Historic Bethlehem Tours
Historic Bethlehem Guided Tours
1 pm Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
3 pm Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in June
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for
tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Year-Round Self-Guided Tour with our App
Walk the Heritage Trail
Any time
Bethlehem Steel Guided Walking Tours
Discover its incredible rise--and fall
The Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel Walking Tour
Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
1 pm (approximately 90 minutes*)
Visitors will meet the guide at the ArtsQuest Visitor Center (711 First Street, Bethlehem, PA).
The tour is rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the tourist will be contacted if it will be canceled.
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Museum Hours & Admission
66 W. Church Street
Open from 11 am - 5 pm Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
427 N. New Street
Open from 11 am - 5 pm Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
To learn more about a specific tour, click on the links below:
Our tour offerings change seasonally, but if you see a tour you'd like to take during your visit, you can schedule a Custom Tour at the link below!
Custom Tours must be booked at least 72 hours in advance and be a group of at least 4 people.
- 1752 Apothecary Tour - Explore the oldest continually operating drug store in the U.S.
- Behind-the-Scenes Dollhouse Tour - See the dollhouse collection of Elizabeth Johnston Prime, one of the largest in the U.S.
- Bethlehem By Night Motorcoach Tour - Learn about Bethlehem's local holiday traditions, old and new
- Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying - Visit Bethlehem's oldest cemetery and explore Moravian funerary traditions
- Christmas City Stroll - Explore Christmas traditions and visit two National Historic Landmarks
- Christmas Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides - Cozy up and witness the beauty of historic Bethlehem
- Church & Chapel Tour - Visit Bethlehem's oldest places of worship
- Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour - Visit America's first industrial park and explore how it morphed over centuries
- Love, Lust and Marriage Tour Hear the unique and very surprising details of Early Moravian love, courtship, marriage and physical intimacy.
- Heritage Trail - Experience all Bethlehem has to offer on your own time with this self-guided tour
- Historic Pub Tour - Learn about Bethlehem's beer history on this tour through the town!
- Group Tours - Coming with a group? Let us help you customize your visit!
- John Adams Walking Tour - Find out why John Adams called Bethlehem a "curious and remarkable town"!
- Moravian Stories Tour - Take a step back in time to the early Moravian community and discover the story of Bethlehem's founders
- Mystery & History Tour - Explore the spooky side of early Bethlehem in the Colonial Industrial Quarter
- Old Bethlehem Walking Tour - Bethlehem is home to more than 275 years of history, learn about its unique beginnings as you visit some of the oldest buildings
- The Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel - Experience the former industry giant, Bethlehem Steel, up close
The Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
Leave from outside of the ArtsQuest Visitor Center
711 First Street, Bethlehem, PA 18020
The ArtsQuest Visitor Center is where visitors will meet the guide. If it is closed, the guide will meet outside of the building.
Bethlehem Steel, once the 2nd largest steel producer in the country, helped build some of America's greatest landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Chrysler Building. Discover the humble beginnings, monumental growth, and humbling decline of this 20th-century giant.
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 roles the workers played in our country's history.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 1 pm (approximately 90 minutes*)
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
The tour is rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the tourist will be contacted if it will be canceled.
Price: Value Package includes admission to the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH).
Adult - $20 tour only; $30 for tour and admission to NMIH
Child - $12 tour only; $22 for tour and admission to NMIH
Heritage Trail
Download the tour to your mobile device
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.
Price: $12
Sponsored by St. Luke's
Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Led by one of our certified guides in period dress, the tour will tell 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.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 1 pm
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Price: $15 for Non-Members, Children: $9 (ages 6 - 17)
$10 for Historic Bethlehem Members
[Become a Member today and save!]
Children 5 and under are free!
If you have a great experience on the Old Bethlehem Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
1752 Apothecary Tour
Leave from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Hear about early Moravian medical practices and learn how physicians treated the sick and injured.
