What fantastic local destination has
delicious food, refined restaurants, exciting entertainment, comfortable and
classy overnight lodging, and is full of history and elegant touches? Why, Bucks
County, of course! After 50 years, this quaint village is a still wonderful treat with
free special events and seasonal festivals drawing 2 million visitors a year.
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| Heart of the Village- ready for an event |
As one of the top most sought-after
and visited tourist destinations in Pennsylvania, Bucks County is a never-fail retreat
from the real world, to relax with wineries, food, family fun and events parks,
trails, entertainment- Bucks County has it all! Located 75 miles from New York
City and 25 miles from Philadelphia, Bucks County will offer a relaxing and fun
adventure, no matter the reason for your visit!
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| Bucks County is full of gorgeous historic homes |
The late Earl Hart Jamison founded
Peddler's Village in 1962 on six acres of property at the crossroads of Routes
202, 263 and Street Road in Lahaska, once called Hentown. The property had
housed a chicken hatchery, a barn and chicken coops. Earl transformed them into
14 shops and the Cock 'n Bull Restaurant. The buildings are placed amid winding
brick pathways and gorgeous award-winning gardens designed by Earl, reflecting his
consistent colonial America architectural style.
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| Peddler's Village |
Peddler's Village is now one of the
premier attractions in Bucks County. The 42-acre site boasts 70 unique
specialty shops, six restaurants, the 70-room luxurious Golden Plough Inn, and
for the kids: Giggleberry Fair, a family entertainment center featuring an
antique operating carousel.
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| Golden Plough Inn, Peddler's Village |
When we arrived in Peddler’s Village, we noticed its picturesque beauty. We checked in to the Golden Plough Inn, and were delighted with our room: spacious, warm, inviting and two queen-sized canopy beds awaited us. Such plush and comfortable surroundings instantly signaled that this was going to be a relaxing stay.
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| Delaware River, Washington Crossing Historic Park |
But first, we headed out to Washington Crossing Historic Park to take in some of Bucks’ County’s rich history. At this
site, General George Washington and his men of the Continental Army crossed the
Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 on Durham boats. A Nor’easter had approached making
the conditions horrible, frigid and dangerous, yet they pressed on. His some
2600-militia marched the 8 miles to Trenton, New Jersey.
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| Washington Crossing Historic Park |
Each year at Christmas
more than 100 re-enactors recreate this significant event across the river in
boats and uniforms replicated to near-exact historical proportions. The grounds
of this park are along the river and are home to several historical buildings.
It was truly an amazing feeling to know that history occurred right in the very
place we were standing, as that moment was a turning point in the Revolution.
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| Washington Crossing Historic Park |
After walking outside for hours in the
park, we were quite chilled so off we went to begin our wine tour to warm
up. We started with
Crossing Vineyards & Winery in Washington Crossing. Beth and Mary were
our hosts, giving us a tour of the picturesque vineyards and the tasting room.
Our tasting room gent John poured us delicious wines and I have to say this winery offered
some of the most delicious and imaginative wines I have ever tasted. Rich,
full-bodied delights such as the Chocolate Cherry Truffle (port-style heavenly dessert
wine) and the Sangria (a sweet juicy citrus-filled red wine) were amazing.
Here, the impressive tasting room and cute gift shop are open 12-6pm every day.
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| Tastings Time! |
From there we headed back to Peddler’s
Village, stopping in Lambertville for just a moment to get a hot coffee and
stop by the Tomasello Winery to get more of their luscious Blackberry
wine. I only bought two bottles...what was I thinking?!
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| Crossings Winery |
We sampled some wine at the Chaddsford
Winery, where I received a complimentary bottle of wine for staying at the
Golden Plough Inn, imprinted with its Peddler’s Village 50th
Anniversary. Their chardonnay is so wonderful I had to pick up a few bottles.
