|  The Greater Lehigh Valley, the region surrounding Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, is a destination in its own right! Justly celebrated for the quality of its golf courses and wineries, the Valley is also home to a wide range of shopping, family activities, and outdoor attractions—and the scenery is reason enough to visit all by itself.
The Lehigh Valley also makes for an especially enchanting getaway spot during the holiday season. Annual events include the Celtic Classic Festival, Musikfest, the Great Allentown Fair, and many other fairs and festivals during Christmas. (Be sure to check our event calendar at any time of the year for a list of current and upcoming activities.) | THINGS TO DO |  |  To experience this area fully, you'll need a car—but there's no need to head all the way to Madison County when you can take a self-guided driving tour of the seven covered bridges in the Lehigh Valley. Start with Bogert's Bridge (pictured, left), near Allentown, and wind your way through the countryside. Click here for more information on the tour.
GRAPES AND GREENS
But, picturesque as they are, the covered bridges aren't the only reason to tour this area. An even better one is the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, which encompasses the nine family-owned wineries located in the Valley. Offering everything from tastings to tours to educational seminars, these wineries are growing in both size and reknown, several of them having won medals in not only state but national and international wine competitions in recent years.  The Wine Trail's recommended itinerary begins at Amore Vineyards, just northeast of Bethlehem and Route 22, before making a counter-clockwise loop that culminates in the cluster of wineries located near Breinigsville, like Pinnacle Ridge, Clover Hill and Vynecrest. The most thorough way to experience these wineries, as well as the most popular, is via their "Passport Weekends," a series of events that kicks off with "March Madness for Wine Lovers" and finishes with November's "Nouveau Weekend," when the year's vintages are sampled for the first time. (Note that passports for next season's March Madness event first become available during Nouveau Weekend—and they go fast, so consider planning ahead!)
The Lehigh Valley's wineries are one great way to experience its natural beauty. Another way is to enjoy a round at one of the many well-regarded golf courses nearby, which offer something for every skill and experience level.  Rated four-and-a-half stars by Golf Digest, the Center Valley Club features a front nine in the "Scottish links" style and a back nine in the "North American inland" style. Just south of Easton, meanwhile, the Club at Morgan Hill provides amenities and services more typical of private clubs, including Vintage, a restaurant dubbed "one of the best-kept culinary secrets in the Lehigh Valley" by the Morning Call newspaper. (Morgan Hill's panoramic views of the Delaware River as it winds between New Jersey and Pennsylvania are another reason to schedule a tee time here!)
(Duffers, take note: Lehigh Valley "Stay 'N Play" packages, valid from March through December, include 18 holes of golf at a local course plus breakfast and one-night's stay at select hotels in Allentown, Breinigsville, or Bethlehem.) BIKE, HIKE, PADDLE...
In addition to golfing, the Lehigh Valley affords some of the best biking and hiking in eastern Pennsylvania. Biking enthusiasts should visit the Velodrome, an Olympic training facility and race track, in Trexlertown. Those who want to stick to their own two feet, meanwhile, can get lost in the corn maze at Bear Rock Junction in New Tripoli or Grim's Greenhouse in Breinigsville. Hike and watch for hawks at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton—hiking opportunities abound in the Delaware and Lehigh Canal National Heritage Corridor along the canal towpaths. Train enthusiasts will enjoy a ride at the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad, also in Kempton. End the day with a hot-air balloon flight with Balloon Fantasy Flights of Center Valley!  In addition to the Crayola Factory® in Easton, kid-friendly attractions hereabouts include Crystal Cave in Kutztown and the Lost River Caverns in Hellertown. The Trexler Nature Preserve in Schnecksville is also great for kids! Visit this 1,200-acre refuge (located on the same grounds as the Lehigh Valley Zoo) for its magnificent vistas alone—and while you're there, say hello to all kinds of lively and engaging critters like the adorable otters (left)!
With both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers accessible to anglers, opportunities for both fly-fishing and trout fishing abound here. And a visit to the Lehigh Valley during the summer isn't complete without a rafting trip down the Lehigh River with Lehigh Rafting Rentals or WhiteWater Challengers, north in White Haven. For paddle boating and fishing, Bushkill Falls (featuring eight waterfalls) is the perfect destination. Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays offers another fun and safe outdoor adventure for the family.  In the winter, skiers and snowboarders should head to the Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area in Macungie or the Blue Mountain Ski Area in Palmerton. (The latter is home to Pennsylvania's highest vertical drop!)
For a unique holiday-themed experience, visit Koziar's Christmas Village in Bernville or Roadside America's miniature village in Shartlesville. Other unusual places to check out include the Cement Museum in Northampton and the Lock Ridge Furnace Museum in Alburtis. The Mack Truck factory and the Allen Organ Company, both located in Macungie, offer tours by appointment. You can also visit the Mack Truck Museum in Allentown. No music lover should leave the Lehigh Valley without a visit to the Martin Guitar Museum and Factory in Nazareth! Complete with new gift shop and visitor's center, this a special experience! ATTENTION, SHOPPERS
Out-of-towners, remember that the state of Pennsylvania has no tax on clothing! And in the Lehigh Valley, there's probably no better place to take advantage of that than the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, a high-end retail complex which not only features scores of shops (Nautica and L.L Bean among them) and upscale restaurants but also a lot of thoughtful amenities you'd never find in a traditional mall. (The Promenade Shops are located at the intersection of Interstate 78 and US 309, not far south of Allentown.) Another nearby retailing giant is Cabela's, just off I-78 in Hamburg. A leading outfitter for outdoor enthusiasts, Cabela's is an attraction as much as a retailer—and this first store of its kind on the East Coast is no exception, with its 55,000-gallon aquarium, 30-foot indoor mountain, numerous lifelike dioramas, large restaurant, and more. Last but not least, the Lehigh Valley still boasts a range of good old-fashioned farmers', flea, and antique markets, in towns like Fleetwood, Kutztown, Leesport, Whitehall, and Quakertown. See more info on these activities and businesses 
| | | TRANSPORTATION | | CAR:
From the George Washington Bridge, take Route 80 West to Route 287 South to I-78 West (or from the Verrazano Bridge, take NJ Turnpike South to Exit 10, then Route 287 North to I-78 West). In New Jersey, take I-78 West to PA. 
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| TRAVEL TIPS | | We recommend golf clubs, extra film, and a bathing suit! |
| WEATHER | | |
