Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Reading (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Santander Arena, FirstEnergy Stadium, and Pagoda. Also, be sure to include Reading Public Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Reading (Pennsylvania).
Table of Contents
Santander Arena
Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Santander Arena is a 7,160-seat multi-purpose arena, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2001. The arena sits on the former site of the Astor Theater; one of several grand movie and theater palaces built in Reading in the early 20th century. Closed in 1975, the theater sat vacant for over two decades. In 1998, the Astor was demolished to make room for the Santander Arena. Early in construction, steps were taken to retain mementos of the Astor, including its ornate Art Deco chandelier and gates. These are on display and in use inside the arena corridors, allowing insight into the ambience of the former movie house.
The Santander Arena is owned by the Berks County Convention Center Authority and managed by ASM Global. In 2000, the Rajah Shrine Theater was purchased, and after a thorough restoration and updating of the facilities was renamed the Sovereign Performing Arts Center. The Reading Eagle Theater is part of the complex.
On October 13, 2013, the building's name was changed from Sovereign Center to Santander Arena.
The arena is home to the Reading Royals ice hockey team in the ECHL as well as the Alvernia University Crusaders ice hockey team of the ACHA. It was formerly home to the Reading Railers basketball team, the New York Majesty Lingerie Football League team, the Reading Rockets box lacrosse team, and the Reading Express indoor football team.
The arena has hosted Jehovah's Witnesses District Conventions from 2005 to 2013 and will host the renamed Regional Conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses beginning in 2015.[1]
Address: 700 Penn St, 19602-1107 Reading (Southeast Reading)
FirstEnergy Stadium
Stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania. FirstEnergy Stadium is a 10,000-seat baseball-only stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania, that hosted its first regular season baseball game in 1951. The park is home to the Reading Fightin Phils of the Double-A Northeast. It was voted the second best place to see a baseball game by Minor League News in 2006. It is also the first ballpark to ever receive the annual Digital Ballparks.com Ballpark Of The Year Award, which it was awarded in 2002. It is the first American baseball stadium to reach a total attendance of ten million without ever serving a team higher than AA.[2]
Address: 1900 Centre Ave, 19605-2870 Reading (Northwest Reading)
Pagoda
Landmark in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Pagoda is a novelty building, built atop the south end of Mount Penn overlooking Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. It has been a symbol of the city for more than a century.[3]
Address: 98 Duryea Dr, 19602 Reading (Southeast Reading)
Reading Public Museum
Showcase for the arts and sciences. The Reading Public Museum is a museum in West Reading, Pennsylvania. The museum's permanent collection mainly focuses on art, science, and civilization. It also has a planetarium and a 25-acre arboretum.[4]
Address: 500 Museum Rd, 19611 Reading (Southwest Reading)
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum
Museum in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum is an aviation museum and aircraft restoration facility located at Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania. The museum, founded by Russ Strine, the current President, collects and actively restores historic war planes and classic airliners as well as rare civilian and military aircraft. Many of the museum's historic aircraft are often seen on the airshow circuit.[5]
Address: 1054 Arnold Rd, 19605 Reading
Trinity Lutheran Church
Church in Reading, Pennsylvania. Trinity Lutheran Church is a historic Lutheran church at 6th and Washington Streets in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The current church building was built in 1791, and is a two-story, three bays by five-bays, red brick building with stone and wood trim in the Georgian style. The second floor was added in 1851. It has a square bell tower and steeple last replaced in 1963. The front facade features a columned portico added in 1900.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Trinity remains an active presence in the Reading community. The current senior pastor is Alan Wolkenhauer.[6]
Address: 527 Washington St, 19601 Reading (Southwest Reading)
GoggleWorks
Arts organization in Reading, Pennsylvania. GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is a community art and cultural resource center located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The mission of the GoggleWorks is “to transform lives through unique interactions with art.”