Plus, some sangria, as a Christmas present for my mom (shhh, don’t tell) I got
her a bottle of sangria from every winery we visited. She will have quite a lot
to open on Christmas morning!
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| Cheers! |
Back to relax in our gorgeous room,
Rach and I each lounged in our impressive queen four-poster beds, reading until
it was time for dinner. We stopped in the homey and pretty Buttonwood Grill for
a pre-dinner drink, deciding on the hot apple cider. Complete with creamy
caramel, buttershots and vanilla vodka, and pleasantly warm, this drink was a
great start to our evening.
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| Hot Apple Cider, Buttonwood Grill |
We then headed across the street to
Earl’s Bucks County. Instantly, this place relaxed me. Warm décor, soft lights,
an atmosphere I knew I would enjoy my dinner in. Our server Erhn helped us with
our choices and was a superb commentator on the food.
He suggested the raw oysters as starters. Rach and I sampled sweet succulent oysters-
great season for then right now- from Martha’s Vineyard and Rhode Island.
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| OYSTERS! |
All of Earl BC’s food is locally sourced or flown in from just a few hours away. Every single item is fresh and authentic and prepared to the guest’s liking...and believe me, I was liking it a lot! We also enjoyed warm bread with lemon zest ricotta sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper and some crunchy flatbread. I then tried the lobster bisque, which was rich and savory with chunks of lobster in it. Rach tried oysters for the first time, and we liked them so much we ordered a couple more.
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| Lobster Bisque, Earl's Bucks County |
Our main dishes arrived. I had the house smoked St. Louis ribs with
a cider glaze over smoked Cheddar-scallion mashed potato and horseradish spiked
slaw. These ribs were fantastic, meaty, messy, sweet, smoky and satisfying. I’m
usually not a big meat eater, but these ribs were amazing. Rach had the grilled 8 oz filet mignon with
whipped potato and spinach. The filet was tender and juicy, with hints of wine
and butter, and the spinach was fresh and tasty.
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| Smoked St. Louis Ribs, Earl's Bucks County |
We then had dessert- apple pie
and locally made chocolate and butter pecan ice cream was absolutely fantastic. And then, it was
time to retire to our room- with visions of Peddler’s Village dancing in our
heads!
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Locally made chocolate and butter pecan ice cream, Earl's Bucks County
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Sunday’s weather was perfect- warm and
sunny- for strolling and shopping. The great thing about Peddler’s Village is
that everything is close- dinner, cute and fun clothing shops with shoes,
apparel, outerwear, baby clothes, bath and beauty shops, grab a little snack,
attend a murder mystery, enjoy a buffet, or coffee, sample local wines, find a
place to relax, a place to sleep- all within walking distance. We went back to Earl's for farm-fresh breakfast with sausages, eggs, potatoes and coffee, and commenced wandering around the village.
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| Breakfast at Earl's BC |
The village was alive with people all
enjoying themselves in one of Bucks’ Counties favorite places. One can see why
this village has thrived for 50 years, and will continue thriving. Such a community-oriented,
exciting place is home to many local artisans, all who share the
love of Bucks County.
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| Shoppes at Peddler's Village |
We rounded off our visit with a trip
to see Santa Claus and his lovely wife on the magical New
Hope & Ivyland Railroad for the North Pole Express. An old-fashioned
steamer train, this ride evokes scenes of the Golden Age of steam railroading. The
train will take you along on the historic route that was filmed in the 1914
movie series Perils of Pauline, all
the while singing carols and enjoying a warm beverage and cookies.
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Aboard the North Pole Express
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So for this holiday season, see the
lights, attend the festivities, sample the wineries, eat at the restaurants, and do so much more at Peddler’s Village!
Special thanks to Michelle Greco
Falcone, Communications Manager of Visit Bucks County and Eve Gelman, PR
Manager, Peddler’s Village who strived to made our Bucks’s County
visit such an impressive stay! Thank you!
Photographs by Rachel Richards
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