By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
With crisp weather and moderate temperatures, this is the season for outdoor festivals and there are many of them on this weekend’s calendar.The Fourth Annual Oktoberfest in Downtown West Chester (137 North High Street, West Chester, downtownwestchester.com) will be held on September 27 starting at noon.
Participating locations will have a select list of $6 fall beers or ciders and fall-themed appetizers. No tickets are needed, simply show up at one (or multiple) of the participating locations and ask for the Oktoberfest specials.
There will be live music around town for you to enjoy as you walk to and from each restaurant. If you have any Oktoberfest outfits/accessories, now is the time to wear them.
There will be a “Stein Holding Contest” with competition throughout the day.
New this year is free “Mini Pumpkin Painting for Kids.” Oktoberfest isn’t just for grown-ups! Bring the whole family and let the kids join in on the fun.
The Painted Plate (104 Market Street) will be hosting free mini pumpkin painting from noon-2 p.m. where kids can create their own festive fall masterpiece.
Live music will be performed by the Oompah-Delics, Dr. Squeezebox, German Oompah Band and the Lukens and.The Main Line Music Festival is scheduled for September 27 from noon-8 p.m. at Wilson Farm Park (500 Lee Road, Chesterbrook, mainlinemusicfest.com).
Hosted by Tredyffrin Township, The Powell Foundation and many other generous sponsors, the event was established in 2009.
For 16 years and counting, they continue the tradition of bringing our local and regional communities together for this free event to support our local veterans in need of immediate assistance through Veteran’s Brotherhood.
The featured acts will be Deb Callahan, Mikey Junior, Gypsy Joe Alves and the Groove Prophets, Zendog, Swiftie & the Midnights and Forever Tina.
The event will feature great food, a large beer and wine garden, and bourbon tastings offered by Pennsylvania Distilleries.
Kids’ activities include a 40-foot inflatable rock-climbing wall and slide, facepainting, wonderful balloon figures and a full playground.
The Oxford Harvest Festival (Oxford Area Recreation Authority, 900 West Locust Street, Oxford) will be held on September 27 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.The spiritual successor of Oxford Presbyterian Church’s old OPC Apple Festival, Chester County’s bigger-and-better Oxford Harvest Festival offers food, fun and an abundance of apples.
The event will feature more than 70 craft vendors and artisans and food trucks like 22 BBQ and Simply Shrimp & More.
Guests can jam out to DJ beats and live music performances throughout the day and pick up all sorts of apple products like apple butter and apple cider barbecue sauce.
The family-friendly fest is free to attend, with pay-as-you-go food, drinks and apple products.
Warwick Fall Festival (Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Road, Pottstown, www.chesco.org/2478/Warwick-Fall-Festival) will be held on September 27 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.The event, which is hosted by Chester County Parks & Recreation, is free and open to the public.
Visitors can celebrate the vibrant colors of fall with live music, pumpkin picking and painting, cornhole competitions, apple slingshot games, kids’ inflatables, wagon rides through the park, face painting, and Bubbletopia with thousands of shimmering bubbles.
There will also be a variety of craft vendor booths from local artisans and pay-as-you-go food trucks.
Philly Halal Food Festival (Khair Community Center, 1079 Egypt Road, Phoenixville, www.phillyhalalfoodfest.com) will be held on September 27 from noon-10 p.m.
From chicken over rice to soul food to freeze-dried sweets, there’s so much variety and flavor when it comes to halal (Islam’s set of dietary standards, similar to kosher in Judaism) cuisine.
And all of that good eating is on full display at the third annual Philly Halal Food Festival.
Representing all corners of the Muslim diaspora, the inclusive fest features over 60 different vendors dishing out delicious halal-friendly bites, including Asad’s Hot Chicken, Samaiyah B. Cooking and Crazy Crunch, as well as a shopping bazaar, kids’ corner and more.
The annual “A Taste of Greece” festival will run now through September 28 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church (30 East Forge Road, Media, http://www.stgeorgegreekfestival.org).
The free festival focuses on food — tasty Greek main dishes such as moussaka (eggplant dish), shish kabob (meat and vegetables on skewers) and placki (fish) and Greek dessert treats including baklava (phyllo, nuts and honey) and kataifi (shredded wheat and nuts).
