West Chester, PA Journey Information
A walkable historic downtown, 65+ eating places, a speakeasy beneath your lodge, and gourmand chocolate. Your information to an ideal West Chester winter getaway!
West Chester PA: A Borough That Feels Like a Small Metropolis
The foyer at Lodge Indigo makes a robust first impression. | Photograph: Higher DwellingSomeplace between dinner at Limoncello and a late cocktail within the speakeasy beneath our lodge, we realized we had been underestimating West Chester, PA for years.
We’d visited loads of occasions earlier than, the best way lots of people do: lunch at a favourite spot, a day of purchasing, Eclat Chocolate on the best way out. Good journeys, however surface-level ones. Staying over for 2 nights and three days confirmed us a very completely different model of this place.
If you park the automobile on day one and don’t contact it once more till you try, West Chester stops being a day journey and turns into someplace you truly reside in for a couple of days. You stroll in all places. You linger. You discover a speakeasy beneath the lodge on a quiet weeknight and savor each second.
Whereas technically a borough, staying in West Chester seems like a getaway in a captivating, walkable small metropolis. The streets are huge and lined with pink brick, the structure spans centuries, and the power downtown has a density and confidence you don’t usually discover at this scale.
Historical past is carved into each block right here. The previous West Chester firehouse doorway has been right here since 1799. | Photograph: Higher DwellingHistorical past is embedded in each block, from carved stone doorways dated 1799 to the courthouse that has anchored the city middle for the reason that 1840s. There are over 65 eating places, bars, and eateries inside simple strolling distance, a eating scene that genuinely rivals cities many occasions its measurement, and unbiased boutiques, file retailers, a world-class chocolatier, and distinctive finds round practically each nook. Should you love discovering weekend getaways from Philadelphia that punch properly above their weight, West Chester belongs close to the highest of your listing.
Why Winter Is a Nice Time to Go to
We traveled midweek, which we are likely to choose for the quieter tempo. However West Chester is equally well-suited to a weekend getaway, and the itinerary and suggestions on this information work simply as properly both manner.
We got here in February and would select winter once more with out hesitation. The eating places really feel private and unhurried, the heated patios are unexpectedly atmospheric, and the entire downtown settles right into a tempo that makes all the pieces extra pleasing. That stated, West Chester earns its fame throughout each season. Spring and fall exhibit the historic structure superbly, and summer season brings each outside patio absolutely to life.
No matter time of yr brings you right here, this information will assist you take advantage of it. It is usually a pure companion to a Southeast Pennsylvania foodie highway journey if you wish to make an extended run of it.
📍 Journey at a Look
🗺️ Begin Right here: The Chester County Welcome Heart
The immersive map room on the Chester County Welcome Heart – not your typical customer cease. | Photograph: Higher DwellingEarlier than you do anything in West Chester, cease right here. We all know that’s not what anybody expects to listen to a couple of welcome middle, however this one is genuinely completely different.
The Chester County Welcome Heart, tucked contained in the Historic Chester County Courthouse on Market Road, is the perfect customer middle we’ve ever walked into. The employees treats you want a pal who simply arrived on the town relatively than a vacationer to be processed. On a chilly February morning, free scorching cocoa is ready on the counter alongside free snacks together with Herr’s chips and sweet. That alone earns the detour.
What Makes It Well worth the Cease
What units this welcome middle aside is how substantively helpful it’s. Step into the immersive map room, the place floor-to-ceiling projections and life-sized location markers put your complete Chester County area at your ft. Browse the bvTV theater room, the place brief video options on native sights play on demand. Discover the augmented actuality room, or sit down on the interactive Brandywine Valley touchscreen desk and begin planning your itinerary. A digital planner takes your pursuits and sends a personalized plan straight to your telephone.
The digital itinerary builder sends a customized plan straight to your telephone. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe employees can level you to the fitting desk on the proper restaurant, flag what is occurring downtown that week, and fill in all of the gaps that no web site ever covers. It’s like having a private concierge proper within the coronary heart of the borough.
Households will discover free exercise kits, toys, and video games for teenagers as properly. You can too request a free Chester County tourism information prematurely at brandywinevalley.com to begin planning earlier than you arrive. Plan for a minimum of 20 minutes on the Welcome Heart itself. You’ll depart higher ready and, on a chilly day, considerably hotter.
✨ What You Will Discover Inside
Immersive map room — floor-to-ceiling projections of your complete Chester County area
bvTV theater — on-demand video options on native sights and occasions
Augmented actuality room — interactive regional exploration
Digital itinerary builder — solutions a couple of questions, sends a customized plan to your telephone
Free scorching cocoa, items, + snacks — sure, actually. Water, espresso, restrooms, and charging areas too.
Free youngsters exercise kits — video games, toys, and exercise kits for households
💡 Professional Tip: Cease right here earlier than you examine in if timing permits. The itinerary builder and employees suggestions will form the way you spend your first afternoon in the absolute best manner.
🏨 The place to Keep: Lodge Indigo West Chester
Lodge Indigo West Chester sits proper within the middle of downtown on East Homosexual Road. | Photograph: Higher DwellingLodge Indigo is without doubt one of the latest locations to remain in West Chester, and its location alone is difficult to beat. The 108-room boutique property from IHG sits proper within the middle of downtown, shut sufficient that after you arrive you’ll be able to neglect about your automobile for the remainder of the journey.
The Foyer and Widespread Areas
The foyer makes a robust first impression. A tiered chandelier hangs above a herringbone flooring, surrounded by tufted leather-based seating and gallery partitions layered with native art work and historic imagery that ties the lodge to the city round it.
There’s nonetheless that refined new-hotel scent within the air, and the entrance desk crew was welcoming and environment friendly, checking us in rapidly and handing over our parking cross so we might head straight to our room.
The Suite
The nook king suite. Quiet, properly laid out, and comfy. | Photograph: Higher DwellingWe stayed in a nook king suite that was quiet, properly laid out, and genuinely comfy to spend time in. Although the room is spacious, seating is proscribed to a chair relatively than a sofa, which is value noting should you plan to lounge for prolonged durations.
For us, it labored completely as a spot to calm down and get some work achieved within the evenings. The mattress stood out particularly, with a snug mattress and delicate linens that made sluggish mornings with espresso particularly pleasing. We slept extraordinarily properly each nights.
The lavatory is smooth and trendy, completed with Zenology toiletries and a bathe that provides each rainfall and therapeutic massage settings. On a chilly Pennsylvania morning, that element was a lot appreciated.
What to Know Earlier than You Arrive
A couple of sensible notes are useful earlier than you arrive. Lodge Indigo West Chester is deliberately compact, with the foyer, health middle, visitor rooms, and the related WC Seafood Kitchen together with the Room 109 speakeasy beneath.
The Nook Cafe off the foyer affords grab-and-go breakfast objects, pastries, and specialty espresso drinks. Throughout our go to we opted to stroll to Market Road Grill as a substitute, which is only some minutes away and affords a full sit-down breakfast for about the identical value.
Rooms embrace a small espresso setup, although ours was stocked for one particular person relatively than two, so we wanted to request additional pods from the entrance desk. Bottled water shouldn’t be supplied in visitor rooms and you should buy it within the foyer, or use the refill station within the health middle should you deliver a reusable bottle. A Wawa and grocery retailer are additionally a brief drive exterior the borough if it’s essential to replenish.
🛎️ Good to Know
Eating: WC Seafood Kitchen (dinner solely throughout our go to) + Room 109 Speakeasy beneath + Nook Cafe for grab-and-go mornings
Espresso: In-room setup included — request additional pods on the entrance desk should you want them for 2
Water: No in-room bottled water — buy within the foyer, use the health middle refill station, or decide up at Wawa close by
Pet coverage: 🐾 Pet-friendly
Location: The whole lot on this information is inside a 10-minute stroll
Health Heart
The health room is properly outfitted with cardio machines and free weights, a handy method to offset the additional journey energy.
Room 109 Speakeasy
One of many highlights of the keep sits simply downstairs. Room 109, the lodge’s speakeasy, has an intimate environment with a mixture of locals and vacationers, and rapidly turned one in every of our favourite spots of the journey. It’s purpose sufficient to remain right here, and there’s extra on it beneath.
Parking and Location
Parking is dealt with on the Chestnut Road Storage subsequent door, the place lodge friends have devoted spots at a validated fee of $10 per evening with in-and-out privileges by your keep and till 2pm on checkout day. The lodge can be pet-friendly, so no want to go away anybody behind.
The Verdict
Native artwork and historic prints cowl the foyer partitions. | Photograph: Higher DwellingWe might completely keep right here once more, particularly for one more food-focused journey exploring extra of West Chester’s eating places and bars with out worrying concerning the drive house.
💡 Arrival Tip: Verify in first to get your parking cross earlier than heading into the storage. With two individuals, it’s best to drop luggage on the entrance entrance whereas one particular person checks in, then park after getting the cross. A small step that makes arrival noticeably smoother.
🍽️ The place to Eat and Drink in West Chester
West Chester has over 65 eating places, bars, and eateries packed right into a walkable downtown grid, and the standard is constantly spectacular. This isn’t a scene carried by a couple of standouts surrounded by filler. The unbiased eating right here is actual, numerous, and rewards displaying up hungry. Right here is the place we ate and what stood out.
🦞 WC Seafood Kitchen
The blue shelving wall at WC Seafood Kitchen units the tone the second you stroll in. | Photograph: Higher DwellingWC Seafood Kitchen is connected to Lodge Indigo, which makes it handy, however the meals earns its personal go to no matter the place you’re staying.
The eating room is anchored by a sweeping wall of blue shelving stacked with books, bottles, and maritime curiosities, together with a classic deep-sea diver’s helmet that catches your eye the second you stroll in. The environment is upscale and relaxed in equal measure, precisely the fitting mixture for a seafood restaurant in a historic downtown.
Our server Anne was implausible all through the night, and her ideas steered us towards the fitting dishes at each flip. The room had nice power on each visits: busy and buzzing with out ever feeling too crowded or loud. It’s good for a date evening.
What We Ordered
The Spicy Salmon over Crispy Rice. The standout of the night, and excellent for sharing. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe wild-caught Spicy Salmon over Crispy Rice was the standout of the night. It arrived as particular person bites, every one a thick sq. of golden crispy rice topped with spicy salmon, a pop of tobiko, and a tangle of microgreens, with aioli and eel sauce drizzled throughout the plate. The portion was good for 2 to share as a starter, and the flavors had been precisely proper: clear, vibrant, just a little warmth that constructed slowly.
The Seared Blackened Ahi Tuna Crisps had been a detailed second. Consider all the pieces you’re keen on a couple of spicy tuna roll, then add a satisfying crunch from the wonton crisps and a good looking presentation.
Seared Scallops with mushroom orecchiette and garlic cream. The suitable selection on a chilly evening. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe Seared Scallops with mushroom, orecchiette, and garlic cream sauce had been one thing else solely: three massive scallops with a deep amber crust, cooked completely by, sitting on high of a beneficiant bowl of pasta with mushrooms and crispy shallots. Wealthy, warming, and the fitting selection on a chilly evening.
Bananas Foster in a copper pan. Simply sufficient for 2 and a robust method to shut the meal. | Photograph: Higher DwellingDessert was a Bananas Foster served heat in a copper pan with candied pecans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the caramel. Simply sufficient for 2, and a robust method to shut a extremely good meal.
After dinner, the speakeasy is one flooring beneath. Positively head there for a nightcap.
🍸 Room 109 Speakeasy
Room 109 earns the speakeasy identify. The Eagle Lodge mural ties the area to almost 200 years of historical past on this nook. | Photograph: Higher DwellingTake the elevator down from Lodge Indigo and also you land someplace that feels solely separate from the world above. Room 109 is a correct speakeasy, and it earns that phrase.
The area is rooted within the historical past of the location: the Eagle Lodge stood on this actual nook from 1803 to 1900, and the mural painted throughout the again wall of the bar room makes that historical past not possible to overlook. An embossed tin ceiling, uncovered brick partitions, a floor-to-ceiling picket card catalog, and low candlelight pull the entire room collectively into one thing with real character.
What makes it particularly good is how properly it really works for various moods. Pull up a stool on the full bar and watch the bartenders work. Sink right into a velvet couch for an extended, extra relaxed night. Discover a quieter nook at one of many smaller tables towards the again. Heat, intimate, and unhurried in a manner that’s more and more laborious to search out.
The seasonal Crimson Flag at Room 109, completed tableside with a pour of prosecco. | Photograph: Higher DwellingWe had the Smoked Outdated Common, which arrived in a theatrical column of smoke and tasted each bit nearly as good because it regarded, and the seasonal Crimson Flag, made with blanco tequila, strawberry-infused Aperol, lemon, agave, and prosecco. Each had been wonderful. The bartenders listed here are doing work they clearly take significantly.
