Allentown

Introduction

Allentown is a city in eastern Pennsylvania and the county seat of Lehigh County. It anchors the Lehigh Valley, the metropolitan area that surrounds it, and sits at the center of the region's largest city.

Before you go

Allentown sits in the Lehigh Valley on the Lehigh River, between South Mountain and Blue Mountain, within easy reach of both Philadelphia and New York City and close to the New Jersey state line. The city has a long industrial history, and the decline of its heavy manufacturing in the late 20th century became a national symbol through Billy Joel's 1982 single "Allentown." English is the dominant language, with accents sometimes as blunt as you might hear in New York or Philadelphia; Spanish is spoken by a small share of residents, and on the outskirts you may still encounter Pennsylvania Dutch, the German dialect of the region's early settlers. A few local terms are worth knowing: "down the shore" means the New Jersey beaches, a "hoagie" is a submarine sandwich, "soda" covers any soft drink, and "youse" means "you all."

The climate is highly seasonal, with warm summers and bitterly cold winters, so pack accordingly. Crime in Allentown runs above the national average, though random violence against visitors is rare and most incidents involve drugs or gang rivalries. Use common sense: lock your car, avoid poorer areas at night, don't walk alone on dimly lit streets, and keep your wits about you if you've been drinking. Parts of East Allentown and some Center City neighborhoods north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St., plus the area between the American Parkway and the Lehigh River, are rougher. Police maintain a strong presence in visitor-frequented areas, especially along Hamilton Street, often patrolling by bicycle.

Getting there

Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is the closest and most convenient airport, located just northeast of the city. It is served by Allegiant, American Eagle, Delta, and United, with nonstop routes to destinations including Chicago O'Hare, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, and several Florida cities. Car rentals and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport, and some of the same bus companies that serve the Allentown Transportation Center also stop at the airport.

If you need a wider choice of flights, Philadelphia International Airport lies south of Allentown and offers more international and domestic options, with car rentals and roughly a dozen buses a day departing for Allentown from the airport or from the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal in Center City. Newark Liberty International Airport, further east in New Jersey, is another option worth considering, especially for international travelers, and also offers car rentals and bus service to Allentown. By rail, the closest commercial station is 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, where cars are available for rent inside the station.

• By bus: The Allentown Transportation Center in center city is served by several commercial carriers. Fullington Trailways and Greyhound/Flixbus operate from Platform C, with Greyhound/Flixbus running to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York. Martz Trailways also uses Platform C, offering service to Scranton and Philadelphia with connections onward. Trans-Bridge Lines runs daily service from New York City and Newark, including several express buses per day, plus service to and from Lehigh Valley Airport. OurBus offers daily service from New York City and weekend service from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Binghamton, and Ithaca, arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. Uptown Vans provides door-to-door service throughout Allentown on a route to Newark Airport, Union City, and Upper Manhattan. LANTA operates local and regional transportation between the Allentown Transportation Center and Lehigh Valley Mall, Bethlehem, Easton, and surrounding Lehigh Valley points.
• By car: Interstate 78 runs east-west from central Pennsylvania to the Holland Tunnel and Manhattan, with Allentown-area exits at 57, 58, and 59. U.S. Route 22 runs from Cincinnati through Newark, New Jersey, with Allentown-area exits at 45, 49A, and 49B (Fogelsville). From New Jersey, note that the major Delaware River bridges are free eastbound but some charge tolls westbound; the free crossing at Phillipsburg on Northampton Street adds only about half a mile but is not recommended for those unfamiliar with the area. PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access from points southeast and northwest, and PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach if you are coming from the Poconos.

Getting around

Allentown's downtown core is compact and easy to walk, so you can park in one of the downtown garages and explore on foot. The street grid helps you keep your bearings: the main east–west streets run in order from north to south (Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union), while numbered streets run north to south, starting at 1 on the west side and continuing eastward. Biking is another good option, especially given the city's extensive trail and park system; the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway lets you stop to feed the fish at the Fish Hatchery, visit the Museum of Indian Culture, or pedal along a trail to a covered bridge.

• LANTA provides extensive public bus service in Allentown and South Whitehall Township, connecting the Allentown Transportation Center with Lehigh Valley Mall, the Bethlehem Transportation Center, the Easton Intermodal Center, and points throughout the Lehigh Valley.
• Intercity buses serve the Allentown Transportation Center, with operators including Fullington Trailways, Greyhound/Flixbus, Martz Trailways, Trans-Bridge Lines, and Uptown Vans, which offers door-to-door service.
• Multiple cab and limousine companies operate throughout Allentown and the wider Lehigh Valley.
• Most visitors to the Lehigh Valley will want to rent a car or drive their own. US Route 22 is often the best route of approach but is prone to minor rush-hour jams; Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours.
• Seventh Street is one-way, so use Sixth Street to head north toward Whitehall Township. Hamilton Street provides easy access from Reading and Lancaster and continues into Bethlehem as Hanover Avenue; Tilghman Street also reaches Bethlehem and Easton as Union Boulevard.

Where to stay

Allentown's hotels cluster along the Hamilton Boulevard corridor and out toward the airport and Fogelsville, with a downtown option if you want to be in the center of things. For a budget stay, the Red Carpet Inn on Hausman Road, the Red Roof Inn on Catasaqua Road and the Sleep Inn on Star Road are the straightforward choices. Mid-range chains line Hamilton Boulevard, including a Four Points by Sheraton, a Holiday Inn Express and a Holiday Inn Allentown-Bethlehem, plus a Hilton Garden Inn near the airport and another to the west. The Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West has a lounge and bar and a fitness center open around the clock, and the Super 8 west of town toward Kutztown offers in-room microwaves and fridges, high-speed internet and free breakfast.

