Visit Us FAQs

Our Hours of Operation change throughout the year based on the season. For updated hours of operation for our sites, please click here. Guests should note that many sites are available for private tours by appointment outside of these hours. Please contact our Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe at 1.800.360.TOUR to learn more.

You may purchase your tickets ahead of time on our website, at the Goundie House Welcome Center, or upon your arrival at the museum. Sites that require private tours will need to be booked in advance through our Manager of Visitor Experience.

Before your visit, here are a few helpful websites and resources to point you in the right direction:

Tours of historic downtown Bethlehem typically take about one hour. Length may vary depending on group size and the number of questions the guide is asked. We recommend you allow 90 minutes in your schedule.

From Philadelphia: Take the PA Turnpike Northeast Extension (Route 476) to the Allentown exit and get onto Route 22 East.  Take the Bethlehem, Route 378 South exit. Take the Center City exit and turn left onto Third Avenue. At the light, turn left onto Broad Street. Once across the bridge, take a right onto Main Street. The Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe is about halfway down Main Street on the right, opposite Market Street.

From the Poconos: Take Route 33 South to Route 22 West. Take the Bethlehem, Route 378 South exit. Take the Center City exit and turn left onto Third Avenue. At the light, turn left onto Broad Street. Once across the bridge, take a right onto Main Street. The Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe is about halfway down Main Street on the right, opposite Market Street.

From NYC: Take I-78 West to Exit 67, Hellertown/Bethlehem. Turn right onto Main Street/Route 412 North. Continue following Route 412 North for 2 miles. Turn right onto the Minsi Trail Bridge/Stefko Blvd. Turn left at the first light onto Market Street. The Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe is on Main Street directly across from the end of Market Street.

From Harrisburg: Take I-81 North to Exit 89, I-78 East toward Allentown. Drive 50 miles and take the Route 22 East exit. Take the Route 378 South/Bethlehem exit. Take the Center City exit and turn left onto Third Avenue. At the light, turn left onto Broad Street. Once across the bridge, take a right onto Main Street. The Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe is about halfway down Main Street on the right, opposite Market Street.

Maps and directions to our other sites can be found on our website and at the Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe.

Visitors can walk through Historic Downtown Bethlehem, the Hoover-Mason Trestle at SteelStacks, the grounds of Burnside Plantation, and the Colonial Industrial Quarter without a tour guide. We give tours throughout the week, but if the timing does not work for your group, we’re also happy to arrange a custom tour. Self-guided visitors will benefit from resources such as The Historic Bethlehem Guidebook, available for purchase online or at the Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe at 505 Main Street.

Many of our tours are rain or shine, though not under thunderstorms or other dangerous conditions. Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is happy to reschedule tours that are cancelled due to storms. Winter weather decisions are made on a case by case basis for tours.

Yes, we do! Please review our group tour options and call our Visitor Experience manager at 610-691-6055 to get started.

Photography is allowed at our museums and sites, however, videography is strictly prohibited on guided tours. Our historic sites also make fabulous settings and backdrops for professional photography sessions. These sessions require a release of liability and a $50 fee for the use of the space. Please submit a Professional Photography Session Form.

While most of our sites are located on city streets, street parking spaces are limited. There are parking garages and metered parking located throughout Bethlehem on both the North and South sides. For more information, please visit the Bethlehem Parking Authority website.

Historic buildings pose unique challenges for accessibility. Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites welcomes all guests and strives to make as many of our sites accessible to everyone as possible. Many of our sites including the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, the grounds of the Colonial Industrial Quarter, the Hoover-Mason Trestle, the Historic Bethlehem Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe, and the Luckenbach Grist Mill are fully wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions about accessibility, please do not hesitate to contact the Goundie House Welcome Center at 1.800.360.TOUR.

We welcome service animals to all museums and sites. However, we do not allow pets inside our historic buildings or museums. Friendly pets on leash are welcome on the grounds of Burnside Plantation and the Colonial Industrial Quarter. Please help us keep our spaces beautiful by cleaning up after your pet and disposing in the appropriate receptacles.

Click here for a great selection of restaurants in Downtown Bethlehem.