Things To Do

   

 

VIEW THE 2024 COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE HERE

 

Looking for things to do in the tri-county area? From shopping, dining, visiting a museum, or participating in one of the largest grass volleyball tournaments in the nation (held right here in Pottstown), the Chamber can provide the resources you need. Visit the Community Events Calendar to see an overview of scheduled events and even add one of your own!

 

Places to grab a beverage:

There are many places throughout the tri-county area where you can stop in and grab a drink or a meal. With a variety of beverages including smoothies, coffees, whiskey, ciders, beers, and cocktails - there is something for everyone!

Located in Boyertown, across the street from the Colebrookdale Railroad’s passenger station, is Brakeman’s Café. The café is named after a brakeman, an old-time railroad worker. At the café, they offer Twin Valley Coffee, specialty lemonades and teas, breakfast, lunch, and special events that can be enjoyed under their beautiful magnolia tree. After a delicious meal at Brakeman’s, be sure to check out Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles and the General Carl Spaatz Army Air Force Museum that are both located right in the same town!

Looking for a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy dinner as well as enjoy a piece of history? The Iron Gate Biergarten, located in historic downtown Pottstown, is more than a bar, it’s an open air biergarten where old and new friends can meet while trying Pennsylvania-crafted spirits, beers, and ciders.

J.J. Ratigan Brewing Co. is known for their craft beer, award-winning cocktails, and scratch-made food. J.J. Ratigan Brewing Co. is located in Pottstown with indoor dining, a full-service bar, take-out, catering and business lunch delivery and large party and event space.

With love and community being the top priority - Smoothie Q opened in 2021. After moving to the Berks County area and starting their family, owners Frank & Heather wanted to do more in the community pertaining to health and wellness. Located in Pottstown, Smoothie Q has a wide range of smoothies, health shots, bowls, Jamaican patties, food platters, and more!

Food can be a unique experience when visiting a community! The tri-county region is lucky to have options to meet a variety of palates. You can visit one of the many restaurants, visit local business to enjoy unique cuisine experiences, and travel throughout the region to do so. To check out local restaurants look at the directory in the back of the book!

 

 

Where to shop:

Seeking retail therapy, or feeling in a generous, gift-giving mood? Within the region, there are numerous Chamber Members who have shops with gifts suitable to treat yourself or for any occasion.

Philadelphia Premium Outlets offers 135 outlet stores from the world’s leading designers and name brands in an outdoor shopping location.

FLORISTS
North End Florist is proudly serving Pottstown since 1985 with a wonderful variety of fresh flowers, plants and unique gifts to suit any style or budget.

Achin’ Back Garden Center is a local family-owned business located in Pottstown, celebrating their 20th year in business in 2024. In addition to being a full-service florist with a gift shop and many greenhouses, Achin’ Back supports local growers, offering organic vegetables and herbs in the Spring along with unique plants throughout the year. Offering classes and events, Achin’ Back has something for both new and experienced gardeners.

Dani Bee Funky offers an array of plants, flowers and gifts, such as hand-poured candles, crystals, art and more. Located in Pottstown, they also run workshops in the back space and hold classes like painting, bonsai, terrarium building, cooking decorating, blanket making, calligraphy, etc.

UNIQUE RETAIL
Goose’s Montecristo Lounge and Tobacconist, located in Limerick, embraces the slogan of the cigar industry “relax and enjoy a cigar“… helping their members and customers relax after a hard day’s work. Goose’s has been a Montecristo lounge since the day they opened, and it’s become their main staple. Here their customers can relax and light up with their friends.

At Once Upon A Time Consignment Boutique LLC, they value the experience and expression of their customers and clients. Through seamless selecting and selling process they curate unique, high quality, and affordable fashion for the whole family. Located in Pottstown, inventory is updated daily — stop in today to explore their wide selection of clothing, accessories, shoes, handbags, jewelry and so much more!

If you’ve shopped at Keystone Running & Walking in Pottstown, you’ve experienced their friendly and knowledgeable service. If you haven’t, you’re invited to come see for yourself what makes the Keystone Running & Walking Store a truly unique experience. They call it the Keystone Experience.

The Swamp Door is an upscale antiques and collectibles market featuring 70+ vendors, located in Gilbertsville. You will find here antique and vintage accent pieces and furniture, primitives, jewelry, mid-century, and so much more.

 

For the athletes: 

The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area is alive with a remarkable diversity of historic, recreational, and cultural attractions with the 128-mile Schuylkill River as its center. Some of the activities you can do on the water include canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. There are also many activities that can be done surrounding the river such as hiking, biking, jogging, camping, picnicking and more. Did you know that there is an annual 112-mile guided canoe/kayak trip on the river? This is called the Schuylkill River Sojourn and it begins in the Summer in rural Schuylkill Haven and ends seven days later at Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row.