Even if you’re not staying on the lodge, find time for this one. It is without doubt one of the most memorable spots in your complete borough.
🍋 Limoncello Ristorante
The Pescatore Fra Diavolo at Limoncello. Order it. Belief us. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThis was our greatest meal of the journey, and we’re nonetheless speaking about it.
Once we arrived at Limoncello, we didn’t anticipate a secret hall. You flip off Walnut Road and end up inside a slender brick passageway, tall partitions on either side draped in Spanish moss and climbing ivy, two stacked lanterns hanging from the arch above, fairy lights operating the total size as much as the doorway.
It seems like a hidden backyard passage, and by the point you step by into the patio, you’re already someplace particular.
The brick hall entrance to Limoncello’s heated patio. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe eating space itself is absolutely enclosed and heated, with marble-top tables, a twig-and-candle chandelier overhead, a reside flame heaters across the room, and a complete wall glowing with fairy lights and planters on the fitting aspect.
On a chilly February evening it was genuinely heat and comfortable, no jacket required. There’s an indoor eating room, bar, and occasion area too. But when the patio is offered, positively go for it.
The Story Behind the Restaurant
Household-owned since 2006, Limoncello carries a narrative value figuring out. In 1963, Giuseppe Mingrino and his future spouse Maria LaSpada arrived in America on the identical ship from Italy. They didn’t meet on the voyage. It was solely a yr later, in Philadelphia, that they found they’d crossed on the exact same day. They fell in love, raised a household, and that household ultimately constructed a restaurant across the Sicilian recipes handed down by the Mingrino and LaSpada households for generations. You’re feeling that historical past in each a part of how the place runs.
The Ricotta Board with honey and heat focaccia. A beneficiant begin to the perfect meal of the journey. | Photograph: Higher DwellingOur server Sol was heat and enthusiastic all night, guiding us confidently towards dishes she clearly cherished.
The Arancini had been fried to an ideal crisp, wealthy and melty inside, with a vibrant marinara alongside. The Lobster Bisque was deeply flavored and loaded with actual chunks of lobster all through.
The Ricotta Board with honey and heat focaccia is a big portion with a delightfully rustic presentation. For mains, the Rooster Limoncello delivered on each entrance: egg-dipped rooster over asparagus with lump crab in a lemon wine cream sauce over spaghetti.
The Limoncello Cake. Order it even should you assume you don’t have any room. | Photograph: Higher Dwelling🌟 Do Not Depart With out Making an attempt
Pescatore Fra Diavolo — a mountain of shellfish in a deep bowl: lobster tail cracked open on high, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, throughout linguine in a spicy tomato broth with a warmth that builds and lingers. It arrives trying like a celebration. Order the fra diavolo should you crave spice. Marinara or white wine garlic are choices too. It’s simply shared between two, and their home Chianti pairs with it completely.
Limoncello Cake — a dense golden slice, aromatic with the liqueur, dusted with powdered sugar, with a scoop of vanilla gelato on high and recent strawberries and blackberries alongside, completed with a rosette of whipped cream. Elegant with out being fussy. Order it even should you assume you don’t have any room.
⚠️ Reserve Effectively in Advance: This place fills up, and it deserves the hassle. E-book earlier than you allow house.
🍺 Sedona Taphouse
The Gorgonzola Chopped Salad with Steak at Sedona Taphouse | Photograph: Higher DwellingSedona Taphouse is the sort of place that works on nearly any event: an off-the-cuff lunch, an early dinner, or an extended afternoon with over 200 beers on faucet and no explicit purpose to rush. The room is heat and ethereal, the meals displays are sharp, and the kitchen places significantly extra thought into the menu than a taphouse is anticipated to.
💡 Value figuring out: Sedona has donated practically $1 million to native charities by their ongoing Dine Out for Charity program, which runs each Monday with a portion of proceeds going to a rotating native trigger.
The Desert Hearth Jalapenos, bacon-wrapped and full of 4 cheeses, arrived with a relaxing cilantro-lime sauce and simply sufficient warmth to remain attention-grabbing all through. The New England Clam Chowder, thick with clams and potatoes and completed with crispy bacon, was notably good.
The Gorgonzola Chopped Salad with Steak got here with grilled steak cooked and sliced precisely proper, laid over a vibrant, well-dressed salad that felt indulgent and lightweight on the similar time. The Prime Rib Sandwich, with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, fontina, and horseradish sauce on a toasted Cuban roll, is one thing we’d order repeatedly.
