The Lollipop Road

After spending a couple of hours at the Bethlehem Christmas Market, we decided to take advantage of the extensive shopping available in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Main Street is lined with unique shops with something for everyone, including the kids!

The Visitor Center is located right in the heart of Main Street and is open from 10AM-8PM daily (7PM Mon-Wed).  Here you will find lots of information about the area as well as a small museum store with a few toys and some tasty treats.  This is the best place to use the restroom.  You will also find a small restroom in the Main Street Commons at the corner of Main Street and Broad Street (you’ll need to get a key from one of the stores).  In a pinch, we’ve also used the palatial restroom in the Historic Hotel Bethlehem (elevator to the Mezzanine level).

While many of the shops will prove of limited interest to the kids, there is one, the mother of all toy stores, that could literally entertain the kids for hours.  Toy Magic, located in Main Street Commons offers over a thousand interesting and educational toys, but best of all, two train tables!  This is serious stuff – even dad will be excited.  They require children under 18 to be accompanied by an adult, so no chance of just dropping them off, but it is a great incentive for the kids to behave while you shop.  Better yet, dad and the kids hit the toy store while mom shops.

If, eventually, you are able to pry the kids away from Toy Magic and you’re looking for some lunch, there are a couple of “casual” kid friendly eateries along Main Street, including Mama Nina’s (great homemade pizza), Confetti Cafe (basic menu with great desserts and ice cream) and The Heavenly Hedgehog Ice Cream Company (the name says it all).  If you are looking for a slightly more upscale, but kid friendly restaurant, make your way down to the Main Street Depot.

Located in the old train depot, this two storied restaurant sits right by the railroad tracks and boasts the atmosphere of an upscale restaurant.  On a recent visit, the owner as well as the wait staff were extremely friendly and went out of their way to entertain our two kids.  The kids were thrilled and even left with a small gift from the owner.

The lower level dining room is secluded and cozy with stone covered walls and subdued lighting.  The main level dining area, which also hosts the bar is more casual with large frosted windows decorated with etched images of trains.  That is where we chose to dine.  The lunch menu consisted of casual fare as well as a half-dozen specials, all under $10.  There was also a children’s menu with the usual fare (chicken, burger, pasta, grilled cheese, etc).  The dinner menu is more upscale and expensive.  They do, however, offer a more budget friendly Tavern Menu on Wednesday-Saturday evenings.  Because of the upscale atmosphere and sophisticated menu, I would not recommend the dining room for dinner if you have young children.

Service (from the kitchen) was a bit slow even though it was not busy, but the wait staff was attentive and efficient.  The food – BBQ bacon cheeseburger, philly cheesesteak, seasoned fries and manicotti (special) were all hot, fresh and very tasty.  The total tab for our family of four was under $30.  Overall, this was a great place with interesting atmosphere, excellent service and good food at a reasonable price.  There is ample parking and they accept all major credit cards.

If you’ve parked in the Walnut Street or North Street parking garage, be sure to have your ticket validated by one of the participating merchants before returning to your vehicle.  Shopping and dining in Bethlehem can be loads of fun for the whole family.  There is a little something for everyone, even the kids.  Eat, shop and be merry!

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1. Bethlehem Christmas Market Each year, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania hosts a traditional German Christmas Market (Christkindlmarkt). Having enjoyed several of these festive markets in Europe, we decided to head out...

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