Historic Hotel Bethlehem & Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites partner for interactive event
- The Historic Hotel Bethlehem ballroom will transform into a colonial tavern. Guests are encouraged to dress like it’s 1776.
- History will come alive as costumed characters join you for tavern games, science experiments, and historic stories.
- Specially priced overnight stay packages are available.
Bethlehem, PA (June 2, 2026) – You’re invited to a revolutionary dinner experience to commemorate America’s 250th birthday with costumed characters that include Benjamin Franklin, a Continental Army Soldier, and a member of His Majesty’s 43rd Regiment of foot. The soldiers will put their differences aside just for the special event at Historic Hotel Bethlehem on Thursday, June 18.
As you step out of the elevator, you’ll step into the ambiance of a 1776 colonial tavern. You’ll meet “Benjamin Franklin” and explore a selection of scientific experiments with him. Guests will also enjoy 18th century games and amusements before they head into the candle-lit Grand Ballroom for dinner.
What’s on the menu?
Historic Hotel Bethlehem’s chefs created a menu that features modern interpretations of colonial-era favorites.
- Chicken Fricassee with herbed boiled potatoes and spring peas
- Deconstructed short rib pot pie with mashed potatoes
- Halibut with spring pea risotto and lemon cream
- Spring pea risotto with wild mushrooms and spring vegetables
Guests will also enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres. The bar menu includes signature cocktails and mocktails, beer, cider and wine.
Be sure to try the Fish House Punch
Guests who order the Fish House Punch, a potent and popular colonial-era beverage will drink in a taste of history. There are many stories of the citrusy rum punch’s origins. The most generally accepted is that members of the Colony in Schuylkill (currently the Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania) created it. It’s the oldest continuously operating social club in the English-speaking world. George Washington was a frequent club guest and legend says that he enjoyed the drink with such vigor that he was unable to write in his diary for three days after one visit. Members traditionally served the beverage from a punch bowl that also served as a baptismal font for members’ children.
Tickets include one drink per person. Tickets for HBMS members include two drinks. A cash bar will be available throughout the evening.
A special partnership makes the event possible
Historic Hotel Bethlehem and Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) partnered to create the “Liberty & Lanterns” interactive dinner experience. The hotel and the nonprofit will be working on several collaborations this year. Hotel General Manager Kelly Ronalds said, “We’re proud to partner with our local history keepers to honor Bethlehem’s long legacy of hospitality.” HBMS President & CEO LoriAnn Wukitsch said, “Historic Hotel Bethlehem is a place where history lives in every detail. With a legacy as rich as the city it calls home, the hotel brings an unmatched care to events it hosts, and HBMS appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with their team, as the results always speak for themselves.”
Liberty & Lanterns event and overnight stay details
Date: Thursday, June 18 | 6-10pm
Get your tickets: HistoricBethlehem.org| Tickets are $130
Add an overnight stay: For just $209 you can stay at the iconic hotel. Call 855-264-2598 to reserve your stay.
About Historic Hotel Bethlehem
Historic Hotel Bethlehem, located adjacent to the newest US UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, is celebrating over 100 years as a community hotel. Guests enjoy the luxury historic destination hotel’s original 1922 elegance in its 125 guest rooms, along with the grandeur of the lobby, two distinct restaurants, two elegant ballrooms and seven meeting rooms. The hotel also offers nine new Extended Stay Suites, an Executive Conference Center, Ladies Boutique Shoppe, Steel Magnolia Spa & Salon, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, and the Hotel B Ice Cream Parlor serving Penn State Creamery ice Cream. The hotel is affiliated with Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. USA Today named Historic Hotel Bethlehem the “#1 Best Historic Hotel in the Nation” for five straight years 2021-2025. For more information visit hotelbethlehem.com.
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.