If you're splurging, the Renaissance Allentown Hotel puts you in center city with suites, an on-site restaurant called The Dime, a fitness center and meeting space. In Fogelsville, the Glasbern and the Hawthorne Suites offer more polished surroundings, and the Howard Johnson Inn & Suites on Hamilton Boulevard is convenient to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. Extended-stay travelers can choose between Staybridge Suites properties near the airport and west of town, or the Homewood Suites by Hilton.

Food & drink

Allentown has a strong tradition of family-run ethnic restaurants, with Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican kitchens all represented. For casual meals, look to the business districts around Whitehall Township and Cedar Crest Boulevard, or stay in Center City, where you'll also find national chains. Street vendors sell hot dogs on Hamilton Street and 7th Street.

Local institutions are worth seeking out: Yocco's West on Hamilton Street is a small hot dog chain considered a local favorite and a must-try for first-time visitors, while Zandy's Steak Shop on St. John Street has served its local version of the Philly steak sandwich since 1940. Willy Joe's on 16th Street is a local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches and fries. For something different, Cali Burrito on Hamilton Boulevard offers California-style Mexican cuisine with organic, vegetarian and vegan options in a laid-back setting, and Damascus on 2nd Street serves authentic Middle Eastern food. Seafood lovers can head to Henry's Salt of the Sea or Youell's Oyster House, where reservations are a must; Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse offers wood-pit barbecue and Southern cooking, and Grille 3501 pairs fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar.

Allentown is well known for its nightlife, with clubs featuring major New York City, Philadelphia and Allentown DJs and live bands. Allentown Brew Works on Hamilton Street is a microbrewery spread over four levels, with bars on three and the Silk Lounge downstairs, serving upscale bar fare. Maingate Nightclub draws top DJs for dance and hip hop, and MIXX combines a high-energy sports bar with a bowling alley, packed for most Philadelphia Eagles games. For a quieter drink, Ringers Roost is a tavern and tap room built in 1920, and Tavern on Liberty offers bar food and Italian cuisine alongside a wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers.

What to see and do

Allentown's museum scene rewards a day or two of wandering. The Allentown Art Museum on N 5th Street holds a permanent collection with changing exhibits, and admission is free on Sunday afternoons and on the third Thursday evening of each month. The America On Wheels Museum on N Front Street traces the history of wheeled transportation, shaped by the century Mack Trucks spent in the city, and the Mack Experience Center on Lehigh Parkway South keeps the archives and artifacts of that truck-making legacy, including a vast photo collection. Families gravitate to the Da Vinci Science Center on the Hamilton Boulevard Bypass, a hands-on children's science center with two floors of interactive exhibits, a dark tunnel, a shadow room and a seawater touch tank. For regional history, the Lehigh County Historical Society on W Walnut Street offers exhibit galleries, a library and area archives, while the Museum of Indian Culture on Fish Hatchery Road preserves the history of the Lenape tribe who occupied the region before German settlement. Covered bridges dot South Whitehall Township if you feel like a drive.

Outdoors, Cedar Beach Park has a swimming pool, volleyball and lighted basketball courts, multi-use trails and a playground, and the Allentown Municipal Golf Course in the West End is a public course. Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78, pairs roller coasters—including the tall Steel Force, the multi-looping Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and the antique wooden Thunderhawk—with a water park; one admission covers both when the water park is open, and you can move freely between them. Indoors, Lehigh Valley Grand Prix offers indoor karting on a road-course-style track, and Haja Rose Bowl has bowling lanes plus an attached nightclub and lounge with live music and karaoke. Sports fans can catch the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies' minor league affiliate, at Coca-Cola Park from early April through early September, or the Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey team at the PPL Center in center city from September through May; the arena also hosts concerts and other events. The Allentown Symphony Orchestra performs at 23 N. Sixth Street, and the Nineteenth Street Theatre, home of the Civic Theatre of Allentown, shows art and foreign films between productions. High school football and wrestling are taken seriously here, with games at J. Birney Stadium. Time a visit for the Great Allentown Fair, held annually just before Labor Day since 1852, with food stands and national musical acts, or for Mayfair, a festival of the arts over Memorial Day weekend that fills Cedar Beach Park with performance stages, artists and regional food vendors.

When to go

Allentown runs on a strongly seasonal rhythm, so your experience depends heavily on when you arrive. January is the coldest stretch of the year, with bitter overnight lows and a real chance of snow, so pack cold-weather gear and expect quieter outdoor conditions. Snowfall days build through the season and peak in March, which is the snowiest month; late-season storms can disrupt travel even as winter begins to loosen its grip, so plan for wintry conditions into early spring.

July is both the warmest and the wettest month, bringing hot days and frequent showers or thunderstorms, so build some flexibility into outdoor plans. September offers the driest conditions of the year and a break from summer's wet pattern, though rain is still possible. If you want the most reliable weather for exploring on foot, aim for that drier stretch.

Three days in Allentown

Day one: Start in Center City, where Hamilton Street and Linden St give you the core of Allentown's downtown to walk. Note the city's layered heritage—English, German, Pennsylvania Dutch and Spanish speakers have all shaped it—and the setting between South Mountain and Blue Mountain, with the Lehigh River running through the Lehigh Valley. Keep your bearings around Tilghman St and American Parkway as you get oriented.

Day two: Use the day to explore East Allentown and the wider Lehigh Valley, taking in the Lehigh County surroundings and the views toward South Mountain and Blue Mountain. If you're arriving or leaving by air, Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is served by Allegiant, American Eagle, Delta and United, with connections to Chicago Hare, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville and Orlando.

Day three: Round out your stay with a slower day in Center City, revisiting Hamilton Street and Linden St for a last look at downtown before you go. Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey are all within reach for onward travel, and Billy Joel's song about Allentown is a fitting note to leave on.