Splitting Edge Axe Throwing, located in Pottstown and established in 2018, gives customers an amazing entertainment experience. They are a premiere destination for fun-filled events such as team building activities, leagues, fundraisers, date night, and family entertainment. Their “Axe-perts” will guide you through your experience of learning how to throw axes for fun and sport. Must be 10 years of age and older.

Feel like catching a game at a local sporting event? Check out the Reading Fightin Phils! The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a minor league baseball team located in Reading and were founded in 1967.

If you would rather catch an ice hockey game, be sure to go to Santander Arena to watch the Reading Royals! The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL’s Eastern Conference.

 

Arts & Culture:

Seeking to explore the arts and culture in the tri-county region? Start your exploration with a trip to any of the following TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Members.

SHOW STOPPERS
Not only is Santander Arena & Performing Arts Center home to the Reading Royals, but they have also hosted hundreds of concerts and other forms of entertainment targeted to all age ranges. The Santander Performing Arts Center is known for bringing some of the hottest acts in show business to Reading and Berks County.

If you are interested in a live theatre experience, see a show at Steel River Playhouse. Every year they produce over 90 plays, musicals, concerts, and recitals, and host thousands of people as audiences, students, artists, donors, and volunteers from throughout the region. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and performance facility, located in Pottstown, supporting individual and community development through the performing arts. They offer performance opportunities for all ages through auditions, performance-based classes and workshops, private lesson recitals, and a summer camp program.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Interested in line dancing, open mic nights, live performances, comedy, and other forms of entertainment? Attend any of SoulJoel’s events at The SunnyBrook Ballroom. One of the few remaining dance halls of the pre-World War II era still in existence, The SunnyBrook Ballroom is a vivid and well-known landmark in Pottstown. Throughout its heyday, the historic ballroom was a regular stop on the tours of all the era’s big bands and entertainers, including: Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra.

Rivet: Canteen & Assembly is a live music and event venue in Pottstown, located in century-old downtown centerpiece New York Plaza. Rivet highlights Pottstown’s rich industrial heritage with a design blueprint that celebrates the local trades that helped forge America. Rivet’s main room Foundry Hall features a full stage with house sound and modern multimedia gear, tailored for live music and entertainment, as well as weddings, company functions and other social events.

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
Interested in guitars? Visit The Crossroads Guitars and Art (Gilbertsville) and Balaguer Guitars LLC (Pottstown). The Crossroads Guitars and Art fosters a unique cultural arts experience for local area patrons, resulting in the creation of new music-makers and enjoyable encounters. Musicians and artists from all walks of life go through the doors of The Crossroads to check out everything they have to offer, including live performances. Balaguer Guitars LLC is always striving to design and build instruments that not only offer premium features, but are also the means for every player to connect and create something truly special. Versatility, comfort, and consistency are only the beginnings of where they work to improve connection and playability, and are all a part of what makes them who they are.

ArtFusion 19464, located in Pottstown, aims to provide an excellent education in the arts to both the youth and adults of the community. The instructors are all professional artists who limit class size for more individualized instruction. They help students to foster their creativity and develop their talents for both their personal enrichment and as a foundation for advanced studies in the arts.

COMMUNITY CULTURE
The fiberglass bears spread throughout Boyertown give a strong community feel which is a very important trait to not only Berks County but the entire tri-county region.

At the River of Revolutions Interpretive Center, located in Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage, you can learn about the role the Schuylkill River region played in three revolutions: the American, Industrial and Environmental. The center also features fun, interactive exhibits, as well as maps, video monitors all of which provide informative information.

Founded in 1964, Pottstown Dance Theatre is a dance school with dance classes and lessons in Ballet and Pointe, Tap, Modern, Jazz, African, Hip-Hop, Creative Movement, Irish, Break Dance, Highland, Musical Theater, and Pilates. Pottstown Dance Theatre focuses on the growth of students as individuals. They believe that since dance is a performing art, performance experience is integral to dance education and the teaching curriculum and dance lessons span the entire year. 

 

Historical sites to visit:

 

There is a lot of history within the 41 municipalities in northern Chester, southeastern Berks, and western Montgomery Counties that form the service area of the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce.

Those seeking to travel back in time to the life and times of American Revolutionary Army Commander and first American President George Washington, can do so with a trip to Valley Forge Park. The park, which is located in Montgomery County, just 20 miles from the Chamber Office, is renowned as the location of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army, led by General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. The historical site, which is open to the public, offers seasonal tours and recreational activities, as well as annual events.

