Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley offers the holiday spirit throughout the year. Known the world over as Christmas City, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania has embraced that moniker since 1937.
A few years ago, the USPS reported that more than 250,000 pieces of Christmas mail from around the country flowed through Bethlehem to be blessed with the coveted cancellation stamp.
No matter when you visit Bethlehem, you will always be greeted by the Star of Bethlehem, which shines brightly atop of South Mountain.
Star in Bethlehem. Photo by A. Strakey/Flickr
Representing the star that led the Magi to Jesus in the manger, the 81-foot star has been illuminated year-round since first lit in 1935. It was upgraded to LED lighting in 2010.
A few miles north of Bethlehem is Evergreen Lakes Campground in Bath. Highlights of the campground include a miniature golf course and free WiFi in the main office. They have 250 sites, many with full hookups, as well as showers, laundry facilities, a store, propane, and fishing.
In addition to the town of Bethlehem, several other local boroughs and towns in Northampton County offer a Biblical connection. Nazareth Borough is named for the town in Israel where Jesus Christ resided during his youth. Allentown’s Jordan Creek is a nod to the Jordan River.
Bethlehem Golf Club
Weather permitting, Bethlehem Golf Club is open year-round. Established in 1956, Bethlehem’s Monocacy course is a Par 71 that stretches to 7,017 yards and offers five sets of tees. It’s one of the top courses to play in the Philadelphia area; the City of Brotherly Love sits less than 70 miles to the south.
Bethlehem’s colonial history dates back more than 250 years and is well worth exploring. A good place to start is the website www.bethlehempa.org. For nearly a century, the Bethlehem Steel plant served as the economic lifeblood of the community, but it closed in 1995.
Browse the local shops in Bethlehem. Photo via Discover Lehigh Valley/Flickr
Rather than demolish the historic mill or walk away and let it fall apart, the community rallied around the iconic plant. Today, SteelStacks is a 10-acre campus dedicated to arts, culture, family events, community celebrations, education, and fun.
The site offers more than 1,000 concerts and eight different festivals annually. There are a lot of things to see and do at SteelStacks.
Whether it’s Christmastime or summertime, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania offers a wealth of holiday spirit throughout the year. You can learn more about the city on www.bethleham-pa.gov; for more information on Evergreen Lakes Campground, check out their reviews.
See also: 6 Gifts For RVers That Keep On Giving All Year Long
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
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