The Salted Caramel Cheesecake at Sedona. Wealthy, clean, and sufficient for 3. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe Salted Caramel Cheesecake arrived as a beneficiant, superbly plated slice. Wealthy, clean, and sufficient for 3 individuals to share.
🍳 Market Road Grill
Half diner, half rotating artwork gallery. Market Road Grill is the place West Chester eats breakfast.| Photograph: Higher DwellingMarket Road Grill is the place West Chester eats breakfast, and after a morning right here we utterly perceive why.
Half traditional diner with pink vinyl cubicles and a counter, half rotating artwork gallery with authentic work masking each wall and out there for buy, it has a persona that’s solely its personal.
The Nook Cafe at Lodge Indigo is grab-and-go and fantastic for what it’s. However the three-minute stroll to Market Road is the fitting name each morning you’re right here.
The espresso was the perfect we had wherever in West Chester. The service is pleasant and unhurried. The parts are the sort that carry you thru a full day of strolling with no need to consider lunch for a number of hours.
Two eggs, legendary hashbrowns, and crispy bacon. The plate that units up your entire day. | Photograph: Higher DwellingThe hashbrowns are the explanation individuals come again. Crispy, golden, and seasoned good, they arrive with most plates and genuinely earn their fame.
We ordered two eggs over simple alongside, and the entire plate, eggs, hashbrowns, and crispy bacon, was precisely the sort of breakfast that units a day up proper. The Bruno, with scorching honey rooster, two eggs, hashbrowns, cheddar, and sausage gravy, is a full morning in a single bowl.
If you would like one thing lighter, the yogurt Parfait with seasonal fruit and home made granola is recent and lightweight. Both manner, begin your mornings right here. You’ll not remorse it.
🥙 La Tartine
The Beef Shawarma Wrap at La Tartine. Don’t neglect the home made scorching sauce on the aspect! | Photograph: Higher DwellingLa Tartine was a spontaneous cease that became one of many highlights of the journey. We noticed crepes and shawarma on the menu by the window and rotated mid-stride. Value each step again.
This informal cafe attracts on Lebanese and Mediterranean roots and commits absolutely to creating all the pieces recent and to order. The menu covers falafel, crepes, paninis, salads, wraps, and wonderful espresso, juices, and smoothies. The employees is heat and the power within the area is straightforward and welcoming. It will possibly get busy throughout peak lunch hours, so be affected person when it does. The meals justifies the wait each time.
The Beef Shawarma Wrap, with naturally raised beef in shawarma spices, pita, tomato, onion, and tahini, is stuffed with taste and satisfying sufficient for a correct mid-afternoon cease. Order a aspect of the home made scorching sauce and apply it to all the pieces. It’s that good.
The Ham and Cheese Crepe was easy and made with actual care, precisely what you need from a spot like this. Quick, recent, reasonably priced, and private in all the fitting methods.
🏛️ Historical past and Tradition: Chester County Historical past Heart
Over 70,000 objects spanning 300 years of Chester County historical past. Plan for a minimum of 90 minutes. | Photograph: Higher DwellingHistorical past museums are usually not at all times our first intuition on a getaway. We walked into the Chester County Historical past Heart anticipating to present it 45 minutes. We stayed practically two hours and left wanting to come back again.
The distinction was our information. Ellen Endslow, the museum’s curator, led our tour with a depth of data and a degree of enthusiasm that was contagious. She loves this assortment and this materials, and it exhibits in each room she walks you thru.
The gathering spans greater than 70,000 objects masking over 300 years of Chester County historical past: furnishings, instruments, quilts, style, pottery, manuscripts, and pictures. The rotating displays draw from an in depth analysis library with supplies relationship again to the 1600s.
The displays transfer from early colonial life by the Civil Struggle period, the economic age, and into the twentieth century, all of it curated with clear intention and evident care. The reward store carries a number of books, craft kits, and domestically made objects. Browse it in your manner out. Additionally they supply personal strolling excursions the place you’ll be able to discover completely different themes and matters round West Chester.
Plan for a minimum of 90 minutes, and e book a guided tour relatively than going by by yourself. The expertise is considerably richer with somebody like Ellen main the best way. If exploring Pennsylvania’s historical past and small cities is your factor, this area delivers at each flip.
