Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead

The Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead is a restored 18th-century working farm inside Ridley Creek State Park, with its own website and admission (colonialfarmstead.org). It was long known as the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation. On weekends from April to November, interpreters in period clothing cook over an open hearth, preserve food, process textiles and tend field crops, with animals typical of the period, the way a Delaware County farm family did before the American Revolution. It charges its own admission and closes to the public in winter.

What You See

DCNR describes the farmstead as an accurate picture of life on a Delaware County farm before the Revolution. The land has been farmed for more than 300 years and has been restored to its late-18th-century look, with animals typical of the period. Weekend visitors can watch:

• Cooking over the open hearth
• Preserving food
• Processing textiles
• Tending field crops
• The daily chores of 18th-century survival

Hours, Tickets and Tours

The farmstead sets its own schedule and prices. DCNR says only that a fee is charged, that group tours are available by reservation and that the farm is closed to the public in winter. Check the farmstead's website, colonialfarmstead.org, before you go. Entry to the state park itself is free.

Finding It

DCNR's park map gives the farmstead's GPS location as 39.964245, -75.448025, north of the main park entrance on Gradyville Road. Use those coordinates in your map app (Parking & Directions).

Pair It With

• Sycamore Mills, the park's 18th-century mill village (private homes, seen from the road).
• The Hunting Hill Mansion, built around a 1789 farmhouse.
• A picnic: the park has 14 picnic areas with grills (Picnic Areas).

Not the Same as Tyler Arboretum

The farmstead is inside the park. Tyler Arboretum, a separate nonprofit, is next door along the park's southern edge, with its own entrance and fee.