Lehigh Valley InSite

Lehigh Valley golf can't be beat ... especially next year!

Recently I've been really busy at work putting together Lehigh Valley travel packages for next year, and I got to thinking about which package I'd choose if I were traveling to the area. Since I'm a golfer, I'd probably choose the Lehigh Valley Stay & Play Golf package.

Given my job, I may be a bit biased, but this package really is great because it makes planning a Lehigh Valley golf experience easy. All I'd have to do is ...

1. Call the hotel to book my room.
2. Tell the hotel which participating course I want to play at and they'll set up my tee time.
3. Check into the hotel and pay for everything.
4. Hand in a voucher from the hotel at the course and hit the links.

Another reason I'd pick the Stay & Play package is because we got two new courses in the program for next year. They are both private clubs, but they're opening up their doors (or should I say greens) for this program only.

The first is Woodstone Country Club in Danielsville. I've played this one a few times and I must say that it is quite challenging. The course is super long at 7,090 yards. I would never consider walking this one, but I've seen people do it! It also offers an excellent all-grass practice range to warm up on. 

The second, my former home club, is Blue Ridge Country Club in Palmerton. This is a fantastic course with a beautiful layout and awesome views. Speaking of views, I've seen lots of wildlife on the course, from deer, bear, tortoise, all kinds of birds, weasels and raccoons to name a few. The course boasts 6,683 yards from the gold tees but you need to be precise to hit the greens - most of them are pretty small.

Are you still playing this year or are your bags in storage for the season?

25 years in Lehigh Valley - then vs. now

Last night the Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrated 25 years in the tourism business, so I thought I would do a little compare and contrast of tourism events and attractions. Here's Lehigh Valley 1984 vs. Lehigh Valley 2009.

* Pro baseballin Lehigh Valley was in the middle of a very long drought in 1984. The last major league affiliated team, the Allentown Red Sox, left town in 1960 (interesting fact: the Allentown Red Sox played at Max Hess Stadium, which is where the Lehigh Valley Mall is now located). Now we have the hugely successful AAA Philadelphia Phillies associated Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which arrived in 2008, and play in Allentown's beautiful Coca Cola Park. (Check out some of the past Lehigh Valley InSite blog posts on the IronPigs here.) 

* Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. 1984 was a big year for Dorney Park. They were recovering from a fire that destroyed many buildings and rides the year before but also celebrating their 100th anniversary! Obviously, 25 years later Dorney celebrated another anniversary, their 125th, and is now a top notch amusement and water park. (Check out some of the past Lehigh Valley InSite blog posts on Dorney Park here.)

* Golf. Lehigh Valley used to be a tough place to get a tee time 25 years ago with only 7 public courses:
* Willow Brook Golf Course (9 holes at the time)
* Twin Lakes now Iron Lakes Country Club
* Green Pond Country Club
* Allentown Municipal Golf Course
* Bethlehem Golf Club
* Locust Valley Golf Club
* Wedgewood Golf Course.
25 years later, I'm happy to say we are a hacker’s paradise. Since 1987, Lehigh Valley has doubled in public golf courses. 
* 1986 Indian Creek Golf Course
* 1992 Center Valley Club
* 1993 Southmoore Golf Course
* 1993 Whitetail Golf Club
* 1995 Olde Homestead Golf Club
* 2004 The Club at Morgan Hill
* 2006 Riverview Country Club.

I think I'm going to continue this comparison next week. Not sure on who or what yet, but I will dig up some goodies though so stay tuned.

In the meantime, what changes have you noticed in Lehigh Valley over the past 25 years? 

Fall is Hawk Mountain time!

Last weekend my wife and I paid a long overdue visit to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Located just northwest of Lehigh Valley, Hawk Mountain is the site of the area's annual hawk watch. This year, Hawk Mountain is also celebrating 75 years of raptor conservation. 

The photo shows the view from the south lookout at about 1,300 feet, the lowest of the lookouts in all of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. While it was still early for fall foliage when we were there, you can get a sense from the picture how grand the view must be when fall's colors are at their peak, which is coming soon so don't wait.

Hawk Mountain is part of the Kittatinny Ridge, encompassing 2,600 acres of the sanctuary itself and 13,000 acres of private and public lands. It is one of the largest protected tracts of contiguous forest land in southeastern Pennsylvania, and it is right in Lehigh Valley's backyard. 

There are many opportunities for education programs on site at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as well as numerous self-guided trails. I suggest wearing good hiking boots and layers - it's significantly cooler up there.  

When were you last at Hawk Mountain?

Pumpkin Picking in Lehigh Valley

Fall has arrived and Halloween is just around the corner. Casey and I have just moved into our new house and she can’t wait to give out candy for Trick-or-Treat and to carve out a jack-o-lantern to put on our front porch. (I will have to miss Trick-or-Treat because I have tickets for a Pearl Jam show at the soon-to-be-closing Spectrum, but don’t worry, Casey will be joining me for the second show.)

