Named after famed archaeologist and antiquarian, Henry Chapman Mercer, this unique stretch of attractions includes Fonthill Museum, Mercer's medieval castlelike dream house; Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, a living history museum where decorative Moravian tiles are still being produced; and the Mercer Museum, with the most unique collection of early American tools and folk art in the world.
Other worthwhile sites in and around Doylestown include the James A. Michener Art Museum; the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, with magnificent stained-glass windows celebrating 1,000 years of Polish Christianity; and the Pearl S. Buck House in Dublin, displaying the author/humanitarian's Nobel and Pulitzer prizes and countless personal momentos collected from China.
In addition to Bucks County's 13 covered bridges, visitors will also want to see the picturesque town of New Hope, an artists' and writers' colony situated on the Delaware River. You can wander the town's countless antique shops and art galleries, enjoy wine-tasting at Bucks Country Vineyards, catch a play at Bucks County Playhouse, or take in the scenic beauty of the Delaware Canal from the Mule-Drawn Barge Ride.
Two other "must-see" attractions along the Delaware are Washington Crossing Historic Park, where the great general led his ragged troops across the ice-choked river to assault the unsuspecting Hessians at Trenton in 1776, and Pennsbury Manor, the magnificent reconstructed country estate of William Penn.
In Oxford Valley, just south of Penn's gracious plantation is Sesame Place, an innovative educational family play park, where children can enjoy more than 40 indoor and outdoor activities, including Big Bird's Rambling River and the Computer Gallery, as well as live entertainment featuring Sesame Street characters.