and several foster children.

Pearl S. Buck was the first American woman to be awarded both the Pulitzer and the Nobel prize for her work. She was an advocate for racial harmony and in 1949 founded the Welcome House adoption program. It was the first adoption agency specializing in the placement of biracial children. In 1964, she created the Pearl S. Buck Foundation as a child sponsorship organization to help children in their own countries with health, education and job training. Pearl S. Buck died on March 6, 1973 and is buried on the grounds of Green Hills Farm.

The Pearl S. Buck house is a National Historic Landmark Museum located in Bucks County, PA. The grounds of the estate contain Pearl S. Buck’s gravesite, greenhouse, award-winning gardens, Cultural Center (a former barn where Ms. Buck held community events), the Estate Pavilion (which houses special events and weddings), and the Welcome Center. The vision of the Pearl S. Buck house is to inspire every visitor, through story and dialogue, to take action and make our world a better place.

Looking for a place to tour on the next beautiful day outside, or somewhere to host your wedding or special event? Tours are available most days of the week and the grounds are also available to rent for your next special occasion!

Dark Sky Ordinances

What are dark-sky ordinances and why are they important?

The movement for dark-sky ordinances started when a few amateur astronomers realized that urban lights were blotting out the stars, causing a disruption in sleep for both wildlife and humans alike. This nocturnal light pollution hurts the environment and affects the feeding, mating, and living patterns of local wildlife.

To combat this effect, more and more communities are adopting dark-sky ordinances designed to limit the negative impact of artificial light. Compliance with the dark-sky regulations is the responsibility of not just the city, but homeowners within those zones as well, all designed to stop skyglow.

Skyglow is the reflection of light caused by the saturation of artificial light. It’s the orange glow in populated areas that prevents one from seeing the stars. Dark-sky rules are designed to combat this and use a variety of methods to reduce or illuminate this light pollution. In addition to limiting the time and type of lighting, they also employ specific light strategies to comply with the ordinances.

Homeowners in a dark-sky location must also adjust the lighting on their property to avoid citations. As with commercial properties, the use of directional lights, lower “lamp” bulbs, and compliant fixtures allow the homeowner to have adequate lighting, while observing dark-sky practices.

The International Dark-Sky Association, or IDA, offers resources for communities, business owners and homeowners that identify best practices and compliant lighting strategies. As more cities recognize the benefits of dark-sky policies on the environment and their citizens, expect to find more dark-sky ordinances across the country.

Even if your area does not have one of these ordinances, it is interesting to understand why they are being put in place and how an individual homeowner can do their part to help.