Even though it'll be the first in our new house, this won’t be our first pumpkin carving. We have done this the past two years. On Saturday we will be making our second trip to Strawberry Acres to pick our pumpkin. 

Strawberry Acres has a great atmosphere to it. It is a working farm, so there are animals running around and other farm-like things going on. It is a perfect place to go if you have kids, with its hayride, little playground, and an area to pet the farm animals.

Last year we skipped the hayride, but I hit up the playground and we both were petting the animals. The playground actually has a radical tube slide.

On the way out, don’t forget to grab an apple for the ride home. They probably have the most delicious apples ever.

A Local’s Guide to the Top 4 Parks in Allentown: Part 2

Welcome back to my two-part guide to the Top 4 parks of Allentown. Let's get right into it, shall we?

Trexler Park: A few blocks from the campus of Muhlenberg College lies Trexler Park. At one time, this was the estate of General Trexler himself. Upon his death it was dedicated to him and little about the park has changed since that time.

The Hike at Trexler Park: Start at the main entrance, which is just down the road from Wegmans. Take the paved path to the left alongside the lagoon; you can spot an egret or two here if you are lucky. As you make your way around the path you will encounter the actual springhouse that was on Trexler’s estate. Cross the bridge and you will find yourself alongside the Little Cedar Creek. Eventually you will begin to walk up a steep hill that will lead you to the memorial statue of the General and a view of an incredible vista of Trexler Park and points south. Follow the paved trail to the left and pass through a large Riparian Buffer zone; be attentive, there are many species of birds easily visible here. The path will return you to the main entrance at the parking lot.

Cedar Beach Parkway: The closest park to Muhlenberg College, Cedar Beach Parkway has a lot to offer. The Rose Garden and Old Fashioned Garden, located just past Ott Street, are worth a visit to. Make sure to take a stroll around Muhlenberg Lake. There are basketball courts and volleyball pits here as well. This is a great place to take a book to read.

The Walk at Cedar Beach Parkway: Behind the Allentown Parks and Recreation Office there is a 1.3 mile trail that is often used by walkers and joggers; it includes a complete

system of workout devicesthat challenge the body. It is a quicker walk, but one that is worth taking and it sure can serve as a workout.

 

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Andrew Kleiner, who also writes the Remember blog.

A Local’s Guide to the Top 4 Parks in Allentown: Part 1

Across Lehigh Valley, and especially in the city of Allentown, there are a few preserved spaces of nature that we call city parks. These are places where we can escape into the beauty of the outdoors. The following is a list of my four favorite parks in Allentown. Care to take a walk with me? 

West Park: This is the first park that was built in the city of Allentown; both the bandshell and arboretum of trees that were installed there 101 years ago are still there. West Park is a beautiful and timeless place situated in a very urban area. There isn’t much to call a hiking trail here but there are paved paths throughout that allow you to see and identify the different tree types, the war memorials, the classic ornate fountain and the white bandstand. I recommend grabbing lunch from someplace nearby, like Kow Thai, and eating it here. The ambience of the park will have you coming back for seconds.

South Mountain Reservoir: On the South Side of Allentown there is a park that is more to the appearance of a nature preserve. There are two large lakes that you can fish in; there is a great amount of wildlife to witness and it is a great place for tree identification.

The mountainside is littered with trails that range from average to an easy-hard. Wear your hiking boots; sneakers and sandals are not going to cut it. Take notice to the stone circles that at one time served as lookouts over the city of Allentown. If you keep an eye out you may see some gneiss rock. Be careful, some of the trails aren’t marked very well but a trip up on the mountain is always gorgeous.

Check back on Tuesday for the conclusion of my guide to Allentown's top parks.

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Andrew Kleiner, who also writes the Remember blog.

My Delaware River Railroad Excursion

Last Sunday, Don and I along with his sister Joan and husband George got together to try something different, the Delaware River Railroad Excursions' Winery Train.

The steam locomotive (pictured) looks really old so I was surprised to see it was made in 1988...and in China! Our riding car, however, was from the 50s, complete with vintage teal seats. As we headed down the track, I couldn't help but wish a train ride was part of my daily commute. It is soooo relaxing!

After the train chugged to the end of its line we were shuttled by school bus to our first stop, Villa Millagro Vineyards. Audrey was a wonderful hostess and explained the process of wine making from vine to bottle.

We got back on the bus and headed to Alba Vineyard. It's a much larger operation than Villa Millagro was, so we saw the same process using more automated equipment. Unfortunately, we were not able to taste their Chambourcin, a favorite of ours on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail.

