Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Valley Forge (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Washington Memorial Chapel, National Memorial Arch, and Wharton Esherick Museum. Also, be sure to include American Treasure Tour in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Valley Forge (Pennsylvania).
Table of Contents
Washington Memorial Chapel
Church in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Washington Memorial Chapel — located on Pennsylvania Route 23 in Valley Forge National Historical Park — is both a national memorial dedicated to General George Washington and an active Episcopal parish in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The church was inspired by a sermon preached by Anglican minister Reverend Dr. W. Herbert Burk, founder and first rector of the parish. The building was designed by architect Milton B. Medary. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2017, and is undergoing an active restoration campaign.
It is physically located in Upper Merion Township.[1]
Address: 2000 Valley Forge Park Rd, 19406 King of Prussia
National Memorial Arch
Monument in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The United States National Memorial Arch, located in Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania, is a monument built to celebrate the arrival of General George Washington and the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was the military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–78 during the American Revolutionary War. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed more than 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778.
The arch is physically in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County.[2]
Address: 1400 N Outer Line Dr, 19406 King of Prussia
Wharton Esherick Museum
Museum in the Chester County, Pennsylvania. Wharton Esherick Studio, now housing the Wharton Esherick Museum, was the studio of the craftsman-artist Wharton Esherick, in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The studio was built between 1926 and 1966, reflecting Esherick's evolving sculptural style—from Arts and Crafts, through German Expressionism, ending with the free form Modernist curves that marked his later work.
There are five structures on the site: his home and studio, the 1956 workshop designed with Louis Kahn, the 1928 German Expressionist log garage which now serves as the museum visitor center, his woodshed, and the recently reconstructed German Expressionist outhouse.
The buildings, from their structural forms down to the door handles and light pulls, were designed and built by Wharton Esherick to create a complete artistic environment. The studio is filled with more than 300 of Wharton Esherick's works, including sculpture, furniture and furnishings, paintings and prints.
The Wharton Esherick Museum was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 1971, it opened for visitors in 1972, and in 1973 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The studio was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993.
Under the direction of the museum curator, the Wharton Esherick Museum holds an annual Thematic Woodworking Competition and Exhibition as a means to encourage creative thinking, and to encourage the development of new and imaginative designs for items of everyday use.[3]
Address: 1520 Horse Shoe Trl, 19355-9519 Paoli
American Treasure Tour
Museum in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The American Treasure Tour is a tourist attraction established in 2010 and opened to the public for guided tours. Visitors travel through a large private collection that encompasses an eclectic variety of smaller collections. Included is one of the world's largest private collections of automatic music machines: nickelodeons, band organs, calliopes, photoplayers and music boxes. There are also classic cars, circus art, dolls and dollhouses, and a large assortment of popular culture miscellania. It is located in the 422 Business Center in the community of Oaks, Pennsylvania, west of Valley Forge National Historical Park just off of U.S. Route 422.[4]
Address: One American Treasure Way, 19456 Oaks
Mill Grove
Museum in Audubon, Pennsylvania. Mill Grove is a historic house and estate on Pawlings Road in Audubon, Pennsylvania. Built in the 1760s, it is notable as the first home in America of painter and naturalist John James Audubon, for whom the community is named. The 130-acre estate is now maintained as a museum and wildlife sanctuary by Montgomery County, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. The house serves as the educational center of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Audubon Society, and is known as John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove.[5]
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Event venue in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks is an exhibition center located in Oaks, Pennsylvania, which is approximately 7 miles northwest of King of Prussia via the Pottstown Expressway. It has five adjoining exhibit halls, 15 meeting rooms, two small food courts, and a total area of over 240,000 square feet on one floor. It is among the largest suburban exposition centers on the East Coast of the United States.[6]
Address: 100 Station Avenue, 19456 Oaks
Arnold's Family Fun Center
Theme park, Amusement park, Nightlife, Gambling, Casino
Address: 2200 West Drive, 19456 Oaks
Schuylkill Friends Meeting House
Quaker church in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Schuylkill Friends Meeting House is a Quaker meeting house located on North Whitehorse Road in the Schuylkill Township section of Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States. This Meeting House is 2.5 miles west of Valley Forge Post Office.
Originally Charlestown Friends Meeting, the name was changed in 1826 when Charlestown Township was split.
Chester County Archive road dockets indicate there was a Meeting House in 1802. The east room was completed in 1816.
Schuylkill Friends Meeting for Worship is every Sunday at 10:00 am. It is part of the Caln Quarterly Meeting of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.[7]
Matthias Pennypacker Farm
Matthias Pennypacker Farm, also known as Tinker Dam Farm, is a historic farmhouse located in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It consists of two sections in the shape of an "L" and in the Georgian style. It is constructed of rubble masonry and has a slate gable roof. The older section pre-dates the American Revolution and is two stories and two bays wide. The main portion is dated to 1830, and is three stories high and five bays wide. Also on the property are a small stone smokehouse, spring house, root cellar, and large stone barn measuring 40 feet by 60 feet and dated to 1830.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[8]
Joseph Walker House
Historical landmark in the Chester County, Pennsylvania. Joseph Walker House, also known as Wayne's Quarters, is a historic home located in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The house was built in four sections, with the oldest dated to about 1757. It is the three bay at the western end of the eleven bay house, and is a two-story, double pile stone structure. The additions took place about 1820, about 1870, and about 1920. It was renovated in 1950 and Colonial Revival details added. During the American Revolution the house served as headquarters for General Anthony Wayne in late-1777 and early-1778, during the encampment at Valley Forge.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[9]
White Horse Farm
White Horse Farm, also known as the Elijah F. Pennypacker House, is a historic home and farm located in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original section was built around 1770. In the 19th century, it was the home of abolitionist Elijah F. Pennypacker and served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[10]