Special Advance Pricing Available Through July 31!
BETHLEHEM, PA—Spring may only be a few days away, but visitors up and down the East Coast are already looking forward to planning their visit to Bethlehem, Christmas City USA, this holiday season. To help rachet up the enthusiasm, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites’ (HBMS) 2025 Christmas tours and event tickets go on sale tomorrow, with special early-bird pricing for the first time.
Tickets for the Bethlehem by Night Motorcoach Tour, Christmas City Stroll Walking Tour, Spirits of Christmas Historic Pub Walking Tour and Trees of Historic Bethlehem Christmas tree exhibit will all go on sale March 18 at 10 a.m. They’ll be available at historicbethlehem.org or by calling 800-360-TOUR (8687), with customers able to take advantage of special advance pricing (save $2 per ticket) through July 31.
Leading the highlights for 2025 is the return of the Bethlehem by Night Motorcoach Tour, one of the most popular holiday attractions for visitors. On this one-hour tour, attendees discover the rich history and holiday traditions of the city established by the Moravians on Christmas Eve 1741 as they traverse Bethlehem’s Historic District and SouthSide while learning about the city’s history from a certified HBMS guide. During their journey, they’ll travel down Church Street through the heart of the new Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage Site, take in the sights of Historic Main Street beautifully decorated for the holidays and visit South Mountain, where they’ll see the 91-foot-tall, illuminated Star of Bethlehem. Bethlehem by Night Motorcoach Tours begin the weekend of Nov. 28-30.
For those who prefer to explore Historic Bethlehem on foot, the Christmas City Stroll, which kicks off its 2025 run on Nov. 21, is the way to go. Designed especially for the holidays, this casual, comfortable walk covers the city’s 280-plus years of history starting with its founding in 1741. Attendees are led by an HBMS guide as they pass by historic landmarks such as the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem; beautiful Central Moravian Church, built in the early 1800s; and the Colonial Industrial Quarter, widely recognized as the nation’s first industrial center, a thriving community of approximately 50 crafts, trades and industries in the mid-1750s.
A popular attraction added just two years ago, the Spirits of Christmas Pub Walking Tour returns this year with tours scheduled starting Nov. 29 and running Thursdays-Sundays, 4 p.m., through Dec. 28 (no tour Christmas Day).
This fun-filled walking tour includes stops at destinations such as McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub; Lost Tavern in the Moravian Bookstore, the oldest continually operating bookstore in the nation; and the Historic Sun Inn, which in the 1700s hosted distinguished guests such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, John Adams and many others. The tour culminates as attendees step inside Historic Hotel Bethlehem — gorgeously decorated for the holidays — and enjoy a glass of Moravian Gluhwein.
Other HBMS programs and events planned for the 2025 holiday season include the Trees of Historic Bethlehem exhibition starting Nov. 14; the free, family-friendly Wassail Party and open house at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem, on Nov. 28; the popular horse-drawn carriage rides and more. Additional programs, dates and times will be announced as they are confirmed.
For details, dates and times on Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites’ 2025 Christmas events and programs, visit www.historicbethlehem.org/christmas.
ABOUT HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS & SITES
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) is a nonprofit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. HBMS tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, America’s first municipal water pumping system and one of the world’s greatest industrial companies. HBMS is located in eastern Pennsylvania, only a one-hour drive north of Philadelphia and two hours west of New York City. The nonprofit is a partner in Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem, the United States’ 26th World Heritage site; an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution; and part of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, which is a National Historic Landmark District. For more information, visit historicbethlehem.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko
