There’s a reason this county is called the ‘Genius Belt.’
If you need some time away from the demands of everyday life , take after a gaggle of twentieth - 100 playwright , painters , and poets by trade thetranquil seasideor an idyllic forest for a trip to rural Pennsylvania .
Bucks County , which rest 75 mil ( or about an time of day and 45 minute crusade ) from New York City , has been dub the “ genius belt ” thanks to a history of hosting creatives looking for a restrained place to flesh out their ideas and make meaningful prowess .
“ Many renowned artist , playwright , craftsmen , authors , and thinkers have and continue to visit Bucks County seek aretreat from New York City , ” pronounce Megan Connelly , the marketing and communications coordinator for Visit Bucks County . “ drive by the hunt for natural beauty , a supportive aesthetic community , and the hardheaded benefits of a rural retirement , the area became such a well - known haven for creativity that the New York metier began to call it ‘ the wizardry belt . ’ ”
Michener Art Museum|Photo courtesy of Visit Bucks County
Some of the notable artists take in this chemical group of “ star ” include Oscar Hammerstein , James A. Michener , George S. Kaufman , Moss Hart , and Pearl S. Buck . These creatives flocked to towns like New Hope , Doylestown , Langhorne , Washington Crossing , and Yardley to name a few . And many of the originative blank they frequented ( or that profit from their work ) can still be visited today .
Head toBucks County Playhousein New Hope where performing artist like Judy Garland , Grace Kelly , Joan Rivers , and James Earl Jones took the stage for historical performances . The Rocky Horror Show , The Everly Brothers Experience , orAnastasia the Musicalare all being staged this time of year . Alternatively , just go take a gander at the edifice , which has an original structure built way back in 1790 , when theHope Millswere rebuilt and renamed the New Hope Mills . The township ’s former name of Coryell ’s Ferry fall back its ring after that and the town was renamed to New Hope after those same mills .
TheMichener Art Museum , located in Doylestown , also makes for a big way to engage in the creative history of Bucks County . This deftness , which formerly acted as the Bucks County Jail , presently has an exhibit calledBehind These wall : reckon with Incarcerationcreated in collaboration with formerly jail individuals , creative person , mental health proponent , and others in search that part of the building ’s history .
To get the full historical significance of this townsfolk which shaped the minds of creative great of the early- to mid - 20th century , take theBucks County Genius Belt Group Tour . This hitch , although unguided , provide a list of activities and mind for those visiting the township . Taking a deeper dive into account atThe Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle , The Tileworks , or thePearl S. Buck House .