Other activities at the free popular annual event are midway rides, vendors with crafts and Greek items, live music by Greek American bands and folk dancing demonstrations.
Hours for “A Taste of Greece 2025” are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon-8 p.m. on Sunday.
Delaware’s Ninth Annual Taco Festival (Tubman Garret Riverfront Park, Rosa Parks Drive, Wilmington) will be held on September 27 from 2-8 p.m.
At this event, you’ll find over 25 of the area’s best restaurants and food purveyors dishing out a variety of $4 tacos (sold in voucher sheets of 5 for $20).
Taco vouchers can be purchased at voucher stations located throughout the festival grounds and exchanged for all food items. All vendors will offer at least two items on their menu for one voucher ($4) with a very select few offering some high-end fancy pants tacos (Crab, Lobster) and burritos for two vouchers ($8). Additional vendors will be on hand to sell additional options — cotton candy, ice creams, cakes, desserts and more.
Food vendors will not accept cash — only food vouchers.
There will be bars and beverage stations serving margaritas, tequila flights, ice cold beer, water, soda & more. All bars are cash only.
Admission is $9.99.
The Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, http://www.chaddsford.com) is hosting the final “Wine Down” on September 26 from 5-9 p.m.
“Wine Down” will feature Quizzo trivia games on Fridays.
On September 27, “Live on the Lawn” will feature live music on the winery’s scenic Vintner’s Lawn.
The event, which runs from noon-7 p.m., will feature live music by Dan Rendine.
Penns Woods Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com) is also presenting a summer music series.
The winery will open at 11 a.m. each day and have matinee performances of live music.
There will be music by Jason Ager on September 26 from 5-7 p.m., Chris Grunwald on September 27 from 2-5 p.m. and Joe Nester on September 28 from 1-4 p.m.
Each September, “Pumpkinland” returns to Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com). “Pumpkinland,” which runs through November 2, features fairy tale characters from nursery rhymes along with a huge scarecrow and a really tall storybook.
Other activities include train rides, a straw bale maze, hayrides, pick-your-own apples and pony rides.
There will also be “Harvest Hayrides” and “Autumn Moon Hayrides” starting later in September along with “Straw Bale Maze,” “Train Rides,” “Corn Maze” and “Pony Rides.”
Pumpkinland is open from mid-September through early November and takes center stage at Linvilla Orchards.
Larger-than-life figures and scarecrows illustrate the legends and lore of the harvest season, featuring local history and some of the many stories of pumpkins and apples.
Linvilla Orchards will have piles of pumpkins in all colors, shapes and sizes — more than 100 tons on display.
A popular venue where you can get close to nature is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).
The arboretum’s schedule for this weekend features the “Wildflower Walk: Early Fall Edition” on September 27 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
At the “Saturday Wildflower Walk,” wildflower expert Dick Cloud will lead an informative two-hour hike that will take visitors through meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside.
These walks are for those who have a love of plants, their role in ecology, or for those who want to learn more.
Tickets, which include admission to the arboretum’s grounds, are $18 for adults (ages 18-64) and $10 for teens (ages 12-17) and Military with valid ID.
The 2025 Delaware River Festival will be held on September 27 at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia and Wiggins Park, Camden. It promises to be a full day of fun on the waterfront — and everything is completely free.
Festival highlights include: Rides on the RiverLink Ferry; Independence Seaport Museum Admission (building only); Live Bird Shows; and Views of sailboats racing in the Philadelphia Cup Regatta.
Activities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Mount Hope Estate and Winery grounds, Route 72, Cornwall, www.parenfaire.com) is running now through October 26.
This year’s 45th annual staging of the event, which bills itself as “the most wondrous event in all the Knowne World”, is running now through October 26.
The festive annual event features authentic Elizabethan food and drink, traditional crafts from the guildsmen of yore and old-time games of skill — and a cast of hundreds of colorfully costumed re-enactors.
Every summer, the Faire, which takes place at Mount Hope Estate and Winery’s authentic 35-acre recreation of a 16th-century village in Olde England, features a new story from a different year of England’s past. This year’s Faire will take you back in time to the year 1590.
More than 70 shows are scheduled throughout each day on the Faire’s numerous stages.