The only down side of our trip was we were bussed back to the station. I would have liked to take the train back, and visit their on-board gift shop for a souvenir. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great time and ended the afternoon sipping wine at Sette Lunain Easton.

I think our next Lehigh Valley outing will be to WK&S Railroadin Kempton (which was recently written about here). 

Have you experienced either of these train rides?

Goin' to the hillclimbs!

While driving to work one morning last week, I heard through the power of radio advertising that the Freemansburg Motorcycle Hillclimb was coming up. I vaguely remember going to one before and thought "What the heck, it's something different to do." So on Sunday, my friend Kate, her friend Devon, and I headed over to Freemansburg aka Steel City aka Bethlehem in Northampton County.

So you're probably asking, what's a motorcycle hillclimb? Essentially, you stand in a field, shielding your eyes from the sun, watching modified dirt bikes try to drive up a 500-foot hill which, at the top, is at a 60 degree angle. That's about it in a nutshell. But its a lot of fun to watch, because in more cases than not, the bikes don't make it to the top. Even cooler, these are pro riders (aka "adrenaline junkies) doing this - including the only female pro rider in the sport, Amanda Campbell.

We got there about an hour after the races began - oh yeah, not only do the riders have to actually make it up the hill, they have to do it fast...like 12 seconds fast - and there was a good-sized crowd already there. A lot of people rode motorcycles to the event, since it's also part bike-show, but these aren't Hell's Angels - these are really good people who just like to cheer on the riders and watch them bale on occasion.

The announcers kept us up-to-speed on the background of each rider and what their finishing times were. The food vendors, including the Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club, kept us fed with hot dogs, perogies and ice cold Cokes. And the sun sent us running for the air conditioning of our cars at intermission - it was just too hot for us.

The Freemansburg Hillclimb will be back in June 2010 - I'd highly suggest a visit, if only to try something different for the day :)

A day in the Lehigh Valley countryside

I recently received an email from County Line Orchards - the real Apple Store, out near Kempton - saying the Gala apples were ripe, so over Labor Day weekend my husband and I headed for the rolling hills, woods and working farms of the western Lehigh Valley.

After buying our apples, we stopped by the Kempton station of the WK&S Railroad. There you can get an old-fashioned train ride on the "Hawk Mountain Line" (named for the nearby bird sanctuary) back through the hills to the village of Wanamaker, below the picturesque Donat's Peak in Western Lehigh County.

When our son was young he loved the WK&S, and I was pleased to see that it looks better than ever, the station freshly painted and the train filling up with happy families. One boy I saw reminded me of ours -- his eyes were gleaming with excitement as he looked over the train and cars. I'll bet he went home with a wooden train whistle from the gift shop or a railroad patch for his mom to sew onto his jacket.

I recommend a ride on the WK&S. The chugging of the train and its whistle at the intersections makes it seem like it's taking you back through time as you travel on the tracks. Add to that the changing leaves, a drive through beautiful countryside to get there, and some apples and cider to take home, and you may have a perfect family day you'll be talking about for years to come.

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Nancy Wisser, who also writes the Clonehenge blog and contributes to the Weird Nazareth blog.

Bear Rock Junction: Good golf and more!

This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. In my mind, there's no better way to walk summer to the door than by doing one last "summertime" activity - go play mini golf!

Previously on Lehigh Valley InSite, Putt U as been called out more than one occasion as a favorite mini golf spot. But Lehigh Valley has more than one stellar mini golf course. In fact, during my daily commute from New Tripoli to downtown Allentown, I pass three of them:

1. Dorney Square, just down the road from Dorney Park,
2. Liber-Tee, next door to the Holiday Inn Conference Center, and
3. Bear Rock Junction, my personal favorite.

Bear Rock Junctionis nestled at the base of the Blue Mountain in the northwestern-most corner of Lehigh Valley. I consider it unique in that its theme is "old West gold rush" rather than windmills and clowns (a la Happy Gilmore).

Bear Rock Junction is comprised of two18-hole courses complete with large faux boulders, water features and old-time wooden train trestles. There's even a steam train that encircles both courses that you can ride after your round.

I've played both courses - neither being easier than the other. But I will say that if you're looking for a chance to feel like Tiger Woods, Bear Rock Junction has several holes where getting a hole in one isn't just a dream. In one round, I've made as many as three holes in one!

As everybody knows, the loser buys the winner ice cream, which Bear Rock Junction has along with other tasty items including Nathan's hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, pizza and kettle corn.

As you can tell, Bear Rock Junction is unique in many ways, but I have one more for you. Starting today, right across the street from the mini golf course, Bear Rock Junction has a corn maze and hay rides throughout the fall. I've yet to do the corn maze, but if they do things there the way they do at the mini golf course ... well, you've read this post, you know.