Medical treatment in Moravian Bethlehem was in the hands of trained doctors from Europe who tended to be conservative in their treatments. They relied on herbal medicines, special diets, cleanliness, fresh air, exercise, and appropriate rest for their fundamental management of patients — permitting nature to heal the sick.
Surgery was performed by trained physicians, not barber surgeons. Only trained officially appointed midwives attended women during childbirth.
The Apothecary Tour provides information about how to make medicines, history of the various physicians, and background of the Apothecary itself.
It is believed to be the 7th oldest in North America… opened in 1743 and closed in 1951.
Dates: Dates will be posted shortly. Can't wait? Book your Custom Tour today!
Price: $15 non-members; $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members; $9 children 18 and under. [Become a Member today and save!], Children 3 and under are free!
Moravian Stories Tour
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Walk through history with a certified guide to 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?
Dates: Dates will be posted shortly. Can't wait? Book your Custom Tour today!
Price: $15 for Non-Members, Children: $9 (ages 4 - 17)
$10 for Historic Bethlehem Members
[Become a Member today and save!]
Children 3 and under are free!
If you have a great experience on the Moravian Story Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
John Adams Bethlehem
Walking Tour
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Why did the future second US President John Adams call Bethlehem “a curious and remarkable town”? Hear in his own words how he described the unusual way Moravian women dressed and why he thought the Sun Inn was “ the best Inn I have seen”. Find out more about what he had to say about the town in 1777 as well as the role Bethlehem played during the American Revolution during this tour led by a certified costumed guide.
Dates: Dates will be posted shortly. Can't wait? Book your Custom Tour today!
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
If you have a great experience on the John Adams Bethlehem Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
How did the early Moravians establish the largest concentration of crafts, trades, and industries in the American Colonies--and learn to use them to become self-sufficient?
Explore the Colonial Industrial Quarter--America's first industrial park, with our costumed guide, to learn how it has morphed throughout the centuries from business center to junk yard to treasured museum site.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 3 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
If you have a great experience on the Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
Behind-the-Scenes Dollhouse Tour
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
427 North New Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
A 16-room mansion, meticulously outfitted with curtains, rugs, and piano? A 19th-century kitchen with ice box, stove, and cupboards? You won't be able to tear yourself away from Elizabeth Johnston Prime's dollhouse collection--one of the largest in the U.S.
Dates: May 21 and May 28 at 1 pm
Price: $25 for Non-Members, $20 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
*Tickets must be purchased IN ADVANCE Walk-ins at the Kemerer Museum will not be accepted. Tickets are limited!
Church & Chapel Tour
Leave from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Bethlehem's oldest places of worship--the 1741 Geminhaus, 1751 Old Chapel, and the 1803-06 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary--still inspire visitors today.
Explore the history of the buildings, as well as the structure of the worship services that are still held here.
Dates: Dates will be posted shortly. Can't wait? Book your Custom Tour today!
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
Historic Pub Tour
Leave from the 1810 Goundie House
501 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Learn about early Moravians and their surprising view of on brewing in a guided tour starting at the 1810 Goundie House, home of one of Bethlehem’s early brewers, John Sebastian Goundie. Discover the importance of beer in Colonial America and explore Bethlehem’s history as you visit Hotel Bethlehem, Lost River Tavern, Tapas, Red Stag and the Historic Sun Inn.
One drink is included at the start of the tour in the 1810 Goundie House. In order to receive a drink participants must be at least 21 years of age and show valid ID.
Dates: Dates will be posted shortly. Can't wait? Book your Custom Tour today!
Price: $20
If you have a great experience on the Historic Pub Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
Mystery & History Tour
Leave from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem Complex
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Unsolved murders, eerie premonitions, ghostly sightings...do spirits roam among the historic buildings of Bethlehem? There's a spooky side to the early Bethlehem Moravians that you'll hear about as you explore the grounds at twilight.