Without a doubt, the most popular attraction is the Jousting Arena. Visitors to the Faire flock to Bosworth Field whenever it’s time for the Ultimate Joust. Peasants lead cheers for their favorite knights while musicians pound out a heart-thumping beat. The Master of the List announces the combatants and soon an encounter of royal proportions ensues.
The Faire offers a wide variety of activities for visitors, including listening to bagpipe music, checking out handsome Lords in their colorful silks, watching a jester’s acrobatics, learning how to juggle, being the recipient of a gypsy woman’s flirtations and watching the march of Beefeater Guards.
Guildsmen’s Way is the area that features a large variety of merchants and artisans, including jewelers, candle makers, potters, herbalists, leather smiths, clothiers, and pewter makers — all offering for sale and demonstrating their ancient wares.
And there are more than 20 Royal Kitchens located around the faire with menus featuring a wide variety of food and beverages.
The special themed weekend this week is “Oktoberfest.”
Single-day tickets are available at the gate for $38.95. For children (age 5-11) single-day tickets are available at the gate and online for $20.95.
The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks, 484-754-EXPO, http://www.phillyexpocenter.com) is hosting two attractive events this weekend –
the Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival and Pa. Guild of Craftsmen: Fall Fine Craft Fair.
The Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival will be held September 27 and 28.
The top coffee shops, coffee roasters, chocolatiers, gourmet food purveyors, and unique artisans from around the region will gather for this weekend’s festival.
The event will feature more than 140 vendors with a wide array of chocolate and coffee-related products.
From chocolate covered everything to coffee flavored anything, plus gourmet food products like salsas, popcorn, dips, sauces, snacks and more, there will be something for everyone at the popular annual event.
The festival will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $14.99 for adults and $5 for kids (ages 4-12).
The Pa. Guild of Craftsmen: Fall Fine Craft Fair will be held on September 27 and 28 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days
PGC’s Fall Fine Craft Fair at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center will feature 70+ fine art and fine craft artists exhibiting cutting edge, contemporary and upscale home furnishings, jewelry and accoutrements.
This show is a great way to kick off holiday shopping where you can meet the artists and find unique and one-of-a-kind items for yourself and your loved ones.
Admission is $10 for adults.
Renningers “Antiques & Collectors Extravaganza” (740 Noble Street, Kutztown, 570-385-0104,www.renningers.net) is slated for September 26 and 27.
The Extravaganza features hundreds of antiques dealers from up and down the East Coast. Since 1975, Renningers Antiques & Collectors Extravaganzas have been a meeting place for dealers and collectors from a variety of locales. The dealers buy and sell among themselves and offer vintage items for sale to the general public.
Many exhibitors set up their shops outdoors — under tents and in the two large pavilions (each of which cover more than 2,000 square feet). Also open will be the Indoor Antiques Market and the Indoor Farmers Market.
Renninger’s Antiques Market in Adamstown is the final shopping mecca for antiques during the Famous Extravaganza weekends. Many dealers save special merchandise which they display during these special weekends.
Also, many dealers make a special trip to set up in the special outdoor market only three times a year. The outdoor market opens at 5 a.m. The indoor market opens at 7:30 a.m.
Admission is $10.
On September 26, Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org) will present “Accessible Sacred Spaces & Storied Places.”
“Sacred Spaces & Storied Places” is the perfect introductory tour that provides an overview of Laurel Hill West including its architectural artistry, stunning trees and horticulture, and the stories of residents that encompass diverse and fascinating Philadelphia history.
Experienced tour guides offer visitors a unique perspective as no two tours are the same. The Tour Guide this weekend will be Colleen Hudson.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and $7.50 for youth.
This weekend, it’s time once again for the Annual Scarecrow Festival at Peddler’s Village (Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska, 215-794-4000, www.peddlersvillage.com). The festival, which is celebrating its 46th anniversary this year, will run now through October 26.
It is the perfect time to visit and take in the bright, brilliant hues of fall and admire the more than 100 spectacular scarecrows on display. These larger-than-life, colorful, creative scarecrows will line the red brick paths throughout the village’s 42 picturesque acres.
Peddler’s Village’s Scarecrow Making Workshops on the Street Road Green have been a family favorite for decades. The workshop fee of $35 (maximum group of 4 people) includes step-by-step instructions and building materials.
Participants can choose from a variety of clothing decorations and use plenty of straw to construct their very own life-size scarecrow to take home.
