Experience Moravian History

World Heritage Sites

Come walk the grounds and experience the Moravian settlement! Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is a proud caretaker of 8 buildings that are either part of the Moravian Church Settlements – Bethlehem inscription or are supporting properties to the inscription.

• 1741 Gemeinhaus (A National Historic Landmark)
• Single Sisters’ House
• 1752 Apothecary
• Nain-Schober House
• Colonial Industrial Quarter
• 1762 Waterworks (A National Historic Landmark, Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, American Water Landmark)
• 1761 Tannery
• 1869 Luckenbach Mill
• 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House

Self-Guided Tour

Heritage Trail

Walk, jog, or bike along the Historic Bethlehem Heritage Trail! Experience Bethlehem 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.

God’s Acre Cemetery Tour

Centrally located in downtown Bethlehem, God’s Acre Cemetery sits on 3.17 acres of land. God’s Acre is peaceful, with 2,716 burials in neat rows, with low, flat, uniform and simply carved tombstones dating from 1742-1910. 

In this tour, you will explore the oldest cemetery in Bethlehem, and the ways it was an integral part of community and daily life. This tour will take you to the burials of notable and less well-known Moravian individuals, whose stories help illustrate the history of the settlement in this area of Pennsylvania. 

Nisky Hill Cemetery Tour

Located at the corner of Church and Market Streets, Nisky Hill Cemetery was founded in 1849. Owned by the Bethlehem Area Moravians, Nisky Hill is the final home for thousands of Bethlehemites of various faiths and origins. 

In this tour, you will explore the burials and histories of dozens of war heroes, artists, and businessmen, and visit a few of the more unusual monuments found within the cemetery grounds. 

Combination Offerings

Cemetery Tour Combo

Serving as vital spaces for honoring and remembering those who have passed, cemeteries provide a connection to our shared history and personal heritage. They offer a place for reflection and grieving, allowing individuals and communities to pay their respects and find closure. Additionally, cemeteries hold historical and cultural significance, preserving the stories and traditions of the past for future generations.

From simple flat gravestones to elaborate tombs, monuments, and mausoleums, our self-guided walking tours of God’s Acre and Nisky Hill explore the history and iconography of the burials in each cemetery. 

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.

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).

Taste of History Combo

With the Taste of History Walking Tour Combo, experience downtown historic Bethlehem on a guided Old Bethlehem Walking Tour and a self-guided tour of the Sun Inn!

Learn about the story of Bethlehem’s unique beginning in 1741 and the centuries of Bethlehem’s rich history that followed! Stroll through the National Historic Landmark District and part of the newly inscribed World Heritage Site.

Museum Tours

Moravian Museum

The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem introduces guests to the earliest history of the Bethlehem community. On tours, guests discover the remarkable stories behind Bethlehem’s founders, including early Moravian medicinal practices, communal living, missionary work, and a progressive educational system.

Discovering Bethlehem: Interactive Museum Adventure for Kids

Museums are for kids too! Discovering Bethlehem: Interactive Museum Adventure for Kids. Bring the kids on this tour of the Moravian Museum and they’ll learn what life was like for kids in Bethlehem. Plus they’ll take part in activities along the way.

Funded by the Zug Endowment.

Checking In: Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations

Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations unveils the city’s long hospitality legacy. Starting with the First House in Bethlehem, guests will explore iconic establishments like the Crown Inn, Sun Inn, and Golden Eagle Hotel, and learn about some of Bethlehem’s most famous visitors!

This show is made possible, in part, through generous support from our Presenting Sponsor Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

For the best way to experience Checking In: Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations, purchase a Checking In Combo Ticket!

This ticket will include admission to the Checking In? Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations exhibitions at both the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem (66 W Church Street) and the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts (427 N New Street), as well as a self-guided tour and a Christmas City Spirits tasting experience, including a complimentary tasting glass, at the Sun Inn (564 Main Street).

Guided Tours

Old Bethlehem Walking Tour

This tour shares the 275-year history of Bethlehem’s unique beginnings since 1741. You’ll stop at the 1741 First House and Gemeinhaus, 1750/61 Smithy, 1762 Waterworks, 1748 Single Brethren’s House, 1744/52 Single Sisters’ House, and the 1768 Widows’ House to find out how Bethlehem residents lived and flourished.

Please note that the tour stops at buildings listed but does not enter them.

Playful Pathways: A Family-friendly Tour of Bethlehem

Interested in history but have kids in tow? We have you covered with our Playful Pathways: A Family-friendly Tour of Bethlehem.

Learn about the history of Bethlehem in a way that will keep everyone entertained and learning. You’ll play as you walk (and it’s not too far for little legs plus the trip is stroller friendly).

Good for everyone from ages 2+

Funded by the Zug Endowment Fund.

Church & Chapel Tour

Visit Bethlehem’s oldest places of worship including the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1751 Old Chapel, and the 1803-06 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary. These amazing sites still inspire visitors today.

Explore the history of the buildings, as well as the structure of the worship services that are still held here.

Heart & Soul: Music in Moravian Bethlehem Walking Tour

Bethlehem’s musical identity was in place long before the start of Musikfest. On our Heart & Soul: Moravian Music Tour, you can explore our musical city with a Colonial costumed guide.

Walk with us and find out about the tradition of polyglot singing (in multiple languages simultaneously) and hear the sounds of instruments rarely played today, such as the serpentine or the krumhorn as you explore the very places early Moravians sang and played instruments.

Love, Lust, and Marriage Tour

Be prepared to blush during our Love, Lust, & Marriage Tour. This adults-only encounter reveals the secret details about early Moravian love, courtship, marriage, and intimacy. The experience takes place at the Gemeinhaus and Moravian Museum — the oldest building in town, and your guide will be dressed in traditional Colonial attire.

John Adams Walking Tour

In this walking tour, find out more about Bethlehem’s role in the American Revolution and what our second president had to say about the city in 1777.

Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour

Visit the country’s first industrial park and discover how the early Moravians established the largest concentration of crafts and trades in the American Colonies.

Explore the Colonial Industrial Quarter with a costumed guide, to learn how it has changed throughout the centuries from business center to junkyard to treasured museum site.

Apothecary Tour

Hear about early Moravian medical practices. Get the recipe for the 1743 Elixir for a Long Life and find out how inoculations were done before vaccines. Explore the Apothecary museum—the oldest continually operating drug store in the U.S.—to find out what other medicines they used between 1743 and 1952.

Note: There is some light walking on this tour to go from one building to the other.

Moravian Stories Walking Tour

Discover the story behind Bethlehem’s founders — the Moravians! What made the Moravian community unique? How do the historic buildings reflect their daily lives? Who lived in the Single Sisters’ House, Nain-Schober House, the 1741 Gemeinhaus, and the 1810 Goundie House, and why?

Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying

On the Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying in God’s Acre, join your Colonial costumed guide as they take you on a fascinating journey through the intriguing beliefs of the early Moravians regarding mortality and spirituality.

Mystery & History Walking Tour

Hidden in the depths of Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter lies a dark and enigmatic secret. Whispers of unsolved murders linger in the air, while eerie premonitions haunt the minds of those who dare to enter. On the Mystery & History Walking Tour guests can embark on a journey like no other as twilight descends upon the grounds.

Group Tour

Let us help you create a visit that is customized to your interests, time frame, and budget with a custom tour for your group, family members, wedding parties, clubs, or corporate teams. Group tours/custom tours provide access to our historic sites on your timetable!

* Note: While less than 4 people can take a custom tour, we have a 4-person minimum charge for group/custom tours and 1 week notice is requested