Compared to nearby Philadelphia, Doylestown is a fairly tiny town with a population of just under 10,000 as of 2020. That being said, there were a lot more things to do in Doylestown than I’d originally expected! It’s known for it’s thriving downtown full of shopping and food options, as well as it’s many historical museums. I can’t wait to go again and explore more of the food scene!

Doylestown Historical Facts

• Doylestown was founded in 1745 and incorporated as a borough in 1838.
• The town was likely named after William Doyle, who founded the first tavern/public house in the area called Doyle’s Tavern. It was at a strategic crossroads, situated on the main routes between Norristown, New Hope, Philadelphia, and Easton.
• During the American Civil War, Doylestown was a recruitment center and training grounds for the 104th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.

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Getting Around

Parking

Even on a beautiful 75 degree spring weekend day where everyone seemed to be downtown, we were able to find street parking without much trouble. Spaces are metered during the day, but free after 5pm Monday through Saturday as well as all day Sunday. In the event you can’t find street parking, Bucks County operates two parking garages within the borough.

Public Transit

Live in Philly but don’t have a car? You can get to Doylestown via SEPTA! There is a designated Regional Rail route – the Landsdale/Doylestown line – that can get you there in just under an hour and a half. Driving on the other hand takes about 45 min (depending on traffic).

Once in town there isn’t much in terms of public transit besides the DART shuttle, serving the central business business district and surrounding areas. It only really runs during business hours: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm and Saturdays 9am – 4:40pm.

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Day-Trip Itinerary Ideas

First Things First: Coffee

While researching for this trip, one coffee shop kept popping up: Nonno’s Italian Coffee Parlor. It’s not a traditional coffee bar by Italian standards (they have iced coffee on the menu, gasp!), but more of an Americanized tribute to the family’s Italian roots. Make sure to get the cold brew with coffee ice cubes, it was smoothest cold brew I’ve had in a long time! Why everyone doesn’t serve their iced coffee that way I’ll never understand, coffee ice is definitely the way to go. While the pastries tasted good, they were a bit on the dry side. They also have cannoli, ice cream, and gelato!

Nonno’s Italian Coffee Parlor
6 E State Street – Website

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Take a Tour of the Tile Works Museum

Built in the early 1900’s by Doylestown-born archaeologist turned tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works museum was designated a National Historic Place in 1972 and a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Through Mercer’s tile work he became a leader of the Arts & Crafts movement in America. It’s a ‘working history’ museum, as they keep the tradition alive of handmaking the tiles using Mercer’s traditional methods. The website says the tour is 30 minutes long, but because part of it was self guided (we could wander around after watching a brief history video) it took closer to an hour. At the end of the tour you even get to see a short demonstration of a tile being created. We considered buying a tile from the gift shop, but at around $40+/each thought they were a bit pricey. So instead we opted for a small magnet as a souvenir.

Moravian Pottery & Tile Works Museum
130 E Swamp Road – Website

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Take a Lunch Break

You’ll need your energy before the next stop, so now would be the perfect time for a lunch break. We decided on the Side Bar, which is located inside of a market that reminded me a little of Chelsea Market in New York City! Inside the market you’ll find multiple restaurants and bars within one space. We arrived almost immediately after they opened and were surprised to have the place to ourselves. I can only assume it was thanks to the unusually warm late March weather causing people to stay outdoors – it hit a high of 75 degrees! I personally recommend the perogies and parmesan sweet potato fries.

Some other nearby places I’ve often seen recommended online by locals: Station Taphouse, Giovanni’s on State, Honey, The Hattery Stove & Still, or Lilly’s Gourmet.

The Side Bar
22 S Main Street – Website

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Explore the Mercer Museum

Along with tile-making, Henry Mercer had a passion for collecting pre-industrial era tools. In 1916 he built a reinforced concrete castle to house his massive 17,000+ item collection. Originally called the Bucks County Historical Society Museum, after his passing in 1930 it was renamed the Mercer Museum. The museum spans 6 stories, so be prepared to walk up and down a lot of stairs. Also keep in mind when visiting during the summer that only the lobby/ground floor is air conditioned. It only took us a little over an hour to walk through, but we’re also not the type of people to do a ton of reading in museums. So if that’s more you’re style, you can probably expect to spend closer to 2 hours here. With an additional separate ticket you can also take a guided tour of the nearby Fonthill Castle, which was Mr. Mercer’s former home/mansion. We opted not to but saw a number of people wandering the grounds.

Mercer Museum
84 S Pine Street – Website

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Grab a Beer (or Three)

For such a small town, Doylestown has a LOT of bars and breweries in close proximity in the historic downtown district. I really like to try local beers whenever possible, so it was great to have so many options! Besides the breweries we stopped in many locals also seem to enjoy Penn Taproom or Hops/Scotch, but we didn’t get a chance to visit either location. Spending more time in the area and not much of a beer drinker? The surrounding Bucks County area has plenty of great wineries as well!

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Where should I stop during my next visit to Doylestown, PA?
Let me know in the comments!