Hope Lodge (553 South Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, 215-343-0965, http://www.ushistory.org/hope/) will be presenting a “Guided Mansion Tours” on September 21.
Hope Lodge was built between 1743 and 1748 by Samuel Morris, a prosperous Quaker entrepreneur. Morris acted as a farmer, shipowner, miller, iron master, shop owner, and owner of the mill now known as Mather Mill. Hope Lodge is an excellent example of early Georgian architecture, and it is possible that Edmund Woolley, architect of Independence Hall, offered advice in building. Samuel Morris owned the estate until his death in 1770.
The site opens at 12:30 p.m. with self-guided tours starting at 1 and 2:30 p.m. The mansion closes at 4 p.m.
Tour admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (age 65+) and for youth ages 6-17, and free for children under 5.
For “Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place” (100 Sesame Place, Langhorne, 215-752-7070, www.sesameplace.com), which runs now through November 2, the popular amusement park has been converted into a Halloween-themed safe venue for kids with trick or treating, pumpkin decorating, hayrides and a hay maze.
Guests will enjoy trick-or-treating around the park, Halloween-themed shows, participating in our interactive Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt, and unique photo opportunities with everyone’s favorite furry friends dressed up in costume on their Halloween-themed floats!
Featured attractions, which will continue until November 6, are “Neighborhood Street Party Halloween Parade,” “Halloween Light Show,” and “The Not-Too-Spooky Howl-O-ween Radio Show.”
Admission to the park starts at $44.99.
Visitors have been flocking all summer to Kennett Square to enjoy the “Festival of Fountains” at Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org).
The “Festival of Fountains” will run until September 28.
Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre and Italian Water Garden fountains are popular attractions as are the Square Fountain, Round Fountain (Flower Garden Walk), Sylvan Fountain (Peirce’s Park), and Children’s Corner fountains.
Dancing fountains, performances under the stars, and beautiful gardens make the Festival of Fountains at Longwood Gardens magical.
The spectacular celebration of music, light, water, and nature includes distinctive garden experiences indoors and out.
Before the fountain performances, guests can sit under the stars and enjoy live music and refreshing brews and pub fare in Longwood’s Beer Garden. Other dining options at Longwood are 1906 Fine Dining and The Café.
As the season unfolds, flowering trees delightfully punctuate the landscape, radiant tulips stretch toward the sun, and the delicious fragrance of wisteria floats along the breeze.
Visitors can also enjoy special exhibits at the Orchid House.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $35 for adults, $31 for seniors and college students, $26 for active military and $20 for youth.
The Brandywine Valley has quite a few museums and tourist sites that provide residents and tourists with ideal opportunities to spend leisure time — and you can maximize your effort if you take advantage of the 2025 Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport.
The cost is $49 for an individual pass and $99 for a family pass (for up to five family members).
The Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport is good for one-time admission to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley’s top attractions now through October 31.
A family pass, which includes one-day admission to each of 12 sites, can bring a savings of over $200 for the holders — especially since many of the participating institutions have regular admission fees in double figures.
The list of locations covered by the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport includes Longwood Gardens, Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware History Museum, Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Read House and Garden, Mt. Cuba Center, Rockwood Museum and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.
For more information, visit www.visitwilmingtonde.com/bmga/.
Hagley Museum and Library (Buck Road East entrance via Route 100, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org) is presenting a “Science Saturday” event on September 27 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The theme will be “Transformations.”
Transforming trash is fun. Participants will be able to up-cycle plastic bags and scrap paper to make new materials.
Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges. This is a drop-in activity which is included in admission.
On September 28, it will be time for “Cannon Firings.”
Demonstrations take place next to the Millwright Shop in the historic powder yard at 1, 2, and 3 p.m.
Cannon firings are weather-dependent.
Hagley Museum and Library is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. This example of early American industry includes restored mills, a workers’ community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the du Pont family.
High on the banks of the Brandywine River overlooking the original powder mills, E. I. du Pont, founder of the DuPont Company, built his home. For almost a century the Georgian-style home and surrounding complex of buildings and gardens served as the center of family and business life.
Admission is $20 for Adults, $16 for Seniors (62+) and Students, and $10 for Children 6-14.
