Take a look at our special historic Bethlehem tours being offered. Please make appointments for any custom tours at least 24-48 hours’ notice.
Historic Bethlehem Tours
Visit, Explore, Experience almost three centuries of Bethlehem's rich heritage through walking tours, museum admission, & more!
Tour Schedule
Historic Bethlehem Tours
Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
Saturdays & Sundays in January
1 pm & 3 pm
Year-Round Self-Guided Tour
Heritage Trail Self-Guided Tour
Any time
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Bethlehem Steel Tours
The Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel Walking Tour
Returning soon!
| Masks are required for all tours. |
To learn more about a specific tour, click on the link below:
Old Bethlehem Walking Tour
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Led by one of our certified guides in period dress, learn the story of Bethlehem’s unique beginnings in 1741.
The walk will cover 275 years of Bethlehem history, stopping at the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1762 Waterworks, 1758 Nain-Schober House, and the 1752 Apothecary.
Dates: Saturdays & Sundays in January at 1:00 pm and 3:00 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 Old Bethlehem Walking Tour, please consider tipping the tour docents who volunteer their time for us!
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 have the opportunity to learn about the Moravian Founders, Monocacy Valley, Westward Expansion, Victorian Bethlehem, Farmland to Industry, and Bethlehem Steel!
Price: $12
The Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
Leaves from Steelstacks Visitor Center
711 East First Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Steel produced by Bethlehem Steel was used in the construction of some of America’s greatest landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Chrysler Building. Discover the history and importance of this 20th century giant; its humble beginnings, its monumental growth, and its tragic decline.
The heart and soul of Bethlehem Steel, The Hoover-Mason Trestle, is the closest you can get to the crucible of iron and steel making in America. The workers of Bethlehem Steel, once the 2nd largest steel producer in the country, were the backbone of the company.
This one-hour walking tour features up close views of the former steel plant and treats guests to an in-depth look at the steel making process and the roles these workers played in our country’s history.
Dates: Returning soon!
Complimentary screening of The Christmas City documentary one half hour before tour when available.
Price: NEW! Value Package including admission to the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH).
Adult - $20 tour only; $27 for tour and admission to NMIH
Child - $12 tour only; $20 for tour and admission to NMIH
*prices include processing fees
Cemetery Tour: Death & Dying
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Your certified costumed guide will meet you at the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center, to learn about the early Moravians and their 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!
Dates:
September & October, Saturdays & Sundays at 3 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members, $9 for Children (ages 4 - 17)
Mystery and History Tour
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Do spirits roam amongst the historic buildings of Bethlehem? You be the judge. Experience the spooky side of early Moravian Bethlehem on the Mystery and History tour. Explore the grounds at twilight as you hear the stories of unsolved murders, spooky premonitions, ghostly sightings.
Your certified costumed guide will meet you at the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center and take you on a journey through the Colonial Industrial Quarter as you explore the paranormal. This tour features the 1750 Smithy and colonial blacksmithing, Revolutionary War connections at the 1762 Waterworks and 1761 Tannery, the fire at the Luckenbach Mill, and other historic sites and struggles within the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
Dates:
October, Thursdays-Sundays at 5:00 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members, $9 for Children (ages 4 - 17)
Behind-the-Scenes Dollhouse Tour
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
427 North New Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
See one of the Nation’s largest dollhouse collections in our state of the art Collections Resource Center, and learn about the life of Elizabeth Johnston Prime!
Dates:
Check back for dates!
Price: $25 for Non-Members, $20 for Historic Bethlehem Members
*Tickets must be purchased IN ADVANCE.
Church & Chapel Tour
Leaves from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Learn about the history of Bethlehem's oldest places of worship, the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1751 Old Chapel, and 1803-06 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary, that are still inspiring visitors today.
Explore the history of the buildings themselves, as well as the structure of the worship services that are held there.
Dates: February, Saturdays & Sundays at 1 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
1752 Apothecary Tour
Leaves from the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Learn how the Moravians treat the infirm and ailing & what types of medical practices were established in early Bethlehem.
From site to site, explore at least two centuries of medical advancement in Bethlehem.
Explore the Apothecary that ran from 1743 - 1952 and represents what is left of the oldest continually operated drug store in the United States.