Located in the former Willson Goggle Factory building, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts features eight teaching studios in ceramics, hot and warm glass, metalsmithing, photography, printmaking, woodworking and virtual reality; 35 juried artist studios; and headquarters of over 40 cultural organizations. GoggleWorks also includes several exhibition galleries, a 130-seat film theatre, a bar/restaurant, and store featuring handcrafted works by over 200 artists working within the building and beyond. Admission (excluding special events) and parking are always free.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[7]
Address: 201 Washington St, 19601-4009 Reading (Southwest Reading)
Bethel A.M.E. Church
Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. Bethel A.M.E. Church, now known as the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church at 119 North 10th Street in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1837, and is a 2½-storey brick and stucco building with a gable roof. It was rebuilt about 1867–1869, and remodeled in 1889. It features a three-storey brick tower with a pyramidal roof topped by a finial. The church is known to have housed fugitive slaves and the congregation was active in the Underground Railroad. The church is now home to a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans in Central Pennsylvania.
The only A.M.E. church in Berks County to have been built using private resources from its congregation, Bethel A.M.E. was founded by George Dillen, Samuel Murray, Isaac Parker, and Jacob Ross. Of those four, Murray was the one most involved with the building's construction. Closely aligned with Philadelphia's Mother Bethel AME Church, "Men preached from the pulpits but the ladies were responsible for organizing benevolent societies and mission circles, teaching classes in the large Sunday Schools attached to both congregations, as well as singing in the choir and providing a musical accompaniment for the Sunday services," according to historian Barbara Goda.
Reading's Bethel A.M.E. Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[8]
Address: 119 N 10th St, 19601-3704 Reading (Southeast Reading)
West Reading
Village in Pennsylvania. West Reading is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,212 at the 2010 census. It contains a vibrant main street and the large Reading Hospital and Medical Center. It was also the site of the VF Outlet Village, one of the largest outlet malls in the United States. The VF Outlet Village was located in the buildings of the former Berkshire Knitting Mills, which was in operation from 1908 to 1975. The VF Outlet closed in 2020.
West Reading is the birthplace of Taylor Swift.[9]
City Hall
City Hall, originally known as Boy's High School, is a historic city hall located at Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1904, as the high school for boys, and converted to use as a city hall in 1928. It is a three-story, with basement, granite and gray brick building in the Beaux Arts style. It features terra cotta decorative elements and measures 210 feet by 201 feet.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[10]
Address: 815 Washington Street, Reading (Southeast Reading)
Skew Arch Bridge
Bridge in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Skew Arch Bridge in Reading, Pennsylvania, also known as the Askew Bridge and nicknamed the Soap and Whiskey Bridge, is a historical skew arch bridge completed in 1857 carrying two tracks of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad at an angle over Sixth Street in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The bridge was acquired by Conrail after the P&R's demise in 1976, and was transferred to Norfolk Southern Railway in 1999.[11]
Liberty Fire Company No. 5
Liberty Fire Company No. 5 is a historic fire station located at Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1876, and is a three-story, brick building in the Italianate style. It was originally two-stories, with the third story added in 1895. The third story and roofline is reflective of the Victorian Romanesque style. The building is now operated as the Reading Area Firefighters Museum.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[12]
Wertz's Covered Bridge
Covered bridge in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Wertz's Covered Bridge, also known as the Red Covered Bridge, is a historic wooden covered bridge located at Bern Township and Spring Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
The bridge is a 204-foot-long (62 m), Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1867. It crosses the Tulpehocken Creek. It serves as the walkway entrance to the Berks County Heritage Center, which also includes the Gruber Wagon Works. It is one of five covered bridges remaining in Berks County. It is the largest single-span covered bridge in Pennsylvania.
The bridge was rehabilitated in 1959 from 10 April to 3 August, however, when the Warren Street Bypass opened the bridge was closed permanently on 23 October 1959. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 17 November 1978. From June until December 1984 the bridge was restored. The siding was replaced, several floor boards were replaced, it was jacked up, realigned, tightened, camber restored, and the rotted arch ends were replaced along with cedar roof shingles.[13]
Miller Center for the Arts
Concerts and shows, Theater
Address: 4 N 2nd St, 19601-4008 Reading (Southwest Reading)
Gruber Wagon Works
Museum in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Gruber Wagon Works is a historic industrial facility on Red Bridge Road in Bern Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Built about 1882, it is an extremely rare example of a fully outfitted 19th-century wagon manufacturing facility. Originally located in nearby Pleasant Valley, it was moved in 1976 to its present location in Tulpehocken Creek Park to make way for a flood control project. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It now serves as part of a county open-air museum.[14]