Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Announces July 2024 Events

July 3rd, 2024

Events include free family programming, the annual Blueberry Festival, and the continuation of the nonprofit’s latest exhibition, “Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations.” 

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (June 24, 2024)—Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) announced its lineup of events and activities for July 2024, including Blueberry Festival,  “Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations”, Saturdays at Burnside, Free Sundays at the Museums. In addition, six historical tours are available for guests, including the return of the Moravian Stories Tour and the Heart & Soul: Moravian Music Tour. 

“We are looking forward to having a packed slate of summer events for visitors from near and far looking for fun with a historical twist,” said LoriAnn Wukitsch, HBMS’s president and CEO. “Blueberry Fest is back for the 37th year and will be a super sweet event for guests of all ages. We are excited to enjoy local vendors during this community-building event.”

This year’s Blueberry Festival & Market To Go is on Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14, at Bethlehem’s Burnside Historic Farm. Festival attendees will enjoy delicious food, live music, fresh blueberries and desserts, Colonial cooking demonstrations, gardening and brewing showcases, pony rides and hands-on kids’ activities. Guests will also have the opportunity to explore local vendors. Tickets to Blueberry Fest are $5 for children and $10 for adults. The Blueberry Festival Family Pack and Brewery Pass are $27 each. 

Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations is a multisite experience exploring Bethlehem’s long hospitality legacy that takes attendees to local landmarks, including the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, and the Sun Inn. Guests  21 and older can purchase a Checking In Combo Ticket for $30, which provides admission to the event, a self-guided tour and a Christmas City Spirits sampling experience, including a complimentary tasting glass, at the Sun Inn. Exhibition admission for all ages can be purchased at HistoricBethlehem.org. 

This month’s free Saturdays at Burnside experience, “Make Your Own Bee Hotel,” is on July 6. Attendees will learn about bees’ crucial role in pollination and make a bee hotel to provide nesting space for these insects. The public is invited to visit the farm on the first Saturday of each month at no cost. Open to all ages, In July, Burnside also spotlights the “farm in the city,” which has been part of the Moravian community since 1748. Additionally, guests can participate in “You Point, We Pick,” where they select fresh, organic produce, herbs, and flowers they would like to take home, and a volunteer gardener will pick them in exchange for a donation. 

Free Sundays at the Museums provides visitors with complimentary admission to both the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts and the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month through November. Funded in part by the Jones Children Fund, the July 7th program features a hands-on activity for the whole family. At the Kemerer Museum, visitors can design their own restaurant menu. Moravian Museum of Bethlehem offers visitors an opportunity to write a letter closed with a real wax seal. Guests can also enjoy live music from the Moravian Music Foundation at the Moravian Museum throughout the day. Free Sundays are sponsored in part by Macaroni KID; future dates are September 1, October 6 and November 3 (August is omitted due to ArtsQuest Muskifest activities throughout Bethlehem’s historic district).

HBMS is running six crowd-pleasing historic walking tours during July: Old Bethlehem Walking Tour, Rise and Fall of Bethlehem Steel Walking Tour, John Adams Walking Tour, Moravian Stories Tour, Heart & Soul: Moravian Music Tour, and Playful Pathways: A Family-friendly Tour of Bethlehem. Walking tours will not be available on July 13th and 14th because of the Blueberry Festival.

• A certified guide leads the Old Bethlehem Walking Tour in period dress and shares the 275-year history of Bethlehem’s unique beginnings since 1741. The Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour takes visitors to the country’s first industrial park to discover how the early Moravians established the largest concentration of crafts and trades in the American Colonies.
• On the Rise and Fall of Bethlehem Steel Walking Tour, guests learn about Bethlehem Steel, which was once the second-largest steel producer in the country and helped build some of America’s most significant landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Chrysler Building. The 90-minute walking tour features up-close views of the former steel plant and an in-depth look at the steel-making process and the workers’ roles in our country’s history. 
• The John Adams Walking Tour highlights Bethlehem’s role in the American Revolution and what the second president, John Adams, had to say about the city in 1777. 
• The Moravian Stories Tour explores Bethlehem’s founders, the Moravians! Guests learn about the important buildings and landmarks that influenced the Bethlehem we know today while highlighting what made the Moravian community unique. 
• HBMS offers a kid-friendly tour, Playful Pathways: A Family-Friendly Tour of Bethlehem. During the tour, attendees learn about the history of Bethlehem in a way that keeps children and adults of all ages entertained and learning. It’s a stroller-friendly walk open to everyone ages 2 and up. Kids under 5 years old can attend cost-free. 

The following tours are regularly scheduled on weekends:

• Fridays
  • 1 p.m. – Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
  • 1 p.m. – Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
  • 3 p.m. – Moravian Stories Tour
• Saturdays
  • 11 a.m. – Playful Pathways: A Family-friendly Tour of Bethlehem
  • 1 p.m. – Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
  • 1 p.m. – Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
  • 3 p.m. – John Adams Walking Tour
• Sundays
  • 1 p.m. – Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
  • 1 p.m. – Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
  • 3 p.m. – Heart & Soul: Moravian Music Tour

Interested visitors can book custom or group tours on dates not on the calendar through HBMS’s website at www.historicbethlehem.org/visit-us/group-tours.

Share This