Allentown Travel Guide

The best (ie-selection & prices) thrift store in the Lehigh Valley...Lots of mens/womens clothes, household/kitchen items,etc. And for a good cause! Cash only.

What to buy: You name it, from new to antique and all in-between

What to pay: inexpensive

From Thursday to Saturday you will find the Farmer's Market at the Fairgrounds of Allentown packed. From the butcher stands to the produce to the kiffles (an Amish pastry cookie-type snack) the Farmers Market has the freshest food you can find. Aside from the market shopping, though, is the great people you see as you walk around. Locals will come by, grab a seat at one of the lunch counters and gab for hours.

The best part of the market are the baked goods prepared and sold by the Mennonite families who live nearby. I strongly suggest the kiffles and the Goods potato chips.

The market is only open on weekends: Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-6pm. No parking worries on any day, the lot is quite large.

Next to the market area (in the same building) is a small flea market and some dollar store-style shops. Next to the market building is the Roxy, a great spot for ice cream and burgers.

During August the Fairgrounds host The Great Allentown Fair. Complete with rickety rides, games and wonderfully bad for you fair food. It costs about $5 for adult admission but if you are attending one of the concerts that go on during Fair week you can get into the Fair for free.

Fair concerts are usually quite good. When I was young I saw Paula Abdul and in recent years the Fair has hosted My Chemical Romance, James Taylor and Gretchen Wilson. Tickets for the concerts are usually low (compared to the big venues in Philadelphia where most shows go) and since the concert arena is large tickets are often still available at the last minute.

Sadly, the neighbohoods east of about 15th street (as the street #'s get smaller) have deterioriated, as witnessed by daily crime reports (robberies, mostly) in Allentown's Morning Call Newspaper. Be safe/cautious, especially aftyer dark.

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OK, a rest area is not my typical idea of a thing to see or do, but... Allentown's PA Turnpike rest area has a cool Farmers Market in the summer that is worth stopping to see if you are passign through. Besides, there is also a restroom, Starbucks, Roy Rogers, Hershey’s Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Fmiglia Restaurant, and a gas station.

Again, the highlight here is the Farmers Market. It sits in a small pavilion in front of the rest area's main building facing the highway. During my visits they have had a varieties of flowers in the spring, as well as fruits and vegetables.

This farmers market is Friday from 11am to 8pm, Saturday from 8am to 4pm, and Sunday 11am to 7pm. It is open Open May to November.

Other Farmers Markets on the PA Turnpike are located at the Valley Forge Service Plaza in Chester County, the Sideling Hill Service Plaza in Fulton County, and the New Stanton Service Plaza in Westmoreland County.


If you are in Allentown, stop by the Fairgrounds Farmers Market. They have over 60 vendors selling meats, poultry, produce, deli, baked goods, gourmet shops, seafood, candy, snacks, flowers, and prepared foods. This market runs all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

If you're a gymnast (which I'm not, but the reputation of this place precedes it) then you may want to stop by Parkettes in downtown Allentown. The training center boasts past Olympians and Olympic coaches. Periodically the venue hold exhibition tournaments and spectators can purchase tickets.

Call the center or see the website for times when visitors are allowed to stop in. If you're in the area for an extended period of time or moving there in the future, they offer kid's classes as well as summer camp programs, cheerleading training and some martial arts.