|
|
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
is located in one of the most exciting historical regions in the nation, just a short drive to both Philadelphia and the Valley Forge National Historic Park. This area is blessed with an array of attractions for everyone – scenic outdoor beauty and recreational activities, excellent restaurants and shopping opportunities, fairs and festivals and historic landmarks, quality hotels and bed and breakfast inns. The village of Pottstown has a lovely, tree-lined downtown district that offers specialty shops, antique shops, galleries and restaurants. Specific attractions include the Historic Pottsgrove Manor, home of early settler, John Potts and Gallery on High, located in a fully restored Victorian building in the town’s historic district.
The Montgomery County Department of Parks and Heritage Services has six County parks spread throughout Montgomery County within an easy drive of Pottstown. The parks range in size from as small as 15 acres to as large as 3400 acres, and there is something for everyone. The names of the Montgomery County parks are: Green Lane Park, Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Central Perkiomen Valley Park, Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, Lorimer Park and Norristown Farm Park. Some of the outdoor recreational activities in the parks include swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, birdwatching, cycling, kayaking or cross-country skiing. Enjoy nature walks, breathing in the fresh country air, outdoor summer concerts or live wildlife displays. All parks offer picnicking; children’s playgrounds are found at Green Lane Park, Lower Perkiomen Valley Park and Central Perkiomen Valley Park. Wildlife/Nature Centers can be found at Green Lane Park and Upper Schuylkill Valley Park. For information regarding activities at specific parks, please contact the Montgomery County Parks Department at 610-278-3555.
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where General George Washington forged his Continental Army into a fighting force, during the difficult winter encampment of 1777-78. Of all places associated with America's War for Independence, none conveys the suffering, sacrifice and ultimate triumph more than Valley Forge – a place that depicts the story of an army's epic struggle to survive against hunger, disease and the unrelenting forces of nature. Today, the park is 3,600 acres of lush rolling hillsides dotted with flowering dogwood trees. Washington's original stone headquarters has been restored and furnished; log huts have been reconstructed; and statues and monuments throughout the park remind visitors of our national heritage at Valley Forge. Some of the statues in the park include General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and Baron Friedrich von Steuben; and the Monument to Patriots of African Descent. The Visitors Center at the junction of Route 23 and N. Gulph Road is open daily and features exhibits, artifacts, a gift shop and an 18-minute film. Rangers lead the "Following in their Footsteps" tours to discuss the life of everyday soldiers (the actual tour is a quarter mile.) For more information, call 610-783-7503.
|
|
|