📚 Information Value Understanding
Frederick Douglass delivered his closing public speech at what’s now West Chester College
Penicillin was first mass-produced for human use proper right here in West Chester
The Battle of Brandywine — one of many largest engagements of the American Revolution — was fought in Chester County on September 11, 1777
The gathering spans greater than 70,000 objects masking over 300 years of native historical past
💡 Professional Tip: E-book prematurely. Stroll-in availability may be restricted, and a guided tour is the model of this go to that truly stays with you.
🛍️ Issues to Do in West Chester: Purchasing, Chocolate, and Extra
In the case of issues to do in West Chester, PA, you’ll discover one of many strongest unbiased purchasing scenes within the Mid-Atlantic.
Boutiques, galleries, reward retailers, and specialty shops line practically each block of the downtown grid, with one thing genuinely value discovering for each style: style and classic, house items and authentic artwork, information and uncommon chocolate, handmade jewellery and domestically crafted skincare.
The 5 retailers beneath had been our standouts from this go to, however you possibly can spend a full afternoon wandering and turning up one thing new on each block. That sort of discovery is half the pleasure of being right here.
It’s an analogous power to what you discover at Peddlers Village, simply with a extra city, walkable downtown really feel.
🍫 Eclat Chocolate
The Fallingwater Bars at Eclat Chocolate. Impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright and an ideal reward to deliver house. | Photograph: Higher DwellingBon Appetit referred to as Eclat “the perfect chocolate in America”, and thirty seconds inside, you begin to consider it.
Proprietor and Grasp Chocolatier Christopher Curtin skilled with Europe’s premier guild of pastry cooks in France earlier than turning into the primary American ever awarded the consideration of German Pastry Chef and Chocolatier in Cologne. He then spent years finding out with main chocolate makers throughout Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Japan earlier than opening a small store on South Excessive Road in West Chester.
On a winter go to, complimentary scorching cocoa samples could also be ready on the counter. Settle for with out hesitation. The Fallingwater Bars, impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural landmark in western Pennsylvania, are a good looking reward. The total vary at Eclat Chocolate contains signature assortments, spiced and fruit-infused bars, caramels, and vegan choices. Give your self extra time right here than you assume you want.
🌿 Pine and Quill
Pine and Quill. A curated house items and reward store | Photograph: Higher DwellingPine and Quill is a one-minute stroll from Lodge Indigo and a store value constructing time round. This women-owned house items and reward vacation spot carries a considerate mixture of distinctive trendy and vintage-inspired objects: authentic art work, handmade jewellery, terrariums, books, house decor, and one-of-a-kind finds you merely is not going to come throughout elsewhere. Proprietor Dianna has a robust eye, and the store at all times feels present and punctiliously curated.
Additionally they carry furnishings and wallpaper from Thibaut and Anna French if you’re looking for one thing bigger. Month-to-month workshops and pop-up occasions add an interactive aspect. Verify their calendar earlier than your journey.
👗 Malena’s Classic Boutique
Looking by shade at Malena’s Classic Boutique. A West Chester fixture since 2003. | Photograph: Higher DwellingMalena’s is what a classic retailer appears to be like like when somebody with actual experience has edited it right down to solely what’s value your time. A West Chester fixture since 2003, the store has earned Better of Philly from Philadelphia Journal and Better of the Mainline from Mainline At the moment, and each make full sense the second you stroll by the door.
The gathering spans girls’s classic style, jewellery, and equipment from the 1870s by the Nineteen Seventies, organized by shade throughout well-maintained racks that make searching a pleasure. Whether or not you’re attempting to find a structured coat, a beaded robe, or one thing with fringe and persona, the employees will information you straight to it. The sort of classic retailer you anticipate finding in a significant metropolis, situated on a road in a small Pennsylvania borough.
✨ Kaly Store
Onerous to go away Kaly with no West Chester sweater. | Photograph: Higher DwellingKaly is the store the place you go in for one factor and are available out carrying three. Handmade jewellery, clothes, skincare, candles, house decor, and equipment, operating the vary from genuinely sentimental to objects that can make somebody giggle out loud. The employees is welcoming and the power is relaxed. A dependable cease should you nonetheless want one thing to deliver house.