Your costumed guide will take you on a journey through the Colonial Industrial Quarter's 1750/61 Smithy and colonial blacksmithing building, the 1762 Waterworks, and 1761 Tannery. You'll find out about the fire at the Luckenbach Mill and the other struggles the Moravians faced.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 5 pm
*Times are given approximately. It is recommended that visitors set asides 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying
Leave from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem Complex
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Your costumed guide will tell tales of the early Moravians' funerary traditions, stroll through God's Acre - Bethlehem's oldest cemetery, and hear the stories of the people behind the names you'll find there including men, women, and children of all races denoting equality in life as in death.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 3 pm
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
If you have a great experience on the Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
Love, Lust and Marriage Tour
Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 W. Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Begin this adults-only tour in the oldest building in Bethlehem - the Gemeinhaus - and Moravian Museum. Hear the unique and very surprising details of Early Moravian love, courtship, marriage and physical intimacy. Blushing expected and acceptable!
Dates: Fridays-Sundays in February. Tour starts at 3 pm at the Moravian Museum
It is recommended that visitors set aside 90 minutes for tours as times may vary depending on group size.
Price: $15
If you have a great experience on the Love, Lust and Marriage Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Designed especially for Christmas, this tour will focus on cherished traditions: candle-in-every-window, the renowned Bethlehem Star, and the community Putz set among Bethlehem's exquisite Victorian and colonial architecture and two National Historic Landmarks: the 1741 Gemeinhaus and the Bethlehem Waterworks.
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 3 pm
Price: $17 for Non-Members, Children: $11 (ages 6 - 17)
$12 for Historic Bethlehem Members
Become a member today and save!
Children 5 and under are free!
Christmas City Combo Ticket
Combine a mesmerizing shopping trip to Christkindlmarkt--ranked one of the best holiday markets in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure--with the gilded Trees of Historic Bethlehem, Christmas trees from around the world, for one great price.
Ticket includes one-day admission to both Christkindlmarkt and Trees of Historic Bethlehem self-guided tour.
Dates: Select days November 18 through December 18
Price: $27
Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides
Leave from the front of Central Moravian Church
Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Nestle into a horse-drawn Christmas carriage to witness the beauty of Bethlehem's downtown National Historic Landmark District's sparkling lights, festive music, and imaginative decorations.
Dates:Select days November 18 through December 31
Carriages run every 20 minutes between 3 and 9 pm
Price: 4-person carriage rides: $90
8-person carriage rides: $120
Bethlehem By Night Motorcoach Tour
Leave from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
Historic Hotel Bethlehem, 437 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018
This motorcoach tour, led by a costumed guide, includes a visit to the famous star atop South Mountain, a look at early and current local holiday traditions, and historic highlights in North and South Bethlehem, the city with two downtowns.
Dates: Select days November 18 through December 30
Price: Adults: $25, Children: $20
Group Tours - Safe & Memorable
Create a lasting, one-of-a-kind experience for your group, family members, wedding parties, clubs, or corporate teams. And do it safely.
Our staff will help you create a visit that is customized to your interests, time frame, and price points. We follow CDC guidelines in fashioning individual events.
See What People Are Saying About Our Tours
"My Friend and I did the Colonial Industrial Tour today. I am a proud, life long resident of Bethlehem and this tour has made me even prouder of the history we have here and the perseverance that is needed to maintain it. "
~ Kathleen C.
"My sister and I did the Apothecary
~ Tara C.
"We did the walking tour with an amazing guide! Taught us a lot in an hour. The staff at the Welcome Center are incredible
~ Curt V.
"My husband and I went on the Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel tour. The tour guide was a natural public speaker. I learned a lot without being overwhelmed and absolutely adored having the historic pictures. I can't wait to come back!"
~ Mandi M.
These tours are being funded in part with funding received through the County of Northampton's Hotel Tax Program.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Gift Shop and Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
1.800.360.TOUR | [email protected]