Dates: March - April, Saturdays & Sundays at 1 pm
Tour on Saturday, March 14 begins at 2:00 PM due to parade. No tour on Easter Sunday, April 12.
Price: $15 Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today!]
Moravian Story Walking Tour
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Starting at the Moravian Museum, take a walk through history with one of our certified guides to discover the story behind Bethlehem's founders: the Moravians! Learn what made the Moravian community so unique and what aspects of their daily lives are reflected in the historic buildings still standing today. Explore the Single Sisters' House, Nain-Schober House, the 1752 Apothecary, and the 1810 Goundie House.
Dates: May, Saturdays & Sundays at 1 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
John Adams Bethlehem
Walking Tour
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
See Bethlehem through John Adams' eyes on this tour led by a costumed guide & discover the role historic Bethlehem played during the American Revolutionary War.
Learn more about who the Moravians were, as well as the visits of John Adams and the Marquis de La Fayette to our city.
Dates: June & July, Saturdays & Sundays at 1 pm
Price:$15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
Colonial Industrial Quarter Walking Tour
Leaves 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? Learn how Moravian settlers used trade skills to become self-sufficient.
Explore the Colonial Industrial Quarter with our costumed guide and learn how it has changed throughout the centuries, beginning as America's earliest industrial park, developing into an automotive junk yard, then transforming into the bucolic site it is today!
Dates: June & July, Saturdays & Sundays at 3 pm
Price: $15 for Non-Members, $10 for Historic Bethlehem Members [Become a Member today and save!]
Christmas City Stroll
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Discover the story of Bethlehem’s unique beginning in 1741, the tales of a candle-in-every-window, and the renowned Bethlehem Star.
Experience Bethlehem's exquisite Victorian and colonial architecture and two National Historic Landmarks: the 1741 Gemeinhaus and the Bethlehem Waterworks.
Dates: Check back for 2021 dates!
Price: Historic Bethlehem Member Adult: $10; Historic Bethlehem Member Child: $4; Adults: $15; Children: $6
Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides
Leaves from the front of Central Moravian Church
Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Witness the beauty of Bethlehem's downtown National Historic Landmark District with a Christmas carriage ride.
Enjoy a holiday tradition for locals and guests alike. These cozy, serene, horse-drawn carriage rides through beautiful downtown North Bethlehem are the perfect way to enjoy the lights, sights, and sounds of Christmas City with your family and friends!
Dates: Check back for 2021 dates!
Price: $75, carriage fits up to 4 adults and 2 children on laps
Bethlehem By Night Bus Tour
Leaves from the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center
505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Sit back and experience the Christmas City on a trip back in time with our certified costumed guide. This tour includes a visit to the famous star atop South Mountain, a look at early and current local holiday traditions, and access to historic highlights in north and south Bethlehem.
Dates: Please join us in 2021 for the Bethlehem By Night Bus Tour!
Price: Adults: $18.50, Children: $12*
*price includes processing fees
Christmas City Combo Ticket
Enjoy Christkindlmarkt, recognized as one of the best holiday markets in the US by Travel + Leisure, and Trees of Historic Bethlehem, gilded Christmas trees from around the world, for one great price with a Christmas City Combo Ticket!
Ticket includes one day admission to both Christkindlmarkt and Trees of Historic Bethlehem self-guided tour.
Dates: Please join us in 2021 for the Christmas City Combo Ticket!
Price: $27*
*price includes processing fees
Group Tours
Create a lasting, one-of-a-kind experience for your group, family members, wedding parties, clubs, or corporate teams.
Our staff will help you create a visit that is customized to your interests, time frame, and price points.
See What People Are Saying About Our Tours
"My Friend and I did the Colonial Industrial Tour today, June 10, 2018. Ted was our guide. He was excellent!
There were so many dates and events that he talked about; how he was able to remember it all, I don't know, but he delivered the history with genuine pride of Historic Bethlehem. 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 Madeline today. OMG, she really is amazing! Taught us a lot in an hour. Deb and Kristen at the Welcome Center are incredible
~ Curt V.
"My husband and I went on the Rise & Fall tour this afternoon. The tour guide was a natural public speaker although I know she did a lot of homework to get her tour just right. I learned a lot without being overwhelmed and absolutely adored having the historic pictures. I can't wait to come back when the trestle opens as a walkway. Many thanks!"
~ 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 | info@historicbethlehem.org