🎵 Hop Constancy
Information and chilly beer underneath one roof. Plan for thirty minutes and price range for an hour. | Photograph: Higher DwellingHop Constancy is a file retailer and nano brewery that takes each halves of that description significantly. The vinyl choice runs from traditional rock and punk by jazz and soul, with new releases alongside classic finds throughout well-maintained bins. The brewery produces small-batch beers on faucet on the bar, alongside cans, wine, and non-alcoholic choices for everybody on the desk.
Plan for thirty-minutes and price range for an hour. The employees is aware of their stock, the environment is enjoyable, and a chilly beer whereas flipping by information on a quiet weekday afternoon makes it simple to lose observe of time.
🍷 Wine and Small Bites: Turks Head Wines
Turks Head Wines. A California vineyard pouring Napa wines within the coronary heart of West Chester. | Photograph: Higher DwellingTurks Head Wines is a California vineyard with a Pennsylvania tasting room, sourcing, producing, and bottling all of its wines in Napa earlier than pouring them right here within the coronary heart of West Chester.
The tasting room occupies a hovering industrial constructing with a glass skylight ceiling, uncovered timber trusses, and oak barrels lining the higher balcony. On the middle of the bottom flooring, a life-sized indoor tree anchors the area in a manner that earns a real pause while you stroll in. An extended marble bar runs the size of the decrease degree, and past it, a number of seating areas with their very own distinct moods provide you with choices relying on the way you need to spend the time.
A fantastic spot for a wine tasting and a few bites, the meals menu is small and targeted, constructed to enhance relatively than compete with what’s within the glass. Whether or not you compromise in for a tasting flight, a glass by the fireside lounge, or a bottle shared over an extended dialog, Turks Head earns its place in any West Chester weekend. There may be additionally a bottle store on web site for taking one thing house.
🌿 A Brief Drive Away: Longwood Gardens and 1906 Restaurant
Lush indoor winter gardens within the Conservatory District of Longwood Gardens | Photograph: Higher DwellingNo information to this nook of Chester County can be full with out mentioning Longwood Gardens, one of many world’s nice horticultural locations and only a 20-minute drive from West Chester.
🌸 Why Add Longwood to Your Journey
Spanning over 1,000 acres in close by Kennett Sq., Longwood is a year-round landmark, however winter is an particularly compelling time to go to. The conservatories are lush and blooming even when the outside grounds are blanketed in snow, and the Winter Marvel season (usually January by March) transforms the indoor gardens into one thing genuinely magical. Stepping inside after a chilly stroll by the grounds seems like arriving someplace utterly completely different. We’ve written a full information to planning a winter getaway to Longwood Gardens if you’d like the whole image.
For a really particular night, plan dinner at 1906, the fantastic eating restaurant situated throughout the Conservatory District and named for the yr Pierre S. du Pont bought the property. Reopened in fall 2024 as a part of Longwood’s $250 million reimagining venture, 1906 is the sort of dinner that stays with you. The eating room sits behind signature arched home windows overlooking the snow-dusted gardens, with mid-century trendy furnishings, pink orchid centerpieces, and repair that matches the environment. The menu adjustments with the seasons and the kitchen plates all the pieces prefer it belongs on this explicit room. The cocktail program is equally thought-about, and desserts listed here are genuinely extraordinary: whimsical, technically completed, and price ordering even while you assume you don’t have any room left. We’ve a full 1906 at Longwood Gardens overview with all the pieces it’s essential to plan the dinner.
One sensible notice: reaching 1906 requires a five-minute stroll by the outside gardens, so gown for the climate. Backyard admission is required to dine right here, however the conservatories are included, making the total go to very a lot value constructing a night round.
🗓️ Fast 3-Day Itinerary
Right here is how we might construction three days in West Chester to cowl the highlights with out feeling pressed. We traveled midweek and located the quieter tempo, attentive service, and decrease charges made the journey even higher. The identical itinerary works equally properly over a weekend.
Day 1 — Arrive, Discover, and Eat Effectively
Verify into Lodge Indigo, drop your luggage, and head to the Chester County Welcome Heart earlier than it closes. Get oriented, seize a cup of cocoa, and let the digital planner construct you a personalized itinerary for the times forward. Spend the afternoon on foot: Pine and Quill, Eclat Chocolate, Hop Constancy, and a stroll previous the carved stone doorways on Excessive Road are all inside simple attain of one another. Within the night, dinner at WC Seafood Kitchen, then a drink downstairs at Room 109. That may be a first evening in West Chester achieved precisely proper.