The 2025 season is winding down at Nemours Estate (1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, nemoursestate.org). The entrance is located on the campus of Nemours Children’s Health, follow signs for Nemours Estate.
Originally constructed in 1910, Nemours Estate is one of Delaware’s grandest buildings and includes the largest formal French garden in North America.
Nemours Estate comprises an exquisite, 77-room mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
The Gardens are one of the estate’s prime attractions. The 157 jets at the center of the one-acre pool shoot water 12 feet into the air; when they are turned off, the entire “Long Walk” is reflected in the pool.
Admission to Nemours is $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and $10 for children.
Historic Odessa (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, www.historicodessa.org) is both a scenic and an historic site in Delaware.
Odessa is one of Delaware’s most historic sites.
Known in the 18th-century as Cantwell’s Bridge, Odessa played a vital role in commercial life along the Delaware River as a busy grain shipping port.
Today, visitors can stroll along tree-lined streets and admire examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture in one of the best-preserved towns in Delaware. They can also tour a remarkable collection of antiques and Americana preserved in period room settings and quaint exhibits.
Historic Odessa is open to the public from March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The site is also open on Monday by reservation. General Admission: Adults, $10; Groups, Seniors, Students, $8; and Children under six are free.
Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden (1829 East County Line Road, Villanova, stoneleighgarden.org/garden/home/) will present a “Home and Garden Tour” on September 27 at 10:30 a.m.
Formerly a Main Line country estate, Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden opened to the public in 2018.
Dazzling displays of native plants, ancient trees, landscape designs by the Olmsted Brothers, and myriad habitats are highlighted on this guided exploration of Stoneleigh.
This tour will highlight the transition from beloved family home to public garden through a guided exploration of breathtaking historical landscapes, majestic trees, and the more than 2,000 varieties of native plants.
Guests can learn how the staff created gardens that are beautiful, biodiverse, and beneficial to wildlife.
Tickets for the tour are $15.
Chanticleer (786 Church Street, Wayne, www.chanticleergarden.org) in in the middle of its summer celebration.
The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia.
Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine chose the Wayne-St. Davids area to build their country retreat. The family’s pharmaceutical firm would become part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.
The Rosengartens hired architect and former classmate Charles L. Borie to design the house, which was completed in 1913. Landscape architect Thomas Sears designed the terraces as extensions of the house. A 1924 addition converted the summer home into a year-round residence and the family moved here permanently.
Admission to Chanticleer is $15 for adults and free for pre-teen children (12 years and under).
Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum (1237 State Road, Andalusia, www.andalusiapa.org) is located on a wooded promontory overlooking the Delaware River.
It has been a stately presence on this stretch of water, just north of Philadelphia, for more than 200 years.
The ancestral home of the Biddle family, Andalusia is also a natural paradise of native woodlands and spectacular gardens that have evolved over time.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966, the Big House — one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States — provides an unparalleled look into our nation’s past, while also offering a glimpse into the life of a family that helped to shape its future.
Its surrounding gardens delight the senses all through the year, from the tumbling, brightly colored leaves of fall to the floral extravaganza of spring and the abundance and scent of summer.
Self-Guided Garden Tours will be available Mondays through Wednesdays through November 4 (excluding holidays) at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
The West Chester Railroad (www.westchesterrr.net) is running its “Summer Picnic Specials” every Sunday now through September 28. There will be one excursion each day at noon.
Passengers can enjoy a 90-minute round trip train ride from West Chester to Glen Mills and return on a warm summer afternoon. Riders are invited to pack a lunch to have during excursion’s stop at the Glen Mills train station picnic grove.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for children (2-12) and free for children (under two).
The Northern Central Railway (2 West Main Street, New Freedom, www.northerncentralrailway.com) is running a variety of special excursions this weekend starting with “Pirates and Pixies Adventure Express” on September 27 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Later on Saturday will be “Ales and Rails Oktoberfest” at 3 p.m. and “Slayer at the Speakeasy” at 7 p.m.
The excursions on September 28 will be “Pumpkin Patch Express” at 11 a.m. and “The Howard Tunnel Special” at 1 p.m.
The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad (Reading Outer Station, Reading, www.rbmnrr-passenger.com) is running “All Day Train Excursions” every Saturday and Sunday in September.
