It was a Christmas gift. We were given a date to reserve and told to select two or three items from a list of nearby attractions. The arrangements would be handled from there. The first stop was the castle you see on the featured image. Wow, you may be saying, a trip to Europe? Who are these generous givers and how can I make friends with them? And while I am sure you would enjoy Pam and Mike’s company, all you need to experience this castle for yourself is a 1 hour drive from West Chester, PA. To Doylestown. Yes, believe it or not this medieval building is Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, PA.

The castle was built by Henry Chapman Mercer between 1908-1912. Mercer was an archeologist, ceramist, anthropologist and antiquarian. The castle served as his home and a showroom for the hand crafted ceramic tiles he manufactured at nearby Moravian Pottery and Tile Works which you can also visit. The Castle is much more what you would expect to find along the banks of the Rhine than in suburban Philadelphia. Forty four rooms, eighteen fireplaces (despite having central heat), narrow winding staircases and incredible arts and craft style tilework.

It is fascinating, beautiful and a bit creepy, especially on the damp rainy day of our visit. But it is not for the mobility impaired. If you have problems going up and down narrow uneven staircases this is not the place for you. The castle is worth a visit for the architecture, the craftsmanship and a view at some of Henry’s vast collections. Chapman collected so much stuff that he built a totally separate castle as a museum to house it.

That was our next stop. The Mercer Museum is a six story reinforced concrete (his building material of choice) castle. Completed in 1916, it houses a collection of over 50,000 pre-industrial tools plus local and traveling exhibits. It is like nothing I have ever seen, nothing my husband who spent nearly two decades in the museum world has ever seen.

Tools, does not begin to describe the variety of items on display. There are whaleboats, Conestoga wagons, multiple cider presses and a gallows. Many hung from the ceilings and off the balconies of the four story central atrium. Rooms around the side of the atrium feature grouped collections: carpentry tools, medical devises, coopering, cooking, fishing, you name it it’s likely here.

Friendly and knowledgeable docents provided lots of interesting tips on how to get the most out of this overwhelming visual feast. Henry personally supervised the construction of the museum and placement of much of the collection. Why did he hang so many items from ceilings? Was it to make use of space? No, the answer is- perspective. You gain appreciation for the craftsmanship of everything from chairs to bicycles to wagons to sleighs from the opportunity to view them from multiple angles, including from below. And about that whaling boat? Well, that’s what the whale sees.

What an amazing place. What an amazing day visiting two fascinating spaces built by one man. Who knew there was such cool stuff in Doylestown? But wait, there’s more. The James Michener Art Museum is across the street from the Mercer and Doylestown itself is worth a look for its shops and restaurants. After a break and some refreshments we split up for another part of our Christmas gift. The boys went to Conquering Cuisine for a bourbon tasting dinner and the ladies ate a lovely Italian meal at Domani Star, with wine of course (gotta love BYOBs).

For those of you not familiar with the cast of characters for this venture; in the photo at the bottom of the post you probably recognize Explorer Barb and husband Rob, AKA beer guy and bourbon man. Pam is his sister, the big guy in front is her husband Mike, who was Rob’s college room mate. Putting them together results in photos such as the one below along with much eye rolling from the ladies and comments such as “are they still 19?”

So if you feel the need for an excursion that does not: break the bank, require a passport or even involve braving city traffic, set your GPS for Bucks county. Lots more there than just New Hope! And thanks so much to Pam and Mike for such a fantastic gift!