Fodor's Expert Review Washington Crossing Historic Park
It was from the site of what is now this park that on Christmas night in 1776 General Washington and 2,400 of his men crossed the ice-studded Delaware River, attacked the Hessian stronghold at Trenton, and secured a much-needed victory for the Continental Army. This crossing was immortalized in Emanuel Leutze's famous 1851 painting, which hangs in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The park's historic houses and memorials are divided between the Lower Park (McConkey Ferry section) and Upper Park (Thompson-Neely section), about 5 miles apart.
In the Lower Park, the visitor center has park information and historic exhibits, and sells tickets for guided tours of two areas. The historic village tour includes McConkey Ferry Inn, where tradition has it that Washington had Christmas dinner. You can see replicas of the Durham boats used in the crossing.
In the Upper Park, 125-foot-tall Bowman's Hill Tower (open weather permitting) offers a commanding view... READ MORE
It was from the site of what is now this park that on Christmas night in 1776 General Washington and 2,400 of his men crossed the ice-studded Delaware River, attacked the Hessian stronghold at Trenton, and secured a much-needed victory for the Continental Army. This crossing was immortalized in Emanuel Leutze's famous 1851 painting, which hangs in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The park's historic houses and memorials are divided between the Lower Park (McConkey Ferry section) and Upper Park (Thompson-Neely section), about 5 miles apart.
In the Lower Park, the visitor center has park information and historic exhibits, and sells tickets for guided tours of two areas. The historic village tour includes McConkey Ferry Inn, where tradition has it that Washington had Christmas dinner. You can see replicas of the Durham boats used in the crossing.
In the Upper Park, 125-foot-tall Bowman's Hill Tower (open weather permitting) offers a commanding view of the Delaware River. An elevator takes you up the 1931 tower, but you walk the last 23 steps. The Thompson-Neely House offers tours that tell of life in Bucks County during the Revolution. The house was used as a hospital during the 1776–77 encampment of Washington's army; there's also a gristmill. The park's special events include a reenactment of the crossing in December.
READ LESS
