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Skippack Valley

The Wissahickon Creek joins the Schuylkill River in the City of Philadelphia near the communities of Manayunk and East Falls. The Wissahickon was one of the most heavily industrialized creeks in America. The creek and its impressive valley were home to dozens of mills and factories throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. It was also a favorite subject of artists and writers like Edgar Allen Poe and John Greenleaf Whittier, who visited the rocky hillsides frequently for relaxation and inspiration. The Skippack Valley is one of fewer than 600 National Natural Landmarks in America. Forbidden Drive is a well traveled biking, walking, and bridle trail that follows the Wissahickon from Manayunk through the Valley. The Valley Green Inn offers exceptional dining in a 19th century roadside inn along Forbidden Drive. There are also a number of environmental education centers in the area including the Wissahickon Environmental Center at the Andorra Natural Area, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Roxborough, and the Riverbend Environmental Education Center in Conshohocken.

Away from the creek itself you’ll find the Peter Wentz Farmstead, an 18th-century farmstead with exceptional faux painted interiors that offers a glimpse into the life and livelihood of rural Pennsylvania Germans. Nearby Evansburg State Park is a wonderful fishing and hiking spot along the Skippack Creek. In the County seat of Norristown you’ll find the Norristown Farm Park, and Elmwood Park Zoo, along with the Historical Society of Montgomery County, and Schuylkill River Trail.

Perhaps the most popular place to visit in this area is Valley Forge National Historical Park. The site of the Continental Army’s most famous encampment during the winter of 1777-78, Valley Forge is a 3,600-acre oasis of trails and streams, and offers an incredible, up close experience with one of the most defining moments in American history.

Places to Visit in Skippack Valley

Elmwood Park Zoo

This popular family destination features North and South American wild animals in naturalistic settings with a focus on educating young children. Elmwood Park Zoo was founded in 1924, when...

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Evansburg State Park

Evansburg State Park is in southcentral Montgomery County between Norristown and Collegeville. Evansburg offers a significant area of green space and relative solitude in an urbanized area. Its main...

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Fort Washington State Park

Rich in modern recreational facilities and historical significance, Fort Washington blossoms with flowering dogwood in the spring. Birders enjoy the seasonal migration of raptors along Militia Hill from the...

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Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve

Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve is a 234-acre oasis of meadows, woodlands and wetlands nestled among the quickly developing suburbs of Blue Bell and North Wales. After more than a century...

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Highlands Mansion and Gardens

Wishing to provide his family with a refuge from the yellow fever epidemics sweeping Philadelphia, Anthony Morris (1766-1860), a wealthy politician and merchant, purchased just over 200 acres of...

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Historical Society of Montgomery County

Host to Washington’s army for nine months during the Revolution, Montgomery County was the site of early lime, paper, iron and textile industries, as well as canal and railroad...

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Hope Lodge

Hope Lodge was built between 1743 and 1748 by Samuel Morris, a prosperous Quaker entrepreneur. Morris acted as a farmer, shipowner, miller, ironmaster, shopowner, and owner of the mill...

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Lorimer Park

This 250 acre oasis of woods and meadows, in the suburbs of eastern Abington Township, attracts visitors to its natural beauty year-round. A bequest from the late George Horace...

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Lower Merion Conservancy

The Lower Merion Conservancy was formed in September 1995, when the Lower Merion-Narberth Watershed Association merged into the Lower Merion Preservation Trust, and organizations joined forces as the new...

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Mary Wood Park House

The Conshohocken Historical Society is continually updating family histories, photo, artifacts and museum collections and welcomes new additions. Everyone is welcome, whether to pursue an interest in history, make...

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Montgomery Cemetery

This first public, non-sectarian cemetery in Montgomery County was founded in 1847. It contains the remains of some of the most notable families of the area and boasts over...

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Norristown Farm Park

The Norristown Farm Park is a 690 acre Park owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is operated and maintained by Montgomery County. The area that encompasses Norristown Farm...

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Riverbend Environmental Education Center

Dedicated to the principle of inspiring people to care for the Earth, Riverbend’s mission is to stimulate awareness, appreciation and understanding of our total environment, and to preserve a...

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The Speaker’s House

Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, second son of renowned Lutheran pastor Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, was born in Trappe, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 1750. Sent with his brothers Peter and Henry...

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