Passengers can take a train excursion through Pennsylvania’s beautiful landscape to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. They can board the train at the Reading Outer Station, Port Clinton Station, or Tamaqua Station.
During the trip, riders will see rolling farmland, beautiful mountains, glistening lakes, and small towns along the railroad’s mainline. The train will also travel through tunnels and over bridges — a highlight being the Hometown High Bridge.
Once the excursion arrives in Jim Thorpe, riders have more than 3.5 hours to explore the many shops, restaurants, and attractions before boarding the train for your return trip.
While in Jim Thorpe, they can also ride one of the rail line’s 70-minute Lehigh Gorge trains at a discounted rate.
The New Hope Railroad (32 Bridge Street, New Hope, www.newhoperailroad.com) is running its “Grapevine Express,” which features “Wine & Cheese Tasting” on September 26, 27 and 28 at 5 p.m. each night.
Riders are invited to take part in a romantic “Wine and Cheese Excursion” and enjoy fine gourmet cheese, artisan crackers, meats, fruit, and our featured local wines. Additional Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic beverages are also available onboard.
Wine and cheese will be served to passengers as they travel along the same railroad line passengers did when it was built in 1891 connecting New Hope with Philadelphia. The journey travels through the beautiful hills and valleys of Bucks County, along once vital waterways and streams and across numerous trestle bridges.
The excursions will take place aboard one of the lavishly appointed first-class parlor cars.
Tickets are $99 (Ages 21 and older only).
The Strasburg Railroad (Route 741, Strasburg, www.strasburgrailroad.com) is running its “Wine & Cheese Train” on September 26 at 4 and 6 p.m., September 27 at 6 p.m. and September 28 at 4 p.m.
Passengers can enjoy the luxurious, climate-controlled first-class accommodation and a tasting of select wine, cheese, and crackers as they travel in style down the tracks from Strasburg to Paradise and back.
“
Wine & Cheese Train” boarding is 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. Riders must be 21 or older and have their photo ID ready when they board.
Featured wines are carefully selected from Waltz Vineyards, and cheeses are paired accordingly. Beer and select non-alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase upon request. Riders can purchase a souvenir wine glass on board the train if desired. Glasses are $7 each.
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, alcohol is only served during the train ride. The rail line is not permitted to serve alcoholic beverages while the train is berthed in the station.
Tickets are $79.
On September 27, the Colebrookdale Railroad (South Washington Street, Boyertown, www.colebrookdalerailroad.com) is running its “Autumn Cider and Donuts Express” at 10 a.m.
Departing from Boyertown, the train travels through vibrant fall foliage. Everyone gets a donut and cider while enjoying the bliss of the Secret Valley.
This is a one-hour excursion with ticket prices starting at $47.
There will also be a 90-minute excursion – “Fall Foliage Tour” – on Sunday.
The train will depart Boyertown at 2 p.m. Ticket prices start at $37.
If you like to look at model railroad layouts in addition to experiencing live trains, then you should definitely check out the Garden Railway Display at the Morris Arboretum & Garden (100 Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, www.morrisarboretum.org).
The ultra-popular Garden Railway Display has become a major summer attraction at The Gardens at Morris Arboretum. The 26th annual edition of the display will remain open until September 30.
This summer, Morris Arboretum will unveil a brand-new exhibition in its popular Garden Railway – “Garden Railway: Dinos!”
With more than 15 different rail lines running along a third of a mile of track, visitors will enjoy a spectacular display of dinosaurs including Triceratops, and Velociraptor, as well as other Mesozoic creatures—all made out of natural materials such as bark, leaves, and twigs.
As one of the largest outdoor miniature train displays in the United States, the Garden Railway will delight and amaze visitors of all ages.
The railway has a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with 15 different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under) and bustling model trains.
The buildings and the display are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers.
Philadelphia-area landmarks are all meticulously decorated for the holidays with lights that twinkle. There is even a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall which was made using pinecone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials and twigs as downspouts.
Visitors will be able to see miniature replicas of iconic structures at some of America’s most famous public gardens including the Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden, Torii Gate and Pavilion at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Science Pyramid at Denver Botanic Gardens, and so much more.
Admission is $20 for adults; $18 for seniors (65 and older); $10 for students (ages 13-17 or with ID), active military and retired military; and free for children (under 3).