Day 2 — Historical past, Lunch, and Limoncello
Breakfast at Market Road Grill. Two eggs, legendary hashbrowns, and the perfect espresso within the borough. E-book your guided tour on the Chester County Historical past Heart for mid-morning and provides it a minimum of 90 minutes. Lunch at La Tartine: beef shawarma, home made scorching sauce, don’t skip both. The afternoon is for Malenas Classic, Kaly Store, and no matter else catches your consideration alongside the best way. Dinner at Limoncello. Make that reservation earlier than you allow house.
Day 3 — A Sluggish Morning, One Final Pour, and Longwood
Sedona Taphouse for a relaxed late breakfast or early lunch after checkout. Attempt the Prime Rib Sandwich should you missed it earlier within the journey. In case your schedule permits, the drive to Longwood Gardens takes about 20 minutes and makes an ideal afternoon addition earlier than the journey house. Dinner at 1906 would make it an unforgettable near the journey.
💡 Sensible Ideas for Your Go to
🚗 Getting ThereAbout 45 minutes from Heart Metropolis Philadelphia, 35 minutes from Wilmington, roughly two hours from New York Metropolis, 1 hour and 45 minutes from Baltimore, and about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Washington DC. Easy accessibility from I-95, Route 202, and Route 30.
🅿️ ParkingLodge friends: Chestnut Road Storage, $10/evening validated, in-and-out privileges. On-street parking free Saturdays till 5pm, free all day Sundays, excluding the Chester County Justice Heart Storage. A number of floor heaps and extra garages out there all through the downtown space.
🚶 WalkabilityWhen you park, depart the automobile. Each restaurant, store, and attraction on this information is inside a ten to fifteen minute stroll of Lodge Indigo.
💧 Pack a Water BottleLodge Indigo doesn’t present in-room bottled water. A refillable bottle works with the dispenser within the health middle. A Wawa and grocery retailer are a brief drive exterior the borough if it’s essential to restock.
🌤️ Each Season WorksWe got here in winter and would select it once more for the comfortable, unhurried tempo. However West Chester is definitely worth the journey in any season. Spring and fall exhibit the historic structure superbly, and summer season brings each outside patio absolutely to life.
🧥 Winter ClimateCostume in layers. The brick sidewalks are pretty however that is Pennsylvania in February. Good strolling footwear will matter greater than you anticipate.
❓ Regularly Requested Questions
Is West Chester walkable?
Exceptionally so. When you park, you’ll not want your automobile once more till checkout. Each restaurant, store, and attraction on this information is inside a cushty stroll of Lodge Indigo.
How far is West Chester from Philadelphia?
About 45 minutes by automobile from Heart Metropolis Philadelphia. It is usually roughly two hours from New York Metropolis, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Baltimore, and about 2 hours 20 minutes from Washington DC, making it a straightforward lengthy weekend vacation spot from a variety of beginning factors.
What number of days do you want in West Chester?
Two nights and three days is the candy spot. One evening works in case your schedule calls for it, however the second evening is the place the journey begins to really feel like an actual getaway relatively than an prolonged go to. There may be genuinely extra right here than a single day can maintain.
Is West Chester good in winter?
It’s an exquisite time to go to. The eating rooms really feel private and unhurried, the streets tackle a quiet appeal, and the heated patios at Limoncello and elsewhere are unexpectedly atmospheric when it’s chilly exterior. Combining the journey with a go to to Longwood Gardens makes it even higher.
What’s the greatest restaurant in West Chester?
Limoncello, primarily based on our go to, with WC Seafood Kitchen a detailed second. Should you can solely select one, select Limoncello. In case you are staying at Lodge Indigo, find time for each.
Is there parking in downtown West Chester?
Sure, and simpler than most cities this measurement. On-street parking is free on Saturdays till 5pm and free in all places on Sundays. Lodge Indigo friends have the added comfort of the devoted Chestnut Road Storage subsequent door at $10 per evening.
Is West Chester value a weekend journey?
Greater than we anticipated, and we anticipated fairly a bit. A compelling eating scene, probably the most partaking historical past museums in Pennsylvania, unbiased purchasing with real persona, and a walkable historic downtown that rewards slowing down. The Philadelphia Inquirer as soon as referred to as it one of many world’s most good small cities. After two days right here, that lands as a very cheap take.
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