Three Fall Food Day Trips Within 90 Minutes of Philly
Where to go on a fall Saturday when eating, drinking, and spending time outside are the priorities.
Solebury Orchards / Photograph by Jauhien Sasnou, courtesy of Solebury Orchards
If summer is about long vacations, then fall is about short trips out of town to take in nature and relax when it’s actually nice to spend time outside. You might need a layer or two, but these are the surefire ways to spend a beautiful fall day, all within an hour and a half of the city.
New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ
About an hour north of Philly, New Hope and Lambertville are historic towns set on opposite sides of the Delaware River. They make an ideal backdrop for a day of snacking. Start by stopping at Solebury Orchards just a few miles from downtown, where, yes, there will be plenty of apple cider doughnuts available for breakfast. Get your fill of doughnuts and fruit, then head into Downtown New Hope.
The Delaware Canal Towpath is popular for a reason — it runs along the river for 60 miles with a flat and approachable trail. But on weekends when the weather is exceptional, it can certainly feel crowded. If you’re looking for an alternative, cross the river to Goat Hill Preserve and walk the one-mile loop that takes you to Goat Hill Overlook, with a view of both New Hope and Lambertville. Want a longer hike so you’re hungrier when it’s time to eat? Add on some other paths to the loop.
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Next, grab a beer at Great Barn Brewery and snag a table in their backyard, which overlooks a creek for a very low-key waterfront experience. Their food menu highlights comfort classics like chili and pierogis, which pair nicely with a seasonal beer like their apple Kölsch. To kill some time before another meal, there’s some good window-shopping to be had at the independent bookstores, antique shops, and clothing boutiques along Main Street. Or book a session at Nurture Spa, which has treatments ranging from manicures and massages to scrubs and wraps. Plus, you can relax on their sunny rooftop deck before or after your treatment.
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For dinner, you have choices: Stella of New Hope for thoughtful New American food, with lots of local vegetables, as well as pastas and fresh oysters. For something a little more casual, try Nektar, which is known for their wine list and themed whiskey flights, paired with truffle burgers, octopus, maple-bacon grilled cheese sandwiches (have you heard it’s fall?) and charcuterie boards.
Spinnerstown
The Spinnerstown Hotel & Tap Room is a hidden gem that many Philadelphians still need to discover. Conveniently, it’s located just under 90 minutes from Philly. Make a day of your visit by spending the morning at the Green Lane Reservoir, which has boat rental options, as well as miles of hiking trails to enjoy. Once you’ve gotten your fill of the outdoors, drive back to the hotel, where John and Susan Dale have been running an exceptional beer program since the early 2000s.
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Here you’ll find a bar stocked with hundreds of bottles and more draft lines than you can count, including stuff like collaborations with local breweries, and allocations of hard-to-find beers that they can access because of long-standing relationships with brewers around the world. Spend the afternoon sampling whatever’s on the specials list, plus burgers, chicken parm, and fried chicken sandwiches. Before you leave, make sure to grab a few bottles to go from their attached bottle shop.
Wayvine Winery and Vineyards
Most Saturdays in the fall, Wayvine has food trucks and live music on their property, making it the perfect spot to build a whole day trip around. (Check out the schedule on their website.) Spend the first part of the day hiking at the nearby Glenroy Preserve, then head to the winery to sample some of the best wine that Pennsylvania has to offer. Brothers Zachary and James Wilson first planted vines on their family’s farm over a decade ago, and they’ve become one of the most famous names in PA wine since. The tasting room usually serves bottles and glasses of all their offerings (expect mostly dry, single-variety wines, with a few blends thrown in for good measure) as well as local beer and cocktails. If you want to plan a picnic to supplement whatever the food trucks are selling that day, know that outside food is allowed on site. When it gets chilly, the team usually lights up the fire pits, which make the whole place feel cozy. And if you go and feel smitten, here’s some great news: The team at Wayvine is partnering with Little Noodle Pasta Co. to open Tulip Pasta and Wine Bar in Fishtown at the end of September.
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