Heritage Trail – Self Guided

Heritage Trail Overview

Walk, jog, or bike along the Historic Bethlehem Heritage Trail! Experience Bethlehem with a self-guided tour on your own time and at your own pace with the use of your own mobile device.

With 6 links, 80 stops, and 275 years of history, you’ll meet the Moravian Founders, Monocacy Valley, Westward Expansion, Victorian Bethlehem, Farmland to Industry, and Bethlehem Steel.

Trail Descriptions, Distances, and Times

Moravian Founders Trail
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 1 hour 20 min
Details: Focused on the very heart of Historic Bethlehem, and in the newly designated Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District, this link tells how the city’s first settlers built a prosperous economy, filled with crafts and trade.

Monocacy Valley Trail
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 1 hour 20 min
Details: Wind along the Monocacy Way Trail and follow the creek that brought life to Burnside Plantation, Illick’s Mill, and the Colonial Industrial Quarter. A great link for bikers!

Westward Expansion Trail
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 1 hour 15 min
Details: Following the construction of the Broad Street Bridge came Bethlehem’s first suburbs. This peaceful neighborhood stroll includes a memorial to fallen Revolutionary War soldiers.

Victorian Bethlehem
Distance: 0.75 miles
Time: 1 hour
Details: Take in the breathtaking homes that housed Bethlehem’s wealthiest industrialists.

Farmland to Industry
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 2 hours
Details: As farms became factories and canals became railroads in the mid-1800s, Bethlehem grew to include many churches, social halls, and markets.

Steel Stop
Distance: 1.75 miles
Time: 1 hour
Details: The great story of Bethlehem Steel’s rise to become the second largest steel producer in the U.S. This link highlights the people who worked at the plant.

NEW! Heritage Trail & Cemetery Tour Combo

With this new offering spend the day outside, and at your own pace, learn more about the history of Bethlehem through the Heritage Trail and our brand new Cemetery Tours of God’s Acre and Nisky Hill.

NEW! Moravian Museum, Heritage Trail & Cemetery Tour Combo

Spend the day enjoying the history of Bethlehem! Visit the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, and download the heritage trail and cemetery tours for an in-depth look at the history of Bethlehem.

With this new offering visit the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, where you can learn about the earliest history of the Bethlehem community during the museum’s open hours; then head outside and at your own pace, learn more about the history of Bethlehem through the Heritage Trail and our brand new Cemetery Tours (God’s Acre and Nisky Hill).