Pennsylvania is a very historic state with many museums, sites, landmarks, and many other experiences including an M5 3- Inch Anti-Tank Gun from World War II that is located at the Memorial Park in Pottstown.

With excursions from Boyertown to Pottstown, the Colebrookdale Railroad is your ticket to create memories to last a lifetime. Be sure to check out their unique accommodations, theme trains, or book reservations for your group’s special event when you visit!

Discover Pennsylvania’s Transportation History at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles! See vehicles of all types: gasoline, electric, and horse-drawn, including carriages, wagons, and sleighs. You will see “high wheelers” and “safety bicycles,” vehicle builder’s tools, and local historic roadside architecture. The museum is housed in the former home of the Boyertown Auto Body Works, which had continuous operations on the site from 1872 – 1990, and retains the factory setting, making it a unique and interesting setting for the vehicles.

At General Carl Spaatz Army Air Force Museum, self-guided tours are available during normal museum hours where visitors can wander the exhibits while listening to recorded descriptions and museum guides. For a truly one-of-a-kind journey, the museum offers an enhanced, immersive experience that places a small group of visitors in the time frame of interactive exhibits and invites the visitor to participate by living in history. The Spaatz Museum will embody “living the mission” by guiding visitors through preparing for, flying and surviving flight and combat. Museum staff, dressed in WWII uniforms, will talk of the wartime era. They will immerse museum visitors in the sights and sounds of aerial warfare, including attending pre-flight briefings, donning gear, and equipment, piloting a bomber, and acting as waist gunners and bombardiers and finally escaping from occupied France and a German POW camp.

Built in 1752 for the Potts family, the Pottsgrove Manor showcases the elegance of early Georgian architecture and tells the history of John and Ruth Potts and their 13 children. The Pottsgrove Manor sits on four acres which are part of the County of Montgomery’s Division of Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites. When the Potts first purchased the property, they held 995 acres that ran along the Schuylkill River which eventually came to include Pottsgrove Manor, two grist mills, a forge, and the town of Pottstown.

The Boyertown Community Library and the Pottstown Regional Public Library are both great community resources to learn more and explore the history of our region.

This area is rich in history with so much more than what is featured above. We recommend doing a deep dive into the history of the region if you have a chance.

 

Where to stay in the tri-county area:

 

Discover a unique blend of comfort and convenience at Fairfield Inn & Suites Pottstown Limerick, the recently renovated hotel that is near shopping, dining and entertainment. It’s a short drive to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, Valley Forge National Park, The Colebrookdale Railroad, and several other attractions. This hotel in Pottstown allows you to stay productive on the road with many free amenities, from Wi-Fi and on-site parking to daily hot breakfasts. Jump-start your day at the 24-hour fitness center or unwind in the evening at the outdoor pool and patio with a firepit.

The Atherton Inn is located within an hour of historic Valley Forge, Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania/Lancaster County and nestled on Main Street in historic, charming downtown Boyertown. The Atherton Inn is the perfect place to plan your next getaway. This historic home is perfectly suited for a group stay – family or classmate reunions, bachelor or bachelorette groups, corporate retreats and more will find that 9 rooms can accommodate you and your fellow travelers with comfort, privacy and charm. Inside the charming walls of the Atherton, you’ll find all the touches of a modern accommodation, made personal to your preferences by host, Brenda Cullen. At the Atherton, your experience can be curated from start to finish.

The Bally Spring Inn is a rustic estate located in beautiful Berks County. This estate offers multiple location choices to host weddings, showers, corporate retreats, and more. Enjoy the comfort of their accommodations worry free without the hassle of leaving the event grounds. The Bally Spring Inn offers packages to accommodate you and up to 50 guests in their stunning honeymoon and guest suites located on-site throughout the property.

If you’re looking to stay in the area permanently - go to the back of the book to connect with all the necessary services you’ll need to have a successful transition to making one of the tri-county communities your home!

 

 

Additional resources and things to do:

ARTS & CULTURE

 

 

HISTORY

 

 

 

RECREATION/ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

PARKS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau 300 Greenwood Rd. Kennett Square, PA 19348 484.700.8550 www.brandywinevalley.com

Pennsylvania’s Americana Region Visitor’s Center 4641 Pottsville Pike, Suite 103 Reading, PA 19605 610.375.4085 www.visitpaamericana.com

Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board* 1000 First Ave., Suite 101 King of Prussia, PA 19406 610.834.1550 www.valleyforge.org

 

A complete list of Chamber Member sites of interest can be found in the online directory.

 

 

2024 COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE 

  

2019 Business Guide