Posts by Lea Gordon

Pennsylvania’s Americana Region On The Go!

By Lea Gordon on Dec. 22, 2016

Want to get carried away? Whisked to another place in time? Feel the heat of the moment as cars race around a track? Or thrill to the sensation of a downhill ride? View historic vehicles made in the area? Our region has all of those things! Pick your activity level, and get on your way. For the…

Cultural Highlights in Pennsylvania's Americana Region

By Lea Gordon on Dec. 20, 2016

Where’s some great culture in Pennsylvania’s Americana Region when the holidays are over? Once the excitement of the holidays has died down, and you are back in routine, plan to travel to Pennsylvania’s Americana Region to enjoy these cultural highlights! The Reading Public Museum is featuring a…

Put stars in your eyes and a twinkle in your Christmas cheer

By Lea Gordon on Dec. 08, 2016

Christmas Cheer and Holiday lights a blazing, Christmas goodies piled high, and PA Dutch traditions in full swing; the holidays are a magical time in Pennsylvania’s Americana Region! A quick trip to our region will brighten your holiday celebrations with magic, lights, events, and lost of Christmas…

Americana and the Magic of Christmas: Christmas on the Farm

By Lea Gordon on Nov. 23, 2016

Enjoy a Pennsylvania German Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center on December 3rd. Purchase your fresh Christmas tree on-site! Featuring children’s activities, vendors, wagon rides, folk life demonstrations including log hewing and hearth cooking, music, and so…

The Pagoda

By Lea Gordon on Nov. 15, 2016

As you approach Reading, the majestic Pagoda, towers over the city. At night, illuminated by lights, the Pagoda appears magical, certainly not the intention of its builder and original owner. William Witman planned the Pagoda as a hotel and restaurant, part of a luxury resort to cover the eyesore…

Crystal Cave

By Lea Gordon on Nov. 09, 2016

Crystal Cave was discovered by farmers looking for limestone to increase the fertility of their soil. Locals hoped they were diamonds, but a jeweler concluded they were small sparkling formations of ice, found in the hole William Merkel blasted into a hillside on his father’s farm, when mining for…

Reading

By Lea Gordon on Oct. 24, 2016

Reading The Pagoda atop Mount Penn lets you know that you're in Reading, and that's just the start of an interesting and emerging place to visit. Historic districts throughout the city mark its past but the hotels, entertainment venues, arts centers and frequent outdoor events downtown herald its…

Oley

By Lea Gordon on Oct. 24, 2016

Oley Nearby Reading is the area's smallest Main Street, Oley. This tiny town on the National Register of Historic Places takes you to a simpler time, with its homes and businesses side by side. The decades-old Oley Valley Community Fair, where you can eat funnel cake and watch a tractor pull, is…

First American Settlement of Germans

By Lea Gordon on Oct. 21, 2016

Unknown to many is the fact that Pennsylvania's Americana Region was home to the first American settlement of Germans from the Palatinate region. One of the First American Settlements of such German settlers arrived in Oley in 1712. They chose the area around the Manatawny Creek. Within 10 years…

Kutztown

By Lea Gordon on Jul. 08, 2016

Kutztown Kutztown came early to the Pennsylvania Americana Region when George Kutz laid out a town in 1785 that was settled mostly by Germans who hailed from the Palatinate along the Rhine River in Germany. Being one days ride from Allentown and Reading, Kutztown grew during the colonial period as…